Heitkotter Wins Again in GT Rivals at Barcelona

Image: SRO America

Bryan Heitkotter picked up his fifth victory in six GT Rivals races following an unlucky incident for Josh Staffin in Sunday’s round at virtual Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Nissan GT Academy USA winner took his No. 05 Always Evolving Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 to a 19.173-second win over David Perel in the No. 111 Kessel Racing Ferrari 488 GT3.

It came after an an incident by sim racer Staffin, who collided with a back-marker Ferrari with 20 minutes to go while leading the race.

Staffin, in the No. 230 Champion Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo, was then handed a drive-through penalty for exceeding track limits with less than five minutes remaining, stripping him of runner-up finish.

He finished fourth after serving the penalty on the final lap.

Jon Miller, meanwhile, completed the podium in the No. 38 Porsche 911 GT3 R, ahead of the No. 22 Acura NSX GT3 of Karl Wittmer in fifth.

A late-race scrap between Guy Cosmo, Kenton Koch and Keith Briscoe saw Cosmo finish a season-best sixth in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Bentley Continental GT3.

Koch was seventh ahead of sim racer Briscoe in eighth.

The 60-minute contest was held on Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official sim of SRO’s GT World Challenge.

Drivers head next to virtual Bathurst for action on the world-famous Mt. Panorama circuit in Australia on May 24 at 3 p.m. ET.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John