De Phillippi: Random Vandals “Grew Together” to Pro Title

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

Connor De Phillippi believes that Random Vandals Racing “grew together” over the course of the last year that culminated with the Pro class championship in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS.

De Phillippi and Kenton Koch won the overall title for the Paul Sparata-led squad, less than 14 months after the team made its GT3 debut.

The duo in the No. 99 BMW M4 GT3 EVO scored a season-high six class wins, culminating with a fourth place overall finish, and maximum GTWC America points, in last weekend’s title-deciding Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS.

For the BMW factory driver, the title marked a number of firsts, including his first title with the German manufacturer.

“It’s been a little while,” De Phillippi told Sportscar365. “It’s my first championship that I’ve won with BMW. I’m just so proud of this team. Kenton, my teammate, has risen to the occasion far more times than I have this year, I would say this year.

“He’s really done a great job. The team has really grown over the year.

“We made some mistakes early but those were teething pains. We all grew together and we ran a flawless eight-hour race.

“If we looked back 12 months ago where we were and see where we are now, we should be really proud of what we achieved.

“I’m just super happy for the team and really looking forward to seeing where the future is for them.”

Koch, meanwhile, re-wrote the record books in becoming the first driver in SRO America history to have won the GTWC America and Pirelli GT4 America championships in the same year.

The 31-year-old Silver-rated driver, who finished runner-up in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD drivers’ championship, achieved both SRO America titles in Random Vandals BMW machinery.

“To be paired a couple of really good teammates, Connor De Phillippi and Kevin Boehm, in GT3 and GT4, it was an excellent year for Random Vandals,” Koch told Sportscar365.

“It was a pleasure to drive with some really fast people. It really pushes you.

“Connor was definitely one of the fastest guys I’ve ever had to co-drive with and it really made me better.

“It’s been a really cool experience. I hope to drive with some guys like him in the future. Hopefully again next year, but you never know how these things work.

“It’s been a heck of a year and I’m proud to be part of the Vandals family.”

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