With a little luck and a lot of outstanding driving, Regulator Racing, Philip Ellis, and Jeff Burton took the win in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Race 2 at Circuit of the Americas.
Burton started 13th in the #91 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, two positions higher than the Utah lumber mogul had qualified. He moved up a row as the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW had its post-qualifying penalty to serve, and in addition, the #8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW withdrew from the race due to pressing business obligations for driver Elias Sabo.
While Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley led the opening stanza, Burton maintained a solid pace and avoided trouble during his opening stint, climbing up to tenth place. At the earliest window, he brought the #91 Mercedes-AMG into the pits for service and a driver change to Ellis.
Regulator’s alternate strategy in Pro-Am needed a Full Course Yellow at the right time – and they got it just minutes later, when the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R came to a dead stop at turn 20 with a left-front suspension problem.
Not only were most of the Pro-Am class leaders caught out, but Ellis could drive through the pit lane to correct a potential stint length violation and still gain track position, taking the ensuing restart in fourth place.
Ellis easily drove past the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG of Jason Daskalos and the #18 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Jan Heylen, leaving only JMF Motorsports’ Michai Stephens in front. No championship points were at stake in the battle, yet Stephens still did all that he could to defend his overall lead.
With 15 minutes left, Ellis made the move for P1 overall down in COTA’s twisty infield section, and from there he went on to take a huge victory in a Mercedes 1-2 finish.
While Stephens and Mikael Grenier lost out on the overall win, they still earned 25 big points as the highest-placing Pro class car – much needed after a race of woe for championship rival Random Vandals Racing.
Both Vandals’ BMW M4 GT3 EVOs were set back just a few minutes into the race when Connor De Phillippi went into turn 12 just a bit too hot and hit team-mate Varun Choksey in the left-rear quarter panel. It broke the tie rod of the #99 BMW of De Phillippi and Kenton Koch, and also damaged the #51 of Choksey and Bill Auberlen.
The #51 and #99 BMWs were classified 15th and 16th overall, respectively. While the #99 car retired from the race, it still completed enough to earn points towards the Pro championship.
The #18 RS1 Porsche of Sedgwick and Jan Heylen finished third as one of a number of teams that thanked the timing of the Safety Car for their good result. In RS1’s case, it erased a drive-through penalty for Heylen’s contact with the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO of Aaron Telitz, which gave the McLaren a left-front puncture.
It also helped the second-placed car in Pro-Am, and fourth overall, the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes of Daskalos and Isaac Sherman – which was, at one point, completely stopped off course due to a fuel pressure issue. Sherman reset the car and got it back in the running for World Challenge mainstay Daskalos to finish on the class podium.
Rounding out Pro-Am’s top three was the #11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Blake McDonald and Matt Bell, in fifth place overall ahead of the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (Kyle Washington/Tom Sargent).
The #32 GMG Porsche of Sargent pursued the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW of Robby Foley for most of the first half of the race. Their captivating lead battle was spoiled due to delays in the pits for both cars, but Foley and Justin Rothberg still managed seventh place overall.
LAB Motorsport’s #92 Porsche (Jean-Frederic Laberge/Kyle Marcelli) fought its way up to eighth place, the #24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (Gray Newell/Darren Turner) was ninth, after passing the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren (Todd Coleman/Aaron Telitz) in tenth.
Today was also a milestone result in GT World Challenge: The Ford Mustang GT3 recorded its first win in any class of SRO competition around the world.
Sure, Anthony Lazzaro and Scott Dollahite only had to race one other Am class car. But after a first-corner DNF yesterday, and a stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pits today, winning the Am duel and having no other incidents along the way was a satisfying outcome.
Lazzaro and Dollahite finished almost a minute ahead of Am class rivals Oswaldo Negri Jnr and Jay Schriebman in the #16 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
GT World Challenge America returns next month for a double-header weekend at Sebring International Raceway on 15-18 May.
Images © Fabian Lagunas / SRO Motorsports America
