In a close out race for Season 5 the Top 3 of Rhett Sawyer (NLR), William Thompson (Brew Crew), and Gunny (Brew Crew) pulled away pretty early and created a clear gap between them and any other driver on course. It seemed like it was going to remain that way until a Lapped car spun out in front of Rhett Sawyer without him having enough room to get around. After that William Thompson and Gunny controlled the rest of the race to make a statement going into next season. Both Gunny and William have looked strong throughout the season, but at times struggled to tie a string of clean races together. So if this is a sign of things to come in season 6 then look out for The Brew Crew.
Only 2 Drivers came into the race with a shot at winning the Driver’s Championship. David Leathers (Apex) lead Doug Britton (NLR) by 18 points and with David’s recent string of form of Top 10s he felt comfortable coming into the race. Unfortunately for Doug Britton the pressure seemed to be too much as he failed to put a good lap down in qualifying. Starting the race in 26th, 20 spots behind David Leathers, little could be done to close the gap as working through the traffic proved difficult. If you didn’t set up passes properly and get it done quickly you often opened yourself up to the driver behind. David Leathers spent most of the race as part of the 2nd break away group that kept him in the Top 5, making sure there was no opportunity for a comeback. This marks his second straight season as a Driver’s champ since he was the Nascar Champion in Season 4.
When asked about his success in Season 5 David said, “It was a great season overall in GT3 for me personally as well as Apex Predator who took the team championship. I started off hot the first 3 races with one win and another podium finish, then struggled in the 4th & 5th races at Spa/Oulton Park before finishing the season strong in the top 10 in each of the final 6 races.” He added later, “I believe being consistent is a huge factor in doing well in this series and I was able to do that this season.” We asked David what was his favorite moment of the Season 5, “My favorite part of the season had to be finishing first at the Hungaroring in week 2. It is always nice to win obviously but I also have Hungarian heritage in my family tree so that made that particular race doubly special for me.”
We were able to get a quick interview with Apex owner Eagle Mondavi before he went to celebrate with his team and talking about Season 5: “This season in a whole was a lot harder for Apex Predator Racing compared to last season where we ran away with all team and driver championships that we ran in. Oval wise wasn’t a good season from us. I’m glad that our GT3 team came out on top to end the season on the high note with Leathers winning the drivers championship and us taking the team championship.” When asked if he thought of any teams as Rivals Eagle responded, “I always enjoy a good rival. This season it was NLR, next season it could be Brew Crew. Whoever is up against us, just beware that we will not be holding back” and saying “Here at APR we will be going for three in a row in the drivers and team championships.”
Now that season 5 is in the books, Drivers and Teams are already taking aim at Season 6. With the Announcement of EP!C closing down after today’s race, Free Agency and new owners are something to keep an eye on. David Leathers mentioned, “Season 6 I am looking forward to trying to defend my GT3 Title, as well as seeing what new series are added. I saw we had at least one team that will be closing their doors after season 5 so I’ll be watching the driver and team movement that goes on before season 6 with much interest!” And with that we Officially bring Season 5 to a close. I want to thank everyone for all their work and effort that made this season so exciting!
By: Rhett Sawyer