All in all, it was a picture perfect Sunday for DXDT Racing in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship at Road America, the team scoring both wins in the Pro and Pro-Am classes, in addition to securing a 1-2 finish overall.
Pro
There was an immediate change for the Pro class lead as Elliott Skeer in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R charged past the No. 63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Tommy Milner into Turn 1.
Milner remained within close proximity over the course of his stint, not allowing Skeer to pull a gap. As the two made a trip down pit lane near the halfway mark to perform driver changes, the battle was reignited as Adam Adelson took hold of the Porsche, with Alec Udell jumping in the Corvette.
The advantage swung in DXDT Racing’s direction as they returned to the track for the second half of the race, with Udell further aided by Pro-Am class traffic coming into play, serving as a buffer to keep Adelson at bay. As soon as he had a clear track ahead of him, he set off and continued to build his gap over the rest of the field.
Udell went on to take the checkered flag, clinching an impressive sixth consecutive win for the team. They were in a league of their own at the National Park of Speed, sweeping the weekend once again. Wright Motorsports concluded their time at Road America with a second-place finish, with Luca Mars and Zach Veach returning to the podium thanks to a strong drive in the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22.
“With the limited dry running time this week due to the weather, I’m really happy to be on the podium,” said Udell. “The Corvette performed beautifully at Road America, and I’m thrilled with the platform. Tommy had a great first stint, though he might have gotten caught in some traffic and dirty air. We had a bit of a battle with Adam (Adelson), who drove really well in the opening laps of his stint. There was some congestion as cars were coming out of the pit lane, but we were able to take advantage and run cleanly to the finish. I’m really happy for Bryson and Bryan as well; it was fantastic to see their car up front. Overall, it was a great team effort.”
Pro-Am
Robby Foley had a strong start, leading the pack as he started from the overall pole position in his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. The fight for the remaining podium positions was taking place further behind, with Tom Sargent, Bryan Sellers, and Neil Verhagen running in sequence.
As Justin Rothberg took over from Foley, he cleared the way for the Pro class fight that was shaping up around him, focusing on his own race. However, heartbreak followed as he suffered front tire damage, forcing him to limp all the way back to pit lane as he tumbled down the order.
There were shakeups on the leaderboard as pit stops were completed, with multiple cars exiting pit lane simultaneously. Bryson Morris went on the attack in the No. 08 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, moving himself into the class lead and second overall. Samantha Tan had a strong hold over second in class in her No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 as she sat fourth overall on the leaderboard.
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Further behind, Phillip Ellis was on the charge in the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, closing in on the final podium position in the last five minutes. Elias Sabo put up a great fight, defending in his No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 in an attempt to hold his place, but nevertheless Ellis found a way to sweep past him.
In his debut weekend in the championship, Morris crossed the finish line to claim his maiden win in the series, earning DXDT Racing’s first Pro-Am win as well. After a difficult first race, ST Racing was back in podium position, while Regulator Racing made the alternate strategy work in their favor again as Ellis and Jeff Burton wrapped up their weekend in Wisconsin with a third-place finish.
“It was a pretty tough stint, but luckily Bryan Sellers got me out in the lead,” said Morris. “I just had to pass one car and was able to hold onto the position from there. Huge thanks to everyone at DXDT Racing, my manager, and the entire team—couldn’t have done it without them. I was definitely aware of the gaps closing at times and knew Samantha was quick and determined, but we managed to hold on and take the win. I’m incredibly grateful for that.”
In the Am class, it was the No. 163 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 who came out on top.
“I am so glad to be back with AF Corse,” said Oswaldo Negri “I am branded in Ferrari at 60 years old; what else can I ask for? I thought I was going to be a little bit rusty, but it’s just like riding a bike.”
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field will return for rounds 11 and 12 at Barber Motorsports Park from September 6th to 8th.