Solid results for the Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport team, with Alex Sedgwick scoring a fifth-place finish in race one and Henry Drury leading his teammate home in race two
ALTON, Va. (24 July 2024) – The Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport duo of Henry Drury and Alex Sedgwick scored three top 15 finishes in two Toyota GR Cup races at VIRginia International Raceway last weekend in Sedgwick’s series debut.
Rookie season GR Cup racer Drury was joined on the weekend by regular driver coach Sedgwick, getting a turn behind the wheel of the No. 44 Segra-sponsored Toyota GR86 Cup Car. The pair of 45-minute Toyota GR Cup races, staged as part of the SRO weekend, saw nonstop racing action and for the Precision Racing LA w/PT Autosport team, with a few mechanical gremlins along the way.
In the first practice on Friday, Sedgwick focused on learning the new car, a very different ride than his usual Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car (228 HP vs the Porsche’s 510). Drury, on the other hand, felt comfortable from the start, though climbing a slightly uphill battle as most of his competitors had spent Thursday testing at the 17-turn, 3.270-mile road course located near Danville, Va. Drury, in the No. 88 PT Autosport Toyota GR86 Cup Car, led Sedgwick on the time sheets by an incredible .015 of a second. In the second session, both drivers headed out on sticker Continental tires, and at the checkered flag, Drury had set the 14th quickest time, with Sedgwick in 15th – now only .15 of a second back. The pair finally separated in race one qualifying, with Sedgwick starting race one in 12th and Drury in 16th, just three-tenths back.
Hard rain fell shortly before the start of race, making it the first wet weather race in the GR Cup series’ young history. Much of the 33-car field optimistically fanned out at the green flag, and Sedgwick and Drury both took advantage, with Sedgwick taking 10th and Drury moving up five positions to 11th.
With two competitors vying for position ahead, Drury wisely set up a move, passing both and sliding up to Sedgwick’s rear wing in seventh, with Sedgwick into sixth. With 25 minutes remaining, the pair continued to pace together, as Sedgwick took fifth and Drury sixth. But shortly thereafter, Drury felt his clutch go and pulled into pit lane. Sedgwick continued on, taking the checkered flag in fifth position – with Drury a disappointed 30th.
“That was a fun race,” said Sedgwick. “We are lacking a bit of speed with dry settings, so the wet tires helped to equalize the grid a bit. I feel like it made it a more enjoyable car to race, with less grip available relative to the amount of power. I was able to work my way up to P5 at the end which I’m happy with for my first go.”
“Pretty awesome race until it wasn’t,” said Drury. “Both PRLA cars were strong in the wet – like Alex said, it felt like everything was equalized a bit more compared to the advantage the top few teams have in the dry. I fought my way forwards behind Alex and made some really good progress, made some great moves, had some awesome fights, and was running P6 when the clutch exploded. Pretty happy with the performance, all in all.”
With traffic making qualifying difficult, Drury took the green flag in P13, but with Sedgwick back in P21. Sedgwick began pressing his way forward while also managing a temperature alarm, up to P17 on lap two. Meanwhile, Drury fell back to 14th in the early chaos, but refused to relent, staying on the gas and joining a five-car battle for 12th that lasted for much of the race. He was joined with 23 minutes remaining by Sedgwick, right behind Drury in P15. But before the pair could engage, a significant incident ended the race under caution, with Drury in 13th and Sedgwick in 14th.
“Sunday was some of the most exciting times I’ve ever had in a race car, a really strong day, said Drury. “We didn’t quite have the pace in the dry that some of the top teams have and spent too long fighting too hard for every inch in the midfield, so we really didn’t have time to keep moving forward. But lots of positives to take away, we will do everything we can to come back stronger and find another step forward at the next race.”
“I struggled a bit on Sunday, managing the temperature,” said Sedgwick. “A bit frustrating but I was able to drive up to where Henry was and was in the running. But it was a good weekend, it was fun to race a different kind of car and work to make it go fast. Hopefully the wheels are in motion to continue helping PRLA and Henry move forward through the rest of the season.”
Next up for Precision Racing LA with PT Autosport will be the doubleheader at Road America August 16-18. The pair of 45-minute races will be broadcast live at www.grcup.com.
PT Autosport would like to thank partners STEAM Sports Foundation, Classic Car Club Manhattan and New Jersey Motorsports Park.
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 Toyota GR Cup North America series with Precision Racing LA, and 2023 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Brenna Schubert (USA) in select SPEC-MX5 races for the 2024 season.
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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