PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Bio
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports is an American sports car racing team founded in 1990 and based in Fresno, California. The team is owned and directed by Bobby Oergel and Ray Mathiasen and competes primarily in the LMP2 class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Across domestic and international endurance events PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports established a reputation for durability and strategic execution, capturing multiple class victories and three consecutive LMP2 class titles from 2019 through 2021.
Early Life and Background
Established in 1990 in Fresno, California, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports built its foundation in sports car competition before establishing a sustained presence in national endurance series. The team expanded from regional efforts into national championships as opportunities in prototype and spec classes emerged.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entered the American Le Mans Series with the arrival of the Le Mans Prototype Challenge (LMPC) class in 2010, fielding a full-season effort and rotating driver lineups as the team developed its endurance program. Early competitive results in LMPC provided a platform for progression into larger prototype classes in subsequent years.
Path to MotorSports
The team competed in former series that helped shape its program, including the American Le Mans Series, Rolex Sports Car Series and feeder categories related to prototype development. Success in LMPC seeded PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports with experience in multi-driver endurance formats, pit execution and race strategy.
By the mid-2010s the team leveraged that experience to contest the top prototype categories as IMSA restructured its prototype classes. A series of chassis changes and technical partnerships positioned PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports to contest endurance races at Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans and to build toward class championships.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Career
Early Career (2010–2014)
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports began full-season participation in LMPC in 2010, recording podium finishes at Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio and Road America that year. The program registered its first series victory at Road America in 2011 and closed that season with a class win at Petit Le Mans.
Through 2012 and 2013 the team remained competitive in prototype challenge classes. In 2013 the team achieved a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring and mounted a championship challenge in ALMS, with notable single-season driver campaigns contributing to the team’s development and visibility.
WeatherTech/IMSA Breakthrough (2015–2018)
As the series reformed into the United SportsCar Championship and then the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports sustained competitiveness. The team took class honors in major endurance events early in 2015, claiming class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring and later collecting another class win at Petit Le Mans to secure the North American Endurance Cup in the PC class.
PR1 continued to contest the prototype landscape as IMSA introduced revised regulations. In 2017 the team adopted the revised Global LMP2-spec Ligier JS P217 and later transitioned its program to the Oreca 07 chassis to optimize performance. Those technical moves laid the groundwork for later dominance in LMP2 competition.
LMP2 Dominance and Titles (2019–2021)
After the Prototype class split, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports entered the LMP2 class and achieved immediate success. The team won the 2019 LMP2 class title, leading a season that featured class victories at endurance rounds and consistent podium form. PR1 retained the LMP2 title in 2020, adding a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring and securing the Michelin Endurance Cup in class that year.
The 2021 season produced a third consecutive LMP2-class championship and a second straight Michelin Endurance Cup crown, with Ben Keating and Mikkel Jensen among the drivers who delivered key results. The string of titles established PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports as the benchmark LMP2 operation in IMSA during that period.
Expansion Era (2022–Present)
Following its championship run PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports expanded to a two-car LMP2 program for the 2022 IMSA season. The team retained its 2021 championship-winning lineup in the No. 52 entry while adding a second chassis as the No. 11 entry with additional professional drivers. The expansion extended the team s operational scale and endurance capability.
PR1 has also pursued international appearances on select occasions, entering partial campaigns in the FIA World Endurance Championship in cooperation with partners for events such as Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Those efforts were undertaken to broaden the team’s endurance racing footprint beyond the IMSA schedule.
Driving Style and Strengths
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has been defined by endurance specialization, technical adaptability and efficient pit execution. The team’s switch to the Oreca 07 chassis and partnerships with experienced drivers and engineers reinforced a strengths profile centered on long-distance race pace, strategy and reliability.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include the first series victory at Road America in 2011, class wins at Petit Le Mans, and class honors at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. The three consecutive IMSA LMP2 class titles from 2019 to 2021 and back-to-back Michelin Endurance Cup crowns underscore the team’s era of sustained success.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Career Wins
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports has accumulated multiple class victories across American endurance staples and prototype series. The program s most prominent successes have come in IMSA competition and in landmark endurance events where multi-driver consistency and tactical execution determine outcomes.
IMSA SportsCar Championship Highlights
In IMSA competition the team earned class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring early in its prototype tenure and added further endurance wins at Petit Le Mans. The run of LMP2 class championships in 2019, 2020 and 2021 represents the team s most significant string of achievements in series competition.
Other Wins & Perfromances
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports captured the North American Endurance Cup in the PC class in 2015 and 2016, reflecting strong performances in multi-race endurance points. The program has repeatedly converted technical and operational upgrades into competitive returns across endurance formats.
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports is owned and directed by Bobby Oergel and Ray Mathiasen, whose leadership has guided the team through class transitions and chassis development. That ownership continuity has supported strategic decisions such as chassis changes and program expansion.
Personal Life
The team operates from Fresno, California, and presents itself as a privately run racing organization focused on professional endurance competition. Public personal-details about owners beyond their stewardship of the team are not included here.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season centers on IMSA LMP2 competition, building on PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports’ two-car program and its endurance pedigree. The team’s recent history of championship-level results and experience with high-profile endurance events shapes its seasonal approach.
Key objectives for the season include sustained competitiveness at endurance rounds, maximizing the two-chassis operation for strategic flexibility, and leveraging experienced driver pairings and technical continuity to pursue class honors in IMSA prototypes.