The Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS had tepid temperatures and hot tempers as it ran the first of two 90-minute races at Circuit Of The Americas. The premier GT racing series in North America had 17 entries on the grid for its three classes, with six of the world's best-known and most beloved manufacturer brands.

PRO Class
The winning No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R started the race from the pole position after penalties were assessed post-qualifying to the No. 21 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 and the No. 94 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT3. The race wasn’t a smooth sail but more a story of survival as multiple incidents claimed the races of others.

The No. 93 Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 of Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher earned a second-place finish recovering from a drive-through penalty assessed after a Lap 1 incident. Third place went to the No. 53 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. The duo of Seth Lucas and Trenton Estep proved they weren’t afraid to put their elbows out as they equally defended position during their stints on track.

PRO-AM Class
An overall win and PRO-AM Class win came to the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Adam Adelson and Elliot Skeer. This was the duo’s first win of the 2023 season. Skeer entered the race after a hasty pit lane exit with a group of both PRO and PRO-AM entries. As the group approached Turn 1 Skeer took over the lead while others fought for space behind him. The outcome included a spin by pole sitter No. 04 CrowdStrike Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Colin Braun having just taken over for George Kurtz.

In second place was the sister car to Skeer and Adelson. The No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen weren’t afraid to get into tight spaces as they maneuvered over the course of the race from sixth to second. The No. 16 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Pedro Torres and Pumpelly proved its talent not the age of the Porsche that matter. They moved their No. 45 Porsche 911.ii from ninth to third in class and fourth overall.

AM Class
Anthony Bartone and Andy Pilgrim of No. 43 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 continue designing Bartone’s future in the Am Class. Bartone found himself fighting amongst the PRO-AM Class and would serve a drive-through penalty after being settled with the responsibility for an incident that saw the No. 007 TRG Aston Martin Vantage GT3 spin early in the race. Bartone calmed and carried on along with teammate Pilgrim for a 12th place finish overall.

Let’s Go
Race One is done and all eyes are on the final showdown of the weekend. Race Two goes green at Circuit Of The Americas Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m. CT. Fans on-site can join in the grid walk celebration at 1:30 p.m. For those joining virtually, the race is streamed live on the YouTube GT World page and Twitch. Join Ash Vandelay as she hosts and chats with over a million fans for the race.