It was a wild weekend in Austin as the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field tackled the exhilarating twists and turns of Circuit of The Americas for the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2024 championship season. The blistering hot Texan sun mirrored the intensity of the on-track battles throughout the weekend, with both 90-minute races providing endless amounts of action across the Pro and Pro-Am classes.
COTA welcomed a number of firsts, as AF Corse and DXDT Racing made their respective Pro-Am and Pro class debuts, with the latter also going on to secure historic first wins for the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in global competition. Additionally, the circuit was the host of the first-ever GT1 Sports Club powered by Hypercar Invitational event on American soil.
There were some notable changes in the Global Manufacturers Championship following last weekend’s events in both Austin and Misano. Porsche has moved up to the top of the standings with a total of 6,086 points, just a mere 15 points ahead of Mercedes-AMG. Meanwhile, BMW maintained their hold over third place, with 5,390 points.
The previous round was SRO Motorsports America’s largest event to date, with record crowds in attendance as the series saw a 31% growth in ticket sales year-over-year. Following its smashing success, it’s time for a moment of reflection on the time spent in Texas.
• DXDT Racing had a formidable weekend in the Lone Star State as they swept the Pro class, securing both overall wins on debut with Alec Udell and Tommy Milner in the No. 63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
• ST Racing pulled off the same feat in the Pro-Am Class, with Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen taking both Race 1 and Race 2 victories in the No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3. In turn, their flawless weekend saw them move into the championship lead, just ahead of CrowdStrike by Riley’s George Kurtz and Colin Braun.
• Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer secured both second-place finishes in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R, bringing them to a total of 122 points after six rounds as they comfortably lead the Pro class standings.
• In Pro-Am, it was RS1’s new teammate pairing of Jake Pedersen and Trent Hindman who took home second place in Race 1 with the No. 85 Porsche 992 GT3 R, with Turner Motorsport’s Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley doing the same in Race 2.
• ST Racing Pro class drivers, Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen, also took home some hardware of their own, crossing the finish line in their No. 28 BMW M4 GT3 to scoop up two more third-place finishes.
• Third place in Pro-Am belonged to the CrowdStrike by Riley team for both races, as George Kurtz and Colin Braun continue to show consistency in their No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3.
• Philip Ellis earned back-to-back CrowdStrike Fastest Lap awards with a time of 2:05.510 in Race 1 in the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, followed by an even quicker lap time of 2:04.670 in Race 2. He was the only driver across the entirety of the weekend to clock in a racing lap below the 2:05 mark.
• The SUPER FUEL Hard Charger award went to RS1’s Jake Pedersen and Trent Hindman following their stellar performance in Race 1 as they gained seven positions overall.
• A total of 42 laps were completed in Race 1, with Race 2 running just one lap longer.
• The series will return for the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2024 season at VIRginia International Raceway from July 19th to 21st.