CORE Autosport Closes Their Doors

CORE autosport, a team that has competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (and the American Le Mans Series prior to the ALMS/Grand-Am merger), announced Thursday (Nov. 10) that they are ceasing operations. This will end a 13-year run as a full-time operation in sports car racing.

Bennett’s personal business away from the track require his attention to the point that he can no longer spare the time to race. He won’t have to go far to focus on that other work. CORE autosport’s headquarters in Rock Hill, S.C. shares space with another company that Bennett operates, Composite Resources. This company manufactures composite parts for the defense and aviation industries.

“From towing a race car to SCCA races in 1992 to winning races in IMSA’s top prototype class with Colin Braun in 2018, I have had an amazing, dreamlike experience in the sport I love so much,” Jon Bennett, CORE autosport team owner/driver, said in a press release. “This was a tremendously difficult decision, but as life outside of racing continues to take my focus away from the driver’s seat, I recognize that it’s time to bring this wild ride to an end.

“Thank you to Colin Braun who dedicated 10 years of his career to deliver flawless, world-class speed to CORE autosport,” Bennett continued. “Colin’s speed and spirit enabled our team to achieve great success and multiple championships in IMSA. Most of all, I gained a wonderful, life-long friend.

The team started off relatively small, racing originally in IMSA Prototype Lites, a support series at the time to the American Le Mans Series that eventually evolved into IMSA Prototype Challenge. After racing there in 2010, the team moved up to the American Le Mans Series’ Prototype Challenge (PC), fielding two ORECA FLM09-Chevrolets, running Nos. 05 and 06 (Nos. 005 and 006 at Sebring due to the 12 Hours of Sebring being run at the time as a joint round between ALMS and the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the forerunner of today’s FIA World Endurance Championship).

The Rock Hill, S.C.-based team found relatively quick success. Bennett, along with teammates Ryan Dalziel and Frankie Montecalvo, finished second on debut while teammates Gunnar Jeannette, Rudy Junco and Ricardo Gonzalez were third. Success came fairly quickly as Jeannette and Gonzalez earned a share of the PC championship with Genoa Racing’s Eric Lux thanks to a win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (then Mosport International Raceway)….