BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — SKI Autosports and Memo Gidley capped their GT America powered by AWS championship weekend with a comeback victory at Barber Motorsports Park, turning Saturday’s mechanical disappointment into Sunday’s celebration.
After clinching the SRO3 drivers’ title despite a driveshaft failure that prevented him from starting Race 1, Gidley returned to win Sunday’s race in the No. 56 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. His tenth victory of the season matched George Kurtz’s record single-season benchmark, with two races remaining at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The weekend had begun with another demonstration of the team’s speed. Gidley secured his fifth consecutive pole position with a lap of 1:22.511, finishing qualifying 0.706 seconds clear of Joel Cortes. With a 92-point championship advantage entering Barber, the SKI Autosports driver was well positioned to finish the job in Saturday’s opening race.
Instead, the Audi stopped during the formation lap. Gidley could only watch as his championship fate played out without him. Closest challenger Tony Davis needed to finish first or second to keep the title fight alive, but fourth place left Gidley beyond reach.
The result secured SKI Autosports’ second overall GT America championship in three years, following Johnny O’Connell’s 2024 success.
“Winning this championship means so much to Melissa and me because we know how much every person on this team has put into it,” said team owner Kent Hussey.
“Saturday was an unusual way to clinch it, but a championship is earned over the whole season. Memo has delivered time and again, and Phil, Rossella and the entire crew have given him the car and support to do that.”
The team repaired the Audi for Sunday, giving Gidley the opportunity to celebrate the championship from the top step of the podium.
Starting at the rear of the SRO3 field, he wasted little time moving forward. Gidley reached third on the opening lap before passing Ross Chouest for second and pursuing Davis for the lead.
The pair battled closely before Gidley found his way through traffic with approximately 18 minutes remaining. He went on to finish 1.471 seconds ahead of Scott Blind, who passed Davis on the final lap.
“It’s just been an amazing weekend,” said Gidley. “We struggled a little bit early on, and then in qualifying, the Rowdy Audi was just hooked up. It was a joy to drive. And then at the start of the race, before the green flag even, we stopped. But the team turned it around and fixed the car.
“I’ve never won a championship sitting by the car, but today’s race was the best one we’ve had all year because we had to start back a ways and make our way up. The team gave me a setup that I could charge with right from the beginning and that paid dividends for us.”
Gidley paid tribute to team owners Kent and Melissa Hussey, Phil Creighton and Rossella Manfrinato for their contribution to the victory and championship.
“These guys are awesome. They’re family,” he said. “It’s just such a great team. I want to stick with them for life, so that’s my goal. I’m so happy to win the championship this weekend and win the race. It’s great to be here and leave a winner.”
“Sunday was the way we wanted to celebrate,” said Hussey. “The crew got the Audi ready, and Memo went out and showed why he’s the champion. Watching him work his way through the field and fight for that win was incredibly rewarding. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, and we want to finish the season with that same determination at Indianapolis.
“The SRO paddock feels like home, and we’ll be back next year. We have a few things to work through before we reveal our plans, but you’ll see us in 2027.”
First comes the GT America season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 8–11, where Gidley and SKI Autosports will have two more opportunities to add to their winning season.
