- Charlie Thornton
- Jun 12, 2025
- 11 min read
GT World Challenge America - Round 3 - Random Vandals respect the bumps at Sebring to sweep the weekend!
Random Vandals Racing dominate at Sebring with back-to-back wins, while the Pro-Am battle goes down to the wire, as GT World Challenge America stars now turn towards the global endurance challenges in June.
QUALIFYING
Qualifying one at Sebring began quietly until Kenton Koch in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo set the benchmark with a 2:00.382, but minutes later a tumble began, firstly with Michai Stephens in the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo who took over by nearly two-tenths, only to be dethroned by Philip Ellis in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes. Koch immediately struck back with the first lap under the two-minute mark, but Ellis wasn’t done yet as he reclaimed first position with a 1:59.839 with four minutes to go.
Koch decided to pit and chose not to continue his qualifying, Alex Sedgwick in the #18 RS1 Porsche 992 GT3 R slotted into third position overall, and second in the Pro class, just three-tenths off the lead. Jason Daskalos suffered a left-rear puncture late on in the session after sunset bend, while the first qualifying session ended with Philip Ellis taking overall and Pro-Am pole position, while Kenton Koch secured pole position for the Pro class in second position.
In qualifying two, the red flag came out very early on after Stefano Gattuso in the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 lost a rear-left wheel, interrupting Aaron Telitz’s flying lap in the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, as he was just about to cross the line, as well as many other drivers. Once the session resumed with just over six minutes left, the field surged out onto the track, and Connor De Phillippi in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW went fastest with a 1:59.925, but Robby Foley in the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW immediately bettered it with a 1:59.478, just two-thousandths of a second ahead. Matt Bell slotted into second in the #11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, just three tenths off Foley. Foley ended the session on top, taking overall and Pro-Am pole for race two, while Connor De Phillippi finished third, and best of the Pro rated cars.
RACE 1
Race one at Sebring roared to life with a chaotic start as the field took the green flag. The #24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Gray Newell got off slowly, causing a check-up that rippled through the pack, catching out the likes of Jason Daskalos in the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, who made contact with Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, and suffered heavy front-end damage, and dived into the pits after the opening lap. Not long after the opening chaos, Washington spun coming out of the hairpin with visible damage.
Roughly twelve minutes into the race, Jason Bell spun his #2 Racers Edge Motorsport Aston Martin in the third sector, sliding off track, meanwhile a fierce battle emerged for third position overall, and second in the Pro class as Michai Stephens in the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes fought to hold off Alex Sedgwick in the #18 RS1 Porsche. The skirmish was soon interrupted by a charging Bill Auberlen in the #51 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4, who swept past both the Mercedes and Porsche to claim third position overall, and second in class.
With just over an hour remaining, Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette and Jean-Fréderic Laberge in the #92 LAB Motorsport by GT Racing Porsche found their way past the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 to take eighth and ninth positions from the sole AM entry. Moments later, Todd Coleman in the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren and the recovering #24 Aston Martin of Newell also cleared Dollahite, slotting into tenth and eleventh.
The pit cycle began with fifty minutes remaining, triggered by Blake McDonald in the #11 DXDT Racing Corvette from sixth position, followed by the #50 Corvette, #92 Porsche, #88 McLaren and the #32 Porsche. A lap later, the #29 BMW, #24 Aston Martin and #6 Mustang all made their stops, followed by the key front-running cars of Koch and Sedgwick from second and third. Philip Ellis went as long as he could go into the pit window in order to hand the car to his Bronze rated driver Jeff Burton for the rest of the race.
After the pit cycle shook out, Connor De Phillippi overtook the newly-installed Jeff Burton in the #91 Mercedes for the overall lead with just over thirty minutes to go, with Jan Heylen following suit just minutes later, slotting into second. The pressure kept building for Burton, who fell to third in the running when Varun Choksey made his move with eighteen minutes, immediately followed by Mikaël Grenier in the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes, who relegated Burton to fifth.
Further down the order, a long duel between Tom Sargent and Darren Turner in the #32 and #24 machines respectively played out over the battle for tenth position. Sargent’s first attempt was out of turn one, but this lacked enough punch to make it work, but a few laps later, he got by through Cunningham Corner as the veteran Turner ran wide.
With just eight minutes to go, Matt Bell in the #11 Corvette made a decisive pass on Burton to take fifth position overall, and the Pro-Am class lead, from there, the top positions remained unchanged. Connor De Phillippi crossed the line first in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo to take the win, with Heylen and Choksey rounding out the podium. Grenier secured fourth position overall, while the Pro-Am winners of Matt Bell and Blake McDonald were scored in fifth, just ahead of Jeff Burton and Robby Foley. The Am class saw a solo, but clean run to victory for the #6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3.
RACE 1 PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
RACE 2
Race two began in a similar fashion to race one, with an explosive start as Connor De Phillippi in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo charged side-by-side with the #11 DXDT Racing Corvette of Matt Bell, and muscled himself past into second place through turn four. It was quite the opposite and a rougher start for the sister #51 BMW of Varun Choksey, who dropped to the back of the field by turn one, while the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Jeff Burton spun on the Ulmann straight soon after.
Choksey began his recovery drive with a pass on Kyle Marcelli in the #92 Porsche for eleventh position, meanwhile Tom Sargent in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche ran wide exiting turn one, slipping from sixth to eighth in the shuffle.
A relatively calm race evolved from here, and as the pit window opened near the halfway point, De Phillippi, Grenier and Choksey were among the first to come in with fifty minutes remaining. Jeff Burton followed from the back in the #91 Mercedes, with Sherman, Heylen and Gattuso all pitting shortly after. A close release from the pits saw Alex Sedgwick in the #18 RS1 Porsche rejoin right alongside Kenton Koch in the #99 BMW, but Koch held his track position.
With forty-one minutes to go, a major wave of stops began with Robby Foley and Matt Bell coming in from the front. They were joined by the #88 Archangel Motorsports McLaren of Aaron Telitz, #2 Racers Edge Motorsport Aston Martin of Michael Cooper, #32 GMG Racing Porsche of Tom Sargent, #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette of Aaron Povoledo and Kyle Marcelli in the #92 LAB Motorsport Porsche. Justin Rothberg rejoined the race out of the pits still ahead Blake McDonald in the #11 Corvette, while Jason Bell in the #2 Aston Martin dropped places to Kyle Washington in the #32 Porsche. Jean-Fréderic Laberge also gained ground on Ross Chouest in the #50 during the pit cycle.
Trouble struck for the #50 Corvette of Ross Chouest, who was handed a stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane, and shortly after, he ran off at turn thirteen, and ended up stuck in the grass. While briefly motionless, and threatening a full course yellow, he eventually got going again a few minutes later.
Up front, the reshuffled field saw Kenton Koch in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW lead the #18 RS1 Porsche of Sedgwick and the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes of Stephens, who came out in fifth position overall. In Pro-Am, Justin Rothberg held the lead in the #29 Turner Motorsport BMW, but he came under some serious pressure from McDonald in the #11 Corvette, who challenged him with some side-by-side action around the outside at the hairpin. They leaned on each other heavily, with Rothberg holding the inside, but fortunately no major damage or collision. Shortly afterward, Michai Stephens overtook McDonald for fourth position overall, and then made a clean move on Rothberg to take third overall.
With twenty-one minutes remaining, the race was neutralised when Laberge crashed into the barriers, sustaining major front-end damage, but a quick clean up was all they required. Racing resumed with fifteen minutes left, with Koch still firmly in command, but behind him the Pro-Am fight heated up as Todd Coleman in the #88 McLaren passed McDonald for second position in class, only to be handed a five-second time penalty for a pit stop infringement. The penalty, along with the battle, set off a fierce scrap, allowing Rothberg to open a gap out ahead.
Ellis, meanwhile, was charging hard through the field in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. He cleared the two Aston Martins of Newell and Bell to break into the top ten, then passed Coleman after a mistake into the hairpin. On the back straight, Ellis fought Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche, and completed the move with a brave move in Sunset Bend to move into seventh place overall, and finally onto the podium in Pro-Am.
With just over a minute to go, the Pro-Am podium contenders, Rothberg, McDonald and Ellis ran nose-to-tail, and on the final lap, Ellis slipped past McDonald into turn four, and then went side-by-side with Rothberg on the Ulmann straight, but Rothberg maintained his position in the lead of the class.
Kenton Koch once again came across the line to take the overall win, sweeping the Sebring weekend with his teammate Connor De Phillippi and for Random Vandals Racing. He was followed by Sedgwick and Heylen in the #18 Porsche, and Stephens and Grenier in the #34 Mercedes. Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey secured fourth, while Rothberg successfully fended off Ellis and McDonald for a thrilling finish in Pro-Am, with the top three crossing the line just 1.3 seconds separating them. The Dollahite Racing Mustang cruised to an uncontested Am win, while the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes and #92 LAB Motorsport Porsche failed to finish the race.
RACE 2 PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS
After a clean sweep of the weekend at Sebring, the Random Vandals Racing #99 crew of Connor De Phillippi and Kenton Koch clawed their way back to the top spot in the championship with 130 points, while Mikaël Grenier and Michai Stephens sit on 110 points in second. Jan Heylen and Alex Sedgwick remain in third with 99 points, while the sister #51 Random Vandals Racing BMW catches the back with 81 points.
In Pro-Am, Turner Motorsports #29 crew of Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg firmly hold the lead by eight points over Jeff Burton and Philip Ellis in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes. Matt Bell and Blake McDonald climb to third in the championship with 81 points, while the McLaren from Archangel Motorsports sits fourth.
Scott Dollahite and Dollahite Racing took control in the Am category with 93 points, tied with Oswaldo Negri Jr and Jay Schreibman, who missed the Sebring rounds.
72 HOURS OF JUNE AND THE HILLS OF VIRGINIA AWAIT
A brief summer vacation will see a break from GT World Challenge America competition, but June sees a number of series regulars and alumni heading into the heart of the endurance racing season, taking part in marquee events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nürburgring 24, and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Although no drivers are doing the triple header, here’s a look at the drivers who are stepping onto the world stage.
BMW:
Connor De Phillippi will add the 24 Hours of Spa to his resume as he joins the Italian-based Ceccato Racing squad, with the appearance following his full-time commitments to the BMW Motorsport brand.
Corvette:
Matt Bell is set for a major June effort with entries in both Le Mans and Spa. He’ll join the AWA-run Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R effort at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a team that previously captured victory at this year's edition of the Rolex 24, but he won’t stop there. He’ll be joining the lineup in an AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 at Spa, alongside a group of current GT World Challenge America drivers and graduates including Riccardo Agostini, Blake McDonald and Custodio Toledo.
Ferrari:
As previously mentioned, Bell will join AF Corse’s line up for Spa, alongside Agostini, McDonald and Toledo, with all having made their mark in North American GT competition in current or previous years.
Ford:
Stefano Gattuso, who made his GT World Challenge America debut at Sebring, continues his global tour in the FIA World Endurance Championship, where he’s part of the full-season Proton Competition squad campaigning the Ford Mustang GT3, and naturally, that means a spot on the grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Mercedes-AMG:
Colin Braun and George Kurtz, both of whom kicked off their GT World Challenge America campaigns at Sonoma Raceway, are gearing up for a demanding June, where the pair will first compete in separate LMP2 entries from Nielsen Racing and Algarve Pro Racing at Le Mans, before they return to GT3 machinery for Spa, where they’ll share a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Their adaptability between prototypes and GTs will be on full display for another year.
Mikaël Grenier faces a similarly intense schedule, tackling two of the biggest 24-hour events back-to-back. First, he’ll pilot a Team GetSpeed Mercedes at the Nürburgring 24, followed by a second outing with Boutsen VDS at Spa, creating a punishing double-header that showcases the endurance specialist's stamina and talent.
Philip Ellis will also represent the Mercedes-AMG camp at Spa, where he’ll be a part of the American-based Winward Racing entry. Known for their competitiveness in both North America and Europe, Winward brings Ellis on board for another serious attack on the Ardennes.
Porsche:
Wright Motorsports, one of GT World Challenge America’s most accomplished teams, will field a Porsche 992 GT3 R in the 24 Hours of Spa, with their driver lineup to include Adam Adelson, Tom Sargent, and Elliot Skeer, all of whom have made their mark in the North American series, and now step onto the global stage.
From factory-backed programs to independent outfits, these drivers and teams reflect the growing bridge between GT World Challenge America and global endurance racing. June’s triple crown of Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Spa proves that top-level GT talent knows no borders. Round four of the 2025 GT World Challenge America season heads to the Virginia International Raceway after the month of June on the 19th - 20th July.
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