Cortes claims first GT America win as Gidley clinches SRO3 championship

The GT America powered by AWS championship series delivered a dramatic opening race at Barber Motorsports Park, with RS1’s Joel Cortes taking his first victory of the season while SKI AUTOSPORTS’ Memo Gidley secured the SRO3 championship despite never making it to the starting grid.

SRO3 Class

Drama struck before the race had even begun when Memo Gidley, who entered the weekend as the SRO3 championship leader, ground to a halt on the formation lap. The No. 56 SKI AUTOSPORTS Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII was forced back to pit lane, leaving Joel Cortes to inherit pole position in his No. 19 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO and lead the field to the green flag a few minutes later.

Cortes made the most of the opportunity, controlling the race from the front and building a healthy advantage over the field.

Behind him, Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R found himself under pressure in second as Scott Blind closed in from third in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO. The battle for fifth was equally intense, with Kyle Washington and Dave Musial Sr. going toe-to-toe throughout the race in their respective No. 32 GMG Racing and No. 72 Wright Motorsports Porsches. Despite constant pressure from Musial, Washington held firm to retain the position.

Tony Davis entered the race with a clear objective: he needed to finish second or better in his No. 04 HP-TECH Motorsports Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO to keep his championship hopes alive for another race. The championship contender charged through the field and engaged in battles with Washington and Musial as he worked his way forward.

Ultimately, however, Cortes was untouchable at the front, crossing the finish line to claim his first victory of the season, with Chouest and Blind joining him on the podium for another pair of top-three finishes.

“ This track is a little bit hard,” Cortes admitted. “The team did an amazing job with the car and in the test to make some changes and I think it shows in this good result. Thank you to the crew and to everyone involved. I feel more and more confident in the car.”

Davis produced one of the strongest drives of the race to earn the Hard Charger Award, but his fourth-place finish was not enough to prevent Gidley from securing the SRO3 championship.

Despite not taking the start, Gidley's points advantage coming into the race was sufficient to make him champion with three races remaining in the season.

“ Life is all about experiences, and I must say that I think nobody on this team, including myself, has ever won a championship while we're either under the car or looking at the car,” exclaimed Memo Gidley. “But that's what happened today. The Rowdy Audi and the whole team have delivered all year long. I mean, this is living a dream for me, and I just so appreciate being out here. I'm sorry I couldn't race today, but I will be back out there tomorrow.”

Cup and GT4 Class

David Lecko continued his impressive championship campaign in the Cup class, securing another victory for himself and the Ginetta brand. Lecko has emerged as a strong representative in the Cup class during his debut GT America championship campaign, adding another win to his growing tally at Barber.

“ It was so much fun, but there's a lot of turns, so when there's mixed class racing, you've got look behind you to make sure you're not getting in anybody's way while still trying to go as fast as possible,” explained David Lecko. “It's a great challenge, and I love everybody respecting each other out there, and it's a beautiful place. I was focusing on being really consistent, and I achieved that goal. So thanks to my coach and my crew for setting up a great car.”

The GT4 championship was also decided in Race 1. Although Craig Lumsden was unable to compete for the full race, he took the start, which proved sufficient for him to secure the GT4 championship with three races still remaining in the season.

The GT America powered by AWS will return to the track for Race 2 on Sunday, September 27 at 9:25 a.m. CT. 

RACE 1 RESULTS