Controversial call leaves Sedgwick left to contemplate what might have been
MIAMI (7 May 2024) – PT Autosport with JDX Racing and driver Alex Sedgwick captured a podium finish in race two of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America doubleheader at the Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix. But the team was left to ponder what might have been, after a disputed penalty cost the team its first series victory.
Sedgwick and the No. 98 PT Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car dominated the weekend, taking pole position for both races and leading wire-to-wire in Saturday’s race one – only to have officials deem that he had moved lanes on the start, despite in-car video that the team believed showed otherwise. Sedgwick came back on Sunday and finished a strong second in race two.
“While it’s frustrating, the way everything happened, I’m happy with our overall performance,” said Sedgwick. “Two poles and a podium, and we know the pace is there.”
Fast straight out of the box in Friday’s first practice, Sedgwick set the quickest time by .317 over JDX Racing teammate Zachary Vanier. Sedgwick slotted in at P5 in the second practice, late in the day – with the top nine separated by less than a second.
Sedgwick came out flying in race one qualifying Saturday morning, setting the fastest lap of the weekend (a 1:57.164) on his first timed lap. As he continued to work on race setup, the rest of the 17-car Pro class field took their best shots, with no one able to best Sedgwick’s time, as the 25-year-old Warwickshire, UK native captured his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America pole position – and the first pole for PT Autosport.
As the last activity on track Saturday evening, the 35-car field prepared to take the green flag – but with the second and third place drivers tangling just before the line, making it look as though Sedgwick had changed lanes. Officials, without the chance to see Sedgwick’s in-car camera, which revealed he had not adjusted his racing line, gave him a 10-second penalty which was assessed post-race. Sedgwick drove as hard as he could through the race to stretch the lead to finish as high as possible, but an incident with 15 minutes to go meant the race finished under yellow. The resulting bunching up of the field meant that Sedgwick finished P15 – but on pole again for Sunday’s race.
“I truly felt as though I got a good start,” said Sedgwick. “I don’t know how I could have done anything differently.”
Sedgwick hugged the inside line at the green flag on Sunday but found himself in much grippier conditions into turn 1 as he got stuck on the inside, with several cars sliding to the outside and taking advantage. Sedgwick momentarily dropped back to fourth but put his head and his foot down, making solid passes up to second behind Vanier. But an incident involving multiple cars back in the field brought out a lengthy full course caution to clean the debris field. An incident on the restart brought out yet another yellow, with the race finally going green with only three minutes remaining.
Sedgwick stapled himself to Vanier, looking to make a move, and saw his opportunity at the exit of turn 11, taking the curbs to slide into the lead. But knowing all four of his wheels had been over the line, Sedgwick let Vanier back by to avoid another penalty and put the No. 98 Porsche back in Vanier’s rearview mirror – but unable to get by before the checkered flag, in a race that had only nine minutes of green flag running.
“I was given a lot tighter criteria of how and where I had to drive the car to the line,” said Sedgwick. “I broke at the same point I did yesterday and there was just a ton more grip, which caught me a bit off guard a bit, and that’s how Zach got by, I should have done better there. We had the pace and should have been able to get by, but we never had the time. I had the one opportunity and I had to take it – after I gave the position back, he knew what I was going to do, so the opportunity never came back.”
PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers was understandably frustrated by the weekend’s outcome but impressed with Sedgwick’s resilience.
“Obviously this weekend was less than optimal, but not from Alex’s performance – he was outstanding,” said Myers. “Fastest in FP1, double pole, led every single lap of the first race and then a solid P2 in race 2. JDX gave him an amazing car, and we were very happy to be showcasing our new partners STEAM Sports Foundation, Classic Car Club Manhattan, and New Jersey Motorsports Park.”
Next up for PT Autosport and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will be another Formula 1 weekend on June 7-9, joining the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The races will be broadcast live in the U.S., on IMSA.tv, the NBC Peacock streaming app and PorscheCarreraCup.us.
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 Toyota GR Cup North America series with Precision Racing LA, and 2023 Aspiring Driver Shootout winner Brenna Schubert (USA) in a soon-to-be-announced series 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.
PT Autosport social media
Instagram: @pt_autosport
TikTok: @ptautosport
Twitter: @PtAutosport
Facebook: PT Autosport
