The Circuit of The Americas has provided some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows for members of Porsche’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship squad.

For New Zealander Earl Bamber, COTA was the venue where he clinched the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Championship at the Formula 1 event in 2014 – a victory that propelled him into factory drive and onto outright victory at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“I have great memories of Austin. In 2014 I won the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup title there, and we were also looking good last year with the 911 RSR,” Bamber said.

“Austin is one of my favorite American cities. Since the Circuit of the Americas also hosts a round of the WEC, I’ll be able to catch up with many Porsche teammates and old friends. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Two of his teammates Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet enter this weekend with a score to settle after cruelly loosing the race victory with only minutes remaining.

The duo were looking strong for a race win here in the IMSA event in 2015 only to run short of fuel and have to make a extra stop for a splash of fuel and pushing them back to third place.

“I always particularly look forward to Austin. Part of the reason for this is the demanding racetrack – I especially enjoy the first fast sector. But the city has a very special flair and it’s always worth a visit,” Tandy said.

“As for the race, we have a score to settle. This year I hope that we can bring home the victory that we lost last year just a few miles from the finish line.”

While Pilet went on to claim the championship and the overall Petit Le Mans victory at the following race at Road Atlanta, the COTA event was still “one that got away”.

“The Circuit of the Americas is one of my favorite racetracks in the USA,” Pilet said.

“But a victory there is still missing from my collection. We got very close to winning last year, but while we were in the lead we had to pit briefly two laps before the finish. I hope we can do better this time. Our chances look good, because Austin has traditionally been good turf for us.”