Archangel Motorsports Returns to IMSA Competition for 2020 Season
St. Louis, MO (XX December 2019) - Two-time GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series championship winning team Archangel Motorsports will make its return to IMSA competition in 2020 with drivers Trent Hindman and reigning Porsche Cup Champion, Alan Brynjolfsson set to share the driving duties in the No. 7 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 MR.
Led by motorsports veteran Mike Johnson, the St. Louis-based team will be seeking another championship to add to its roster of accomplishments as the effort launches with an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) campaign to build on the strong 2019 season for Hindman and Brynjolfsson.
With six championships as well as wins at the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans to his credit as a team owner and manager, Johnson is looking forward to returning to his role as a team owner in 2020.
“My career has taken a few twists and turns and I’ve been fortunate to play a few different roles for several different teams so I’m excited to be coming back with Archangel Motorsports this year,” said Johnson, who forged a career as a driver in the open wheel ranks before moving to team ownership. “I’m fortunate to have a lot of the infrastructure needed to run the team already in place in St. Louis, and am proud to be basing the team here in my hometown.”
2019 was a big year for Johnson after spearheading Park Place Motorsports’ customer racing program as team Manager and Strategist. His experience brought home a big win for Hindman and Brynjolfsson at Mid-Ohio after starting 11th. Brynjolffson also went on the claim the prestigious Porsche Cup following his efforts behind the wheel of the Porsche Cayman in 2019 in both IMSA and SRO competition under Johnson’s guidance.
Managing the LMP2 Intersport Racing entry in the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans, Johnson was an asset to aid the effort to victory lane after the grueling twice around the clock event. The following year Johnson also went on to claim the 2005 GRAND-AM GT Championship with TRG while also spearheading the newly formed Krohn Racing/TRG Daytona Prototype program . Archangel Motorsports was a staple in the Rolex GRAND-AM and ALMS series, and the team made a serious name for itself in SRPII competition. The team earned a 2001 Rolex 24 At Daytona victory with drivers Andy Lally, Paul Macey, Martin Henderson and Peter Seldon.
Between the team’s 2000 and 2001 GRAND-AM and their 2002 ALMS efforts, Archangel Motorsports fielded over 30 different drivers in its SRPII programs and saw the likes of Andy Lally, Andrew Davis, Ben Devlin and Daytona 500 Winner Derrike Cope. The team stayed close to its Missouri roots, fielding local St. Louis drivers such as the late Jeff Clinton, Jeff Tillman, and World Wide Technology Raceway owner Curtis Francois. Dinner with Racers star and 2018 SRO TCR Champion Ryan Eversley starting his racing and driving career first as a mechanic and then as a driver for the team when it was based in Atlanta.
“When we started back in Atlanta in 1999, I was 25 years old and we had no idea what we were doing,” said Johnson. "I would hire just about anyone that was willing to sleep on my couch and one year at Daytona, I counted 14 people working the event that started their racing careers at Archangel Motorsports and had lived in our Dacula, GA home. Now I am 46 years old with a family and adult responsibilities and it just feels like the right time to do this all over again. Being able to bring everything back to St. Louis where I started working on my father’s SCCA team will be great for my family and I look forward to the challenge."
Johnson also served as Team Manager for the two-time IMSA Championship winning team, Stevenson Motorsports where he led the team to 33 class wins over 13 years. The Johnson-led team claimed the 2013 IMSA North American Endurance Championship and the 2015 IMSA GS Team and Driver Championships.
Johnson also owns Victory Raceway, a St. Louis indoor karting track that he has operated in parallel with his racing efforts since 2003.
With the 2020 IMSA program in place, Archangel Motorsports is also actively developing plans to compete in the SRO World Challenge ranks in 2020.
The IMPC season will kick off in just a few weeks at the annual Roar Before the 24 event on Jan. 3-5 at Daytona International Speedway.