Random Vandals Racing have brought a new contender into the ring with the introduction of their new No. 99 BMW M4 GT3. With their debut weekend in the championship behind them, the team has even bigger plans for what’s to come. Equipped with a powerhouse driver lineup, including multifaceted SRO regular Kenton Koch and NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Conor Daly, they have quickly established themselves as ones to watch.
The team has been a prominent force in the SRO paddocks for quite some time now, but the evolution to a Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS program has been no small feat.
“The goal has always been to build a sustainable, long term sportscar program that is going to be a world class team,” said Team Owner Paul Sparta. “Most importantly, it involves having the right people across the organization. Like any other sort of business or organizational venture, we have to have results, which is not an easy thing to achieve. It’s hard, but that’s exactly why I personally love doing it.”
“Our growth is not just represented in terms of the number of entries, but in the quality too,” he continued. “Every single one of our cars has a real opportunity to win, and we're very excited about that.”
Pro driver Kenton Koch echoed Sparta’s thoughts, adding that “Random Vandals Racing has been running a GT4 program for the last few years now and Paul wanted to make the step up to GT3, but had to ensure that it was done in the right way. It really is a testament to the growth of this Random Vandals Racing team and all the efforts that have been made to get us to this point.”
Koch, who also competes with the No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 in Pirelli GT4 America, has credited the GT4 program with providing helpful preparation efforts.
“Going from one car to the other can be a bit challenging at first, your brain has to adjust to the difference in speeds,” he explained. “It’s funny in a way, especially going from the GT3 to the GT4, you really have to recalibrate your brain because of how much faster or how much slower the GT4 is. But it’s really helpful because it helps you understand how the track progresses. Running more sessions makes you see how the track evolves, and it gives us more information about how to develop the GT3 car.”
Although the team is focused on setting themselves up for success in 2025, they remain fully determined to fight for podiums in the remaining rounds of the current championship year. As Conor Daly joins the lineup for the upcoming rounds at Barber Motorsports Park, he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with. With over ten years of experience competing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, most recently competing with Juncos Hollinger Racing, he will be bringing a plethora of knowledge with him. Notably, the Indiana native has a great deal of experience at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and knows the road course and oval track layouts inside and out, an asset that will be critical for the team’s performance at the Indy 8 Hour.
“We will come out swinging to win every race that we enter,” stated Sparta. “We never go into a race weekend thinking we can’t win. On the flip side, we also don’t expect to take the victory either, that’s not always a realistic mindset either. There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to setting up a new program, but we’ve had a fair amount of preparation.”
Even with his pragmatic and level-headed approach, it’s no secret that the team has aspirations of taking home the big trophy in the coveted season finale endurance race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Koch and Daly will also be joined by BMW Motorsport works driver Connor De Phillippi for the final round.
“Our real focus is on the Indy 8 Hour,” Sparta affirmed. “We’re a factory entry fighting for the overall win with a really strong Pro driver lineup with great backing. We’ve got Connor De Phillippi, and Conor Daly, who has probably completed more laps at IMS than anyone on the grid. Kenton Koch has also seen a great deal of success at this track. Our intention is very much to go out and win.”
When deciding on the driver lineup, Sparta described the decision as a “no-brainer,” explaining that “Kenton has been with us for a couple of years now, and we want to keep him forever. That was an easy one. I’ve known Conor Daly for many, many years. He has been a friend for more than a decade, and when approaching him about the idea of joining us for the Indy 8 Hour, he said he was willing to drive anything. From there, that led us to Connor De Phillippi, as the two of them are friends and were previously teammates. They were keen on racing together, so it just made sense.”
Koch is eager to get to work with his new teammates and to learn from each other, all bringing a great deal of experience and expertise to the program.
“In the past few years I’ve been able to work with some really fast and top tier drivers, and in turn it has made me a better driver. Anytime you get the opportunity to work with someone else of a high caliber, such as Conor Daly and Connor De Phillippi, it just makes you want to elevate yourself. It also opens your mind to different ways of thinking about things since you get to absorb new information and different perspectives. You should always be looking to learn, no matter how good you are. Their vast knowledge is going to be great for both Random Vandals Racing and, selfishly, myself. We’re all focused on making the program even better.”
Fans can catch the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 in action at Barber Motorsports Park from September 6th to 8th, followed by the season finale weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from October 3rd to 6th.
Buy tickets for Barber Motorsports Park here!
Tickets are also available for purchase for the Indianapolis 8 Hour.