Random Vandals Racing, Turner Motorsport, Dollahite Racing Victorious in GT World Alabama Race 1 at Barber

The UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope was the host to a dramatic GT World Challenge powered by AWS opening race at Barber Motorsports Park. The 90-minute contest saw Random Vandals Racing claim overall and Pro class honors, while Turner Motorsport emerged on top in Pro-Am, and Dollahite Racing secured the Am class win.

Pro Class

In the Pro ranks, Bill Auberlen wasted no time muscling the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 into second place, passing Michai Stephens in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the opening lap. Strategy played its part when Alex Sedgwick was the first Pro driver to pit, handing the No. 18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R to Jan Heylen.

Once Stephens gave over the No. 34 JMF machine to Mikaël Grenier, the Canadian driver immediately went on the attack, overtaking Varun Choksey in the No. 51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 for second. It was a busy stint for Grenier, who was trying to reduce the gap to De Phillippi all the while navigating traffic that slowed him down and allowed Choksey to get closer again. Heylen, meanwhile, pressured Choksey for the final spot on the podium but was unable to find a way through before the checkered flag.

Out front, Connor De Phillippi in the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW had built a commanding lead, managing traffic with precision to win the race by four seconds. Grenier secured second for JMF Motorsports, while Choksey successfully fended off Heylen to clinch the final step on the podium.

“I'm really proud of the team,” said Connor De Phillippi. “Kenton
 did a phenomenal job, and everyone has worked really hard. We put in a lot of work this weekend to make the car better. I think we were a little worried for the long runs, but we made some changes going into qualifying that really gave us that step forward we needed. I’m happy we executed well today, and let's carry that momentum into tomorrow.”

“We put the team through a lot of work this weekend but it ended up paying off,” added Kenton Koch. “We were able to get them a win and I’m very thankful. There were a lot of changes we made, but I’m glad we did because the car was very good.” 

Pro-Am Class

Pro-Am featured the fiercest battles of the day. Ross Chouest spun in his No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, bringing out the first full-course yellow. After a quick recovery and return to racing, Chouest later spun again, triggering a second FCY just 20 minutes into the race. With one hour and seven minutes left, the race resumed at full pace.

Up front, factory driver Philip Ellis lost no time pulling a gap with the rest of the field aboard the No. 91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Following early pit stops from Blake McDonald, commanding the No. 11 DXDT Corvette GT3.R and Justin Rothberg in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW, the strategy game unfolded quickly. Diego Gomes Nunes temporarily cycled into second overall in the No. 16 AF Corse Ferrari before pitting with 40 minutes remaining.

After the pit window, Jeff Burton emerged in the class lead in the Regulator Racing Mercedes. But in the closing stages, Robby Foley, in the Turner Motorsport machine, and Matt Bell in the DXDT Corvette, both passed Burton, with Foley ultimately stretching away to secure the win.

Bell came under intense pressure from Darren Turner in the No. 24 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage EVO GT3. Drama struck for Burton and Turner as the two collided, sending the Aston Martin off track. Rising star Tom Sargent, commanding the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, seized the opportunity, passing Burton to claim the final podium spot.

The class podium read Turner Motorsport first, DXDT second, and GMG Racing third, followed by Heart of Racing in fourth and Archangel Motorsports’ No. 88 McLaren 720S GT3 in fifth after gaining a position in the final laps.

“We had a great pit stop in pit lane and then from there I had a few good outlaps to set the tone for the stint,” explained Robby Foley. “I just had to manage it from there. The car was good all stint.” 

“I just had to adjust in the high speed areas,” Justin Rothberg elaborated.
”I think come tomorrow, when I’ll be taking over in the second half of the race, the big element is going to be the marbles, so my focus will be to just stay on the line and do my job.” 

Am Class

In the Am class, Scott Dollahite and Eric Powell delivered a consistent and controlled drive to bring home victory for Dollahite Racing in the No. 6 Ford Mustang GT3. The pair fended off Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri Jr. in the No. 163 AF Corse USA Ferrari 296 GT3, who settled for second place after a hard-fought effort.

“We put hundreds of man hours into getting this car ready, and I just I can't say enough about the whole Ford Racing family, Multimatic, and and all the Dollahite Racing team,” expressed Scott Dollahite. “They made this possible for us, hats off to all of them.”

“It's so much fun to be with these guys,” echoed Eric Powell. “Everyone works so well together. They've made me feel like family right away. Scott did a great job today. Of course, it's hard to pass here, but the team executed flawlessly, and it made my job really easy to be honest.”