TR3 Racing goes Pro at VIR, Koch to join Morad in Mercedes for SRO weekend

DANVILLE, VA (9 June 2023) – TR3 Racing will debut in the lead Pro division of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS next weekend at Virginia International Raceway.

Kenton Koch will join Daniel Morad in the team’s No. 9 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in a pair of 90-minutes races at the scenic 17-turn, 3.27-mile circuit.

Ziad Ghandour, the team’s regular driver in the Pro-Am class in the team’s first fulltime foray into SRO competition, is unable to compete due to a personal commitment.

“We are very excited for this opportunity to run in the top level of GT World Challenge America,” said TR3 principal Gregory Romenelli. “I want to thank Ziad for allowing us to have this one-off opportunity. It’s unfortunate he’s not able to make the race, but family comes first. We’ve had a few opportunities to run at the highest level of racing with different manufactures in the previous years, so we look forward to showing our true colors behind a great manufacturer like Mercedes AMG.”

TR3 Racing is currently sixth in the SRO Pro-Am standings, with the best finish for Ghandour and Morad second in the Sunday event at Sonoma Raceway. Morad is a three-time SRO winner and has won three championships in addition to numerous karting titles.

“I’m looking forward to running in the Pro class with Kenton,” said the 32-year-old Canadian. “VIR is a track I really enjoy, and I’ve had prior success there. The TR3 Racing boys are working really hard, and I hope we can bring home some hardware.”

Koch, 28, is a 10-year veteran with 98 career podiums, including a class victory in the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona as well as multiple championships on his resume.

“I’m looking forward to racing with TR3, and co-driving with Daniel,” Koch said. “He and I have had some pretty good battles in the past and earlier in the year. Now it’s going to be fun to be in the same car with him, and we should have a good battle in the Pro category. This will be my first time racing a GT3 in the World Challenge series, so it’s going to be a good debut with a good team, a good car, and a good co-driver. I’m super-thankful for them to offer me the opportunity. It should be fun.”

Weekend practice begins Friday with one-hour sessions at 10 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. (all times ET). Qualifying is set for Saturday at 9 a.m., followed by the first 90-minute race at 3:10 p.m. The weekend wraps up on Sunday with the second race at 3:45 p.m.