Top 10 Underscores Strong Pace by Welch, GMG at Detroit

Competing at one of the trickiest circuits on the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge championship schedule, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) David Welch overcame challenging conditions to take an eighth-place finish during this weekend’s Cadillac V Series Detroit Grand Prix, most notably finishing without a scratch on the car. With barriers on either side of the racing surface on the streets of Detroit’s Belle Isle, and with a constant series of on-and-off rain conditions, the No. 21 Numerix Audi R8 LMS ultra proved both patient and consistent. GMG’s James Sofronas was unable to attend due to a foot injury suffered at home.

“Driving at Belle Isle in the wet is incredibly difficult, but when the conditions change from lap to lap it’s even more challenging,” stated GMG team owner James Sofronas. “The fact that David didn’t make a single mistake all weekend is a huge testament to his patience and quick thinking. He showed good pace all throughout practice and Race One, and I think if he’d had the opportunity to race on Sunday he could have moved further up. It’s disappointing we weren’t able to run the second race, but it was an understandable decision by the series, and I’m happy we’re able to head home with a clean car.”

Setting the tenth fastest time in qualifying for Saturday’s Race One, Welch knew that patience would be key at the tricky street circuit. Getting off cleanly through the notoriously chaotic start, David managed the opening laps perfectly to work his way up the field. With his lap times constantly improving, Welch would find himself engaged in a great four-way battle for the top five, holding ground with the group in front of him. Knowing the propensity for incidents, David’s patience was evident as the race unfolded, with a surprisingly incident-free race minimizing attrition, and the Sonoma resident ultimately taking eighth. While a strong lap time would position David for an eighth-place start for Sunday’s Race Two, the fluid Detroit weather would prove too much with series officials opting to cancel Sunday’s race. For Welch, there are still a number of highlights to the weekend. “It’s disappointing we weren’t able to race on Sunday, but I think we still took away a lot from the weekend,” stated the driver. “After Long Beach we learned that running a patient race would be critical, and our hope was to run a good first race and really set ourselves up for Round Two, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Regardless, everyone at GMG did a great job getting the car ready and helping me through the weekend, and hopefully we showed well for everyone at Numerix. I appreciate all of their support, and we look forward to the next opportunity.” With four weeks until the next round, GMG and the Pirelli World Challenge series will take a small break until the upcoming 12th and 13th rounds at the famed Road America circuit. Featuring long straights and several high-speed corners, the race has produced a number of great events in the past. The team will announce their full lineup in the coming weeks.