Random Vandals Racing’s Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi drove to victory in GT World Challenge America Race 1 at Barber Motorsports Park; it was the fifth overall win of the year for the #99 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, and their sixth Pro class win.
De Phillippi took the race lead after the first round of pit stops from the pole sitting #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. Philip Ellis won the pole for Race 1, but two early Safety Cars – both for spins from Ross Chouest’s #50 Corvette – inhibited his ability to pull away from the pack.
Regulator Racing didn’t change tyres during their in-race pit stop, and while Jeff Burton benefitted initially, he’d run off course twice and tumble down the order later in the stint.
Koch, meanwhile, held overall second position and the Pro class lead from the opening lap, and De Phillippi brought the car home to another win that puts Random Vandals’ leading duo closer to the Pro title.
The #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG of Michai Stephens and Mikaël Grenier took second place, ahead of the No. 51 Random Vandals BMW of Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey. Grenier got a one-lap undercut on the #51 BMW, and barged his way past Choksey to take second place.
The #18 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R (Alex Sedgwick/Jan Heylen) consolidated fourth place.
Turner Motorsport’s Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley also moved closer to taking the Pro-Am championship as the #29 BMW finished fifth overall and won the Pro-Am class for the fifth time this year.
The #11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Blake McDonald and Matt Bell was sixth, and a late charge from the #32 GMG Racing Porsche of Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent moved them up to seventh, completing the Pro-Am podium.
Because of Rothberg’s five-second “success penalty” to serve in the pits, Bell left the pits in his Corvette ahead of Foley’s BMW; however, Foley was able to catch and pass Bell up the inside of turn five to overtake the Corvette.
That pass would eventually net Foley the class lead once Burton ran off course due to a lack of grip for the first time.
The #24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (Gray Newell/Darren Turner) recovered from late-race contact between Turner and Burton to finish eighth, just ahead of the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 EVO (Todd Coleman/Aaron Telitz) in ninth, and the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG (Jason Daskalos/Isaac Sherman) in tenth.
The CRP Racing Mercedes recovered from a throttle body problem that they suffered in Qualifying earlier in the day and ran a trouble-free race.
Burton and Ellis dropped to 11th at the chequered flag.
Am class honours went to the rebuilt #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 of Scott Dollahite and Eric Powell, ahead of the #163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 (Jay Schreibman/Oswaldo Negri Jnr).
Images © SRO Motorsports America
