Steller Motorsport completes International GT Open debut in Barcelona

Steller Motorsport completes International GT Open debut in Barcelona

Steller Motorsport made its debut in the International GT Open championship this weekend (19–21 September) fielding its Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Behind the wheel were the young Canadian pairing of brothers Daniel and Adam Ali.

After productive free practice sessions, the opening qualifying session on Saturday saw the team post the 10th fastest time in the Pro class. In race one they made solid progress and crossed the finish line in 9th place in class. However, a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits meant they were classified 10th.

Despite the challenges of a wet qualifying two on Sunday morning, the team posted the 11th quickest time in the Pro class ahead of the afternoon’s race.

A complicated start to race two saw it get underway behind the safety car due to a stranded car on the grid, followed by an additional safety car intervention early on in the race. In the opening stages the team maintained position, through to a well-timed pit stop for the driver change. A push in the final 20 minutes saw the team climb to 10th in the Pro class.

Daniel Ali said, “I really enjoyed my first time in the GT Open Championship. Not only did we bring the first Corvette to this championship, but we did so as a sibling duo, and this made for quite a special weekend. Both Adam, myself, and the team enjoyed a successful race weekend, and gained valuable track time and information to take into the final round of GT World Challenge Europe.”

Adam Ali said, “Overall it was a great first weekend with Steller. The car's clearly built on a strong platform, and it was good to get familiar with the Corvette, and we were able to work towards a setup and direction which should be a solid starting point for the team when it returns to Barcelona for GT World Challenge in a couple of weeks' time."

Steller Motorsport team manager Max Daymond said, “This was an important step for us as a team and for Daniel and Adam. The International GT Open grid is a competitive one, and with the additional challenges of the weather the team delivered a solid performance. Additionally, we gathered more data with the Corvette that will help us prepare for when we return to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the final round of the GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Endurance Cup next month.”

Steller Motorsport now turns its focus to the last round of the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup at Barcelona, which takes place on 10-12 October.