Shift Up Now Athletes Sarah Montgomery, Alana Carter and Ashley Freiberg made history by claiming their first-ever World Racing League (WRL) victory - and the first all-female victory in the GTO class - during the second race of the “Crossroads Endurance Challenge” event weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus (Burt Brothers Motorsports Park) on September 26-28, 2025.
Driving the No. 119 Toyota Supra GT4 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR), the trio first hit the track on Thursday for the Max Track Time event, where they worked on car setup and adjustments. The WRL weekend would be Montgomery’s and Freiberg’s first outing on the 3.048-mile, 15- turn outside track, so practice time was also spent learning the layout.
By Friday’s qualifying session, the Shift Up Now Athletes were prepared and confident. Freiberg’s season-best qualifying run on her Yokohama tires put the team in third place for race one, starting from the inside of the second row.
Saturday’s eight-hour competition began with Freiberg behind the wheel. The AEVR team ran most of the race in podium contention, however a mechanical issue just past the halfway point forced their Supra into the garage. After more than an hour of repairs, they returned to the track for several testing laps. Ultimately, they opted to retire the car and begin preparation for race two on Sunday.
The following morning, Freiberg was behind the wheel once again for the drop of the green flag, this time starting from fifth for the seven-hour race. During the first stint, she advanced to the second-place spot, then Carter took over to continue executing a steady strategy before Montgomery took the wheel.
When the lone full-course caution flag flew, the field was reshuffled. After losing a lap to a competing team, AEVR gained it back when that team received a two-lap penalty. Montgomery held her second-place position and closed the gap to within 16 seconds of the leader as they crossed the finish line.
After the race, the leader was disqualified when they didn’t pass tech due to altitude. This moved AEVR to the top of the podium, continuing their podium streak and awarding them a history-making victory.
Team owner Erin Vogel commented, “This victory is a testament to our team’s persistence, preparation, and trust in one another. We had a lot of challenges, but we never gave up and I’m really proud of the incredible effort everyone put forward.” With this promising result, AE Victory Racing solidifies their place as one of the most exciting teams in WRL and sets the stage for continued success.”
Next up, the AEVR team has a quick turnaround as they head to New York in just a couple weeks for the next round of the WRL championship, at Watkins Glen International Raceway on October 17-19, 2025.
