For Riley Dickinson, Circuit of The Americas is more than just another stop on the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS calendar. It is home.
The driver of the No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 R lives just down the road in New Braunfels, Texas, making this weekend’s event at COTA a rare opportunity to race at a track that feels both familiar and personal.
“It’s always fun to be here at home and sleep in my own bed,” Dickinson said. “It’s a nice treat.”
Dickinson’s relationship with COTA dates back to 2018, when he first turned laps at the Austin circuit in a Porsche during a test ahead of the 2019 season. Since then, the track has become a key part of his development as a driver.
“The Esses are high speed, high commitment,” he explained. “There’s a lot going on. The car is moving side to side, back and forth, and you have to be very precise with where you place it. If you get it wrong, it can go wrong in a big way.”
This season marks an important step in Dickinson’s career as he continues building his experience in GT3 competition alongside co-driver Todd Parriott. While the pair opened the season with a strong fourth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway, Dickinson is keeping the focus on long-term progress rather than chasing results too aggressively, too soon.
“For Todd and I, this year is more about developing and building,” he said. “It’s his first year with the GT3 platform, and I’m growing and learning as well. Sonoma was kind of like drinking water out of a fire hose, we were just learning and gaining as much knowledge as we could.”
That learning curve is supported by the strength of the Kellymoss program, with Dickinson able to draw from the experience within the team’s multi-car effort. The goal for the weekend remains straightforward: complete laps, continue growing, and maximize what is available.
“A realistic goal would maybe be a top five based on what we had at Sonoma,” he stated. “But at the end of the day, if we finish eighth and Todd and I both put in great stints, that would be fine too. We can’t focus too much on the results. We’re really focusing on ourselves and how we build this program into future races.”
Dickinson also has his eyes on the GT Academy prize, a new initiative within SRO and GT World Challenge aimed at Silver drivers under age 30. With a fully funded seat at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa in 2027 on the line, the program has quickly become a major motivator.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Dickinson said. “It’s definitely a true carrot out there being dangled in front of us. Spa 24 would be a big one for me, and it would be a pretty cool way to check it off the list.”
And when the helmet comes off? Dickinson has one clear Austin recommendation: Terry Black’s Barbecue.
“The mac and cheese there will quite literally change your life,” he exclaimed.
Catch Riley Dickinson and Kellymoss on track this weekend, April 24th to 26th, at COTA for the CieloVision GT World Texas powered by Samsung event.