The GT America powered by AWS field took to Barber Motorsports Park for Race 2 under sunny Alabama skies, with action unfolding from start to finish to conclude their time at the UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope event.
At the green flag, Justin Rothberg launched from the lead aboard the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, setting the tone for a commanding drive. Behind him, Memo Gidley in the No. 56 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII gave chase, but the veteran was never quite able to close the gap to the leader.
Early drama struck Kyle Washington in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, who went off-track into the grass, allowing Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R to close in. Washington was later forced to pit to clear debris from his front grill, dropping him back to seventh.
The battle for third heated up between Chouest and newcomer Tony Davis in the No. 004 HP-Tech Ferrari 296 GT3, but both went off-track with 29 minutes remaining. That opened the door for Joel Cortes, making just his second series start, to climb into third in his No. 19 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R. Davis was then forced to pit for front-end repairs, while Chouest’s race ended early with diffuser issues just minutes later.
Davis’ troubles didn’t stop there; he was handed a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility with Chouest, followed by a stop-and-go penalty for a pit lane speed violation.
From there, the race settled into a rhythm as Rothberg pulled away to a dominant victory, crossing the finish line with nearly a 10-second cushion over Gidley in second place. Cortes secured his maiden GT America podium, a milestone result for the RS1 driver.
Washington recovered to fifth at the checkered flag and claimed the fastest lap of the race, but the day belonged to Rothberg, who extended his championship points advantage by 37 points as the series now heads toward the final rounds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“The car felt really good,” said Justin Rothberg. “We had some understeer problems yesterday, and the Turner guys totally took care of that. I just had to put my head down, do my job and hit my marks. I'm getting better at being able to tell the team what I want out of the car, but it really helps to have Robby here. He knows this BMW like the back of his hand, but I'm getting there. I just try to learn from him.”
.jpg)
Up Next
The GT America powered by AWS field will return for Rounds 15 and 16 at Barber Motorsports Park from October 16th to 19th for the season finale. Purchase your tickets now!