Max Hewitt, the dynamic 21-year-old racer, made his maiden voyage into endurance racing this past weekend with Round 3 Racing (R3R) in the World Racing League (WRL) at Road America. Hewitt, along with teammates Jeff Courtney and Josh Bilicki, took on the immense challenge in a BMW M4 GT4, marking multiple firsts for the young Houston native: his first WRL appearance, first time at Road America, first endurance race, and very first time in the BMW M4 GT4.
Despite no physical seat time prior to the race, Hewitt put in an extreme amount of simulator training to prepare for the event. This dedication clearly paid off as the R3R/Renegade Racing team demonstrated their grit and skill.
On Saturday, the team made an impressive showing, bringing the car home in 4th place after completing a whopping 196 laps. They even led the race for over two hours, a remarkable achievement in such a high-stakes event.
Sunday, however, presented a new set of challenges. A broken front left wheel carrier in the second hour of the 7-hour endurance race put the team more than 2 hours behind the rest of the field. Nonetheless, the team’s determination was unyielding. Jeff Courtney skillfully nursed the car back to the garage for repairs. Following this setback, Hewitt and Bilicki were able to recover the car back to a respectable 13th position in class, completing 105 laps.
“Endurance racing was a brand-new challenge for me,” Hewitt said. “We faced some tough moments, especially on Sunday, but I’m proud of how our team managed to bounce back. The experience has been invaluable.”
Hewitt will be back in action this coming weekend at Road America, May 18-21, for the second round of the Formula Regionals Americas Championship with IGY6 Motorsports. Despite the grueling weekend, Hewitt remains unfazed. “I’m eager to get back out there and continue to push my limits,” he said.
Stay tuned to Hewitt’s journey in racing by following MPH Racing Team on Instagram at mph.racingteam and visiting the team’s official website at mphracingteam.com.