Barber Motorsports Park delivered a thrilling opening contest for GT America powered by AWS at the UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting the Teal Wings of Hope, as changing track conditions and strategic gambles kept the field guessing until the final lap. Ross Chouest emerged victorious in his No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, securing a hard-fought Race 1 win.
The 40-minute sprint began on a damp circuit following showers just before the green flag. Memo Gidley made the most of his pole position, keeping the No. 56 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII out front through the early laps. Behind him, Justin Rothberg ran second in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, with Jason Bell close behind in the No. 2 Racers Edge Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO. Bell’s challenge was short-lived, however, as a drive-through penalty for a pre-race procedural violation dropped him out of podium contention with just over 28 minutes remaining.
The fight for fourth provided some of the most intense action of the opening stages. Kyle Washington, at the wheel of the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, traded blows with Tony Davis in the No. 004 HP-Tech Ferrari 296 GT3. Washington eventually got the upper hand, moving into the top four and later setting the fastest lap of the race.
As the racing line dried, teams faced the critical decision of when to switch to slick tires. Gidley was the first frontrunner to make the call, pitting from the lead and rejoining in sixth. Washington briefly assumed the race lead before stopping for slicks one lap later. Meanwhile, Chouest, who had started on slick tires, cycled to the front as Rothberg and Bell also pitted to change rubber.
From there, the Corvette driver’s strategy began to pay dividends. Chouest commanded the race at the front while Washington, who was now in second, attempted to cut down the gap. A five-second post-race penalty loomed over the Porsche driver for a pit lane infringement, adding further pressure to build a cushion over his rivals.
The race took another dramatic turn as Washington struggled to find a way past Bell, who was running a lap down. The delay allowed Chouest to extend his margin. With just over ten minutes to go, Bell’s mechanical issues forced him to slow, while Washington continued his charge.
In the closing stages, Washington pushed hard to erase the gap, but on the final lap, a costly spin ended his bid for victory. Chouest held steady to claim a memorable win, while Gidley recovered to finish second and Washington salvaged a podium in third despite the setback.
Rothberg crossed the line fourth in his Turner Motorsport BMW, with Davis securing a top-five result for HP-Tech.
“I think picking the tire on which to start was a tough decision for all the drivers and all the teams,” stated Ross Chouest. “When I walked up to the car, I thought we had agreed to go out on wets, but then I got there and the team said ‘no, we're going to slicks.’ I think everyone was on the fence, but thankfully, it's a gamble that paid off.”
Let’s Get Racing
The GT America powered by AWS series will return to the track for Race 2 on Sunday morning, September 7th at 9:05 AM CT.
If you can’t make it to Barber Motorsports Park, 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 #GTBHM.