Racers Edge in control at VIR Race 1

The American side of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS series was the first to start in 2020 and also was the first to return, having to comply with the health measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Racers Edge seems to not having lost their winning touch because of the lockdown break, having an overall 1-2 with the No. 80 Acura NSX GT3 Evo of Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli leading the way.

Departing from pole, Shelby Blackstock was quick to establish a gap in favor of the No. 93 Racers Edge Acura, and the clear dominance was halted only because of a Safety Car entry with 10 minutes of racing as the No. 57 GMG Porsche GT2 needed to be rescued from the grass. The No. 20 Wright Porsche was the next to find its way off track, as a broken half shaft knocked the car out of the competition, relinquishing the World Challenge Am Cup lead.

If the off track trips here and there weren’t shuffling the field enough, DXDT Racing joined it with their own worries, as the Mercedes Nos. 04 and 3 collided in a corner entry, thankfully with minor problems for both cars. What could put the No. 04 back in hopes for the fight for a Pro-Am Cup win was the fact that the No. 33 Winward Mercedes stopped alongside the track, handing the class lead to the No. 1 TR3 Ferrari, though the full course yellow would hold the gap in place.

After less than 10 minutes the Safety Car is gone along with the pit window too, and the caution shuffled the top spots in favor of the No. 80 Racers Edge Acura while having the Pro-Am rival No. 1 TR3 Ferrari and the sister No. 93 Acura behind in fierce pursuit. Eventually the No. 93 found the way past the No. 1, so Racers Edge was totally in control of the race.

With the class wins in Silver Cup and Pro-Am Cup secure, neither of the Racers Edge Acuras engaged in battle despite the close gap, so the No. 80 stayed with the overall and Pro-Am honors while the No. 93 was the Silver Cup winner in second. The No. 31 TR3 Ferrari made a secure race to score the Am Cup win despite some scares in the initial minutes.

GT World Challenge America - VIR Race 1 results

GT Sports Club ran alongside the World Challenge entries until the pit window, and the No. 311 311RS Porsche GT2 won with authority with Ryan Gates at the wheel.

PHOTO - SRO