Heitkotter had to start the #05 Always Evolving/GT Academy Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in 20th position on Saturday due to a shortened qualifying session, but was able to set a fast lap in his run up through the field to a second place GTA result in race one. That flying lap earned him a third starting spot for Sunday’s race two, and the 2011 GT Academy winner was able to hold his spot and pull away from series point leader and Ferrari factory driver Olivier Beretta to earn an easy GTA class win and an overall podium for the first time this season.
“After a rocky start to my weekend here at Mid-Ohio with a tough qualifying session, I had a great first race moving up the field and setting a fast lap for third on the race two grid,” said 34-year-old Fresno native Heitkotter. “That helped turn my weekend around tremendously thanks to the continuing hard work of the team. We are pushing all the time, and it’s showing with our results. Race two was fairly straightforward. I started and finished P3 overall. Thanks go to AE, AIM Autosport and Nissan GT Academy.”
Australian native Davison continued his excellent body of work in the #33 Always Evolving / RePlay XD Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 at Mid-Ohio. Davison earned two second place finishes at Mid-Ohio behind Scotland’s Ryan Dalziel in the Effort Racing GT3 Porsche in both rounds. “It was another consistently strong weekend for the Always Evolving / AIM Autosport / Nissan Nismo team. We’re really gelling well and on a strong roll right now. I gave it absolutely everything to try win both races but just couldn’t quite complete the pass for the lead. We scored good points and moved up in the Championship once again. Race 2 was a breakthrough race for Bryan which was fantastic to see.”
“The fields in Pirelli World Challenge this season have been full of International racing superstars, so James and Bryan are up against some of the best GT drivers in the world, all driving top notch machinery,” said Kulach. “Considering the team is brand new and both drivers are new to the cars, the results have been spectacular. My hat’s off to the team and drivers for delivering some great results for Nissan.”
The Always Evolving team’s 2015 season has indeed exceeded all expectations taking 14 podiums in the season’s 15 rounds to date. Davison and Heitkotter have delivered seven class wins including two overall victories, six runner-up finishes and one third place.
“We had another outstanding weekend as a team and have a lot to be proud of,” said AE team owner Erik Davis. “For a first year effort, coming off nine podiums in the last five races says a lot about this team, our drivers and the Nissan/NISMO GT3 GTR. While there is a lot to celebrate, we still have work to do. We will continue to develop the program and are already making plans to expand in 2016 – more on that later. A heartfelt congratulations to JD and Bryan for tremendous drives at Mid- Ohio this weekend.”
Heitkotter’s second overall top five finish of the season – combined with five class wins – will lose him the amateur status afforded series rookies. It’s a good problem to have, however, and it is further validation of the massively successful global Nissan GT Academy program that is producing new racing stars each season.
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course PWC rounds will air on CBS Sports Network Sunday, August 9 at 4 p.m. ET.
The next rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge will be August 21-23 at the Miller Motorsports Park in Toole, Utah. Live online streaming available at www.world-challengetv.com. Broadcast on CBS Sports Network will air on Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m. ET.
For more information on Nissan GT Academy North America, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GTAcademyNA. The NISMO Performance page is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NISMO.us
About Always Evolving Motorsports
Always Evolving Motorsports is a professional racing organization competing in multiple racing series to include Pirelli World Challenge, Indy Car, Stadium Supertrucks and Formula Drift. Based in Los Angeles, the team’s mission is to compete and win championships along with supporting various charitable organizations.
About Always Evolving Enterprises
Always Evolving Enterprises (AE) is the next generation digital broadcast mediacompany for the hyper-connected world. As a lifestyle brand with deep roots in entertainment and motorsports, Always Evolving developed into a multifaceted provider of hardware, software and data infrastructure solutions that is changing the way live events are captured and shared.
About Replay XD
Replay XD was created by a group of racing and design professionals with over 50 years of experience in the high performance racing industry. The development team forever revolutionized the Professional POV Action Camera, by continually creating the smallest, lightest, ultra-rugged, and most versatile cameras made.
Replay XD Action Cameras endure and capture never before seen video from human and machine in the most extreme environments on Earth. We create the finest Action Cameras on the Planet. With headquarters in San Francisco, California, Replay XD cameras, mounts and accessories are sold at dealers worldwide and direct at www.replayxd.com. RePlay XD is the official camera of Pirelli World Challenge, Andretti Autosport, Australian Off-Road, Australian Superbike, Indy Lights, L.A. SWAT, Mobil 1 SuperCup, Porsche Carrera Cup, Pro Mazda, Robby Gordon Stadium Super Trucks (SST), USF1000/USF2000.
