Callum Ilott is getting his one of first full tastes of Sebring this week leading up to tomorrow’s 12 hour race. 

Having run the track previously during his time in IndyCar, Ilott exposure to the circuit had been limited to the shortened circuit that is set up for the weekend prior to his most recent test with his full season commitment, Wright Motorsports

Now, Ilott is up for the challenge to take on the bumps of this famed track.

“Yeah, it’s a weird one because I come here every year for testing IndyCar and never done the full track,” said Ilott. “It’s a really special circuit that I got a taste of but not the full taste. I finally got to test here a couple weeks back with the team. Really good. Really challenging compared to some of the other circuits I’ve been to. I imagine the racing being very good. I’ve watched it from TV but it’s going to be interesting because I didn’t get to do much at Daytona. There’s a few racing styles that I have to get used to on the GT side again. But it’s going to be an eventful one. I think we’ve got a competitive car. It’s going to be exciting.”

The times that Ilott has come to the circuit have been to prepare for their St. Pete. Now coming here behind the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), the nuances of the circuit shift going from an open-wheel car.

“Yeah, so with the IndyCar way, because it was always before St. Pete, we treated this as a very damper specific track and tried to nail down the street course setup,” said Ilott.  “You weren’t always going for the optimum kind of setup for this track. I think once you start doing sunset in turn one here, it relates more to a street course from a setup point of view. But, it’s tough. They’re very challenging corners that get added on compared to the IndyCar version. The GT car does flow over the bumps very well. Of course, you’ve got the help with the ABS, but there’s just a lot of trade-offs and sometimes you can make a change that makes it very good for the last corner in turn one but ruins you a little bit in some of the smoother corners. Then you’ve got a very difficult section through 15-16 that, in the dark, gets very tricky to nail. Look, it’s just a very technical track that isn’t, in a certain way, very normal and very specific to Sebring, which is hard to nail down.”

One new experience that Ilott will get to tackle is night racing at the circuit.

Having done a start with Wright Motorsports at the Indy 8 Hours in 2023, Ilott has dealt with dark track conditions, but Sebring presents its own animal.

“It’s definitely quite a tough change, especially when you’re like a bit in and out of it like I’ve been the last couple of years,” said Ilott on Sebring night racing. “You lose a lot of sense for the speed you carry through the corners. I guess the peripherals change and the sensitivity to the speed is a thing that I’ve noticed. But the racing side doesn’t change. You follow the car in front. Hopefully you don’t have any cars in front and you’re the lead car. But, most likely you’re going to be challenging and with the GTs all be very closely packed, I imagine that there’s always a reference there.”

For Ilott, this opportunity not only marks his first full run of Sebring for race competition, but a return to full-time sportscar racing since his stint with JOTA. 

Across his career, Ilott has jumped in many different types of machinery leading up to this opportunity, giving him a wide landscape of experience to benefit him when stepping into a car such as the Porshce.

“I think it’s versatility. I don’t have a driving style that’s really specific to the Porsche. You do need that, but it offers a different perspective and I think guys get used to driving it a certain way, which works, but it’s also not the only way. So, I had to compromise a bit in Daytona and also at the same time make my own style out of it. That’s a challenge in its own way. Luckily, I’m quite versatile, but It’s also unique to them. I’ve shown them a couple of different things, and they’ve also had to direct me in a couple of ways as well to make the most out of my style and the car.”

As for GT racing, it has changed quite a bit since his last stint in a car prior to Wright. For Ilott, it has come with adaptation and understanding of this current spec of car.

“Yeah, it’s always been slightly strange, like 2021 with Iron Lynx by AF Corse in  the Ferrari. I was only ever racing against other GT cars. I did Le Mans that year, but Le Mans is its own specialty. It’s so spread out that with the other categories, that it’s not too invasive. Then two years ago with JOTA being in the top category, but just with GTs and then Le Mans again separately. It was kind of a bit eye-opening at Daytona how different it is being in the GT3 and in some ways it’s kind of harder to manage than in a GTP around the traffic because the GT3 is not as easy as it looks to drive and the racing is so competitive and with the different manufacturers as well. There’s different styles of speed. The Porsche is very good in the corner. Some other manufacturers are pretty good in the braking or in the straights, and you’ve got to be able to figure out how to race with them well. But, it’s been a change and a bit of an adaptation. Having raced the IndyCar last year and into this, the Porsche is definitely a beast that is difficult to master, but I’m enjoying it and looking forward to doing some proper racing.”

Ilott’s team with Wright is rather unique with team owner, Adam Adelson, also behind the wheel.

While their relationship spans a handful of years, along with endurance co-driver, Tom Sargent, he has fit right in with the program.

“Yeah, it’s an interesting dynamic. It’s quite rare. Adam’s young. But at the same time, I think for the rate of improvement he’s had through racing as a driver, he’s done an amazing job. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with everything so far. We got unlucky in Daytona. But the progress he’s had, I raced with him in 2023 at the Indy 8 hours with Elliott as well, and even from then to now, he’s improved a lot. Then with Tom as well, a young Aussie kid who knows the Porsche car very well and actually both have only ever raced this Porsche, whether it’s been a GT4 or GT3. So, they’re quite dialed into the specifics of the car. So yeah, from a racing perspective, they’ve helped me integrate on the GT side. Of course, I bring a wealth of experience in different categories and different, with different manufacturers as well. But, it’s a great team and Adam’s able to adapt between owner and driver very, very quickly and very well. He’s also been a friend of mine since 2019 as well.”

For 2026, Ilott is happy to have a home. Given his uncertainty regarding IndyCar commitments with Prema, Ilott’s opportunity with Wright has filled in the gaps for the year.

“At the end of last year, when Adam called me up and was going to change things a bit, I wasn’t really sure where that led and what that would also mean to me on the IndyCar side, and it was still all a question mark,” said Ilott.

“But I’m super thankful for the opportunity right now, given where the IndyCar program’s at and how up and down that’s been so far. I know we’re not on track, but obviously there’s a big effort happening to get us on track, but it’s uncertain. To have this as a certainty and to be able to race in something so competitive is great. I’m thankful for that.”

“It’s an amazing championship. I got to race the Pratt Miller LMP2 at Daytona last year, but it’s my first time doing a full season and I’ve only ever heard great things about IMSA. So yeah, it’s a privilege to be a part of any experience in different environments, especially competitive ones like this, and with a good bunch of workers, friends, all of that, I can’t complain.”

Going into the rest of the year, Ilott is excited for battle on new, iconic American circuits. Featuring new stops for his career, the British driver is ready for the challenge.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of great tracks in this country like Sebring, Petit, VIR,” said Ilott. “I mean, there’s Laguna as well. There are just endless lists. I’m excited to get to race on some of the ones that I haven’t done before. I also must learn VIR. I have no idea if I need to still do that on a sim and get used to it. So that’s exciting to me. The other thing is I still haven’t raced this GT in a long time. The racing style. I know they’ve made some changes from race control middle of last year to make you less aggressive but when I was watching earlier on last year, I was like, whoa, this is tough stuff between the BMW and the Corvette. It’s good hard racing. So, I’m super excited, and it’s a privilege to be with this team. It’s a privilege to be in this series, and hopefully we can get some wins and podiums along the way and see where we end up in the championship.”

As for an update regarding his Prema situation, Ilott stated “it’s not really changed. The problem is I’m not in the day-to-day conversations on that side. There’s a big, big push to get a deal done for someone to come in and buy the team and run. The timeline is difficult because nothing’s really changed from Daytona and when I last commented or when the team last commented on it, which makes Long Beach tough, which I think will just mean that I’ll be racing on the GT3 side in Long Beach and no double. But you never know. I know there’s a team right now that can run one car and they could turn around the car pretty quickly if they have to. The idea is to race the Indy 500. Maybe we get out earlier than that, maybe not. But the idea would be to race the Indy 500 and see what happens.”

 

Image Courtesy to Wright Motorsports