Alex on podium in GT World Challenge debut

There were plenty of questions for PT Autosport’s Alex Sedgwick as he progressed up the Porsche racing ladder into the GT World Challenge America presented by AWS series opener at Sonoma Raceway – and the 26-year-old Warwickshire, UK native answered them all, partnering with veteran Jan Heylen to bring home a podium finish in his first weekend in the car and in the series.

After a strong first stint from Heylen on Sunday afternoon, Sedgwick took the No. 18 RS1/Race Brew by Momentum Brewery/PT Autosport/Porsche Naples Porsche 911 GT3 R to the front of the field in the second of two GT World Challenge races on the weekend, until an untimely caution opened the door for his competitors.

But the hard, close, clean racing showed that Sedgwick, who spent two successful seasons in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series, has what it takes to continue his march up the racing ladder, demonstrating the pace and potential to compete for wins and titles as the season continues.

The duo had three test sessions on Wednesday and Thursday to come to grips with the No. 18 Porsche GT3 R and the tricky 12-turn, 2.520-mile Sonoma road course. At the end of the day on Thursday, they felt confident in whatever weather conditions they would face on the weekend.

“The car feels really, really strong in the wet,” said Sedgwick. “We were P1 for basically all of the session when the track was wet. We slipped back a little as it dried out, mostly because we were just trying different setups. Sonoma is interesting in the rain – there are a few different patches where they’ve improved the track or had to make repairs, so the grip level can change mid-corner, but the Porsche is strong in terms of race pace and consistency, so I think we’re in a good spot. So much of this racing is looking after the tire and not making mistakes, and everything is so close that it comes down to who makes a mistake. In that way, it really is just like Carrera Cup.”

GT World Challenge America employs an interesting qualifying strategy – each driver receives a 15-minute solo session, with the first session serving as qualifying for race one, and the second session setting the times for race two. In session one, Sedgwick put the No. 18 Race Brew Porsche in third position in the Pro class and fifth position overall. The team had Sedgwick come into pit lane when he was P2, to save tires, and unfortunately, the track then improved, but his lap of 1:34.416 would prove to be the quickest lap of the weekend for the team. A lengthy red flag in session two meant that much of the field was limited to three or fewer laps in the second session, with Heylen placing the car second in class and seventh overall.

The 19-car field took the race one green in tight formation, with Sedgwick glued to the car ahead and on the favored inside line through Turn one. Banging doors with his competitor through the first several corners, Sedgwick held his ground and finished lap one in 4th position. Sedgwick came into pit lane with 42 minutes remaining in the 90-minute race, flawlessly handling the driver change and handing the car to Heylen who headed back out 3rd in class and 5th overall.

Heylen found himself mired in lapped cars with 30 minutes remaining, battling to keep the 4th place car behind while making his way past the back markers. But with 19 minutes remaining, he and the lapped car ahead tangled briefly – but long enough to allow his competitor to get through. Heylen took the checkered flag a disappointed 4th.

“Obviously we’d hoped for a little bit more,” said Sedgwick. “But I know that all the ingredients are there for it to come together, for us to fight for wins in the championship. We’ve got a very good base to build from for the rest of the year.”

Sunday’s weekend finale took the green under surprisingly sunny skies. Battling hard for two laps, Heylen moved into fifth, right behind the Pro class leader.

Heylen pitted with 48 minutes to go and Sedgwick jumped in, heading back on track at the front of the Pro class. As pit stops cleared the Pro-Am cars ahead, Sedgwick assumed the overall race lead, pulling out a 20-second advantage until a car into the Turn 11 tire barrier brought out a yellow that brought the Pro class nose to tail.

Going green with 15 minutes remaining, Sedgwick made the Race Brew Porsche as wide as possible. But with two laps to go and coming out of the final turn that still held standing water from the incident, Sedgwick slid slightly wide and opened the door just enough. The pair raced side by side through four corners, but Sedgwick was unable to get back out ahead, slotting in behind and holding off the rest of the field to capture a hard-earned second place finish – his first GT3 podium.

“Always disappointed to lose the chance at a win, but for my second stint in a GT3 car, I have to be happy with that,” said Sedgwick. “The team did a great job, Jan did an awesome job. We started P7 on a track that’s notoriously hard to pass on, so we can’t be upset with that. The team executed the pit stop amazingly but obviously, the safety car was just super unfortunate for us, to lose that lead. I hate being second more than anything, but there are so many positives to take from this weekend. This was the first time I drove a closing stint, the first time I did out laps on Pirelli tires. I can’t say enough about Jan and RS1 for helping me feel welcome, feel comfortable in the car, and getting me to where I needed to be. I can’t wait to get to COTA next month.”

PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers knows that Sedgwick has what it takes to succeed and looks forward to the rest of the paddock discovering this new young talent.

“What a great first weekend for Alex at Sonoma,” said Myers. “He’s really showing his maturity and talent behind the wheel of the Porsche GT3R, performing heroically in the first two races of the SRO GTWCA season. We’re looking forward to a championship contending season with RS1, a team with a solid history of winning. (Team owner) Justin (Bellinzoni) has put together a great crew and we’re looking forward to the coming season of competition.”

Next up for GT World Challenge America will be the doubleheader April 25-27 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The races will be streamed live on YouTube, with an interactive broadcast on Twitch.