Niclas Pedersen, Selena Ward and Jason Birnie took the Ferrari from sixth on the grid to victory by 11.432 seconds over the pole-sitting No. 20 Bravo Snow Schatten Esports BMW M Hybrid V8, while the No. 51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac V-Series.R completed the podium after starting 14th.
The result gave Wastegate the SportsCar Championship, the Endurance Cup and the Sprint Cup in the class. Combined with Wastegate Racing’s GT AM program sweeping the same three titles, the organization ended the season six-for-six in championship trophies, the most successful title campaign in VSCA history.
Wastegate Converts Championship Deficit Into Finale Victory
The No. 32 Ferrari entered Road Atlanta 50 points behind the No. 96 Albrecht Motorsports Cadillac, but left Braselton as champion with 4,280 points. Albrecht dropped to second, 145 points back, after finishing 12th and 44 laps behind the class winner in the official results.
Kyle Birnie, who had to sit out the season finale Petit Le Mans due to soreness after suffering a car accident in California on Wednesday before the race, described the race as “a wave of emotions and a roller coaster,” saying Wastegate started strongly, fell back through the middle phase, then “let the race come to us.” Once Albrecht’s challenge unravelled, the instruction became simple: no risks, no forcing the issue, and bring the car home.
Pedersen said the team knew it was “on the back foot” arriving at the finale, but believed clean execution would keep it alive. In the final hours, after its main rivals hit trouble, the Ferrari crew focused on keeping the car intact rather than chasing every fight in traffic.
Ward pointed to restraint in the worst conditions as a key part of the victory. She said visibility was poor enough that she relied heavily on her teammates’ calls, avoided overly aggressive moves and made use of cautions to gain track position when the race allowed it.
Mello Takes Pole Before Race Becomes Survival Test
Thiago Mello put the No. 20 Bravo Snow Schatten Esports BMW on pole with a 1:18.205 lap, his fifth career GTP pole and the team’s fifth class pole. The Brazilian squad had pace throughout the day and led again late, but came up just short in second.
The 10-hour race around the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta course was repeatedly broken apart by 13 full-course yellows totaling 4 hours and 29 minutes. There were 27 lead changes in the class, a fitting number for an afternoon and evening in which strategy, weather and survival mattered as much as outright speed.
Early leader Mello controlled the start, but the opening hour set the tone. Race Directors brought out the first full-course yellow before the 40-minute mark of true race time, and pit sequence variation briefly put the No. 62 Paul Botting Motorsport Acura into the lead under caution.
That was only the beginning of a race that rarely found rhythm. The field repeatedly compressed, spread out, and compressed again, with the short Road Atlanta lap keeping the prototypes in near-constant traffic once all four classes settled into their stints.
Rain Changes the Middle Hours at Road Atlanta
The middle portion of the race was shaped by rain showers that turned the Georgia circuit into a grey ribbon of spray. As the rain intensified, visibility through the Esses and over the crest toward Turn 12 became extremely limited, and the smell of wet rubber and hot brakes hung around a crowded pit lane.
The No. 21 Delta Racing BMW led a race-high 142 laps with Enzo Alquini, Felipe Silveira and Felypi Sauner all spending time at the front. Delta looked positioned for a major result, only to finish fourth after a late fuel miscalculation cost it a clearer shot at the win.
The No. 51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac quietly built one of the drives of the race. Starting 14th, Marco Pereira, Álvaro Martínez and Adex Martinez Sanchez gained 11 positions to finish third, the defending series champion’s first podium since winning at Laguna Seca in March.
PAX Simsport’s No. 55 Porsche finished fifth after also cycling into the lead late, while VSR Competición’s No. 7 Porsche was sixth after a race that included multiple post-race penalties and an unsuccessful appeal. Team management and drivers from VSR were unavailable for comment after the race.
Albrecht’s Title Bid Ends in the Rain
The championship’s defining moment came just before the six-hour mark. Marc Scherschel, driving the No. 96 Albrecht Motorsports Cadillac, lost control in the rain coming through the final corner sequence, tried to catch the slide, then saw the car snap the other way and strike the retaining barrier head-on.
The impact effectively ended Albrecht’s championship hopes. The team had built its title lead through consistency, with top-five finishes in eight of its nine points-paying starts before Road Atlanta, but the finale punished every weakness.
Scherschel was blunt afterward, saying Albrecht was “very, very disappointed” and that he had not managed to get through the conditions. He added that the conditions were drivable at the time, the error was his, and he owed the team an apology.
Even in defeat, Scherschel called second in the championship something the team could be satisfied with overall, while admitting it was difficult to accept because of how the finale unfolded. He also congratulated the No. 32 Ferrari, calling Wastegate “an absolutely deserved champion” and adding that he hoped Albrecht could beat them next year.
Tri-State’s Outside Chance Fades After Heavy Contact
The No. 25 Tri-State Racing BMW, which had entered the finale with an outside title chance, endured a punishing race and finished seventh, three laps down. Niko Loikkanen and Seth Neufeld had been in the championship conversation through consistency and three runner-up finishes earlier in the year, but Road Atlanta quickly became a recovery exercise.
The major blow came just after the three-and-a-half-hour mark when the No. 25 and No. 16 Infinity Fox Racing Acura encountered slower traffic through the final corner. The BMW lifted for traffic, the Acura clipped it, and the No. 25 hit the concrete wall head-on.
Loikkanen later called it “a small incident with big consequences” and said he had spoken with the No. 16 driver afterward. Neufeld said the team never fully stopped believing while there was still time, but admitted that the incident left them with less to lose and more reason to keep pushing.
Endurance Cup Decided on Tiebreaker
The No. 12 Delta Racing BMW arrived as the Endurance Cup leader and left tied with the No. 32 Wastegate Ferrari on 42 points, but lost the title on the wins tiebreaker. Wastegate had two Endurance Cup victories to Delta’s one.
Delta’s race also included a 35-second post-race penalty for contact with the No. 62 Paul Botting Motorsport Acura near Turn 2 as the Acura exited pit lane around the six-hour mark. The team appealed, arguing poor visibility, a wet track and the Acura’s rejoin contributed to the contact, but the stewards upheld the original decision.
The penalty did not alter the final position for the No. 12, which finished ninth, five laps down. Still, losing the Endurance Cup by tiebreaker after winning Daytona and finishing second at Road America left Delta with a difficult end to a strong endurance campaign.
Stewards Busy After Chaotic Finale
The post-race stewards’ report was lengthy. The No. 16 Infinity Fox Racing Acura received three post-race penalties of 35, 95 and 155 seconds, with its drivers accumulating 13 license penalty points. Fabian Rudde retired from VSCA competition immediately after the race.
The two Paul Botting Motorsport Acuras were also frequently under review. The No. 62 and No. 97 entries combined for ten penalties and five warnings, including contact, pit-lane and full-course-yellow procedure violations.
The No. 137 Gamma Sim Racing Ferrari, which had won at Road America, was classified 14th after failing to reach 70 percent distance. It received a 155-second penalty for an opening-hour Turn 1 incident with the No. 157 GT PRO Aston Martin, and a further 95-second penalty for contact involving the No. 84 GT PRO Porsche in the fourth hour.
The final cautions were also complicated by yellow-flag procedure issues, including cars not receiving expected wave-arounds and the pace car returning to pit lane while yellow conditions remained active. The last two caution periods produced uneasy scenes as teams tried to interpret instructions while keeping cars and drivers out of trouble.
Top Ten Finishers at Petit Le Mans
Wastegate Racing’s No. 32 Ferrari won from sixth on the grid, with Bravo Snow Schatten Esports second from pole in the No. 20 BMW. World Of SimRacing Team finished third with the No. 51 Cadillac after its long climb from 14th.
Delta Racing’s No. 21 BMW was fourth after leading the most laps, followed by the No. 55 PAX Simsport Porsche in fifth and the No. 7 VSR Competición Porsche in sixth.
Tri-State Racing took seventh with the No. 25 BMW, the No. 16 Infinity Fox Racing Acura finished eighth, the No. 12 Delta Racing BMW was ninth, and the No. 97 Paul Botting Motorsport Acura completed the top ten.
Post-Race Reactions
Gabriel Pecly, #20 Bravo Snow Schatten Esports BMW: “Unfortunately, it is that feeling of coming up short again, just like Watkins Glen and Road America. I try to take it as motivation. We all make mistakes, and that is part of the learning process.”
Pecly said he drove through the heaviest rain and still managed to take the lead before handing the car to Henrique Gomes. He added that the drying phase was also difficult, but the team worked to help Gomes maintain position.
“The progress we have made since the start of the season has been spectacular,” Pecly said. “Managing our mindset, training, pace and strategy is key in endurance races. I believe we will come back much stronger in 2027 and fight for wins and the title. Thank you for the opportunity, and see you in 2027.”
Felipe Silveira, #21 Delta Racing BMW: “The car felt amazing in the hot dry, in the wet, and on the drying, cold track. We really nailed the setup. Unfortunately, after nailing the pit timing for the final stop, a fuel miscalculation cost us everything. We had enough pace to win.”
Silveira called the result bittersweet, saying the rain driving felt strong and the track was enjoyable in every condition. He said Delta is heading in the right direction and wants to take its form, minus the mistakes, into 2027.
“I want to thank João Delgado for giving me the opportunity to take part in the 2026 season,” Silveira added. “It has been an amazing year with many lessons learned, and it has been a pleasure sharing the track with so many talented drivers.”
Joao Vitor Delgado, #12 Delta Racing BMW: “It is frustrating because the car was good all year and we were consistent in endurance races. We arrived here with an advantage, and we only needed to score points in one of the three stages in the top three ahead of the No. 32.”
Delgado said the team’s strategy was built around that target, but a caution in the second stage extended track time and a restart incident effectively decided the championship. He congratulated the No. 32 crew and noted that the upheld 35-second penalty did not change the final result because the car had already lost several laps.
“We are proud of our year with both cars,” he said. “BMW M Team Delta Racing was born with endurance DNA, and we will continue to show that next year. Thank you to P1Doks and GT Concept, to the drivers and engineering team, and to the organization for the championship.”
Niko Loikkanen, #25 Tri-State Racing BMW: “I do not think our focus ever really shifted away from pushing. As long as there was enough time left, you never know what might happen to the other cars. The contact with the No. 12 toward the end was probably when we knew we just needed to get the car home.”
Loikkanen said Tri-State could be happy with the season overall despite missing out on a first win. “We were consistently fighting near the front and kept ourselves in the championship fight, but we could not put everything together. Third in the championship is still a solid result. Thanks to the organizers. What an awesome season.”
Seth Neufeld, #25 Tri-State Racing BMW: “We always knew it was going to be a long shot to win this one, but we were going to give it everything until the end. If anything, that incident gave us less to lose and more motivation to keep pushing.”
Neufeld said the team could be proud of its effort after a season marked by misfortune and technical issues. He also thanked Tri-State Racing for bringing him into the series, adding that he will join Gamma Sim Racing next year for another top-class championship challenge.
Marco Pereira, #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac: “In races of at least six hours, qualifying does not matter as much. We knew pace would sort us out, so we stayed calm and patient.”
Pereira said the team avoided unnecessary fights early, made safe passes through traffic, and trusted that cautions would keep it in the race. He was especially proud of the rain strategy and the team’s discipline, noting that the Cadillac stayed in contention without ending its own race or anyone else’s.
Álvaro Martínez, #51 World Of SimRacing Team Cadillac: “We made the wrong tire choice for qualifying, which led to the disaster of starting 14th. After that, we stayed patient, and that was the most important thing.”
Martínez said the team raced with little pressure and simply tried to enjoy the finale. He added that Indianapolis should have been a podium as well, and that the recent direction was encouraging, though he left his own Daytona plans open.
Daytona Test Opens the 2027 Storylines
The next scheduled outing for this class is the Daytona Test on December 12, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event is listed as Round EX1 of 11 for the 2027 VSCA SportsCar Championship and is scheduled to start at 14:00 GMT.
Wastegate will arrive as the benchmark after sweeping every GTP title and completing a historic six-title organizational campaign across two classes. Albrecht must respond after losing the championship in the final hours, Tri-State will chase the first win that escaped it all season, and Delta’s endurance form gives it every reason to believe the Daytona program can again be a factor.
Bravo Snow Schatten’s pace, World Of SimRacing Team’s late-season podium recovery, and the uncertain future of VSR Competición add further intrigue before the 2027 field begins to take shape on the high banks.
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