RS1 and Crowdstrike Racing get GTWC America wins at Sonoma

New year, new challengers in FANATEC GT World Challenge America, and a new winners in the place appeared in form of RS1 and Crowdstrike Racing with Riley, as the No. 28 Porsche 911 GT3R of Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer saw practically no opposition from lights to flag in the first race at Sonoma, and the No. 04 Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo of Colin Braun and George Kurtz did the same on the second race.

The No. 28 RS1 Porsche had the pole position in Race 1 and kept the lead in a quite peaceful start, apart from the off from the No. 08 DXDT Mercedes and a crash from the No. 91 DXDT Mercedes, which caused the first Safety Car intervention. Before the neutralization, Chandler Hull found more grip and stepped into second place with the No. 94 BimmerWorld BMW, becoming a threat to the leading Porsche.

The lead that the No. 28 had only stretched until the pit window, and if being left behind wasn’t enough trouble for the No. 94, a pit exit infringement made concede the second place to the No. 120 Wright Porsche to avoid a penalty. Behind the top-3 was a No. 04 Crowdstrike Mercedes with Colin Braun wanting to pass the No. 94 to fight for the Pro-Am Cup with the No. 120, and with 10 minutes to go, Braun finally found a gap to go to third overall.

With the Pro-Am Cup top-3 right behind, the No. 28 RS1 Porsche had a comfortable way to the finish as there would be no threats around. The opposition tried hard in the final minutes, but the No. 120 Wright Porsche got Pro-Am Cup honors with an equally dominant performance that saw it end second overall.

GTWC America - Sonoma Race 1 results

In the second race, due to Qualifying rules, things were more mixed up, which allowed the No. 38 ST Racing BMW to take pole, and John Edwards left no open door for the No. 04 Crowdstrike Mercedes until the dragstrip hairpin, when Colin Braun led the raid that was followed by Daniel Morad in the No. 9 TR3 Mercedes, all while the Race 1 winning No. 120 Wright Porsche in fourth.

Braun was the one who stood out the most in the first half, considering that the Pro-Am Cup cars would see the pro drivers do most of the job along with the non-Silvers in the Pro Cup, keeping a considerable gap until the pit window to deliver the car to George Kurtz. In the end, the on track effort didn’t help and the No. 9 TR3 Mercedes took the lead with the pit stops. Unfortunately for Ziad Ghandour, Kurtz came all the way and passed him for first overall and in the Pro-Am Cup as the pace was dramatically faster.

The Pro Cup were all behind the Pro-Am Cup top-5, and after the No. 93 Racers Edge Acura had to do a recovery race in the hands of Ashton Harrison due to a contact during Mario Farnbacher’s stint. It took quite some time, but in 20 minutes the No. 93 crushed the gap and passed the No. 21 Conquest Ferrari, having pace enough to apply pressure and pass the No. 53 MDK Porsche for the class lead. Manny Franco was the next to gain a position, going back to second in the Pro Cup with the No. 21 by beating the No. 53.

While the No. 04 Crowdstrike Mercedes had a clear way to the overall and Pro-Am Cup wins since the No. 9 TR3 Mercedes wasn’t catching up, the Pro Cup win was decided in the final corners, as the No. 93 Racers Edge Acura got stuck while dealing with the No. 38 ST Racing BMW and Manny Franco saw the opportunity to pass Ashton Harrison, but the No. 21 Conquest Ferrari left a gap in the final hairpin and Harrison took it  ro dive on the inside, prevailing on the final dash by 0.3 seconds.

GTWC America - Sonoma Race 2 results

The action returns at the end of the month, with the NOLA Motorsports Park being the next destination on 29 and 30 April.

PHOTOS: SRO/Fabian Lagunas