Austin, TX – The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS championship is making its way to Texas for the fifth and sixth rounds of the season, with promises of hugely exciting action to come both on and off the track, as SRO Motorsports America prepares for one of their biggest events of the year.
The Austin-based circuit, which boasts 20 turns across 3.426 miles amongst a backdrop of colorful and striking scenery, is a prestigious and thrilling track featuring state-of-the-art facilities. The high speed and technical nature of the circuit provides thrilling battles to unfold, and those in attendance can expect excitement at every turn, with two 90-minute feature races taking place across the weekend. Race one will occur on Saturday, May 18, and race two will be held the following day on Sunday, May 19.
Circuit of The Americas is the place to be for all motorsports enthusiasts, where fans will be able to experience an open paddock atmosphere with unparalleled access, autograph sessions, a Car Corral, and a pre-race grid walk on Sunday. Additionally, the coveted GT1 Sports Club is coming to town, bringing an array of some of the most impressive feats of automotive machinery in the world.
Pro Class
The Pro Class brought the heat in Sebring, with the No. 85 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R of Spencer Pumpelly and Trent Hindman battling it out on track with Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R. This time, Jake Pederson will be stepping up to the plate for RS1 alongside teammate Hindman, and will be seeking to continue the team’s current winning streak following their back-to-back wins in the previous round.
Wright Motorsports retains the lead in the Pro class championship, but the consistency exhibited by Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen in the No. 28 BMW M4 GT3 have kept the ST Racing pairing in the fight following an additional two podium results in Florida. Luca Mars and Zach Veach also remain in the hunt in the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22.
Austin will also see the introduction of the second Corvette entry on the overall grid, as DXDT Racing welcomes the Pro pairing of Alec Udell and Corvette factory driver Tommy Milner in the No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, who will be determined to get off to a strong start from the get-go.
Pro-Am Class
George Kurtz and Colin Braun still stand at the top of the Pro-Am class standings with their No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, but a strong weekend from Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, which included a win in Race 1, allowed them to tighten the gap to the leaders. The two teams are now only separated by a mere two points as they make their way to Texas.
The prior outing also saw Turner Motorsport’s Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley take home their first victory of the season, delivering a stellar performance in the No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 to clinch the win in Race 2, also bringing them closer in the title fight. Regulator Racing’s Jeff Burton and Philip Ellis also experienced a first of their own as they stood on the podium for the first time this year. The pairing opted for an alternate strategy that saw them secure a third-place finish in Race 1 in the No. 91 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Bryan Sellers and Scott Smithson completed their first event with the new No. 08 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and proved their competitiveness early on as the duo were within striking distance of a podium finish.
COTA will also see a Ferrari join the field, as Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini arrive on the scene with the No. 88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Toledo will be stepping up to GT3 machinery following his previous experience racing in select Pirelli GT4 America races last season.
Tom Sargent and Kyle Washington will return in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, as the duo’s performance in Sebring promoted them into the Top 5 on the class leaderboard. Elias Sabo and Andy Lee sit just behind them in the standings in the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.
Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo will be co-driving the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 again, with Esses Racing with Mercedes-Benz of Austin making their return to the competition for their home race, with Will Hardeman and Alan Metni getting behind the wheel of the No. 19 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Let’s Get Racing
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field is set to take to the track for Practice 1 on Friday, May 17th. Click here for the full schedule of the upcoming round at Circuit of The Americas.
Tune-in to watch live on SPEED SPORT 1. Live coverage begins at 1:30pm ET on Saturday for Round 5, and Round 6 will air at Noon Sunday. Click HERE to find out how to get SPEED SPORT 1.