- Mercedes and Porsche Set the Pace Overall
- Provisional Qualifying 1 Results
- Provisional Qualifying 2 Results
A pair of back-to-back qualifying sessions on Saturday morning set the stage for Races 1 and 2 in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS at VIRginia International Raceway. With clear conditions and gradually rising track temps, competitors wasted no time pushing the limits in both sessions, which saw tight battles across classes.
Philip Ellis stormed to the overall and Pro-Am pole in Qualifying 1 in the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Jan Heylen put in a last-minute flier in Qualifying 2 to secure overall pole and the top Pro-class starting spot in the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R.
Pro Class
Qualifying 1
Kenton Koch was in top form in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3, trading fast laps early on with teammate Varun Choksey in the No. 51 sister car. As the session progressed, Koch found more pace and began to pull away, ultimately locking in the Pro class pole for Race 1.
In the final moments, Alex Sedgwick surged into second in class for RS1, bumping Choksey to third. Michai Stephens then responded in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, claiming P3 and pushing Choksey to fourth in the hotly contested session.
Qualifying 2
JMF Motorsports’ Mikaël Grenier was the class leader with just five minutes to go, but Jan Heylen timed his late run to perfection, putting the No. 18 RS1 Porsche on overall and Pro-class pole for Race 2. Grenier settled for second in class and third overall, while Connor De Phillippi and Bill Auberlen slotted into third and fourth in class for Random Vandals Racing.
Pro-Am Class
Qualifying 1
Philip Ellis executed a well-timed run to grab both overall and Pro-Am pole in the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Christian Hahn impressed in the No. 16 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3, going second in class and sixth overall. Blake McDonald kept the momentum rolling from his strong GT America performances, placing third in class in the No. 11 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Qualifying 2
The second session saw plenty of action in Pro-Am. Jason Bell was initially quickest before Aaron Telitz jumped to the top in the No. 88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo. But it was Robby Foley who ultimately claimed class pole in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 with a late flyer.
Tom Sargent also made waves late into the running, moving into third in class and fifth overall in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R he shares with Kyle Washington.
Am Class
In Am competition, Scott Dollahite put the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 on class pole for Race 1 in Qualifying 1. In Q2, the AF Corse USA No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3, driven by Oswaldo Negri, reversed the roles by topping the Am charts for Race 2.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series will return to the track for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, July 19th at 3:15 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.