Rounds one and two of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and the No. 63 and No. 08 DXDT Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 cars are prepared and ready to get the 2022 season started. Sonoma Raceway will host the season-opening doubleheader event, and DXDT Racing will debut two new lineups in the Pro/Am class. As previously announced, David Askew and Dirk Mueller will partner up in the No. 63 Mercedes AMG GT3, and Scott Smithson and Bryan Sellers will race together in the No. 08 Mercedes AMG GT3.
The team had a prosperous 2021 season, running six cars in three championships under the SRO America umbrella. After earning 21 podiums, eight wins, and 37 top-five finishes last year, DXDT Racing returns to the GT World Challenge America series with a sharpened focus on running a two-car championship effort in the headlining series. Twenty different entries will compete in the first event, and will include seven manufacturers racing in the Pro, Pro/Am, and Am classes.
Sonoma Raceway will again host the first races of the year, with 12 turns and 2.520 miles of flowing track. Featuring 160 feet of elevation change, the permanent road course is a strong track for DXDT Racing and the Mercedes AMG GT3. Between the team’s three entries, DXDT Racing earned five top-five podiums, including a second-place finish for David Askew and a win for one of the sister cars.
New to the team this season is Operations Manager Simon Morely, a longtime motorsports team manager, crew chief, and chief mechanic with a vast resume in various arenas of the sport. Stefan Pfeiffer and Ryan Johnson return as the engineers on the cars, overseeing the setup and strategy throughout the 2022 championship effort.
Like many of the series participants, DXDT Racing put great effort into the off-season, conducting off-season testing to get the cars, crew, and drivers ready for the championship fight ahead. The first series-wide test of the year will take place on Thursday, April 14, giving the GT World Challenge America competitors two hours to run before official practice sessions begin on Friday.
On Saturday morning, both drivers will get a chance to qualify in their designated race car, as one driver will start Saturday’s race and the other Sunday’s race. The driver changes will occur in the middle of each 90-minute race, during a mandatory full-service pit stop that also requires refueling and driver changes. Qualifying will stream live on YouTube.com/GTWorld, beginning at 10:00 AM PT on Saturday, April 16. Race one will follow that afternoon, at 2:15 PM, and race two will close out the weekend on Sunday, April 17 at 1:45 PM PT.
David Askew | No. 63 USALCO Mercedes AMG GT3
I can’t wait for the 2022 season to get started! DXDT has been busy testing and working on the team and cars. It’s a leaner and meaner DXDT this year, as we have sharpened our focus to just two World Challenge AMG GT3s. Much of the crew will be familiar and We also have new drivers; myself with Dirk Muller, and Scott Smithson with Bryan Sellers. Dirk comes to us via our relationship with the factory. As an AMG factory driver, he’s been testing with the team and instrumental in helping us to translate his knowledge of the car to more speed on the track. Bryan Sellers needs no introduction being one of the best GT3 pilots in North America. Bryan will drive with Scott who last raced Honda TCRs with us back in 2020. Besides driving, Bryan’s role is to captain the DXDT coaching program to make sure the AM drivers are always getting faster. I’m also very excited to have my daughter Oliva contesting her first full season in TCX driving a BMW M2. New year, new opportunities, and I can’t wait to get going!
Dirk Müller | No. 63 USALCO Mercedes AMG GT3
I am really looking forward to Sonoma. This is going to be my first race with Dave and his team DXDT in the No. 63 Mercedes and I am proud to be part of this great family. From the first second I joined the team, I could tell how strong and how well everybody is working together. They made it easy for me to feel at home immediately and with our two cars No. 08 Mercedes, Bryan and Scott, and our No. 63 we will have a very good chance for a great result. I can’t wait to get it started.
Scott Smithson | No. 08 Qelo Mercedes AMG GT3
I’m excited for Sonoma. It’s a new track and my first world challenge race. Driving with Bryan Sellers this year is going to be a great learning experience. Bryan is an amazing driver and coach. We look to come out strong and progress through this season. I have all the support and tools for success, the rest is on me.
Bryan Sellers | No. 08 Qelo Mercedes AMG GT3
To say I’m excited for the first SRO race would be an understatement. This will be the first weekend with the new look for DXDT. We had a really strong test at Sonoma a few weeks ago and I am looking forward to seeing if that translates to the race.
Source. KBru Communications
Comments
