Double podium for PT Autosport’s Sedgwick at COTA

AUSTIN, Texas (April 30, 2025) – PT Autosport’s Alex Sedgwick continues to shine in his rookie GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season, as he and teammate Jan Heylen earned podium finishes in both races at Circuit of the Americas last weekend.

The two-podium weekend brings the podium tally to three out of four for the No. 18 RS1/Race Brew by Momentum Brewery/PT Autosport/Porsche Naples Porsche 911 GT3 R – with series announcers noting on Sunday’s broadcast that the season’s first victory does not seem far away for the team.

Through two test sessions Thursday and two official practices Friday, Sedgwick and Heylen worked on finding the balance between speed and corner acceleration necessary to navigate COTA’s 20-turn, 3.41-mile circuit – while also managing the typical Texas heat.

In Saturday morning qualifying, Sedgwick paced among the leaders, placing the No. 18 Porsche in fourth position in the Pro class and fifth overall for race one, posting a lap of 2:03.884 – with the Pro class top four separated by just three-tenths of a second. Heylen then headed out to qualify for race two, doing Sedgwick one better as he placed the car in P3 with a lap at 2:03.579.

At the drop of the green Saturday afternoon, Sedgwick slid to the outside in Turn One to make an impressive move on veteran Bill Auberlen to take third overall/second in class. He took a look at second position, but before he could make a move, a full course caution stalled the action.

The action heated up late in Sedgwick’s stint, with Kenton Koch – who had nipped Sedgwick for the win at Sonoma four weeks ago – filling his mirrors. Sedgwick did a masterful job to keep the Porsche in front before diving into pit lane for four Pirelli tires, fuel, and a change to Heylen at the halfway mark. Heylen battled hard, bringing the Race Brew Porsche home in third position in class and overall.

“We had good pace still but being stuck behind other cars for so long really got the front tires pretty hot, with the aero wash, so I had to settle in early,” said Sedgwick. “We had a good pit stop and Jan did great, but the BMWs are just so much faster in a straight line at the moment. We’re quick, but if you don’t have the straight-line speed, it’s pretty difficult to gain position or to proactively defend. But ultimately, we had the third fastest car and we finished third so I think it’s the best we could have hoped for.”

Heylen took the green in race two on Sunday afternoon in second position in class and seventh overall – and moved up to second in Pro class/sixth overall on the typically chaotic opening lap. Despite contact with another car, Heylen held his position and came into pit lane early to get out of traffic. Stewards assessed the team an avoidable contact penalty for the incident but fortuitously, Sedgwick completed the drive-through before a yellow flag came out that would have put him at the back of the field had he not come in.

As the race wound down, Sedgwick kept close to the class leader but was unable to reel him in. He took the checkered flag second in the Pro class and third overall – continuing to impress in only his fourth race in the series.

“I’m happy with that,” said Sedgwick. “I think for both races we got the maximum possible, with P3 yesterday and P2 today. We had the drive through to deal with but fortunately, the yellow reduced the impact, but it meant that we were behind the Mercedes – and like yesterday with the BMWs, they just have a bit of an edge on this track, with how the BoP (balance of performance) is currently. But we’re quite pleased with two podiums. The team worked hard, we all survived well in the heat, and I’m continuing to learn and adapt to the car. Huge thanks to Race Brew, PT Autosport, Porsche Naples and RS1 for the opportunity to do this – Sebring should suit this car so we’ll look to that.”

Next up for GT World Challenge America will be the doubleheader at Sebring International Raceway, May 16 to 18. The races will be streamed live on YouTube, with an interactive broadcast on Twitch.