Sebastian Priaulx

British racing driver From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sebastian Priaulx

Sebastian "Seb" Priaulx (born 18 January 2001) is a British racing driver who competes for Ford Multimatic Motorsports in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[1] He previously drove for AO Racing in the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.[2][3]

Quick Facts Nationality, Born ...
Sebastian Priaulx
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Priaulx (left) and British GT co-driver Scott Maxwell in 2019.
Nationality British
Born (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 24)
Guernsey
Related toAndy Priaulx (father)
IMSA SportsCar Championship career
Debut season2022
Current teamFord Multimatic Motorsports
Racing licence FIA Silver (until 2022)
FIA Gold (2023–)
Car number64
Former teamsAO Racing, Sean Creech Motorsport, Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport
Starts20
Wins2
Podiums7
Poles2
Fastest laps2
Previous series
2021

2019
20192020
2018
20162017
2015–2016
Porsche Carrera Cup North America
British GT Championship
Michelin Pilot Challenge
F4 British Championship
Ginetta Junior Championship
Ginetta Junior Winter Series
Championship titles
2021

2016
Porsche Carrera Cup North America
Ginetta Junior Winter Series
Last updated on: 4 November 2023.
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Career

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Early career

Priaulx was introduced to motorsports at a karting track near Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours while his father, Andy, was testing there.[4] At the age of 8, he began competing in karts, before progressing to cars in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series at the end of 2015.[5] He cited his early aspirations as reaching Formula 1, but began in the Ginetta ladder in lieu of Formula 4 due to its value for money.[4]

In 2016, he graduated to the Ginetta Junior Championship at large, driving for JHR Developments.[6] He scored his first victory in the series in September at Silverstone,[7] adding five additional podiums over the course of the season en route to a 7th-place points finish. In the series' season-ending Winter Series, Priaulx scored two race victories at Brands Hatch, scoring the title.[8] Priaulx returned to the championship in 2017, supported by sponsorship from 1st Central Insurance,[9] and began the championship by winning on the opening weekend at Brands Hatch.[10] He continued the season strongly, winning five consecutive races between the rounds at Thruxton and Croft, before parting ways with JHR Developments following their suspension from the series in August.[11] For the Rockingham round, Priaulx joined HHC Motorsport, finishing the season as championship runner-up to Tom Gamble.[12][13]

While competing in Ginettas, Priaulx worked at a car dealership to supplement his racing career.[12]

Junior formula

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Priaulx competing in F4 at Silverstone.

Priaulx's brief junior formula career began in 2018, joining the TRS Arden team in the F4 British Championship.[14][15] Supported by new sponsor Ravenscroft,[16] his confidence was high entering the opening round at Brands Hatch,[17] and he scored a fourth-place finish in his first race in the championship. In the second event of the weekend, he scored his maiden victory in the series, taken after the top two finishers on the road were penalized for a jump start.[18] Priaulx scored just one more race victory that season, in the final race meeting at Brands Hatch, finishing 7th in the championship. This was his only season in single-seaters, and he signed a deal with Multimatic Motorsports to compete in sports car racing for 2019.[19]

Sports car racing

GT4

Priaulx's first foray into sports car racing was the 2019 British GT Championship, joining co-driver Scott Maxwell in a Multimatic-prepared Ford Mustang GT4.[20] The move put both Sebastian and his father Andy in same team, as Multimatic handled both Ford's GT4 and WEC-based Ford GTE program.[21] It also came amidst changing aspirations for Sebastian, whose focus turned to eventually competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as opposed to reaching Formula One.[22] In the opening round of the season, Priaulx and Maxwell claimed a pair of pole positions, taking the GT4 class victory in the second event of the weekend at Oulton Park.[23] The duo claimed another victory at Donington Park in June,[24] and entered the final two rounds of the season at the top of the GT4 points classification.[25] However, a ninth place finish at Brands Hatch saw Priaulx and Maxwell fall behind eventual championship winners Tom Canning and Ashley Hand, who had claimed a podium finish. A second-place result in the final round at Donington Park wasn't enough for the Multimatic team to claim the title, as they fell 7.5 points short of the aforementioned duo of Canning and Hand.

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Priaulx and Maxwell's Ford Mustang GT4 at Donington Park.

Following the conclusion of the British GT season, Priaulx embarked upon his first race in North America, joining the team's Michelin Pilot Challenge entry alongside Austin Cindric for the final round of the season at Road Atlanta.[26][27] Fortunate timing on a late race pit stop allowed the two to jump to the top of the Grand Sport classification, and Cindric drew out a three-second gap to the Automatic Racing entry of Tom Long and Akhil Rabindra to take the race victory.[28]

Prior to the start of competition in 2020, Sebastian and Andy signed new long-term contracts with Multimatic; Sebastian as a driver and Andy in an advisory role.[29] Sebastian's racing for the year took place stateside, as he once again paired with Austin Cindric for the opening race of the 2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona.[30] After racing resumed following a COVID-19-induced stoppage, Priaulx was confirmed to complete the season with Multimatic in the team's #22 entry, paired with several different co-drivers.[31] Scott Maxwell joined Priaulx between the round at Road America and the October event at Road Atlanta, while Hailie Deegan and Marco Signoretti drove at the Laguna Seca and second Sebring rounds, respectively. Priaulx claimed a lone podium at Road Atlanta in September,[32] finishing 11th in the Grand Sport class championship.

Porsche single-make and WEC

In a partnership between Kelly-Moss Road and Race and Multimatic Motorsports, Priaulx began competing in the new-for-2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America in its inaugural season.[33][34] In pre-season testing at Sebring, designed to shake down the new Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car, Priaulx registered the quickest time of the 19 entries that took part.[35] A half-second behind him was his Kelly-Moss teammate Kay van Berlo, foreshadowing a year-long title fight between the two drivers.[36] In the first race at Sebring, Priaulx edged out van Berlo to take the race victory, in the process becoming the series' first ever race winner.[37] After winning the opening race of the season, van Berlo won five of the next seven, with Priaulx taking his second win of the season in the ninth race of the season. Priaulx's victory in race one at Indianapolis saw him climb to the top of the points standings for the first time since COTA.[38] To end the season, Priaulx claimed victory in four of the final six races, taking the Pro-class championship with one race remaining.[39] Alongside his championship victory, Priaulx was nominated to compete in the Porsche Junior Shootout, with the top prize being a fully-funded season in the 2022 Porsche Supercup.[36] Ahead of the 2022 season, he was named as a BRDC Superstar, granting him financial support for the 2022 calendar year.[40]

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Priaulx driving at the 2023 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in a Porsche 911 GT3 R commonly referred to as "Rexy".

For 2022, Priaulx embarked on a full-season campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship, competing with Dempsey-Proton Racing.[41] He joined team principal Christian Ried and Multimatic driver Harry Tincknell in the LM GTE Am-class Porsche.[42] Priaulx scored his first WEC victory at the second round of the championship at Spa,[43] before adding another at Monza in July.[44]

During 2022, Priaulx also undertook several one-off appearances in various championships. In January, he made his debut in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, competing in the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona with Sean Creech Motorsport.[45] The team finished the event second in class, a lap behind the class-winning #74 entry of Riley Motorsports.[46] In July, he joined Inception Racing by Optimum Motorsport's Gold Cup entry in the Spa 24 Hours, driving alongside Brendan Iribe, Ollie Millroy, and Frederik Schandorff.[47] The group finished fourth in the Gold Cup classification, 27th overall. Priaulx returned to Inception Racing for Petit Le Mans, joining Iribe and Jordan Pepper in the GTD entry.[48] The team led the class for 145 laps, but finished second after being held up at the pit exit during a late stop.[49]

For the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship, Priaulx joined AO Racing Team for their full-season GTD class entry, driving alongside P. J. Hyett.[50] The duo achieved a season-high sixth-place finish at VIR, finishing 14th in the GTD class championship. AO Racing's expanded program saw Priaulx re-assigned, joining Laurin Heinrich in a new GTD Pro effort.[51] Priaulx and Heinrich were joined by Michael Christensen for the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona, in which they secured the class pole and a runner-up finish. Following a retirement at Sebring, the duo claimed consecutive victories at Laguna Seca and Detroit. Despite leading the GTD Pro championship with four races remaining, Priaulx parted ways with the team mid-season owing to his increasing commitments with Multimatic Motorsports.[52]

Racing record

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Perspective

Career summary

More information Season, Series ...
Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 Ginetta Junior Winter Series JHR Developments 4 0 0 0 0  ?  ?
2016 Ginetta Junior Championship JHR Developments 25 2 2 0 6 380 7th
Ginetta Junior Winter Series 4 2 1 1 4 132 1st
2017 Ginetta Junior Championship JHR Developments 17 6 8 5 8 627 2nd
HHC Motorsport 9 1 1 1 5
2018 F4 British Championship TRS Arden Junior Racing Team 30 2 1 3 8 275 7th
2019 British GT Championship - GT4 Multimatic Motorsports 9 2 2 1 4 132.5 2nd
Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS 1 1 0 0 1 35 54th
2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS Multimatic Motorsports 10 0 0 0 1 203 11th
2021 Porsche Carrera Cup North America - Pro Kelly-Moss Road and Race 16 6 12 7 13 371 1st
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Dempsey-Proton Racing 6 2 1 0 2 83 6th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 14th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Gold 1 0 0 0 0 19 18th
Intercontinental GT Challenge - Pro-Am 1 0 0 0 1 18  ?
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 0 0 1 1 340 50th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP3 Sean Creech Motorsport 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
IMSA Prototype Challenge 1 0 0 1 0 250 29th
2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AO Racing Team 10 0 0 0 0 2245 14th
2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro AO Racing 6 2 1 1 4 1955 12th
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-FWD Walkenhorst Motorsport
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-R+4WD
2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Ford Multimatic Motorsports 2 0 1 0 1 617 4th*
Close

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP3 Championship * Season still in progress.

Complete Ginetta Junior Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Pos Points
2016 JHR Developments BHI
1

18
BHI
2

13
DON
1

7
DON
2

8
DON
3

8
THR
1

5
THR
2

3
OUL
1

15
OUL
2

17
CRO
1

2
CRO
2

3
CRO
3

11
SNE
1

12
SNE
2

11
KNO
1

3
KNO
2

13
KNO
3

17
ROC
1

4
ROC
2

16
ROC
3

7
SIL
1

2
SIL
2

1
SIL
3

6
BHGP
1

9
BHGP
2

4
7th 380
2017 JHR Developments BHI
1

4
BHI
2

1
DON
1

6
DON
2

7
DON
3

Ret
THR
1

5
THR
2

1
OUL
1

1
OUL
2

1
CRO
1

1
CRO
2

1
CRO
3

3
SNE
1

8
SNE
2

3
SNE
3

7
KNO
1

7
KNO
2

6
2nd 627
HHC Motorsport ROC
1

2
ROC
2

3
ROC
3

3
SIL
1

4
SIL
2

2
SIL
3

5
BHGP
1

1
BHGP
2

6
BHGP
3

4
Close

Complete F4 British Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Pos Points
2018 TRS Arden Junior Racing Team BRI
1

4
BRI
2

1
BRI
3

4
DON
1

2
DON
2

6
DON
3

5
THR
1

10
THR
2

7
THR
3

6
OUL
1

10
OUL
2

9
OUL
3

Ret
CRO
1

10
CRO
2

7
CRO
3

6
SNE
1

2
SNE
2

2
SNE
3

7
ROC
1

6
ROC
2

Ret
ROC
3

2
KNO
1

5
KNO
2

2
KNO
3

11
SIL
1

9
SIL
2

8
SIL
3

8
BHGP
1

1
BHGP
2

6
BHGP
3

2
7th 275
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Complete British GT Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2019 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 GT4 OUL
1

29
OUL
2

10
SNE
1

24
SNE
2

18
SIL
1

16
DON
1

15
SPA
1

19
BRH
1

21
DON
1

13
2nd 132.5
Source:[53]
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Complete Porsche Carrera Cup North America results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pos Points
2021 Kelly-Moss Road and Race SEB
1

1
SEB
2

2
COA
1

3
COA
2

2
GLE
1

8
GLE
2

2
ROA
1

4
ROA
2

2
IMS
1

1
IMS
2

6
IMS
3

1
VIR
1

2
VIR
2

1
ATL
1

1
ATL
2

2
ATL
3

1
1st 371
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Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

More information Year, Entrant ...
Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2022 Dempsey-Proton Racing LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR-19 Porsche 4.2L Flat-6 SEB
4
SPA
1
LMS
8
MNZ
1
FUJ
Ret
BHR
8
6th 83
Sources:[53][54]
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Complete GT World Challenge Europe results

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2022 Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Gold IMO LEC SPA
6H

38
SPA
12H

38
SPA
24H

27
HOC CAT 18th 19
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Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points Ref
2022 Sean Creech Motorsport LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6 L V8 DAY
2†
NC† 0† [55]
Inception Racing with
Optimum Motorsport
GTD McLaren 720S GT3 McLaren M840T 4.0L Turbo V8 SEB LBH LGA MDO DET WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR PET
2
50th 340
2023 AO Racing Team GTD Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY
14
SEB
16
LBH
DNS
LGA
11
WGL
14
MOS
8
LIM
7
ELK
11
VIR
6
IMS
10
PET
8
14th 2245 [56]
2024 AO Racing GTD Pro Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 DAY
2
SEB
9
LGA
1
DET
1
WGL
6
MOS
3
ELK VIR IMS PET 12th 1955 [57]
2025 Ford Multimatic Motorsports GTD Pro Ford Mustang GT3 Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 DAY
3
SEB
5
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
VIR
IMS
PET
4th* 617*
Source:[53]
Close

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP3 Championship. * Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

More information Year, Team ...
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2022 Germany Dempsey-Proton Racing Germany Christian Ried
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell
Porsche 911 RSR-19 GTE
Am
336 47th 14th
Sources:[58][53]
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References

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