- Pro-Am Porsche Powers Ahead Overall
- BMW Competitive in Pro Class
- Ferrari Fastest in Am Class
- Practice 1 Results
The opening practice session for the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship at VIRginia International Raceway saw 16 cars take on the fast and flowing circuit in the blazing morning heat as high noon loomed closer. With grip at a premium and the competition tight from the get-go, both the Pro and Pro-Am classes delivered a flurry of fast laps, and the action will only continue to ramp up from here.
Pro Class
The No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 of Connor De Phillippi and Kenton Koch set the early pace in the Pro field, clocking a 1:46.488 just twelve minutes into the session. The lap held strong until the closing moments when it was narrowly edged out by a Pro-Am entry.
The sister Random Vandals Racing No. 51 entry also showed competitive form, with Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey posting the second-fastest time in class. The pairing demonstrated solid pace throughout the session, hovering within striking distance of the top spot.
Rounding out the top three in the Pro class was the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R shared by Jan Heylen and Alex Sedgwick. Heylen briefly ran in the overall top five before settling into third in class and seventh overall.
Pro-Am Class
The No. 92 LAB Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3 R of Kyle Marcelli and Jean-Frédéric Laberge rose to the top of both the Pro-Am and overall timing sheets in the final minutes of the session. Marcelli’s 1:46.455 lap was the fastest of the day, beating the top Pro car by just 0.033 seconds and signaling strong intent from the Canadian team.
The No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R driven by Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent was another standout in the Pro-Am category. Sargent led the early stages of the session overall and maintained a strong pace to secure second in class by session’s end.
The No. 11 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R, shared by Matt Bell and Blake McDonald, rounded out the top three in Pro-Am. Bell momentarily climbed into the overall top three early on before settling into a solid third in class.
Chouest Povoledo Racing also put in a noteworthy run, with their No. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R claiming fourth in Pro-Am and fifth overall during the halfway point of the one-hour session.
In the Am class, the AF Corse USA Ferrari of Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri slotted themselves just ahead of the Ford Mustang GT3 of Dollahite Racing’s Scott Dollahite and Eric Powell.
Practice 1 was interrupted twice by red flags, including one with just under three minutes remaining, ending the session prematurely. Teams will look to build on their early momentum in Practice 2 later today.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS will return to the track for Practice 2 on Friday afternoon, July 18th at 4:00 PM ET.
If you can’t make it to VIRginia International Raceway, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTVIR.