WRL: Hayes, Abbate, Carter and Mott secure dominant win for AE Victory Racing at Daytona 14-hour race

AE Victory Racing returned to Daytona for the World Racing League's 14 Hours of Daytona and came home with one of the strongest performances in the team's history, securing a commanding class victory with the #120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 driven by Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate, Alana Carter and Sally Mott.

Photo credits: AEVR

AE Victory Racing returned to Daytona International Speedway for the World Racing League's 14 Hours of Daytona and came home with one of the strongest performances in the team's history, securing a commanding class victory with the #120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 driven by Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate, Alana Carter and Sally Mott, showcasing the continued success of its driver development program.

The result represented a significant milestone for the rapidly growing all-female organization led by racing driver Erin Vogel. One year earlier, AE Victory Racing had spent 13 of the 14 race hours battling for a podium finish before a late-race incident ended its hopes of a breakthrough result. At that stage, the team's Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 program was still in its infancy and had yet to record a podium finish. Twelve months later, the Daytona victory served as clear evidence of the progress made both on and off the track.

The foundations for success were established early in the weekend during Thursday's Track Time event and Friday's testing and practice sessions. Both AE Victory Racing entries - with the #119 sister car piloted by Sarah Montgomery, Ashley Freiberg, Brenna Schubert and Erika Hoffmann - consistently appeared near the top of the timing sheets.

With a highly competitive class field for the 14-hour endurance race, the team focused on maximizing track time for every driver while refining pit stop strategies. Lap times remained consistent across both cars regardless of which driver was behind the wheel.

The performance throughout testing gave team leadership the confidence to place current Development Driver Brenna Schubert in the #119 Toyota Supra and program graduate Alana Carter in the #120 for qualifying duties and the opening stints of the race.

Photo credits: AEVR

Qualifying further validated that decision: Carter delivered an excellent performance in the #120 Toyota, securing a front-row starting position and placing the team in a strong position heading into the 14-hour contest. Carter would also lead the team's challenge into the green flag before handing driving duties over to teammates Laura Hayes, Sally Mott and Michele Abbate as the race unfolded.

From the opening stages, the #120 car quickly emerged as the car to beat. The Supra moved into the lead early and immediately began extending its advantage over the rest of the field. Nearly two hours into the race, the #120 Toyota was still lapping approximately half a second faster than its nearest rival and had built an advantage approaching 10 seconds.

From that point onward, the team never lost control of the race: guided by race engineer Kevin Tong, the #120 crew executed a flawless race strategy over the full 14 hours, with efficient pit stops, rapid driver changes, perfectly timed stops under cautions all contributing to the team's result.

The Toyota's ability to complete longer fuel stints than its primary rival, the second-place Singler Racing BMW, also provided an additional advantage that allowed the team to dictate the pace of the race.

Every aspect of the operation fell into place as the race progressed through the day and into the night.

After 14 hours of competition, the #120 crossed the finish line in first place, with Laura Hayes taking the chequered flag and completing a dominant victory for the team.

Photo credits: AEVR

While the team celebrated the victorious quartet, the #119 Toyota Supra endured a far more frustrating race despite also displaying race-winning pace. Current AE Victory Racing Development Driver Brenna Schubert qualified and started the #119 car, immediately placing herself among the class frontrunners.

Schubert worked her way towards the top of the class and, just over an hour into the race, advanced into the class lead. Unfortunately, while navigating lapped traffic, contact sent the car off course and caused significant damage to the left-front suspension.

The incident forced the #119 Toyota into the garage for extensive repairs and effectively ended its challenge for victory.

Despite the setback, the AE Victory Racing crew worked tirelessly throughout the day to repair the damaged Supra and eventually returned the car to the circuit. Ashley Freiberg later took over driving duties and completed a systems check lap to verify the repairs, but the team ultimately elected to retire the entry.

Although the final result failed to reflect the car's potential, Schubert's performance before the incident showed promising speed.

"Coming back to Daytona and winning this race means a tremendous amount to everyone on this team," Vogel said. "A year ago, we spent nearly the entire race fighting for a podium before our day unraveled late, and while that result was heartbreaking at the time, it became a turning point for our program."

"This weekend wasn't just about the win. It was about seeing how far this team has come—from the drivers and crew to the development program we've built", she continued. "To have our development drivers leading qualifying and starting the race, to see both cars running at the front, and to watch this group execute at such a high level for fourteen hours is something we're incredibly proud of."

Photo credits: AEVR

The victory represented another important step in AE Victory Racing's rapid growth, with experienced and established drivers - such as Laura Hayes - joining the younger talents on the roster.

Hayes described the victory as a perfect redemption story following the disappointment of the previous year.

"The drivers and crew executed a flawless race from start to finish, making for an incredibly rewarding weekend", Hayes said. "It was a true pleasure to share the car with Alana, Sally, and Michele, and I hope we'll have the opportunity to do it again. Thank you to Erin and the entire team for their support, hard work and for making this opportunity possible."

"An iconic track with an iconic story," Abbate added. "I am so proud of the entire AE Victory Racing Team! My teammates and I drove a flawless 14-hour race and it was everything I could've ever dreamed of personally for my debut at Daytona. I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of this team and how proud I am of how our efforts are proving through our results."

Alana Carter, who qualified and started the race, reflected on the opportunity to play a key role in the team's success: "This weekend was a ton of fun," the Canadian said. "From start to finish everyone on the 120 car executed flawlessly. I was so honoured to have the privilege to qualify and start the race for this team for the first time and I was happy to execute both so well for them, grabbing the lead very early on in the race."

"Everyone put their heart and soul into this weekend and it really showed. I love getting to race with this team so much and I'm stoked to have participated in bringing home a great result for them. I can't thank Erin enough for having me involved in this incredible program."

Sally Mott echoed the team's enthusiasm following the victory: "This weekend was one of the most fun race weekends I've had in a long time. The team chemistry was incredible, and everyone worked so well together to bring the No. 120 car home in P1. I couldn't be happier with how the weekend went, and I'm so proud of everyone on the team for all their hard work and dedication. It truly was a complete team effort, and I'm grateful to have shared such a special weekend with this group."