Shift Up Now Athlete Ashley Freiberg finished third in the championship points to close out the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup season with a fourth-place finish, followed by her seventh podium, at Sonoma Raceway on September 27-29, 2024.
After a tumultuous season where she rose against adversity, including a mid-season switch to Kellymoss Racing and a crash at Watkins Glen that left her recovering for several races, Freiberg’s third-place championship finished showed her true grit.
Driving the No. 222 Thu Brulé / Mobil1 Porsche Cup Car on Yokohama tires in the 992 Pro-Am class, the Homer Glen, IL native finished Friday’s practice in third place on the 12-turn, 2.52- mile road course.
Third place was the theme of the weekend, with Freiberg qualifying in third on Saturday morning for both of the weekend’s 35-minute-plus-one-lap races.
Race one began on Saturday afternoon. Starting on the inside of row two, Freiberg had a strong start, holding her third-place spot through turn one and into turn two. As the field continued through the first lap, an incident further back in the pack spread dust and dirt across the track at turn seven. The leaders were able to negotiate without issue.
By the end of the second lap, the top four cars were all nose-to-tail, with Freiberg holding steady in third, which she would maintain for a lengthy green-flag period.
With 15 minutes remaining, the fourth-place car made contact with Freiberg’s Porsche in the fast esses section, sending her into a spin and dropping her back to fifth in Pro-Am, and eighth overall. On a track that’s notoriously difficult to pass, she advanced several spots to get back to sixth overall. After the penalty for causing the spin was assessed post-race, Freiberg finished fourth in Pro-Am, and fifth overall.
On Sunday morning, Freiberg was once again starting on the inside of row two, and side-by- side with the competitor that had caused the spin the day before. The two began the fight for the third-place podium spot immediately when the green flag flew.
As the field filtered through turn three, Freiberg chose to protect her car and slotted into the fourth-place spot. After a long green-flag run, an incident further back in the field caused a full- course caution.
Just two minutes - plus one lap - remained when the green flag reemerged. When the leader made an improper restart, he was dropped to the back of the field. This promoted Freiberg to third place, where she held on through the checkered flag, clinching her third-place spot in the championship as well.
“It has certainly been a season full of ups and downs,” said Freiberg. “But I couldn’t be more grateful for the way things ultimately turned out.
“After winning at COTA earlier this season, and immediately after finding myself out of a ride, I was completely blown away by Victoria [Thomas] and her tenacity to find me an opportunity to finish the race season with Kellymoss. I truly get emotional at the thought of how she - as well as so many others - stepped up to help me get back behind the wheel. It’s so rare in this sport to have things happen that way, and I love working with everyone on the Kellymoss team!
“All I can say is thank you - to Victoria and Andy [Kilcoyne], to Thu Brulé, Mobil1, Yokohama, Shift Up Now, Porsche Motorsport of North America, Radius LLC, and to all of my amazing fans who donated to my Open Fender. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of you!”
