The Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS field took to the track for the final time at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday afternoon under sunny skies and warm weather. The final 90-minute race of the year was nothing short of an action-packed spectacle, with constant overtakes, strategy gambles, and major championship points on the line. The season will conclude in two weeks at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway with an 8-hour race that pays double points. While the Pro and Am titles are locked in, the Pro-Am class is still a three-way battle.

There was drama in the Pro-Am class before the race even started, with Mario Farnbacher and the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 coming into the pits with a mechanical issue on the formation lap. Despite returning to the track mid-way through the first lap, the Florida-based team ultimately had to return to the pits shortly after. The team eventually re-joined the race, albeit three laps down from the rest of the field. The team had started the morning with an eight point championship lead. While down, they would not give up, as a single point could be the difference after Indy.

Crowds were treated to a fierce battle between the frontrunners, with Ryan Dalziel adamantly trying to maintain his lead, while Bryan Sellers (#8 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3) and Jan Heylen (#45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R 991.ii) were on the chase. Colin Braun (#4 CrowdStrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3) and Bill Auberlen (#94 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT3) were also making sure to add themselves into the mix as they hunted down an opportunity to move up into podium positions. All top-five racers showed exceptional pace, continuously setting personal best times as the race progressed.

Everything can change in the blink of an eye in racing, as Sellers was caught off guard by Heylen with a sneaky inside line overtake. Braun capitalized on the shocking move and swept past Sellers as well, dropping him back two positions in the same corner.

As the pit window began to loom, teams were faced with the pressure of getting their pit stops and driver swaps just right. Such small gaps between drivers meant that there was no room for error. Onlookers held their breath as the Pro-Am front runners all swarmed the pits at the same time, waiting in anticipation to see who would get the timing right, and where it could all go wrong.

Justin Wetherill and Triarsi Competizione moved into the Pro-Am lead, while Charlie Luck was entangled in a heated battle with Pro drivers Franco and Goikhberg as they continued to breathe down his neck. Luck’s hard work and determination eventually paid off, pulling off a swift move down the inside of Wetherill to move into the class lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. Wetherill was further overtaken by Chandler Hull in the final laps.

Luck raced to the line to clinch both the Pro-Am win and the points lead, leaving Hull just shy in second as he was unable to make a final attack. Wetherill hung on to the podium in third place.

“We had to get redemption after what happened yesterday,” expressed Luck. “When I sat in the car, I told myself to give everything I had. We were magical today, magical!”

Heading into the double-points 8-Hour finale at Indy, the provisional points are Wright Motorsports with 191, CrowdStrike with 177, and Racers Edge at 176. Any one of the three could be the 2022 Pro-Am champions.

The SRO Motorsports America season will conclude at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 7-8 for the Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS. Tickets are available

Race report by SRO Motorsport Group