Two-Car DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Returns to BGTWCA Action This Weekend at VIR

Two-Car DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Team Returns to BGTWCA Action This Weekend at VIR

DXDT Racing and its two-car Mercedes-AMG GT3 team returns to Blancpain GT World Challenge America action this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) where David Askew and Ryan Dalziel co-drive No. 63 USALCO/Security National Mortgage Mercedes-AMG GT3 and George Kurtz and Colin Braun share the No. 04 CrowdStrike/AWS/DXDT Mercedes-AMG GT3.

The DXDT teammates are looking for their first Pro-Am podium results of the year after Kurtz and Braun co-drove the CrowdStrike No. 04 to a team-best fourth-place finish in Sunday’s second and final round of last month’s season-opening race weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). 

Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2019 Blancpain GT World Challenge America Pro-Am season, twin 90-minute races Saturday and Sunday highlight the VIR schedule. Saturday’s opening race starts at 2:10 p.m. EST while Sunday’s second and final round is scheduled to go green at 1:15 p.m. EST. 

Both races will be live streamed at www.gt-world-challenge-america.com with the Sunday finale also featured in live coverage on the CBS Sports Network.

Both DXDT teams tested at VIR last week in a productive two-day session that was the first run for a new No. 63 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Askew and Dalziel. An early in-race incident Saturday at the COTA opener resulted in DXDT building an all-new car in less than a month’s time for Askew and Dalziel.

“It was good to get back in the car and have a good test,” Askew said. “The No. 63 is basically a new car. It was unfortunate that we had the incident at COTA that took us out early in the first race, but the guys did such a phenomenal job putting it back together. To me, it seems like the same car. We just rolled it out and put it on the track and went to work.  No issues.”

Dalziel co-drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 to victory in 2017 at VIR.

“The last time I raced a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at VIR was in 2017 and we won, so I am really looking forward to the race,” Dalziel said. “Fast and flowing, VIR is very much a good track for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 due to the nature of the track. For the No. 63, it was a great test. A freshly rebuilt car and it ran flawlessly thanks to our DXDT guys putting in a lot of hours.”



Kurtz and Braun moved up to top-tier GT3 competition with DXDT this year after success in the GT4 ranks in recent seasons. Kurtz won the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge GTSA Championship and co-drove with Braun to four top-five finishes in the class last year.  

“George and I are back at VIR in a bigger and faster car which will be fun,” Braun said. “VIR is a big, flowing track and is one of my favorite tracks in North America! George and I have some history together now and that, coupled with the rhythm of this track, will make for some action-packed racing in the Mercedes-AMG GT3. We had a great test here and the DXDT crew have done an excellent job tweaking on the setup for the race. Should be a great race weekend for CrowdStrike!”

A three-day event weekend, Blancpain GT World Challenge America on-track action kicks off Friday with two 60-minute practice sessions.

Qualifying precedes Saturday’s opening race at 10:35 a.m. EST and can be watched in live streaming at www.gt-world-challenge-america.com.

Noteworthy

Like his pro-driver teammates Dalziel and Braun, Askew has experience at VIR in mid-engine and front-engine race cars. “I’ve raced the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 at VIR in the past,” Askew said. “Both are a lot of fun and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 is really awesome and has had a lot of success at VIR since it was introduced.  The car is super-well-balanced, very confident back to power, and VIR has a few areas where the Mercedes-AMG GT3’s stability is reassuring, especially in the esses.”