JMF Motorsports, DXDT Racing, and AF Corse USA Triumph at the Crown Coins Casino GT World Event at Road America

The GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship capped off a spectacular weekend at Road America during the Crown Coins Casino GT World event with a race full of chaos, including a breathtaking last-lap showdown. JMF Motorsports claimed top honors in the Pro class, DXDT Racing prevailed in Pro-Am with Blake McDonald fending off late-race pressure, and AF Corse dominated the Am class.

Pro Class

Mikaël Grenier set the tone early in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, maintaining first place in class and second overall during his stint. Behind him, Jan Heylen in the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R felt constant pressure from veteran Bill Auberlen in the No. 51 Random Vandals BMW, with all drivers keeping each other honest, but keeping the racing clean.

The tension rose during pit stops when both Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3s entered pitlane side by side. Kenton Koch took over from Connor De Phillippi in the No. 99, while Auberlen handed the wheel to Varun Choksey in the No. 51 entry.

At the front, Michai Stephens retained the Pro class lead, moving into the overall race lead as Pro-Am driver Matt Bell pitted for his driver change. With Alex Sedgwick running second in the RS1 entry, and Koch in third, the closing stages promised tight action.

In true GT World Challenge America fashion, a thrilling last-lap restart unfolded following a full course caution. Stephens, who had laid down the fastest lap of the race, defended brilliantly, fending off a charging Koch to secure a crucial victory in JMF Motorsports’ championship campaign. Koch forced his way into second place ahead of Sedgwick in the late chaos, with the RS1 pairing of Heylen and Sedgwick completing the podium.

“My heart is still racing,” said Michai Stephens at the podium. “There's just so many people to thank yet again, including this beautiful chassis and the Mercedes-AMG family, as well as Mr. Farrow and JMF Motorsports. I really have to give it up to my teammate, Mik, who just continues to set the bar so high in order for me to try to reach up and grab it. He’s a tremendous mentor,  so I can't thank everybody enough.”

When talking about the final lap showdown, Grenier added: “I really couldn't believe it at the moment because I thought there would be one more lap behind the safety car and then the checkered would come out. Michai did really well. We are a bit slower on the straights, so we knew it would be an exciting lap. We told him yesterday to protect the inside in T5, and that's what he did. He gave no room to anyone. It was a bit stressful, but he did a good job.” 

Pro-Am Class

Drama struck early as Aaron Povoledo’s No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Corvette Z06 GT3.R went off on lap one, dropping down the order. This allowed Tom Sargent to rise to second in class and third overall in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, while Aaron Telitz showed blistering pace in the No. 88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3. Up front, Matt Bell led the overall and Pro-Am field, posting flying lap after flying lap, in what was a very well controlled stint. 

Sargent later faced gearbox gremlins, losing ground before rejoining the fight with Telitz for third place. Their battle left both with damage, but the race stayed alive. Meanwhile, Philip Ellis, having been handed over the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 from Burton, was struck by a costly pit-stop speed violation that saw him come back down pit lane for a drive-through penalty.

Once the pit cycle settled, Blake McDonald kept the DXDT Racing entry in control at the front, holding the class lead. A slow stop for GMG Racing pushed them down to fifth once Kyle Washington rejoined, while Gray Newell vaulted into podium contention in the No. 24 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

With mere minutes remaining, a mechanical issue forced the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 machine of Jason Daskalos off-track and triggered a full-course caution, setting up a one-lap dash to the finish. McDonald held off heavy pressure from the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 of Justin Rothberg to take the class win, while Ellis charged back through the field in his No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to steal the final podium spot in the closing corners, denying Newell and Heart of Racing a podium finish.

“ They couldn't let me have it easy, they had to give that yellow at the end,” joked Blake McDonald. “I’m glad for the win, we’re really happy and proud of the team, and I’m proud of my co-driver. We earned this one. We've worked so hard all year and I feel like we've gotten the short end of the stick a few times, so it felt good to just put a good weekend together, we're really happy with it.”

“There were some stressful bits, that’s for sure,” echoed Matt Bell. “I had no doubts, I knew Blake could bring it home. He's been driving really well all year. He kept it together and there was some big pressure there at the end. There was a lot going on in front and behind, but he kept it clean and stayed ahead.” 

Am Class

In the Am class, it was smooth sailing for the No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3 pairing of Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri Jr., who controlled the race from start to finish. Their dominance was compounded as Turner Motorsport’s substitute BMW M4 GT3, shared by Scott Dollahite and Eric Powell, completed only two laps. The pairing had an unfortunate end to their race on Saturday, and elected to borrow Turner Motorsport’s spare BMW to score the valuable points that are attributed when recording two laps. 

“ We have a really good car, good crew, um, and  was able to keep up with the field for most of the race to open up a big gap behind,” explained Oswaldo Negri. “That was the best drive I have ever seen from Jay. It means the world. I love this series, we want to keep racing here fair and square.”

“It was an interesting day yesterday and a much better day today,” stated Jay Schreibman. “It was a more comfortable drive, though still always a challenge. I'm incredibly grateful to my teammate, he's turning me into a real race car driver, and we're just having a great time doing it.”