ACI Expands to GTWC America With Mercedes-AMG Entry

Photo: ACI Motorsports

ACI Motorsports will return  to GT3 competition next year, having confirmed an entry into GT World Challenge America powered by AWS for Yves Baltas and Matt Smith.

The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based operation, which have been stalwarts of Pirelli GT4 America, as well as Porsche Carrera Cup North America competition, will field a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in the Pro-Am class.

It will mark the team’s first entry in SRO America’s flagship series since 2023 when it fielded a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Baltas, a race winner in Carrera Cup competition with ACI, made the step into GT4 America with the team this year and is coming off overall victory in the second race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Smith, meanwhile, has moved through the Porsche Motorsport Pyramid, initially competing in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America before making selected starts in the German manufacturer’s premier North America single-make series, which saw Masters class wins at Watkins Glen International.

It will mark both drivers’ GT3 race debuts.

“This is a step in my career I have been wanting to take for a long time,” said Baltas.

“I have finally hit that mark where the team and I feel like we are ready to take that next step forward, and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Smith added: “ACI Motorsports, Yves and Mercedes-AMG were the logical components for our success and the decision to move forward.

“Specifically on Mercedes-AMG, I previously owned a Mercedes-AMG GT3 and have been in love with the car ever since.”

The expanded effort for the Curt Swearingin-owned operation, which has nearly exclusively fielded Porsche machinery, comes after expanding its GT4 America effort this year with a BMW M4 GT4 EVO for brothers Michael and Alex Garcia, who are in Am class title contention entering this weekend’s pair of season-ending races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

ACI plans to continue its GT4 America program alongside its new GTWC America campaign.

“We are super excited to step up to GT World Challenge America with Matt Smith and Yves Baltas and start a new partnership with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport,” said Swearingin.

“We are familiar with GT World Challenge from running in the series for a season in 2023 but feel now, with our ongoing growth and broader infrastructure, that ACI Motorsports is in a better position to achieve even more success in GT World Challenge Pro-Am.

“Matt has made incredible progress in recent seasons as a top level Am and Masters class competitor and will be strong right away in GT World Challenge with his bronze-level peers.

“Yves is more than ready to join the fight with the top GT3 drivers that we have seen go at it in the final 60 minutes of this year’s new three-hour race format.

“Being able to perfect and work on some endurance racing skills and pit stops is another benefit of the new GT World Challenge America format, and we can’t wait to get started.”

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