Alec Udell Shows Speed At VIR in PWC SprintX Season Debut

May 1, 2017 | Alton, Virginia | As a student at Clemson University, Alec Udell is accustomed to learning: the challenge just raising the competitive spirit within him. After this weekend’s twin Pirelli World Challenge SprintX races at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), the resident of The Woodlands, Texas, has added considerably to his knowledge base. Sharing the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 R with Preston Calvert (Potomac, Maryland), the duo debuted in the Rounds 1 and 2 on the series with speed but not the results they had hoped for. The 21 year-old left the Alton, Virginia-area track with a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s race and a severely damaged racecar in Sunday’s 60-minute feature.

The weekend marked the first two rounds of the 2017 SprintX season for Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) and with a three events, two wins and “pro” status in the Sprint Championship, Udell looked strong when teamed with two-time 2016 SprintX “Am” driver Calvert. The pairing proved that to be the case from the start. Learning the particulars of a different Porsche than the Euroworld Motorsports machine he pilots solo in the Sprint races, Udell used the Thursday test sessions and Friday practices to learn the rear-engined car and the track.

PWC SprintX has a unique arrangement in that the “AM”, or amateur driver designated as someone who does not make his/her fulltime living as a racecar driver, qualifies the car in the Friday session and then must start Race 1. Calvert did just that placing the car 25th on the grid and starting the race. Approximately 25-minutes into the Round 1, Udell took the wheel during the mandated pit stop of 60-seconds. Once in the black and yellow machine, Udell went on a charge turning times at the pace of stable mate and Porsche factory driver Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) in the closing stages of the 60-minute race. He and Calvert earned a Top-Five finish of fourth-place. Based on lap times, Udell would start Race 2 on the outside of Row 8. Calvert scheduled to run the final stint per the rules outlined for the class.

At the drop of the green flag on Sunday, Udell was making his way through the field on when he was struck from behind by a fellow Pro-Am class car. The No. 77 spun into the grass and into the wall resulting in heavy damage to the rear of the Porsche. The car will travel to Calvert Dymanics’ preparation facility, Phoenix Performance, where it will undergo repairs. The car is expected to be race-ready in time for Rounds 3 and 4 of the SprintX Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, May 19-21.

Alec Udell |
about the weekend| “I think we ran really well on Saturday and definitely showed a lot of pace, with a couple more caution periods at the right time I think we could have been a real podium threat. It was a difficult way to end the weekend. I had moved up six positions to tenth and then the No. 44 Audi took an overly optimistic move into Turn 16 resulting in contact with my rear wheel. Once the contact happened, I was along for the ride. I'm frustrated to say our day ended there. I can’t express my appreciation enough to Preston, everyone at Calvert Dynamics as well as GMG for the opportunity. I’m sure we’ll be stronger in Canada.”

about Alec Udell |
Alec Udell is a junior studying engineering at Clemson University. The 21 year-old from The Woodlands, Texas began his racing career in karting at age five. He went on to win the Rotax National Points Championship in 2008 and represented his country as part of Team USA in Egypt in the World Championships in 2009. By 2011, he made history by becoming, at the time, the Pirelli World Challenge’s youngest ever competitor at age 15. He has 15 career Pirelli World Challenge GT Cup class wins entering the season and is the 2016 PWC GT Cup Champion.

about Euroworld Motorsports |
2017 is the third season Udell partners with Euroworld Motorsports (www.euroworldmotorsports.com). Euroworld is the country’s only certified automotive carbon fiber repair facility. Based in Houston, they are one of Texas’s leading European auto repair and performance facility.

More information on the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge can be found at www.world-challenge.com .

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