Continuing a faultless 2016 Pirelli World Challenge season in which he’s scored a podium in every race, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) Alec Udell took his third consecutive victory during this weekend’s seventh round at the scenic Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario, Canada. Following his performance up with yet another podium the next day, Udell has now assumed the GT-Cup championship lead in a hotly contested title fight. Additionally, drivers Brent Holden and Colin Braun would also represent the team in the inaugural SprintX event, taking podium finishes in both races.

“What an incredible weekend,” stated GMG team owner James Sofronas. “To walk away with a win and four podiums in one weekend is such an amazing testament to our drivers and crew, I couldn’t be happier. I unfortunately had a schedule conflict that kept me out of being there, but the fact that this team was able to take the reigns and perform on all levels is a testament to the quality and independence of every member of this team. Alec, as always, was remarkable. This particular track is always treacherous, and he didn’t put a foot wrong. Competing against a track ‘regular’ is particularly tough out there, and he drove with incredible patience all weekend. It’s going to be a great fight for the championship and it’s great to see him at the top of his game. The debut for the SprintX series was as smooth as we could have asked for, and I think we can all feel satisfied with our podiums. Brent and Colin knew that patience was the key, and they delivered just that. It’s a busy week as we get ready for Lime Rock, but I couldn’t be more fortunate to have such a great group of guys making this whole effort happen.”





Driving the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsport / Amsource Capital / Panther Pipeline Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Alec Udell came in to the weekend as part of a hotly contested GT-Cup championship with title-rival Sloan Urry. With the Pirelli World Challenge points system putting a premium on pole positions and wins, the 20-year old came in to the weekend with a single focus on winning.

Adding to the mix would be local driver Chris Green, who is a regular competitor in the Canadian Porsche GT3 Cup ranks. A driver with countless miles at the Canadian circuit, Green was an instant threat to the series-regulars, with Alec the only driver who was able to consistently challenge him despite limited experience at the track.

During Saturday’s Race One, Udell and Green would be engaged in an incredible fight thoughout the event, with Alec giving constant charge to keep the pressure on Green. Understanding the championship implications of clashing with a driver who isn’t full-time in the series, Alec had to balance his aggression with avoiding unnecessary risk, which played out perfectly at the halfway point when Green would encounter trouble. With Green pulling off the road due to a mechanical mishap, Alec would inherit the lead for the second half of the race, never looking back en route to his third victory in succession, re-gaining the point lead in the process.




Heading in to Saturday’s Race Two, Udell and Green were actually tied in their quest for setting the pole position, however Green would start first on a tie-breaker. Continuing the theme from Race One, Alec stayed glued to the back of his challenger throughout the first half of the race, trying to keep pressure mounted while avoiding anything that could compromise his championship. Unfortunately Green managed to keep him at bay, and with bigger-picture thinking in mind, Alec slowly resigned himself to second to maintain his championship lead, where he would finish. It would continue a podium streak that has dated back to Road America in June of 2015.

“Overall I’m pretty happy with the weekend,” stated the Clemson University Engineering student. “100% of our focus is on this championship, and this was exactly the kind of weekend we needed. Chris was a really tough competitor, and I didn’t want to do anything that could jeopardize what we were working toward, but it was a great fight regardless. A win and a second-place is all we could have asked for, and we’re already turning our attention to Lime Rock since it’s only days away. Thanks to everyone at GMG for the continued support, they really made this happen, and of course all of our partners at Euroworld Motorsports, Amsource, and Panther Pipeline.”

Taking part in the first-ever Pirelli World Challenge SprintX event, drivers Brent Holden and Colin Braun made a strong debut for the team, taking successive second-place finishes. Designed as a multi-driver event, the first in series history, the focus of this one-hour race was on all-around teamwork. With both drivers sharing the car for a combined set of minimum and maximum times, with pit stops in between for driver changes, the team’s depth and experience at endurance racing would come in to play as the event began.



Starting Saturday’s Race One in third, Brent Holden would take the reigns in the No. 14 Spyder / Mobil 1 / The Thermal Club Porsche 911 GT3 R for the opening stint of the race. Focusing on hitting his minimum drive-time of 25 minutes, the Southern California native simply put his emphasis on maintaining contact with the lead pack, keeping the gap at a minimum while setting the car up to be handed over cleanly to teammate Colin Braun. Running in third through the majority of his stint, Holden was actually awarded the Motortrendondemand.com Clean Pass of the Race after falling back and then re-gaining his spot. With a trouble-free stint complete, the team would call him in for the team’s one and only pit stop, handing the car over to his teammate and coach for the finish.

With Braun, a multi-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship title winner in the car, all focus turned to gaining ground on the lead pack in front of him. Solidly in podium contention the Texas native pushed hard to catch the second-place Audi of Dion von Moltke, shrinking the gap by several seconds over the final 20 minutes, however the gap simply proved insurmountable as the team would settle for third. Braun would, however, set the fastest lap of the race to grid him on pole position for Sunday’s Race Two.



Heading in to Sunday, series rules would require an inversion of the driver order, with Colin Braun taking starting duties for the No. 14. Immediate making use of his pole position, Colin was off to an incredible start, building a strong gap over the field as the laps unfolded, focusing on building a lead for the second half of the race.

Nearing the end of his pit window, the team would elect to bring Colin in to hand over to teammate Brent Holden, who took to the final half of the race with a tough task ahead of him. Knowing he would have to manage his tires to the end, a hard charging BMW of Michael Mills would start closing in on Holden lap-after-lap, with the GMG driver doing his best to hold him back while still looking after his machine. Unfortunately, as the laps continued, the pace of the BMW was simply insurmountable, with Holden eventually resigning himself to second where he would remain to the end.



Happy to see successive podiums, Holden’s overall satisfaction with the weekend was evident.

“The SprintX format is definitely unique, and it was great to be a part of the first one,” stated Holden. “We knew that tire management would be a key factor to this weekend, and we did the best we could. I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate with Colin, and I think the potential that we showed is a testament to the team. The car is definitely fast, we repeatedly saw that with some of the times we showed, and we definitely look forward to the next one. Thanks to everyone at GMG for making this happen.”

For Colin Braun, a similar sentiment is shared.

“I think we showed a great amount of potential this weekend,” stated Braun. “I led the entirety of Sunday’s stint and I think that showed just how strong this GMG machine is, and with a little more time I think we could prove a really strong combination. It was great to be back in Pirelli World Challenge competition, and I thank Brent and everyone on the team for having me, it was great to show our potential.”

With only a few days between races, all attention now turns to next weekend’s ninth and 10th rounds of the GT-Cup series at Lime Rock Park, where Alec Udell will look to grow his championship lead. Official practice begins Friday, May 27, with Race One taking place that same day at 4:55PM ET. Race Two will take place 24 hours later at 4PM ET, with all races streamed live at world-challenge.com/streamvideo.