GMG Completes Incredible Weekend with Podium Sweep Across Three Time Zones
Following Saturday’s banner day in which Global Motorsports Group (GMG) took a victory and podium positions in both the Pirelli World Challenge and Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America, the team once again demonstrated their depth of resources with a near-repeat effort on Sunday.
Representing the team in the Pirelli World Challenge, 19-year-old Alec Udell would take second place in the GT-Cup ranks during Sunday’s round while drivers Jeffrey Cheng and Matt Halliday would earn a third in the Pro-Am category of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. With one event taking place in Utah and the other in Virginia, the team once again demonstrated their wide availability of staff and resources.
“What an incredible weekend for this entire team,” stated GMG team owner James Sofronas. “As I said after Saturday’s race, we can only cover this much territory by having some of the best guys in the business, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have that. Every person on this team takes a lot of ownership and passion in what they do, and on a weekend where we’re so spread out, the only way to maintain this level of performance is to have this type of group around you. Alec and the entire Udell family have once again proven their might, I’m in awe of his podium streak this year, he’s a true talent and he repeatedly shows it. Out in Virginia, Jeffrey Cheng blew us all away with his performance on Sunday. He made pass after pass, made huge improvements on his personal best times, and with a teammate like Matt Halliday they took another well-earned podium. It’s crazy to think we were on the podium during every race we competed in this weekend, but again that’s just such a testament to this crew.”
Driving the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 991, Texas native Alec Udell came into Sunday’s Pirelli World Challenge race at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah with a goal of repeating Saturday’s performance. Less than 24 hours earlier, Alec proved his considerable talent once again, earning his second victory of the year and continuing an incredible podium streak viagra 100mg 12 st.
Making a strong start during Sunday’s Race Two, Alec once again did a great job during the series’ signature standing start, taking the lead during the opening laps. With championship leader Colin Thompson in hot pursuit, the two broke away from the field, engaged in their own battle until Thompson was able to find a way around several laps later. Refusing to give up, Alec would give chase for the remainder of the event, however, he would simply run out of time to retake the lead by time the checkered flag fell.
With his second place finish, Udell took his tenth podium finish of the year, which means he’s taken a podium in every race he’s finished.
“It was a good way to end the weekend for sure,” stated Udell. “We’re always, of course, hoping for a win, but Colin had a great pace and we certainly should take some satisfaction in how far we are from the rest of the field. GMG did a great job with our Porsche once again, and between the speed and reliability we have one of the best packages out there. Thanks to everyone at Panther Pipeline as well for being a part of this, we look forward to Sonoma!”
Meanwhile, at the scenic VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, GMG’s return to the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo North America proved a great success with the team taking three podiums in three races.
Driving the No. 88 Lamorghini Huracán LP 620-2, Jeffrey Cheng, taking part in his first-ever professional race weekend, stunned the team with an incredible Sunday performance. Showing improvement after improvement throughout the weekend’s practices and first two races, the Californian set a string of lap times on Sunday that were within grasp of the race leaders, including an incredible series of passes before handing the car over to teammate Matt Halliday. Hailing from New Zealand, the veteran Halliday made immediate work of the field in front of him, eventually moving the machine up to third before a late-race caution would halt his efforts.
It would mean three podiums in all three races during the Virginia weekend, an incredible accomplishment for the duo and a testament to the entire GMG driver development program.
“I had no idea what to expect, but this exceeded anything I could have asked for,” stated Cheng. “Ever since meeting James and the entire GMG crew, I have been blown away with the level of immersion and education they’ve given me. For someone with limited racing experience, I couldn’t have asked for a better service and experience, and to have three trophies to show for it is pretty good proof! Matt was an excellent teammate, and he also provided a level of insight that was incredibly helpful as we came along, I’m looking forward to the next one.”
While this would prove the last of the “dual event” weekends for the team in 2015, everyone is back at work in preparation for a series of upcoming events. Alec Udell and the team’s Pirelli World Challenge effort will continue in less than one week at the famed Sonoma Raceway, while the Lamborghini Super Trofeo efforts will continue in less than one month at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Additional announcements on both efforts will be released in the coming days.