The SRO Motorsports America prize-giving ceremony took place at the JW Marriot in downtown Indianapolis following the fourth running of the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS, which marked the end of the 2023 race season.
The event conjoined all five SRO America race series in celebration, including the Fanatec GT World Challenge America, GT America powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America, TC America powered by AWS and Toyota GR Cup North America. The room lit up in red and surrounded guests with championship-winning race cars from various series while the familiar voices of Ryan Myrhen and Amanda Busick hosted the evening festivities. Champagne toasts cascaded table to table while team and drivers were crowned.
RS1 Earn Driver and Team Championship in PRO in Rookie Season
The PRO Class Driver Championship win went to Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer of the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The RS1 drivers took home three wins and four podium finishes over the course of the season. However, those three wins all came within the first three calendar events. The team pushed through various challenges outside of their control and often held on through attrition to fight back to collect the PRO Class Team Championship title in addition to the PRO Class Driver Championship.
Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher withstood an onslaught of bad luck to finish second in the PRO Drivers Championship for Racers Edge Motorsports, narrowly surpassing BimmerWorld who went into the weekend two points ahead of the Acura Team. Third went to the ever-present and consistent duo of Seth Lucas and Trenton Estep.
DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Winner: Eric Filgueiras & Stevan McAleer
- Runner Up: Ashton Harrison & Mario Farnbacher
- Vice Runner-Up: Seth Lucas & Trenton Estep
PRO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
- RS1
CrowdStrike by Riley doubles for Pro-Am Team and Driver’s Championship
In the PRO-AM Class, George Kurtz and Colin Braun of the No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 collected an astounding six wins over the course of the season. Amongst the accolades, the cherry on top was winning the Indianapolis 8 Hour race. To walk away, PRO-AM Driver Champions Kurtz and Braun added three podium finishes over the course of the season. Their win comes atop a very strong Adam Adelson and Elliot Skeer, who went into the endurance race with a thin three-point lead and six wins to their name. The CrowdStrike by Riley team also walked away as PRO-AM Team Champions. Derek DeBoer, with help from his AMR co-drivers, secured his third-place position in the championship with four podium finishes.
DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Winner: George Kurtz & Colin Braun
- Runner-Up: Adam Adelson & Elliot Skeer
- Vice Runner-Up: Derek DeBoer
PRO-AM TEAM CHAMPION
- CrowdStrike by Riley
In addition to the night’s festivities, Rookie of the Year, CrowdStrike Fast Lap Champions, Crew of the Year and non-competition awards were bestowed to individuals in the SRO America paddock with exemplary performance. The winners showcased the true spirit of racing and innovation of SRO Motorsports champions.
Porsche Earns Overall Manufacturer Title
With Six Overall Victories this season, one coming in the double-points round at Indianapolis 8 Hour, Porsche emerged as the Manufacturer’s Champion through its customer teams RS1, Wright Motorsports, MDK Motorsports, and more. RS1 started the year off with strong performances to forge ahead with Wright capturing Wins down the stretch. A defining season that showcased a brand new Porsche 992 GT3 R for teams and drivers to adapt to.
Special Award Mentions
CREW OF THE YEAR
Conquest Racing
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Adam Adelson
CROWDSTRIKE FAST LAP CHAMPION
Colin Braun
JEROME ZIMMERMAN AWARD
Kevin Conway
JIM COOK AWARD
Ash Vandelay
MIKE PASQUALE AWARD
Jim and Priscilla Ohanesian
OPERATION MOTORSPORT’S T.I.P AWARD
SRO Race Control
With the season officially checkered flagged for 2023, all eyes are on 2024 where SRO America will kick off the season at Sonoma Raceway on April 5th – 7th and make trips to best circuits in North America including a return to Barber Motorsports Park.