After a lengthy rain delay kept the action at bay, the sun finally broke through the clouds to shine down on NOLA Motorsports Park and shake up the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS field for their first race of the weekend. The slippery track surface ramped up the level of unpredictability going into this race, as drivers were faced with the challenge of finding the perfect balance between risk and reward.

PRO-AM and AM CLASS
Adam Adelson got a great start as the green flag waved, moving up to first behind the wheel of the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii). Pedro Torres also took advantage of the tricky conditions and slotted behind into second in his No. 16 ACI Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii). Despite initially losing some positions at the start, Scott Smithson began to fight back in his No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 as the sun crept through the clouds more and more. The PRO-AM field certainly did not hesitate to get their elbows out, with wheel-to-wheel battles taking place across the board, at times going three-wide through corners and making a splash to gain some ground.

Pit stop strategy and timing played a big role in the ever-changing leaderboard, with a perfect handover from Adam Adelson allowing teammate Elliott Skeer to take control and remain in the lead, with Bryan Sellers jumping in to continue the progression Smithson had made and now tasked with the job of closing the gap to first place.

A puncture on the left rear tire of the No. 45 Wright Motorsports brought out the yellow flags as Jan Heylen was left stranded on the side of the track. As the green flag resumed once more and the race approached its final minutes, the leaders in the PRO-AM class were not only fighting for a class win, but for overall position as well.

Skeer led the charge on the three Pro drivers ahead, with Sellers ready to strike at any moment. The two barrelled down the twisting turns and put every ounce of power into their hunt. They ultimately crossed the finish line first and second in class, taking fourth and fifth in the overall standings. The No. 007 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Derek DeBoer and Ross Gunn took home third place.

“These cars are absolutely incredible,” exclaimed Adam Adelson. “The team gave us the most amazing machine to drive and I am so glad we were able to capitalize on this performance today. My teammate did a fantastic job and he has taught me so much throughout our time together.”

“This track is where I grabbed my very first win with Porsche, and it feels incredible to be able to do it together again,” added Elliott Skeer. “I’m very proud to be able to do this again 8 years later, not only with John, but with my best friend as well. We’ve been working together for the past three years and I couldn’t have asked for a better result today. This is absolutely perfect, many thanks to the team for giving us an incredible car and flawless strategy.”

Anthony Bartone and Andy Pilgrim drove a very clean race to bring home the win in the AM Class, with Bartone noting that “this was my first time driving in the wet, so I think it was very decent for my first time in these conditions. I’m very happy with our performance out there today and to bring the car back in one piece, it’s really all you could ask for.” His teammate Pilgrim gave his praise, adding that “Anthony listens and executes really well. He has a ton of natural talent and my job is to help him be as quick as he can be, and I think he’s doing great.”

LET’S GO
Race Two is up next on Sunday, April 30 at 1:45 PM CT to close out the weekend.

All qualifying and race sessions are streamed live on the GT World YouTube page. Join Ash Vandelay on Twitch by following the SROMotorsports channel. Vandelay hosts six-hour programs Saturday and Sunday, where she is joined by drivers while chatting with fans and giving an interesting insight into that day's races.