There was no shortage of action in Race 1 of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship. It was a perfect day at the office for DXDT Racing, who clinched the race one wins in the Pro class with Alec Udell and Tommy Milner, and the Pro-Am category with Bryson Morris and Bryan Sellers.
Pro
Udell retained the lead in his No. 63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as the green flag waved to commence the first 90-minute race of the weekend. Luca Mars ran into some trouble early on, as the driver of the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22 was swallowed up by the pack and overtaken by Conor Daly in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3.
ST Racing opted for an alternate strategy as Bill Auberlen took the opening stint in the No. 28 BMW M4 GT3, and moved ahead of Mars as well before engaging in a tight battle with Daly.
As Milner took over from Udell during the driver change and pit stop, it appeared as though they would continue to sail around the track on their own terms. However, Kenton Koch had other plans as he took over the reins of the Random Vandals Racing machine, trying with all his might to hunt down the leading Corvette.
Koch continued to chip away at the gap, clocking in some of the fastest laps of the race in the process, and the two were running nose to tail for a big portion of the second half of the race. However, Milner expertly managed the mounting pressure from behind, and responded in turn to keep Koch behind.
The Team Chevy driver took the checkered flag to claim the team’s seventh consecutive win of the season, running undefeated ever since they made their debut in the championship back in Austin. The string of victories has truly brought them into championship title contention with only a couple of races to go as they have once again reduced the points gap to Wright Motorsports.
Meanwhile, Zach Veach made a daring move on Varun Choksey in the final laps to move his Racers Edge Motorsports machine back up into podium position to take home third place.
When speaking about his battle with Koch, Milner said, “He definitely pushed me hard today. We knew track position was going to be crucial, and while we didn’t think we had the fastest car, the support on the tires at the end was fantastic. Kenton really pushed me, no doubt, but he could have made it even tougher. I appreciate that, though. I’m expecting a more intense race next time. I’m really excited for DXDT Racing, for Alec, my teammate, and for this incredible team. Seven wins in seven races—it’s beyond anything we could’ve ever dreamed of. I’ve gotten so comfortable with this Corvette after all the time I’ve spent driving it. With the recent testing and practice, I knew right away what the car needed. We had the preferred strategy, and that first lap really helped create a gap that let me run my own race.”
Pro-Am
It was a dramatic start for Pro-Am championship contenders ST Racing and Turner Motorsport, as Samantha Tan, driving the No. 38 BMW M4 GT3, made contact with Justin Rothberg in the No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 on the opening lap. The latter was sent spinning off-track, and Tan had to serve two consecutive drive-through penalties for a start violation and incident responsibility.
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Meanwhile, Phillip Ellis was doing what he does best on board the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 – putting in rapid laps and creating a gap to the rest of the class field. He was running second overall before handing over the machine to co-driver Jeff Burton, who was given a 43s advantage to utilize.
Burton put in a stellar performance as he went wheel-to-wheel and held his own alongside Pro competitors, however, he had a 2s post-race time penalty looming over him for a short pit stop.
Sellers was fast-approaching in the No. 64 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, joined by Trent Hindman in the No. 85 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R just behind, and they caught up to Burton in the final laps.
With just 3m on the clock, Sellers made a deep dive into the inside of Burton to move up into the Pro-Am lead, going on to take DXDT Racing’s second Pro-Am victory of the year. The time penalty for Regulator Racing ultimately promoted RS1’s Hindman and Jake Pedersen to second place on the podium, while Robby Foley and Rothberg were able to recover to third place, an important result for their championship pursuit.
“He’s young but has the racing IQ of someone with decades of experience,” Sellers said about his teammate Morris. “He’s done an outstanding job for us. It’s not easy to come into a team full of veterans and be the young guy, but he fits in perfectly and performs exceptionally well. His first stint was incredible—super consistent—and we’re just thrilled to have him on board. He’s someone who’s going to grow and become a major force in this sport.”
“It feels great to have two wins now,” echoed Bryson. “I’m getting more and more comfortable with the car, and of course, Bryan has been a huge help in that. I’m grateful he was able to finish strong and bring home the win today. A big thanks to everyone, and congratulations to DXDT for their double podiums here today.”
In the Am class, Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri finished fourteenth overall in the No. 163 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
“That was probably one of the toughest drives I’ve ever done, but a win’s a win, and we’ll gladly take it. It was a lot of fun,” Schreibman said.
“It’s amazing to be back at Barber—it’s such a great, technical, and challenging track,” explained Negri. “We’re here getting ready for next year, finding our rhythm, and I’m really enjoying it. They pulled me out of the cobwebs, and here I am, happy to be back. I couldn’t ask for more.”
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field will return for race two on Sunday, September 8th at 2:15 p.m. CT.