Following a dramatic Sebring weekend shaped by mechanical trouble and post-race penalties, the fourth round of the 2026 GT World Challenge America (GTWC) powered by AWS season delivered another unpredictable three-hour contest at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
AF Corse USA established itself as an early contender by leading Practice 1 before securing its first overall pole position of the campaign. However, heavy pre-race rain created difficult tyre decisions and allowed several teams to challenge at the front as the circuit dried.
Ultimately, Pro-Am competitors Jason Daskalos and Philip Ellis charged through to claim the overall victory for JMF Motorsports. Meanwhile, Matias Perez Companc and Frederik Schandorff secured AF Corse USA’s first Pro class win of the year, while Jay Schreibman and Benny Simonsen continued their commanding Am campaign.
2026 GTWC America: Road Atlanta: AF Corse USA, GMG Racing and TR3 Racing lead Practice
The GTWC America field began its Road Atlanta weekend with three Practice sessions as teams adapted to the fast, narrow and undulating Georgia circuit.
AF Corse USA immediately set the benchmark in Practice 1. Perez Companc and Schandorff took the No. 12 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO to the top of the overall order with a 1:20.037.
Behind them, Archangel Motorsports led the Pro-Am field and finished second overall with the No. 69 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO of Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz. Kellymoss followed in third with Todd Parriott and Riley Dickinson, while TR3 Racing’s Brayton Williams and Daniel Morad took fourth.
John Gilliland and Loek Hartog completed the top five in another Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3-R. Consequently, four Pro-Am entries followed the Pro-class Ferrari at the front of the opening classification.
The field returned on Saturday morning for a disrupted Practice 2. Two red flags interrupted the running, but Tom Sargent still produced the fastest lap of the weekend’s Practice sessions.
Sargent recorded a 1:19.493 in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche, placing the Pro-Am championship-leading entry 0.101 seconds ahead of JMF Motorsports’ No. 27 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
AF Corse USA also impressed in the Am class. Schreibman and Simonsen placed third overall in the No. 163 Ferrari with a 1:19.953, ahead of the Random Vandals Racing BMW and the Pro-class Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3.
Practice 3 then brought another brief red flag during the shortest session of the weekend. Nevertheless, TR3 Racing rose to the top as Morad and Williams set a 1:20.375.
AF Corse USA remained close in second, while Therese Lahlouh and Thomas Merrill placed third for Wright Motorsports. JMF Motorsports and GMG Racing completed the top five, maintaining their presence near the front ahead of Qualifying.
Results: Practice 1, Practice 2 and Practice 3.
2026 GTWC America: Road Atlanta: AF Corse USA ends JMF’s pole streak
Road Atlanta Qualifying featured two 15-minute sessions, with each driver contributing one lap to the combined classification. JMF Motorsports had secured overall pole at the opening three events of the season. However, AF Corse USA ended that run by combining two competitive laps to take its first ROWE Pole Award of 2026.
Perez Companc and Schandorff recorded an average time of 1:20.057, beating Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier by just 0.091 seconds. Turner Motorsport followed in third, while Archangel Motorsports led Pro-Am from fourth overall.
Results: Qualifying 1, Qualifying 2, Combined Qualifying
Pro Class Qualifying
Qualifying 1: Stephens edges Perez Companc
Perez Companc held the provisional advantage for much of Qualifying 1 in the No. 12 Ferrari. However, Stephens delivered a late improvement in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG.
Stephens posted a 1:20.501 to beat Perez Companc by only 0.012 seconds. Cameron Lawrence followed in third for Dollahite Racing, while Michael McCann Jr. and Justin Rothberg completed the top five in Pro.
Qualifying 2: Foley sets the outright benchmark
Turner Motorsport responded in the second session as Robby Foley set the fastest lap of Qualifying. Foley produced a 1:19.347 in the No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Schandorff placed second in Pro and fourth overall with a 1:19.602, while Grenier took third in class with a 1:19.795.
Combined result: AF Corse USA claims first pole
Although neither AF Corse driver topped their respective segment, their combined consistency secured the overall advantage.
The No. 12 Ferrari qualified first with a 1:20.057 average. JMF Motorsports joined it on the front row, while Sebring winners Rothberg and Foley lined up third in the Turner Motorsport BMW.
Pro-Am Class Qualifying
Qualifying 1: Coleman leads Archangel’s charge
Coleman delivered the fastest Pro-Am lap in Qualifying 1 and placed sixth overall. His 1:21.295 put Archangel Motorsports ahead of Williams in the No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes and Dave Musial Jr. in the No. 31 Wright Motorsports Porsche.
Daskalos followed fourth in class for JMF Motorsports, while Slade Stewart completed the Pro-Am top five for Riley Technologies.
Qualifying 2: Ellis places second overall
Ellis made an immediate impact during his one-off regular-season appearance with JMF Motorsports. The Mercedes-AMG driver recorded a 1:19.522 to place second overall and first in Pro-Am. Telitz followed only 0.033 seconds behind in the Archangel McLaren, while Sargent secured third in class for GMG Racing.
Combined result: Archangel Motorsports takes class pole
Coleman and Telitz’s two strong performances gave Archangel Motorsports the combined Pro-Am pole and fourth place overall.
TR3 Racing qualified second in class and sixth overall, while Daskalos and Ellis took third in Pro-Am from eighth on the full grid.
Wright Motorsports followed with Musial and Ryan Yardley, while RS1 completed the class top five with JP Martinez and Jan Heylen.
Am Class Qualifying
Schreibman and Simonsen continued AF Corse USA’s strong Am form in the No. 163 Ferrari.
The pair combined for a 1:22.850 average and qualified 19th overall. Although they started at the rear of the GTWC America field, they remained the sole Am entry and focused on maintaining the consistency that had shaped their championship campaign.
2026 GTWC America: Road Atlanta: Mixed conditions transform the three-hour race
Heavy rain before Sunday’s race left the circuit damp and covered several sections with standing water. As a result, teams faced an immediate strategic decision between wet-weather tyres and slicks. The track then dried rapidly as temperatures increased, which forced early stops and repeatedly changed the leading order.
Although AF Corse USA started from pole, Stephens moved the JMF Mercedes into the overall lead by the end of the opening lap. Lawrence also made an aggressive start and passed Perez Companc to take second in the Dollahite Racing Mustang.
However, the race soon shifted from an opening-lap fight into a tyre strategy contest. Dollahite Racing made one of the earliest moves to slick tyres before AF Corse USA and JMF Motorsports followed.
Pro Class: AF Corse USA wins after Dollahite and Turner retire
Lawrence quickly emerged as the leading Pro contender once the field settled onto slick tyres. Twenty-six minutes into the race, he completed a move on Stephens and took the overall lead in the No. 6 Ford Mustang. Perez Companc remained close behind, while changing grip levels kept the three leading cars within striking distance.
Around the 50-minute mark, Stephens hit a bump and ran slightly off line. Perez Companc capitalised immediately and reclaimed second place.
Dollahite Racing retained the advantage through the first driver-change sequence. Lawrence stopped before Stephens, handing the Mustang to Alex Sedgwick. Grenier then took over the JMF Mercedes one lap later.
However, Sedgwick’s challenge ended almost immediately. The Mustang lost power shortly after returning to the circuit and went behind the wall while leading the race.
Turner Motorsport then suffered its own mechanical setback with one hour and 11 minutes remaining. Foley stopped the No. 29 BMW at the side of the circuit, triggering a Full Course Yellow and ending the Sebring-winning team’s race after 81 laps.
When pit lane opened under caution, the majority of the field stopped for service. JMF Motorsports emerged ahead of its Pro rivals and regained control of the class.
Nevertheless, the No. 34 Mercedes faced two post-race penalties. Officials added 1.27 seconds for a short pit stop and another five seconds for improper pit procedures.
Schandorff did not rely on those sanctions. Instead, he closed on Grenier and completed the pass on track to secure the Pro lead outright.
AF Corse USA crossed the line second overall and first in Pro, only 2.525 seconds behind the Pro-Am-winning JMF entry. The victory marked Perez Companc and Schandorff’s first Pro triumph of the season.
Grenier and Stephens finished second in class and sixth overall after the penalties, while McCann Racing claimed its first podium of the campaign with Michael McCann Jr. and Zachary Vanier.
The Turner Motorsport BMW finished fourth in Pro despite its retirement, while Dollahite Racing completed only 52 laps and took fifth in class.
Pro-Am Class: Daskalos and Ellis charge to the overall victory
Coleman started from Pro-Am pole, but the Archangel McLaren slipped backwards during the opening phase.
That allowed Daskalos to move the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes into the class lead while running third overall. His pace kept the Pro-Am entry within reach of the leading Pro cars as the surface continued to dry.
Meanwhile, GMG Racing encountered a setback when officials handed the No. 32 Porsche a 5.34-second penalty for a short pit stop. The team had to serve the sanction at its next eligible stop, dropping Kyle Washington and Sargent deeper into the order.
The first Full Course Yellow arrived 55 minutes into the race after contact between the No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW and the No. 28 RS1 Porsche sent both cars into the runoff area.
After the driver changes, Ellis took over from Daskalos and quickly began increasing the No. 27 Mercedes’ advantage.
Behind him, Telitz returned Archangel Motorsports to podium contention by moving into second. Andy Lee then ran wide in the No. 14 Riley Technologies BMW, allowing Sargent to take third.
Telitz and Sargent continued to fight through the final hour. However, Ellis gradually moved beyond their reach as he managed the Mercedes’ tyres more effectively over the last stint.
With fewer than 15 minutes remaining, Ellis caught and passed the Pro-class AF Corse Ferrari. He then overtook the sister No. 34 JMF Mercedes to take the overall lead.
From there, Ellis pulled clear and secured a remarkable overall and Pro-Am victory alongside Daskalos. The No. 27 Mercedes completed 122 laps in 3:00:59.873 and won by 2.525 seconds.
Archangel Motorsports finished second in Pro-Am and third overall, just 3.753 seconds behind the winner. The result gave Coleman and Telitz their first podium of the season.
Washington and Sargent followed in third in class and fourth overall, only 0.205 seconds behind the McLaren. Tom Sargent also recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1:20.277.
Kellymoss placed fourth in Pro-Am with Michael Clark and Colin Braun, while Wright Motorsports completed the class top five through Musial and Yardley.
Riley Technologies finished sixth in class, ahead of TR3 Racing, Kellymoss’s No. 13 and No. 88 entries, and Rebel Rock Racing.
Am Class: AF Corse USA continues unbeaten campaign
Schreibman and Simonsen delivered another composed performance in the Am class.
Schreibman handled the changing conditions during the opening stint and maintained competitive pace as the circuit transitioned from wet to dry. He then handed the No. 163 Ferrari to Simonsen, who completed the remaining laps without major trouble.
The AF Corse USA pair finished 14th overall and completed 120 laps, two fewer than the overall winners.
Simonsen also set the fastest Am lap with a 1:22.757 on lap 79. Consequently, the pairing added another class victory to its strong opening half of the season.
Results: Race
JMF and AF Corse USA leave Road Atlanta with major momentum
Ultimately, Road Atlanta rewarded adaptability as much as outright speed. AF Corse USA converted its first overall pole of the season into a breakthrough Pro victory. Perez Companc and Schandorff survived the changing conditions, responded to the early attacks and then regained the class lead during the final stint.
However, JMF Motorsports claimed the biggest result of the weekend. Daskalos and Ellis combined strong opening pace, effective tyre management and a decisive late charge to become the first Pro-Am pairing to win overall at Road Atlanta in 2026.
Stephens and Grenier still added valuable Pro points despite their penalties, while Archangel Motorsports finally converted its pace into a podium. GMG Racing also recovered from its pit-stop penalty to maintain its strong Pro-Am campaign.
Meanwhile, Schreibman and Simonsen continued to control the Am class with another measured victory for AF Corse USA.
The GT World Challenge (GTWC) America field will now enter its summer break before returning for Round 5 at Road America from 28–30 August 2026.
