First SprintX Races of the Season Provide Lessons, Opportunities for CrowdStrike Racing - Speedway Digest

The CrowdStrike racing team’s resilience was put to the test during two Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX races at the Circuit of The Americas over the weekend. The Saturday and Sunday double header presented some challenges for drivers George Kurtz and Colin Braun, but they still managed to secure a top 10 finish with their No. 04 CrowdStrike/GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 in Austin.

Kurtz, the CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, and Braun, a racing pro who has experienced great success at the top levels of motorsports, have paired up for the SprintX races in the 2018 PWC season. The duo is racing in the GTS class in a Global Motorsports Group (GMG Racing)-prepared Audi for the first time together. In the SprintX format, each competitor completes half of the 60-minute race, with a driver change creating a wildcard factor for each team. With a record 38 GTS-class cars competing in Austin, the smallest setback can have a big impact on the final standings.

The weekend started out on a high note, with Braun setting the fastest practice times on Friday. Saturday’s race began to present challenges for Kurtz, who started in 13th but, with multiple laps under the caution flag, only had the opportunity to gain one position before it was time to hand the car over to Braun. An issue with getting the Audi restarted caused a significant delay in the pit lane, which cost Braun precious seconds and set him back 11 positions. However, the talented driver was able to overtake an impressive 13 cars by the end of the race, and the CrowdStrike team finished in 10th place.

Sunday’s race was held under cloudy, drizzling conditions. Braun took the wheel of the No. 04 Audi and began the race from ninth place. He was bumped by a competitor on the first lap, causing him to spin and lose valuable positions. Then, an ABS sensor issue cost Braun additional positions, which he pushed to regain, working his way up through the field before the driver change. When Kurtz took the wheel, he skillfully maintained a steady pace in a wounded car, but the duo finished outside of the top 10. CrowdStrike’s guests, however, were able to celebrate the first place finish of GMG’s No. 14 Audi raced by James Sofronas and Alex Welch.

“We had some issues with the car’s sensors when Colin was out there,” Kurtz said on Sunday. “That impacted the race, unfortunately. After the driver change, I got in the car and did the best I could. There is still some work to be done, and we’ll keep pushing the program forward. A big congratulations to James and Alex on their win.”

Braun was disappointed in Sunday’s race results, but was upbeat about the driver pair’s first SprintX race of the season. “These races are short — you really don’t have time to make up for too big of a loss. To come away with a top 10 in the first race makes for a good weekend overall. However, there are a lot of things to work on and improve for the next one.”

Outside of the track activity, CrowdStrike’s hospitality events were right on target. The team hosted influential guests in the cybersecurity industry in a suite overlooking the beautiful racetrack, complete with a balcony to view the team’s pit stops and driver changes from above. Saturday morning’s CXO Summit provided guests with breakfast and open conversation about solving tough security problems. COO of CrowdStrike Colin Black and Deputy Chief Information Security Officer of Amazon Web Services CJ Moses led the discussion. Finally, the start of Sunday’s Pirelli World Challenge race was announced by David Treadwell, VP of eCommerce Foundation at Amazon.

CBS Sports will replay the GTS-X race action on April 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Kurtz’ next race is at the Long Beach Grand Prix from April 13 to 15. Follow along with CrowdStrike Racing on twitter.com/crowdstrikercng, instagram.com/ crowdstrikeracing, and on the website at www.crowdstrikeracing.com.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.