BRASELTON, Ga. (October 15, 2024) – PT Autosport with JDX Racing scored a pole position and top four finishes in a typically hard-fought pair of Porsche Carrera Cup North America races at Road Atlanta last weekend.
Driver Alex Sedgwick heads to the doubleheader season finale at Circuit of the Americas this weekend holding second position in the point standings but by a slim margin over the exceptionally competitive field.
Sedgwick and the JDX team came into the weekend determined to hold that position in the title chase on Road Atlanta’s challenging 12-turn, 2.540-mile road course located an hour northeast of Atlanta. Job one was setting up the No. 98 PT Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car to handle the high-speed corners and elevation changes through the pair of 40-minute races in varying temperatures and track conditions.
The team worked on the car through two practice sessions on Wednesday – one in cooler morning conditions and the other in the late afternoon, which meant that the day mirrored the conditions the team would experience in each race. Sedgwick handled the track well, overcoming a few issues to post the second quickest time in practice one and the fifth fastest in practice two.
In qualifying Friday morning, Sedgwick fought oversteer early in the session – while still posting the second quickest time. As the team contemplated bringing Sedgwick in for fresh Michelin tires, he posted a lap of 1:20.998 that put him into P1, a time that held through the remainder of the season for his fourth pole of the year.
“We had a few problems to work through yesterday,” said Sedgwick. “Cody (Wollenslegal), my crew chief, worked hard to figure things out but it did mean that we were going into qualifying a bit blind. But it was good – the car just had a bit of a different balance. It was early in the day, which meant the track was fairly cold, so it just took a bit longer than expected to get everything up to where it needed to be. But it all kind of came together and I just managed to get a lap in time before we had the red flag.”
Taking the green flag later Friday afternoon, Sedgwick got a good jump at the start but lost the lead in Turn 2 when the car behind got the draft. He stuck to his bumper and made a move at the top of Turn 11 – but with the leader putting a wheel off and losing momentum, with the top three going three wide coming down the hill. Sedgwick got the worst of the ensuing chaos, heading into Turn 1 in fourth position but ready to pounce, until a full course caution shortly thereafter slowed the action.
With 15 minutes remaining, the race returned to green, but with the top four back on the gas quickly, Sedgwick couldn’t make a move. Battling steering issues, he took the checkered flag in fourth position.
“Bit of a missed opportunity there,” said Sedgwick. “It wasn’t a great first lap, but we were in a position to recover from it. We had the pace to get back to the lead, but I got blocked a few times. That’s how close these cars are, how close everyone is. You don’t get a lot of opportunities to move forward or make a gain.”
Sedgwick started race two in third position and at the drop of the green, the top four – also the top four in the series point standings – began jockeying for prime real estate through the first several corners. When the dust settled, Sedgwick once again lay in fourth, but looking for a different result from the day before.
On lap five, Sedgwick and points leader Loek Hartog commenced a side-by-side, tooth-and-nail battle, with each driver taking the lead clear ahead, but with the other coming back. With the points leader seemingly determined to crash, Sedgwick wisely settled in behind to look for a more reasonable option, but with a substantial amount of tire degradation which left him no choice but to settle for fourth.
“I got a good start, a really good launch, to the point where I was thinking I was going to get into second by the first corner,” said Sedgwick. “But the outside lane got a good push and I found myself significantly further back. I raced my teammate through three corners but then had to fall into line in fourth. But there wasn’t a lot of racing room to be had out there and late in the race I’d used up my tires, so fourth was all I had. Disappointing, but we’ll come out swinging at COTA.”
PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers appreciated the chance to race at historic Road Atlanta and despite the difficulties in each race, came away with plenty of positives from the weekend – and hopefully plans for Sedgwick’s future.
“Every time I come to this track feels like the first time,” said Myers. “I forget just how magical this place is. The rolling hills, the elevation, the fans. Alex’s weekend started out great with him taking pole by a decent margin. After that it was a bit unfortunate, with Alex securing two fourth place finishes after being met with some tough racing out there. Thankfully, the weekend’s low points were polarized by a series of meetings from interested parties in regards to Alex’s 2025 and beyond plans. While the race this coming week at COTA is our immediate priority, our sights are now focused firmly on the future – and where to take our young superstar in the obviously upward trajectory of his career.”
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.
PT Autosport and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America head straight to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas next week for the season finale doubleheader in support of the Formula One United States Grand Prix. The races will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.
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.
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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