- GMG Racing Wins SRO3
- JTR Motorsports Engineering Thilling End in GT4
- Race 1 03_Provisional Results_Race 1
Circuit of the Americas was the host to an exciting Race 1, where the GT America powered by AWS field put on a thrilling show for the thousands of fans in attendance. Kyle Washington captured the Race 1 victory in the SRO3 class, while in the GT4 class, Anthony McIntosh delivered a heart-stopping last-lap move that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.
SRO3 Class
Kyle Washington got off to a strong start in Race 1 in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, immediately establishing himself at the front of the pack. Memo Gidley looked aggressive in his No. 56 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII in the opening corners, putting pressure on the cars ahead, but Elias Sabo managed to hold onto second place in his No. 80 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 despite the early challenges. However, Sabo’s race took a turn when he was handed a drive-through penalty for a start procedure violation, promoting Gidley up to second.
Justin Rothberg, starting from third aboard the No. 29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3, was on the move early and quickly began applying pressure on Gidley. As the race settled in, Rothberg methodically planned his overtake, and with 26 minutes remaining, he successfully made the move to take over second place. Now with clean air and a clear track ahead, Rothberg was able to increase his pace, setting his sights on closing the gap to leader Kyle Washington.
Further back, Ross Chouest delivered one of the standout drives of the race, commanding the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R. After starting from the back of the field, Chouest methodically worked his way through the pack, climbing into podium contention in the final ten minutes. As he caught up to Memo Gidley, the two engaged in a tight battle for third place, with Chouest looking to complete his charge through the field.
Despite the earlier penalty, Elias Sabo managed to salvage some momentum late in the race by setting the fastest lap, securing himself a valuable front-row starting spot for Sunday’s race.
Kyle Washington crossed the finish line first, followed by series Vice-Champion Justin Rothberg and seasoned driver Memo Gidley.
“ Thanks to GMG Racing giving me a fast car,” said Kyle Washington. “ Tom did a great job on the radio, it's one of the greatest tracks in the world. It's really awesome to win here.”
GT4 Class
In the GT4 class, Max Hewitt, in his No. 39 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, got a clean getaway and managed to stay ahead of Anthony McIntosh in the opening laps. While McIntosh applied steady pressure throughout the race in his No. 69 JTR Motorsports Engineering Toyota Gazoo Racing GR, the two drivers appeared evenly matched, with the gap remaining the same throughout the early stage of the race.
McIntosh refused to relent and began reeling Hewitt in as the laps wound down. When the white flag waved to signal the final lap, McIntosh made his move, executing a daring overtake for the lead. Hewitt wasn’t done yet, however, and mounted a final charge to the finish line. The pair engaged in an intense drag race to the checkered flag, with McIntosh narrowly holding on to take the victory by just 0.135 seconds.
Denny Stripling completed the podium in third in his No. 188 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4, capping a strong run in what proved to be a competitive GT4 battle.
"I knew it was a situation where we didn’t have overall lap pace, but I also knew we had a good car at the end and that we were really strong on the brakes," explained Anthony McIntosh. "Honestly, I didn’t want to make the move there because he had the legs to take me down the straight, but I just knew I had to look for an opportunity, look for an opening, and I just tried it, and it worked out."
Let’s Get Racing
The GT America powered by AWS will return to the track for Race 2 on Sunday morning, April 27th at 10:05 AM CT.
If you can’t make it to Circuit of The Americas, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTCOTA.