- Mercedes-AMG Tops the Overall Charts
- Provisional Qualifying 1 Results
- Provisional Qualifying 2 Results
Qualifying at The UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope delivered a showcase of pace and precision on Saturday morning, with less than a second covering much of the field across all three Pro, Pro-Am, and Am classes. With two sessions back-to-back setting the grids for Races 1 and 2, championship contenders and newcomers alike left their marks at Barber Motorsports Park.
It was a masterful display from the Mercedes-AMG camp, with Philip Ellis and Mikaël Grenier storming into the top spot in their respective Qualifying 1 and 2 performances.
Pro Class
Qualifying 1
The Pro class proved to be a nail-biter, with all entries split by just six-tenths of a second. Championship leader Kenton Koch set the benchmark in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3, clocking a 1:21.104 to secure pole for Race 1. He was closely pursued by Michai Stephens in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, who trailed by a narrow margin. Bill Auberlen placed the sister No. 51 Random Vandals BMW third, just ahead of Alex Sedgwick in the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R, who settled for fourth.
Qualifying 2
JMF Motorsports hit back in the second session, with Mikaël Grenier storming to pole for Race 2 with a blistering 1:20.871, just shy of the overall fastest lap of the day. Connor De Phillippi kept the pressure on in the No. 99 Random Vandals BMW, falling short by only 0.078 seconds to secure a second in class. Jan Heylen delivered a strong effort for RS1, placing his No. 18 Porsche third, ahead of Varun Choksey in the No. 51 Random Vandals BMW, who will line up fourth in class.
Pro-Am Class
Qualifying 1
The spotlight shone on Philip Ellis, who piloted the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to a commanding lap of 1:20.822. Not only was it the best in class, it was the best overall, making Ellis the only driver to dip under the 1:21 mark in Qualifying 1.
Blake McDonald impressed in the No. 11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, earning second in class and sixth overall. Series newcomer Diego Gomes Nunes made an immediate impact, guiding the No. 16 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 to third in class.
Qualifying 2
The second session saw Tom Sargent rise to the occasion for GMG Racing, securing the Pro-Am pole in the No. 32 Porsche 992 GT3 R, and third-best time overall. He narrowly outpaced Aaron Telitz in the No. 88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, with Robby Foley close behind in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, missing out on second place by just a mere 0.009 seconds.
Am Class
The No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 proved untouchable in both sessions, as Scott Dollahite and Eric Powell swept pole positions for the Am category. Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri will line up second in both races aboard the No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3, setting the stage for a fierce intra-class battle.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series will return to the track for Race 1 on Saturday afternoon, September 6th at 3:00 PM CT.
If you can’t make it to Barber Motorsports Park, watch all the action live on RACER TV, or 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 #GTBHM.
Additionally, viewers can watch the brand-new multi-viewer streaming experience in partnership with Vbrick and GPX Stream. This innovative platform gives fans unprecedented control over their race day experience, allowing them to seamlessly switch between multiple live onboard streams in real time for GT World Challenge America powered by AWS while simultaneously accessing the live leaderboard, race broadcast, and Twitch chat.