The battle for the 2022 Fanatec GT World Challenge America based on AWS unfolds the heat this weekend as the series prepares for the first event at NOLA Motorsports Park. After an unsuccessful start to the season at Sonoma Raceway, the Mercedes AMG DXDT Racing racing team is one of the few teams to have recently passed the tests on the field, keeping up with the competition leading up to a double-header weekend.
A few weeks before the first SRO America event on the new Ozarks International Raceway series was scheduled to take place in the series, the venue for the third and fourth rounds of the championship moved to NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. DXDT Racing management immediately ordered a two-day 2.75-mile test that allowed drivers David Askew, Dirk Mueller, Scott Smithson and Brian Sellers to study the layout and work with team engineers to improve the balance of each Mercedes AMG GT3.
Only the 11-year-old flat but smooth 16-turn permanent track makes NOLA one of two tracks with the minimum heights to which the series goes, the second being the Sebring International Raceway. The fact that the track is new to a large number of competitors, both professional and amateur, actually equalizes the playing field in the third and fourth rounds of the championship, making the test days much more valuable. The days of racing will undoubtedly give an exciting effect at some of the warmest temperatures that have been racing in the field lately.
On Wednesday, the temperature will be 94 degrees with high humidity. On this day, drivers will be able to walk on their own to explore the area and inspect every curb and track surface up close. On Thursday and Friday, participants will take part in testing and official training before qualifying and racing on Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22. The third and fourth rounds of the GT World Challenge America Championship will be broadcast live on YouTube.com / GT world, beginning Saturday, May 21 at 1:15 p.m., and Sunday, May 22 at 1:15 p.m. in the central United States, respectively. For more information, visit www.gt-world-challenge-america.com.
David Askew No63 Mercedes AMG GT3
Guys disappear to get to NOLA. The team and cars were 100% in the last race, but for some reason the riders were unable to move to the podium. We are all very excited to get to New Orleans! Thanks to Erin Gahagan, our super-enabled GM, we were able to take the test at the last minute. None of the drivers had been there before and it was a real revelation, especially the heat and humidity! I think the comfort of the driver and the balance of the car will have a big deal. It’s a short, intense track, and the usual 45-minute duration will be felt for hours.
Dirk Müller No63 Mercedes AMG GT3
After the first good event and a small setback I really look forward to the third and fourth rounds at NOLA. This is a new track for almost everyone, so the opportunity to try there was useful for us. The track is really fast. It’s a very challenging track, but I’m very happy that we can finish the second round next weekend. Our team goal is definitely to bring both cars to the pedestal. I look forward to it. It will be very hot. We want to bring it all together, use what we’ve learned at Sonoma, and move forward to bring it to the limits. I am really happy with all the hard work that everyone puts in. As a team, we can look forward to excellent third and fourth rounds.
Scott Smithson | No08 Mercedes AMG GT3
I look forward to this weekend. Last week we did tests at NOLA and I felt good in the car. We really need to bounce back after Sonoma Raceway. The team worked very hard to have a good car for us, and now it’s time for us and Brian.
Brian Sellers No08 Mercedes AMG GT3
I am really looking forward to the third and fourth rounds. We left Sonoma with results that didn’t show how we could work because the team we motivated to keep things moving in the right direction. New Orleans is a beautiful city with a long history, and the trail reflects that. It’s very unique compared to all the other tracks we’re going on, and will have a slightly different mentality, but I think we’re all looking forward to that.
Source. KBru Communications
https://sportscarracingnews.com/2022/05/18/dxdt-racing-prepared-to-turn-up-the-heat-in-new-orleans/