Koch Hails “Successful” First GT3 Test for Random Vandals

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

Kenton Koch said Thursday’s test with Random Vandals Racing’s new BMW M4 GT3 went according to plan ahead of the team’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS debut next month at Road America.

Koch, IndyCar driver Conor Daly and BMW factory driver Connor De Phillippi turned laps in the ex-Paul Miller Racing M4 GT3 over the course of the day at Virginia International Raceway, site of this weekend’s SRO America event.

“The GT3 test went good,” Koch told Sportscar365. “The car ran all day and we survived. Everyone cycled through the car.

“It’s early days with the setup and development. We just started at the baseline. We didn’t really have information from other people on where a good suggestion would be start, so we just used the baseline.

“With Connor De Phillippi here, who has lots of knowledge on the car and experience, he was able to affirm that is the baseline and we’ll improve from there.

“We’ll look forward to more tests but it’s nice to have a successful day with no issues.”

Koch and Daly will be in the car for Road America and the following Fanatec GT America round at Barber Motorsports Park, with De Phillippi completing the Pro class lineup for the season-ending Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS.

“It’s really important for both Conor Daly and I to have the experience of [Connor] De Phillippi in the car so that we can affirm our feelings to know what we’re feeling is correct so that we’re taking the car in the right direction,” Koch added.

“It was nice because my initial read of the car was exactly what Connor’s read was, so I felt really good from that perspective.

“When De Phillippi says ‘sayonara’ for us on those weekends, I think we’ll be able to take the car in the right direction, improve it, and learn ourselves and whatnot.

“But he’s been a great tool from BMW.”

Koch said the Paul Sparta-owned team is “very excited” for its step up to the GT3 ranks, which will eventually see the team owner at the wheel of the car.

“Having been in GT4 now for a couple of years, our engineer Nathan McBride is very smart,” he said. “He’s been in the world of GT3 for a while as well.

“On the GT4 side, you’re more limited on setup and things you can do, where on the GT3, you have much more tools at your disposal to utilize to get the car in a window.

“Now that he has tools, he’s really excited.

“From the team’s perspective, it’s a cool step. Running GT3, that’s where Paul, the team owner, wants to be.

“He’s looking forward to getting in the car too.

“Obviously we’re running it with three pros in the car. He’s not wanting to be in the car at the moment on the racing side just because he wants to put the team first.

“If the opportunity arises, of course he’s going to drive it.”

Koch, Boehm Aiming to Extend GT4 America Silver Points Lead at VIR

The Silver-rated duo of Koch and Kevin Boehm head into this weekend’s Pirelli GT4 America race at VIR leading the Silver standings following their victory in the three-hour enduro at Circuit of The Americas in May.

“Everyone’s firing on all six cylinders right now,” he said. “The car is good, the team is good, everyone’s working well. Kevin is driving well. I feel like I’m driving alright too.

“We’ve made the right decisions to not be so risky because in the end you win a championship on what your best and worst position is vs. the wins.

“You make sure you eliminate the bad runs.”

When asked about the level of competition in the Silver class this year, Koch indicated that it’s at an all-time high.

He said: “You can look at the driver lineups of a lot of the guys there and you can argue that it’s one of the more competitive years we’ve had.

“You’ve got Parker Thompson, who’s running the Lexus in GTD this year, and Michai Stephens, who’s been a really quick guy, as well as Zac [Anderson] winning the championship last year.

“There’s a lot of good guys in there that I think are doing a good job. We’re just trying to do better than them.

“It’s been fun. I’m pretty fortunate to be in the position I’m in with Random Vandals to be with a really good team.

“You’ve seen good drivers go to bad teams and not look so good, and then you see guys with good programs and it’s a flourishing situation.

“I’m very fortunate to be in a position where I’m with a really good team. They make me look good.”

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