AUSTIN, Texas – The Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Texas, set for Sept. 1-3 at Circuit of the Americas, will have a large contingent of Texas-based racing teams and drivers ready to battle.
More than 100 competitors are primed for the 3.427-mile, 20-turn road course in an action-filled racing weekend, but no one wants to be standing on the victory podium more than the teams and drivers from Texas.
Many of those Texas racers have already seen success at COTA, including last year in the Pirelli World Challenge season opener.
College student Alec Udell captured the GT Cup event last year at COTA and finish second in the other GT Cup feature. In addition, Udell drove in the world-class Porsche GT Cup event last October in the Formula One weekend at COTA.
Now, the mechanical engineer student returns to COTA in search of the SprintX Pro/Am division win on Labor Day weekend when he co-drives with Preston Calvert in the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“I can’t wait to come back to Austin for the PWC COTA event,” said Udell. “I have been to COTA many times including winning the GT Cup race last year and then racing the Porsche Cup at the F1 weekend. While I grew up in the Houston area, Austin seems like a second home with the COTA track. It would be awesome to win there again.”
Another Texas-based group in the SprintX division at COTA will be GAINSCO Auto Insurance/Bob Stallings Racing. The GAINSCO group has won championships in sports cars and driver Jon Fogarty made the podium last year in the team’s Pirelli World Challenge debut in the GT class.
Now, Fogarty and Germany’s Wolf Henzler will be in the fight for the Pro/Pro category of the 60-minute, two-driver format for SprintX at COTA.
“We always enjoy coming to COTA for several reasons,” said Fogarty. “First, it is a great track and a driver can ready race hard at COTA. Secondly, COTA is the closest road racing facility to our team’s base in Dallas and GAINSCO brings a lot of people to watch the No. 99 GAINSCO Red Dragon Porsche 911 GT3 R. Last year was very exciting being on the podium and watching the GAINSCO group have so much fun. We would like to do that again this time.”
A local competitor who has seen success at COTA over the years is Scott Dollahite, who’ll bring his No. 46 Lotus Evora to the local circuit in the GTS category. Dollahite took third in last year’s COTA event and returns for his first outing of the year.
“I have raced many types of cars at COTA on the years and it’s great to have Pirelli World Challenge back at the local track,” said Dollahite. “I have done teaching at COTA too and have a lot of laps around that place. In my PWC debut, I won the GTS pole but we had a mechanical issue in the race. In the second race, I came from sixth to third. So, I think we’ll have a pretty good race car again for Labor Day weekend.”
The Dallas-based FastTrack Racing from Classic BMW brings five entries in the Touring Car class to COTA with team manager and defending Touring Car series champion Toby Grahovec leading the team’s charge. Grahovec, the former college hockey standout, stood on the winner’s circle podium twice last year at COTA with a first and second place finishes. Now, Gravohec and his squad look to repeat the 2016 COTA performance in his No. 1 BMW M235iR sports car.
“Last year, the win and second at COTA really kicked off our 2016 season,” said Gravohec. “It moved us into position to race for the lead everywhere we went and it led us to the championship. Being a close track for our team and BMW dealership is exciting too. We bring a lot of fans and co-workers to COTA to cheer for us. It’s a big boost for the team and myself in the race car. I’m hoping to repeat that showing from last year at COTA.”
The Austin-based Winding Road Team TFB has entered three Touring car machines for the COTA weekend with CTMP TC race winner Mason Filippi in the No. 12 BMW M235iR, Jacob Rudd in the No. 81 BMW M235iR and local racer Jeff Sexton in the No. 86 Mazda Global MX-5 Cup TCA car.
Teenagers Harry Gottsacker, 18, and Parker Chase, 16, will be contenders in the GTS division with their G55 GT4 cars. Gottsacker won the won the pole position at Mid-Ohio this year and Chase finished second in several races in 2016.
Source : speedsport.com
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