US Racetronics Paces Practice 1 at Watkins Glen
Fanatec GT World Challenge America action got underway this morning at Watkins Glen International, where the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Steven Aghakhani and Loris Spinelli led the way during Practice 1.
Conditions were sunny and dry for this first practice session, though there is a minimal but not insignificant chance of thunderstorms during the afternoon – which put running time at a premium in this session. Track temperatures rose steadily throughout the hour, up from 28°C to 36°C.
In the opening minutes, Jan Heylen led the way aboard the #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R, setting a best time of 1’44.376.
Halfway into the session, Spinelli jumped to the top of the board with three consecutive fastest laps, ending with a 1’44.123.
Everything was going along swimmingly for the 17 teams that were on track, but with less than nine minutes remaining in the session, there was a red flag – when the very same #6 US Racetronics AMG GT3, now in the hands of Aghakhani, came to a stop between turns eight and nine.
This brought the session to a premature end, with the #6 Mercedes still on top overall and in the Pro category. Spinelli’s second-best lap of 1’44.201 was still good enough for the top spot after his fastest lap was deleted for bringing out the red flag.
The #45 Wright Porsche of Heylen and Charlie Luck finished second overall and first in the Pro-Am category, ahead of the #08 DXDT Racing AMG GT3 (Scott Smithson/Bryan Sellers) in third, the #04 CrowdStrike Racing with Riley Motorsports AMG GT3 (George Kurtz/Colin Braun) fourth, and the #13 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo (Justin Wetherill/Ryan Dalziel) in fifth.
Pro championship leaders K-PAX Racing prioritized distance over lap times, with the green #3 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo (Misha Goikhberg/Jordan Pepper) finishing the session in tenth, and the black #1 Lamborghini (Michele Beretta/Andrea Caldarelli) in 13th, completing a session-high 26 laps.
The only car that did not appear was Team Hardpoint’s impressively decal-free, dark green #00 Porsche 911 GT3-R (PJ Hyett/Gunnar Jeannette). The car was in the garage undergoing maintenance and checks, but is still on track to run this afternoon.
Photos © Brian Cleary / SRO Motorsports Group America
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