- Regulator Racing Fastest in Pro-Am and Overall
- Wright Motorsports Sets the Pace in Pro Class
- Practice 1 Unofficial Results
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS championship made its on-track return with a productive Practice 1 session at the iconic VIRginia International Raceway. With the 60-minute session running uninterrupted, the opening practice already hinted at the thrilling action to come.
Regulator Racing's Phillip Ellis emerged as the star of the session, clocking the fastest overall and Pro-Am lap time of 1:45.131 in his No. 91 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Meanwhile, Wright Motorsports showcased their prowess in the Pro class, with Elliott Skeer steering the No. 120 Porsche 992 GT3 R to the top of the Pro leaderboard.
Pro Class
Trent Hindman was the one to catch in the Pro class early on as he set sail around VIR in his No. 85 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R. However, Elliott Skeer soon took over in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 992 GT3 R as he moved into first in class and fourth overall on the leaderboard.
Lucas Mars and Zach Veach slotted themselves just behind the RS1 entry, setting the third-fastest Pro time in the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22.
Following their two consecutive victories in the previous rounds in Austin, DXDT Racing’s Alec Udell and Tommy Milner were ready to get back to work at VIR in their No. 63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in search of a strong start. Furthermore, the Top 5 was completed by Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey as they returned to the track with their No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3.
Pro-Am Class
Phillip Ellis set the pace early in his No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, securing the top time both in the Pro-Am class and overall within the first opening laps of the session. He scored a rapid lap time of 1:45.131, with Tom Sargent following just 0.177 seconds behind in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R.
Robby Foley was also in the mix in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, sitting only 0.025 seconds away from Sargent’s time as he sat third overall on the timesheets.
Scott Smithson and Bryan Sellers continued to get settled with their No. 08 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R as they went fourth-quickest in class, with Adam Carroll and Will Hardeman completing the Top 5 in their No. 19 Esses Racing w/ Mercedes-Benz of Austin Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Let’s Get Racing
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Practice 2 on Friday, July 19th at 3:15 PM ET.
If you can’t make it to VIR, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTVIR.