The PT Autosport driver powers from sixth to second at the finish in a “hard, clean, smart” Porsche Carrera Cup North America finale
AUSTIN, Texas (October 23, 2024) – PT Autosport with JDX Racing’s Alex Sedgwick posted one of the most impressive drives of his young career last weekend, driving from sixth to second in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season finale at Circuit of the Americas.
Unfortunately for Sedgwick and the team, several mechanical gremlins – and a technical inspection penalty that sent him from second to the back of the field – meant that the 25-year-old Warwickshire, UK native went from second to fourth in the final championship standings. But as one observer put it, Sedgwick drove a “hard, clean, smart” race behind the wheel of the No. 98 PT Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car, one that he hopes earns him the notice of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams after delivering impressive results in his two-year stint in the highly competitive global Porsche championship.
Sedgwick took the green flag for the lone practice session on Friday afternoon and immediately found his rhythm, posting the second-quickest opening timed lap. Determined to do one better, Sedgwick’s second timed lap hoisted him to the top of the speed charts by half a second. But a mechanical issue midway through the session slowed Sedgwick, who was grateful to hold the fourth-quickest time at the checkered flag despite the loss of critical track time.
Unfortunately, mechanical concerns surfaced once again at the worst possible moment–in Saturday morning qualifying. Shortly after heading to the top of the speed charts, Sedgwick began experiencing radiator issues that sent him to pit lane – after only three laps. Forced to sit on pit lane for the remainder of the session, Sedgwick’s time was still good enough for sixth on the starting grid, though with third and fourth in the points chase ahead of him.
On the outside of row three, Sedgwick placed himself perfectly in the opening corners of race one, ready to make a move – until contact with a competitor put Sedgwick off track in Turn 9, returning back in 11th position. Before he could recommence the fight, an incident further back sent a car into the barriers and brought out a yellow flag, followed almost immediately by a second yellow.
Returning to green with 10 minutes remaining, Sedgwick was a man on a mission. Amidst plenty of wheel-to-wheel action, Sedgwick managed to capture fifth position, just as two back markers collided and stopped on track, meaning the race ended under caution.
Going into the season finale tied for second, Sedgwick was determined to move forward from his sixth place starting position. In the Turn 1 scrum, Sedgwick slid to the middle of the track and grabbed fifth, then focused on the car ahead, the championship leader. It took much of the race – to the 17-minute mark – but Sedgwick made the inside pass in Turn 11 to take fourth.
With 11 minutes remaining, Sedgwick slid into third position and aimed for the two leaders, knowing that time was rapidly running out. After making up an over two second deficit, Alex was engaged in a side by side, tooth and nail battle for two laps, Sedgwick made a bold move in Turn 18 and captured second position. But the battle meant that Sedgwick was now more than three seconds behind the leader, and as the checkered flag fell, he felt as though he had earned one of the most impressive podium finishes of his young career.
The champagne had hardly dried before Sedgwick learned that the car was out of specification after a suspension part suffered damage, negating his significant effort as the post-race results saw him come home fourth in the overall championship.
This, after having given up his dream of racing professionally until a chance meeting that saw his never give up attitude meet with the opportunity that PT Autosport aspires to deliver, as the young Englishman entered an extremely competitive championship, proved himself a winner, and will now look forward to what comes next.
Sedgwick was understandably disappointed with the outcome but in the end, he knows that the last two years of impressive drives in Carrera Cup have given his racing career new life, as he makes plans for 2025 and beyond.
“Things haven’t always gone to plan this season, with the racing gods throwing out a few weekends of bad luck along the way, and this past weekend might have been the most difficult to date,” said Sedgwick. “I put in the two races of my life to try and recover from our issues in qualifying, making it back to the podium in race two, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.
“We don’t have the results on paper to show just how competitive the No. 98 PT Autosport with JDX Racing car was all year long, but to start 2023 at the back end of the top ten, to consistently fighting for poles and wins in the most competitive single-make series in North America is not bad going. I can’t thank Jeremy (Dale), Harrison (Brix), Ryan (Neff), Cody (Wollenslegel) and everyone else in the team enough. Every single one of them has contributed to my development over the past two years. And I would never have been here without PT Autosport. Their support and their decision to partner with JDX have made this all possible, I will never be able to repay Jeph and Jason for their belief in me and the opportunity to now, be looking at making the next jump in my career as a result of the last two years of hard work. 2024 has been hard, but it’s been an awesome year.”
As focus turns to 2025, PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers knows that the phone will be ringing this week, as teams review the drives Sedgwick laid down in difficult circumstances.
“What a weekend of ups and downs at COTA,” said Myers. “While the outcome for the season-long championship wasn’t what we had hoped for, the drives that Alex put down both Saturday and Sunday were nothing short of epic. We know there are a number of teams watching his performances and while the champion gets his name on a trophy, the real reward is where you go as a driver – yes, it’s about your driving skills, but it’s also about your networking and relationship-building, your tenacity and persistence, that really pay off in the end. Can’t give any details yet, but the possibilities in the pipeline are impressive. Stay tuned!”
PT Autosport would like to thank partners STEAM Sports Foundation, Classic Car Club Manhattan and New Jersey Motorsports Park, as well as JDX Racing partners Byers/Porsche Columbus, and Renier Construction.
About PT Autosport — Discover Unique Talent. Develop Champions.
PT Autosport, based at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ, campaigns rising star Alex Sedgwick (UK) in the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup North America series with JDX Racing, 2022 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Henry Drury (UK) in the 2024 Toyota GR Cup North America series with Precision Racing LA.
PT Autosport is dedicated to providing merit-based motorsport industry opportunities for diverse individuals with high integrity, grit, and coach-ability, achieved through a development program for young aspiring drivers, engineers, mechanics, and other professionals. The first step of this process is applying for the annual Aspiring Driver Shootout, in which aspiring drivers aged 18-23 can compete for a team racing partnership with the team.
A rigorous evaluation process of applicants determines the final competitors for the driver shootout. The winner earns financial support of up to $250,000 ($50,000 guaranteed) to pursue their racing career. The review process also provides the team the chance to identify unique talent for other roles in motorsport, including race engineers, mechanics, and professionals.
PT Autosport is building a community that fosters the development of young talent to find a place where they can make an impact in the motorsport community as a career.
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