Breakthrough double win at VIR

Alex Sedgwick and Jan Heylen sweep the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS doubleheader at VIR

Alex Sedgwick knew that his first GT World Challenge America powered by AWS win was not far off. After three straight second-place finishes, he and co-driver Jan Heylen were one small break away from the top spot.

That break came last weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, as Sedgwick and Heylen swept both series races dominantly behind the wheel of the No. 18 RS1/Race Brew 0.0% by Momentum Brewery/PT Autosport/Porsche Naples Porsche 911 GT3 R – and putting the team back in the championship title hunt.

With two new engineers added this weekend (Rafael Hess and systems engineer Oscar Zelaya, who will share time with regular engineer Bruno Braga for the remainder of the season), the team had significantly increased their ability to work through data and information efficiently, ensuring that the RS1 team came into the weekend ready to roll.

The plan had been to bang off the rust from a two-month break and get used to the racetrack through two test sessions Thursday, then fine-tune the setup on Friday, but afternoon thunderstorms meant the team all but lost the afternoon session. That meant both drivers headed into Saturday morning qualifying with fingers crossed, hoping that the improved data program had given them accurate information on the setup.

“This field is extremely good, and we’ve had such a tough year so far,” said Heylen. “All credit to the team for not giving up. It’s so much fun to go out there when you have a car you can do it with – we’ve been waiting for that all year.”

“Very happy with qualifying,” said Sedgwick. “I missed a little bit with some of the unknowns going into qualifying, so there was just a little bit more there – and Jan was able to gauge the track and the car well. With the long break, we were on the back foot a bit, and this is also the track I have the least experience on, so it was good to put it all together.”

Temperatures remained extreme for race one, with ambient temps in the low 90s and track temps over 110 degrees. Sedgwick made a move at the drop of the green but was forced to the outside, wisely slotting back into P2 in class and third overall. The race settled in quickly, with Sedgwick stalking the leader – until a brief rainstorm near the halfway mark ended with a competitor sliding quickly through the grass and into a tire barrier, bringing out a yellow flag.

Chaos ensued as teams worked to figure out drive time during the yellow. Sedgwick headed to pit lane for four tires, fuel and a change to Heylen – but knowing that if they headed straight back on track, Heylen would exceed his 50-minute drive time limit. Sedgwick remained in the car on pit lane as the last seconds ticked off, with the team carefully watching the location of the safety car. Heylen jumped in and vaulted out of pit lane to remain second in class, but sixth overall. Once the race returned to green, the pair of Pro class cars began moving toward the front of the field, with Heylen P3 overall/second in class with 33 minutes left. But 10 minutes later, Heylen set up the leader and made the pass to take the class lead, while setting the race’s quick lap.

Heylen put the race lead into his sights and quickly powered past the Pro-Am car that had held the top spot. The veteran Belgian stayed on the gas and took the checkered flag in front.

“We had a good feeling about this weekend – and hopefully it’s the first of many,” said Sedgwick. Everything’s starting to come together: the engineering side, the team, with Jan and I, and with me and the car. Looking to back it up with a good race tomorrow!”

Heylen took a solid jump at Sunday’s green flag, holding the top spot by over a second over a relatively quiet first 25 minutes – until a full-course caution brought the field back together. But Heylen wasted no time when the green flew once again, quickly returning his lead to over a second while pacing the fast laps of any competitor.

Sedgwick jumped behind the wheel with 50 minutes remaining and never wavered, powering the Race Brew 0.0% Porsche 992 GT3 R to the checkered flag in front.

“I admit that I was a bit apprehensive going into this one, knowing that so many of our competitors had been racing over the two-month break in the season,” said Sedgwick. “We had a lot to figure out, but RS1 did an amazing job. Oscar, Rafa, all the new personnel that have come in, they’re adding to the program, helping us build, and it’s paying off. We’re right back in the fight for the championship, so we’re feeling positive now about the rest of the season.”

PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers was thrilled with the weekend’s results – and excited to see how the season pans out.

“What a weekend for the entire RS1 team, but especially for Alex – he’s been our guy for the last three years, since he cofounded PT Autosport with us three years ago,” said Myers. “We’ve been proud to support him as he grows as a driver, and this is another big step in that growth. We are looking forward to seeing where his career goes and to what heights he can soar. We wouldn’t be here without Justin (Bellinzoni), Jan (Heylen) and the entire RS1 team. We couldn’t ask for a better group of consummate professionals. Every race weekend, they show up and give us the best-prepared and engineered 911 GT3 R on the grid. Looking forward to the rest of the season and seeing what Alex and Jan can do, and to make this championship one of those Cinderella success stories we will be talking about for years to come.”

Next up for GT World Challenge America will be the doubleheader at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., August 15-17. The races will be streamed live on YouTube, with an interactive broadcast on Twitch.