Seb Morris has been crowned the 2017 Sunoco Whelen Challenge champion after his only remaining rival, Marco Cencetti, failed to score the required points during his final Radical Euro Masters SR3 outing of the season last weekend. The result sees Morris become the eighth annual winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona prize drive after a fine debut British GT campaign helped the Welshman finish third in the GT3 drivers’ standings.
His consistency and standout individual performances, which included four pole positions, a race victory and fastest lap, resulted in a winning Sunoco Whelen Challenge average score of 80.06 points, 7.23 more than Cencetti in second.
20-year-old Morris follows in the footsteps of British GT title rival Jonny Adam who finished sixth overall at Daytona aboard the Whelen-sponsored Chevrolet Corvette DP last January after winning 2016’s Sunoco Whelen Challenge. The same #31 car he shared with Eric Curran and Dane Cameron would go on to win this season’s IMSA title, while the quartet’s fourth driver at Daytona – Simon Pagenaud – claimed 2016’s IndyCar series title.
Morris has also gone one better than current Team Parker Racing co-driver Rick Parfitt Jnr who finished second in this year’s Sunoco 200 Challenge behind Mini Challenge Cooper champion Max Bladon.
A fast start to his British GT career after climbing the junior single-seater ladder saw Morris lead the Sunoco Whelen Challenge standings after his very first weekend, before a torrid outing at Rockingham dropped the Welshman to ninth. However, he was back on form next time out at Oulton Park in late May when a maiden series victory helped him reclaim top-spot, where he’s remained ever since.
As a result, all eyes are now on Morris who will be hoping to eclipse the best result achieved by a Sunoco Whelen Challenge winner in the world famous Rolex 24 At Daytona. Sauber Formula 1 driver Felipe Nasr currently holds that distinction after finishing third in 2012.
“It was disappointing to miss out on the British GT title this year but my sights have also always been set on winning the Sunoco Whelen Challenge and racing at Daytona, so I’m very proud to have achieved that,” said Morris. “Manufacturers and big teams like drivers to have proven themselves in big races, which is difficult for young guys like me with limited budget. So racing at Daytona isn’t just about having a good time; it’s demonstrating what I can do on one of the world’s biggest sportscar stages.
“I’ll be speaking to my manager about the race as he’s competed there in the past, and I’ve also already started looking at the track and doing some sim work in preparation.
“I’m really looking forward to proving myself in endurance racing. Who knows where it might lead.”
The 55th running of the annual Rolex 24 At Daytona takes place at Daytona International Speedway in Florida on January 28/29.
Previous Sunoco Whelen Challenge winners:
2016: Jonny Adam (British GT3)
2015: Phil Keen (Radical SR3 Challenge)
2014: Bradley Smith (Radical SR3 Challenge)
2013: Ivan Bellarosa (SPEED EuroSeries)
2012: Felipe Nasr (British F3)
2011: Ross Kaiser (Radical)
2010: Derek Johnston (Radical)
