• Second endurance race for new CrowdStrike, APR partnership
• George Kurtz, Ben Hanley and Nolan Siegel led multiple times in LMP2
• CrowdStrike Racing by APR continues growth ahead of Laguna Seca and  24 Hours of Le Mans in June

SEBRING, Fla. (March 22, 2023) – The new CrowdStrike Racing by APR (Algarve Pro Racing) team arrived at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring looking to improve on its runner-up class finish at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and its maiden LMP2 race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

For most of Saturday’s race, it looked like the first-year program was podium bound until a wild ending resulted in a fifth-place finish for the No. 04 CrowdStrike ORECA 07-Gibson prototype. The race was the second of a four-race program for CrowdStrike Racing by APR that is targeting the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup – the series’ four marquee long-distance events.

George Kurtz, Ben Hanley and newcomer Nolan Siegel teamed up for their first race together – and the first LMP2 race at the track for both Kurtz and Siegel – at Sebring, the oldest endurance race in the United States. The three drivers combined to lead LMP2 on 10 different occasions for 171 laps – more than half of the 318 laps completed by the eventual class winner.

Kurtz drove the first two-plus hours from his fourth-place starting position. The Sebring field was extremely crowded with 53 cars across five classes racing around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit. Nevertheless, Kurtz ran as high as second as air and track temperatures began to rise.

Siegel took over for a 90-minute double stint as the No. 04 CrowdStrike by APR entry moved into the lead for the first time. Kurtz returned for his final stint and held steady until he completed his three-hour minimum drive time.

The strategy deployed meant Hanley took over after Kurtz as he and Siegel seized momentum from the fifth hour onward. The rest of the race saw the No. 04 CrowdStrike LMP2 share the lead with two other teams toward the end.

Siegel led LMP2 into a dramatic final hour which featured two full-course caution periods that ultimately led to issues with the fuel strategies and to a frustrating finish.

Though CrowdStrike did not come out on top after multiple leads, the CrowdStrike Racing by APR team built extreme momentum heading into the team’s next long-distance LMP2 races: the Motul Course de Monterey on May 12-14 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 10-11. Kurtz and James Allen will compete with CrowdStrike Racing regular Colin Braun in the brand’s first appearance at the French endurance race. 

The CrowdStrike brand continued its involvement in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as the presenter of the CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork, Speed award for each of the four Endurance Cup rounds. At each of the four long-distance rounds, CrowdStrike will honor the team in each of the five IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes that demonstrates the unique qualities needed to be successful – both on the racetrack in the pitlane:

Endurance: Running at the finish of the race;

Teamwork: The most efficient time on pitlane, putting a premium on efforts by the driver and crew;

Speed: A car’s best qualifying time and fastest race lap.

At Sebring, the winning teams honored for their performance at the Rolex 24 were:

• LMP2: No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
• LMP3: No. 33 Sean Creech Motorsports
• GTD PRO: No. 79 WeatherTech Racing
• GTD: No. 32 Korthoff Motorsports

The philosophies within the Endurance, Teamwork and Speed Award match CrowdStrike’s approach as a global leader and provider of cybersecurity solutions. In racing, as in cybersecurity, success comes from delivering superior performance as a team, having a relentless focus on execution, and understanding that the clock doesn’t lie – speed matters.

GEORGE KURTZ – NO. 04 CROWDSTRIKE ORECA 07-GIBSON LMP2: “I’m proud of how the team approached this race and how we performed. This is a very difficult race with many different cars, probably one of the toughest races we have this season. Victory was in our grasp, but, in the end, things took a turn. This was great preparation for our race at Laguna Seca in May and at Le Mans in June. I’m looking forward to that.”

BEN HANLEY – NO. 04 CROWDSTRIKE ORECA 07-GIBSON LMP2: “Great effort by the CrowdStrike Racing by APR team, but in the end the late yellows went against us. I’m very encouraged by the pace we had in our car throughout the day, both in the day and the night. We were able to earn solid points in the Endurance Cup, which is a goal for this team.”

NOLAN SIEGEL – NO. 04 CROWDSTRIKE ORECA 07-GIBSON LMP2: “My first race with CrowdStrike Racing by APR was a fun one, although we would have liked a better result for the team. I enjoyed my first Sebring 12 Hours, and it helped that I had good teammates in George and Ben. There is a lot that this team can build on going into the last Endurance Cup events.

For more information, visit CrowdStrikeRacing.com. Follow #CrowdStrikeRacing on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates.