A pair of Ferrari teams came up with a strong finish in Sunday’s SRO GT World Challenge America powered by aws competition at Virginia International Raceway, coming home with a second-consecutive victory in Am while a strong finish resulted in a podium in Pro-Am.
Am. One day after scoring an Am class victory, Bill Sweedler and John Megrue moved to the point with 17 minutes remaining to claim another victory, leading to a weekend sweep for the No. 31 Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO. “It’s amazing to be back here in Virginia,” Sweedler said. “I won here in 2015, and it’s even more special to win in a Ferrari. The track was unbelievable, the car was unbelievable, and my co-driver did an amazing job in his first pro race. I’ve got to thank Ferrari, as usual. An iron-clad car.” Sweedler started the race second in the class throughout his stint. Megrue, a Ferrari Challenge champion making his GT World Challenge America debut, held second throughout his stint as he proved to be a quick study. “This such a different car, and handles completely differently,” Megrue said. “It took a lot of getting used to, but it was a huge amount of fun because of that difference. I’ve got to thank Bill for inviting me, and also the whole team. They did an amazing job.”
Pro/Am. An overheating issue hampered the 1 Hublot/Alpha Prime Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO started by Rodrigo Baptista, but co-driver Martin Fuentes managed to work into podium contention with 12 minutes remaining and come home with a third-place finish, both overall and in Pro-Am. Baptista started the race, falling to sixth and fourth in class as he could not pull up close to challenge his competitors. A late-race caution allowed Fuentes to close in, as the top four competitors ran nose to tail for the final six minutes. The exciting finish saw Fuentes take the checkered flag only 0.713-seconds behind the winner. The two drivers opened the weekend by placing third overall and second in the series’ most competitive category to unofficially maintain their points Pro-Am, points lead.
Schedule. The GT World Challenge America will return to action at scenic Sonoma Raceway in California wine country with a pair of races on August 7-8. For more information, please visit www.gt-world-challenge-america.com. Races are also streamed live on youtube.com/GTWorld.