AE Victory Racing overcomes Road Atlanta race 1 heartbreak with race 2 victory to strengthen WRL championship lead
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AE Victory Racing returned to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta carrying special memories and left with another headline performance, overcoming disappointment on Saturday to secure victory for Grisham Abbate and Carter, a further podium for Freiberg, Schubert and Montgomery, and retaining first and second place in the World Racing League standings.
AE Victory Racing returned to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta carrying special memories and left with another headline performance, overcoming the disappointment of a post-race disqualification to secure victory, multiple podium finishes, and retain first and second place in the World Racing League GTO National Championship standings.
The Georgia circuit has become a important venue for the all-female organization founded by Erin Vogel. It was at Road Atlanta one year ago that AE Victory Racing celebrated its first-ever World Racing League podium before adding a second podium the following day, becoming the first all-female team to stand on the GTO class podium in series history.
That breakthrough has since evolved into a remarkable run of success, with the team arriving at the fourth round of the 2026 season boasting 12 podium finishes and 4 victories while continuing to expand its female driver development program.
"Road Atlanta will always mean something different to this team," explained team owner Erin Vogel, a racer herself with a class win in GT World Challenge America on her resumé.
"It's where we finally got the results to match the effort everyone had already put in, twice, in the same weekend. Coming back a year later with the record we've built since then, and with everything happening across the development program right now, it feels like the right place to reflect on how far we've come and how much further we're planning to go."
The team fielded its familiar two-car lineup, with Sarah Montgomery, Brenna Schubert and Ashley Freiberg sharing the #119 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2, while Michele Abbate, Hannah Grisham and Alana Carter teamed up in the #120 sister entry.
Road Atlanta's notoriously demanding 2.54-mile circuit welcomed competitors with changing weather conditions that would define much of the weekend. Rain and lightning delayed Friday morning's running before the track gradually dried, allowing the AE Victory Racing crew to concentrate on race preparation.
Qualifying further confirmed the team's competitiveness. Ashley Freiberg secured fifth on the GTO grid for the #119 Supra with a lap of 1:32.665, narrowly behind Michele Abbate, who placed the #120 third with a virtually identical 1:32.611.
Saturday's opening eight-hour endurance race began under cloudy skies, with both Toyotas immediately establishing themselves among the leading contenders in the competitive GTO class.
A succession of lengthy Full Course Yellow periods continually reshaped strategy throughout the race, but AE Victory Racing's pit crew executed flawlessly, maximizing every caution through efficient driver changes, fueling and tyre service.
Midway through the contest, the team's driver development roster delivered one of its best showings yet. The #120 Toyota, driven by 2025 Driver Development Shootout winner Alana Carter, moved into the class lead while current development driver Brenna Schubert simultaneously ran second aboard the #119 machine. For several laps, the two newest graduates of AE Victory Racing's development program controlled the race at the head of one of the strong GTO field.
After eight demanding hours, the #120 crossed the finish line first, securing what appeared to be another victory, while the #119 completed another solid race to finish third with Ashley Freiberg, Brenna Schubert and Sarah Montgomery.
Celebrations, however, proved short-lived; following post-race technical inspection, officials disqualified the #120 Toyota after it exceeded the allowable horsepower limit by just two horsepower. The unusually high ambient temperatures had altered turbocharger performance enough to place the car marginally outside the regulations despite operating within expected parameters throughout the race.
The entire organization immediately refocused on Sunday's second endurance race. Starting from the back of the field, Hannah Grisham produced a superb opening stint: the American gained six positions before the opening corner and immediately brought the #120 Toyota back into contention. Throughout another caution-interrupted race, race engineer Kevin Tong and strategist Kale consistently optimized pit strategy around every neutralization, ensuring the Toyota remained in the fight for victory.
The #119 meanwhile encountered adversity of its own after Brenna Schubert received a one-lap penalty following contact while battling through traffic. Despite the setback, the crew kept calm and recovered to finish fifth, salvaging valuable championship points.
At the front, however, redemption awaited the sister car. Grisham, Abbate and Carter combined another faultless performance, executing every stint, pit stop and strategic call with precision before taking the chequered flag to secure the team's second victory on the road over the weekend, and its official triumph following Saturday's disqualification.
Although only Sunday's success will appear in the record books, the overall performance across both races highlighted the remarkable consistency of AE Victory Racing's operation, from the pace shown by both Toyotas to the strength of its driver development pipeline.
"Road Atlanta tested every part of our program," Vogel reflected. "We dealt with changing weather, long caution periods, extreme heat, and the disappointment of losing a win in post-race inspection, but nobody hung their heads. We came back on Sunday, executed another fantastic race, and left with important points in the championship. As a development program, we make room for mistakes but we are all learning valuable lessons about what it takes to win."
Drivers were equally proud of the team's resilience. "Saturday didn't end the way we wanted with the DQ, but the team never let it define our weekend," Hannah Grisham said. "We came back on Sunday, started from the back of the field, and fought our way to the win."
"Huge credit to the entire crew for flawless pit stops, great strategy, and perfect execution all weekend, and a massive thank you to my teammates for their incredible pace, consistency, and determination behind the wheel. It was a true team effort, and I'm proud of how everyone responded to adversity. Looking forward to carrying this momentum forward into the next round. Very proud to be a small part of the AE Victory Racing team."
Michele Abbate echoed those sentiments after another successful weekend: "From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows and then back things up with another stellar performance. I am so beyond grateful to be a part of the AE Victory Racing team. It's a complete honor to race with Hannah and Alana and it's pretty incredible to see how well we work together in the car. Everyone on the crew was on point and it showed, both days. Bring on the Glen!"
For Alana Carter, Saturday's disappointment only made Sunday's redemption more meaningful. "Road Atlanta never fails to challenge but this was truly an incredible weekend", said the Canadian. "Our disqualification on Saturday was a heartbreaker but the comeback on Sunday made it so much more rewarding. I'm truly impressed by how strong this team is now, the driving, strategy, pit stops, and car were all flawless this weekend and it was an absolute pleasure to play a role in the #120 car success."
Leaving the circuit of their first win one year earlier, AE Victory Racing secured another race victory, another podium, and with both championship-leading Toyotas still occupying first and second in the GTO National standings. The team now turns its attention to the second half of the 2026 season full of momentum and confidence.
