Freiberg, Carter and Montgomery claim breakthrough success for AE Victory Racing
- RACERS
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
AE Victory Racing and its all-female driver lineup of Shift Up Now Athletes Sarah Montgomery, Alana Carter, and Ashley Freiberg made history at Utah Motorsports Campus, claiming the team’s first-ever World Racing League victory and the first all-female win in the GTO class.
AE Victory Racing and its all-female driver lineup of Shift Up Now Athletes Sarah Montgomery, Alana Carter, and Ashley Freiberg made history at Utah Motorsports Campus, claiming the team’s first-ever World Racing League victory and the first all-female win in the GTO class. The milestone success came during the second race of the “Crossroads Endurance Challenge” weekend.
Founded in 2023 by GT World Challenge America race winner Erin Vogel and Aaron Snair, AE Victory Racing is a woman-led motorsports team dedicated to empowering female drivers, whose mission extends beyond the racetrack, aiming to provide opportunities, support, and visibility for women in motorsport.
The Utah weekend began with a special fan event on Wednesday at LVRY Headquarters, where AEVR’s drivers engaged with supporters in a Sim competition, Q&A session, and meet-and-greet. Among those in attendance were female engineers and students from Weber State University, while guest driver Charlotte Traynor – who had joined the team earlier in the season at Daytona – showed her support.
On-track action began on Thursday, with Montgomery and Freiberg making their debut on the 3.048-mile, 15-turn circuit, and Carter having only limited prior experience. The session was crucial for both setup work and track learning. The drivers had to adapt to tricky conditions, as tyre layered onto the circuit from a recent Formula Drift event made track conditions more challenging.
By Friday, however, the team had found their rhythm. Freiberg delivered a season-best qualifying effort, securing third on the grid for Saturday’s opening eight-hour contest.
Race one began with Freiberg behind the wheel, and the team immediately showed podium pace. Running strongly in contention for most of the day, their progress was however halted by a mechanical issue just past the halfway mark. The Supra GT4 was brought into the garage for lengthy repairs, returning briefly for testing laps before the team decided to retire and regroup for Sunday.
Undeterred, AE Victory Racing came back stronger for the 7-hour race two. Freiberg again took the start, this time from fifth on the grid. She quickly worked her way up to second during the opening stint, setting the stage with a consistent run.
Alana Carter then took over to maintain the team’s momentum before handing off to Sarah Montgomery for the closing stages. When the race’s only full-course caution was deployed, the field was reshuffled, and the AE Victory Racing's Toyota Supra GT4 briefly lost a lap to their rivals. However, fortune turned when Round 3 Racing received a two-lap penalty, returning the #119 Supra to contention.
Montgomery held her ground in second, chasing down the leader and crossing the line just 16 seconds adrift after a determined final stint.
Post-race drama sealed the team’s triumph: the winning Charlie Hayes Racing BMW was disqualified in technical inspection, elevating AE Victory Racing to the top of the podium. The result marked the team's first-ever World Racing League victory, as well as the first all-female driver lineup to win in the highly competitive GTO class.
“This victory is a testament to our team’s persistence, preparation, and trust in one another,” said team owner Erin Vogel. “We had a lot of challenges, but we never gave up and I’m really proud of the incredible effort everyone put forward.”
"I’m thrilled to have claimed our first win and confident we can continue to be successful the rest of the season", added Sarah Montgomery who crossed the finish line.
Her teammates echoed the sentiment. “It was so great to finally get our inevitable win", said Alana Carter. "We’ve been quickly getting better and better each race and it was super rewarding to finally get that W! I’m so grateful for this incredible team—everyone works so hard. Ashley, Erin and Sarah have helped me develop so much in all angles of being a driver and this weekend showed it.”
"We fought hard for this one", stressed Ashley Freiberg, who has joined the team in the second part of the season after halting her Porsche Carrera Cup North America campaign due to budget restraints. "It was certainly a wild weekend having to retire the car in race one on Saturday, then bringing the car to victory in race two! I want to give a huge thank you to Erin Vogel for bringing me onto the team and sharing her vision with me. Many more successes to come!”
With their breakthrough WRL win in Utah, AE Victory Racing continues its streak of podiums and momentum in the championship. The team now turns its focus to the next round at Watkins Glen International on October 17–19, where they aim to build on their historic achievement.
