February 23rd 2022 – Denver, CO.
Kenny Schmied today revealed the livery, car number, and hero card for his 2022 WRL championship bid with W2W Racing. Following a multi-year tradition, Schmied will pilot the W2W Racing #983 Porsche Cayman for all seven of his 2022 WRL race weekends. This brand new car, known as “The Wasp”, replaces the purple camouflage GT4 that Schmied piloted during his 2020 & 2021 WRL championship runs. Schmied will co-drive the new #983 alongside Kenton King for the majority of the 2022 season, and the pair will be joined by experienced endurance racer Chris Paiz at the upcoming event at Barber to kick off the season.
Schmied is prepared for a seven-event season, which will see him race at Barber, Road America, Road Atlanta, High Plains, Virginia International Raceway, Sebring, and COTA. “It’s my busiest season yet.” Said Schmied. “Last year I managed six events, so being able to add another weekend of racing to this years schedule is fantastic. I decided to swap out Daytona for Barber, and I added Virginia International Raceway to my schedule as well. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the sim getting ready for Barber, and I imagine I’ll do the same when September rolls around for ViR!”
When asked about the season, Schmied said “I’m incredibly excited for the season to start back up. The team has been busy preparing this new car for us during the short off season. I can’t say enough about how hard the guys and gals at W2W Racing work to give us race-winning equipment. And while I have fond memories driving Bart, I can’t wait to see what this new car The Wasp can do.” The new 2016 Porsche Cayman has ultra low miles, and will be extensively aero modified by W2W Racing to produce more downforce, effectively becoming a “one-off 981 GT4 Evo” said Schmied. “It’s going to be fun to see how the car handles and push it to the limit!”
Coming off a breakout year in 2021 which saw Schmied and his co-drivers win the first ever 24-hour race at Sebring International Raceway and snag three WRL GTO championships (Eastern, Western, and National), Schmied said he was excited to be racing at Barber to kick off the season, as it’s a track he’s never been to. “It’s always fun to visit a new city and drive at a new track, and Barber is such a hoot in the simulator. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the track and will need to focus on coming up to speed quickly on Friday. If we’re going to defend our 2021 title, we need to hit the ground running and minimize mistakes from the get-go. It’s why I’ve been focusing so much in the simulator lately.”
Currently mid-season in the Colorado Karting Tour iRacing season – a league which Schmied helps run – Schmied said that the simulator is an important tool for preparing for new tracks. “Over the winter, I help run an iRacing league meant to increase participation in a local karting series, and this weekend we’re racing at Barber in the GT4 cars. It’s great to get the laps in, but also to get some racing experience at Barber in the virtual world just a week before the real world race. It’s not a 1:1 translation between the car in the game and the car in real life, but a lot can be learned on the simulator that can help you get up to speed quicker in the real life. Things like braking points, which gears to be in, visual references, muscle memory… it all helps when you show up to the track in the real world.”
Schmied leaves for Birmingham Alabama on March 3rd to begin his 2022 WRL title defense. After the weekend, a race report and photos will be available here on the website. For instant updates throughout the weekend, be sure to follow Kenny’s social media – the links are at the top of the page.
If you are interested in receiving a signed 2022 hero card from Kenny, fill out the Contact Us form with your name and address. Please allow 6-8 weeks for hero card delivery.