We are set for another thrilling Blancpain GT America race today (Sunday), at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. On pole for the race today, the #80 Racer's Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 shared by Canadian's Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli. Again, at Circuit of the Americas, 133 feet of elevation into turn one, second gear, turn two, right hander, into fourth and fifth gear. Watch out for the orange apex curbs. All twisty in here, through turns nine and ten. Use all the road on an FIA track. Don't go past the white lines to be outside track limits. Turn 11, turn, onto a straight, grab 6th gear, watch out for turn 12. Someone always loses out. Double apex turn 13, pick your eyes up. Into sector three. Don't wear out the tires. Adjust the steering. Penultimate corner, use all the road. Hit throttle early. Second gear into turn 20, and fly down the straight.
The field is lined up, ready to roll. Again, three different driver rating categories. Pro, Pro Am, and Am. Kyle Marcelli is on the pole as we look at the grid. It's time to race. Drivers, start your engines! It is time to go GT3 racing, again, here at Circuit of the Americas. What a great variety of engine notes. V8, V6, flat 6, and more. The field is on their formation laps as we prepare for round two of the championship. Some teams requested two formation laps because it's really cold here in Austin, Texas, at 45 degrees with a major wind chill and a strong breeze. The breeze is sideways down the straightaway.
The esses are iconic here at COTA. You can't break your rhythm or you'll mess up your lap time. Turn 11 is the most important turn, leading into the best passing zone. Use the brakes to generate tire temperature, just as we talked about, yesterday. Watch the exits of these corners. That's going to be key. OK. Lights out on the safety car. We're ready to race, now. The safety car pulls off. Kyle Marcelli will lead the field to green. We see the green flag, and away we go! Ease up to the startr finish line, and we're off and underway. Marcelli takes the lead and Maximilian Buhk battles Toni Vilander as Dennis Olsen spins. Good start for Toni Vilander. Maximimilian Buhk is opening up a lead as the marshals will review the start.
The Bentley's got snookered and are buried now. Scott Hargrove is going for it as Jeff Segal attacks Toni Vilander, but look at Maximilian Buhk! Colin Braun is coming in the #04 Mercedes. He's up into the top six. U.S. RaceTronics now running Mercedes. Segal is still going for it, look. He's flying at the moment as Richard Antinucci wants by Colin Braun. This is hot and heavy racing right now, chaps. Toni Vilander is harrying Martin Barkey as Maxime Soulet and Alvaro Parente are stuck in the middle of the field right now. These conditions are chilly, and these new cars are just now finding their feet, especially that Racer's Edge Acura NSX that currently leads this motor race. Vilander cuts inside Marcelli for the lead. Vilander around the outside, look. Vilander dodges by Marcelli and slams the door in his face!
Vilander was a lucky boy there as Marcelli is now pressing Vilander again. Yikes! Marcelli is not happy about being hip checked by the flying Finn. Down the back straight again as Maximilian Buhk is being hounded by Scott Hargrove. Porsche vs. Mercedes. Jeff Segal in the Ferrari, the TR3 entry sharing with Wei Lu, he is pressing hard as well. The Ferrari's are suited to the track and conditions right now. 2:06.488 for Vilander, over a second clear of the rest of the field. Plunging down into turn two and into the esses another time. The Seagal and Hargrove scrum is the hottest battle on the track at the moment, look. Drive through penalty for car #6, that's Antinucci, and had all four wheels over the pit/track blend line. He'll be down by 30 seconds after driving into the pit lane.
Maxime Soulet is 13th on the road. Maybe he has damage. The Bentley's are not at all where they were yesterday. Their race is pear shaped so far. Can they recover? Replay of the start, and yes, Antinucci had all four wheels off and Soulet tapped Anthony Imperato, sending the Porsche spinning. Maximilian Buhk still presses Kyle Marcelli as Toni Vilander is checking out at this point. In Am, Anthony Lazzaro leads Martin Fuentes. It's a Ferrari 1-2 in Am, but poor old Martin Fuentes is not running well in the Am class so far. Jeff Segal is having a tough old time fending off Antinucci and going after Buhk. Antinucci still has a penalty to serve and he'd best do it now so the stewards don't stop scoring him.
Anthony Lazzaro is giving thew Risi Competizione Ferrari a good run while we look at Maxime Soulet pressing on, trying to move up the order. In Pro Am, your higher rated driver finishes race one and starts race two. The #5 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 has Ryan Eversley starting the car co-driving with Till Bechtelsheimer. Maxime Soulet will have a 30 second drive through penalty for causing a collision as Race Director Alain Adam called it on the radio. Take your medicine, get back on the road, and keep pressing on. That's all you can do. Toni Vilander is in the zone right now, leading this race having cut a 2:06.4 lap while everybody else is in the 2:07-2:08 range. Pit window is between 40-50 minutes into the motor race with a mandatory four tire change for new Pirelli P Zero tires.
The gearing will be affected by the wind today and the aerodynamics will be affected, but these drivers are pros and know exactly what their doing. When you go uphill and hit the brakes, gravity is your pal. Personal best first sector time for Marcelli. Toni Vilander has a margin over Jeff Segal as the Ferrari's lead. Michael de Quesada and Alvaro Parente are moving up. Maximilian Buhk made that brave move in yesterday's race. Jeff Segal continues to hold fifth overall and third in Pro Am at the moment. The higher rated drivers are amazing. Some of the best GT drivers in the world are here in the cold in Austin, Texas. Vilander is flying now.
Track limits warning for the #22 Porsche. They had two penalties yesterday between Michael de Quesada and Daniel Morad. Marcelli has stabilized the gap, and Alvaro Parente is chasing the Porsche. They went through four chassis' after three different crashes at K-PAX, last year. COTA was not a good track for the first generation Bentley Continental GT3, but the new car is improving, however, they need to leapfrog other cars on the pit stops. Alvaro Parente is crushing it at the moment, as Joe Toussaint spins the Autometrics #991 Porsche 911 GT3R and continues on his merry way. Now, Martin Fuentes is being hounded by Richard Antinucci and the BMW M6 GT3 of Gregory Liefooghe.
Liefooghe is also giving it the welly here, look. But poor old Liefooghe got snookered, and now, James Sofronas at the back of the queue, check that, it's Brent Holden, and he is making his way past the BMW. Anthony Lazzaro continues leading the Am class. Ryan Eversley is making his way through the field as we have another bloke who has been given a warning on track limits. That's Antinucci. Watch out, Richard. Michael de Quesada is stepping up to the plate and Daniel Morad has been helping him out. They won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in IMSA a couple years back. The engine over the drive wheels for the Porsche, helps the car with traction.
Poor old Maxime Soulet is still in strife. Rodrigo Baptista suspects that the cold might be affecting the Bentley's performance. Alvaro Parente is buried in 17th spot. Soulet turned a personal best lap of 2:07.6. Vilander at 2:06.4 still has the fastest lap of the motor race so far. Climbing uphill again, and now sweeping back downhill. Even with ABS, feel the grip, or you can lock the brakes up. Norwegian driver Dennis Olsen is being chased by Matt Plumb sharing with Alfred Caiola. Now, Parente and de Quesada are scrapping down the back straight into turn 12, look. Who gets deepest on the brakes? It's the Porsche of de Quesada, and here comes Parente back for the undercut!.
Parente sweeps by again and de Quesada comes back.
This is stunning stuff, look. Meanwhile, Maximilian Buhk is applying the blowtorch to Kyle Marcelli as Toni Vilander still leads. Scott Hargrove is now seven seconds adrift of Maxi Buhk as we wait for ten minutes, before the pit window opens for full service pit stops, tires, refueling, and a driver change. You have to be near perfect to nail the 70 second pit stop delta. The cold, as we've said, is bone chilling. The drivers and crews have to be ready to roll immediately. Racer's Edge ran that SIN R1 car in GT4 last year, which was more like a prototype, but this is a totally different deal with the GT3 Acura.
Kyle Marcelli decides discretion is the better part of valor and just gifts a spot to Maxi Buhk, look. In qualifying, there are two 15 minute sessions, for the first driver to qualify for race one and the second driver to qualify for race two. Toni Vilander leads as Maximilian Buhk is now second in a Pro Am ranked car. Marcelli was tentative about giving up the spot and Buhk just stepped right through the open door on that one. Team boss John Mirachi for Racer's Edge is really excited and really happy to be in GT3. Mirachi says the pit crew is ready and they'll knock out the pit stop. We are still in the first half of the race. Be careful. Give up a bit of track position, but don't get aggressive and ruin your race.
2:09.4 for Toni Vilander, Maxi Buhj, 2:08.6. So, are the Pirelli tires going away on Vilander's Ferrari? He has to hang on before the pit window. An early pit stop is going to cost you because another bloke will pass right by you. The out laps were good yesterday, but it was warmer yesterday compared to the frigid temperatures we have today. No tire blankets allowed in Blancpain competition. Maxime Soulet has passed Martin Fuentes and Anthony Lazzaro. It is all about damage control, and don't panic. Only the top ten score points. So, you have to still push. Oh boy. Martin Fuentes is reminded to watch for his driving standards. Don't do anything silly and risk a penalty. The Mercedes has more grip to use than does the Ferrari.
How ironic. It's Ferrari vs. Mercedes at the top. Shades of Formula 1. Maxi Buhk is pressing hard but knows he can't throw away a class win. Buhk is trying to force Vilander's hand and Vilander can't turn the Ferrari. He's got some handling issues. He might just have to give it up. Buhk is in a Pro Am class car. They are all GT3, but they are in classes based on driver rank as the pit window opens. No takers just yet. The Ferrari is not handling as well as it was earlier in this race, as Vilander has a 14 second lead over Scott Hargrove for the Pro class lead. Ferrari vs. Porsche. Vilander hits the lane, and Buhk goes to the lead, briefly.
How efficient is the pit crew? Miguel Molina will step into the car. Marcelli in the lane, handing the Acura NSX GT3 over to Martin Barkey as the tire carriers must be very careful, and one rattle gun is allowed to change the tires. Grab the driver by the epaulet of the suit and yank him out of there. Clean pit stops all around it seems as Barkey will now have some advantage. But the Acura crew had a slow stop compared to the Bentley's. Pit stop practice between now and the next race will be crucial. Stay tuned for details on the next event after this one ends. Maximilian Buhk and Scott Hargrove both pit. Pat Long takes over the Porsche, and J.C. Perez takes over the Mercedes.
Patrick Long is in his fourth season of being a Wright Motorsports driver as it's a slow stop for Buhk and Perez.
Miguel Molina scythes past Gregory Liefooghe who needs new tires on that BMW. Cold tires for J.C. Perez. He is only in his sixth top level motor race of his career. TR3 Ferrari in the lane. Wei Lu will take over the car. Anthony Lazzaro is in as well, and so are Martin Fuentes and Greg Liefooghe. Not a good stop for TR3. So, they'll be behind the eight ball. The pit crews are doing well, but the time of the delta is being taken up by fuel, tires, and a driver change. Good move, look, for the #9 Bentley and in the Hublot Ferrari, it is Cesar Bacarella now at the wheel of it. Pierre Mulacek is now at the wheel of the Risi Ferrari, and Henry Schmitt has taken over the Steve Cameron Racing BMW as the pit window closes.
Miguel Molina is now in the lead of the race. Patrick Long is second, and Andy Soucek is third. Good recovery by K-PAX Bentley. They are coming back into a podium place. Wei Lu is scraping with Martin Barkey, who are both behind J.C. Perez. Last year, these races only ran for 60 minutes. Martin Barkey was really fast in GT4 last year. Patrick Long brakes deep into turn 12. Andy Soucek is closing up. Drive through penalty for the #82 Ferrari, speeding in the lane. Pierre Mulacek will have to take the penalty and lose 30 seconds. Get it done. Get back out and go for it. Miguel Molina leads, and Patrick Long is still 14 seconds behind. #58 and #9 will now have to catch lapped traffic.
Patrick Long is really working the wheel, holding off the pressure from Andy Soucek. The Spaniard is flying as they come up on James Sofronas in the Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3R. #22 in track limit violation mode again. One more ding and he'll have another penalty as Trevor Baek is blocking the Porsche. But Baek in the Ferrari is disposed of, as now, Henry Schmidt is trying hard to hold off the Bentley. Steve and Ricky Cameron call the shots for the team. Trevor Baek gets passed by Andy Soucek, targeting Patrick Long. Henry Schmidt runs wide in the BMW as Soucek has lost a second and Patrick Long's gap will grow.
Circuit of the Americas is so wide, you have to think about not running the ideal line when someone wants to pass you. Wei Lu is reeling in J.C. Perez right now. Martin Barkey is third in Pro Am, and he is looking for another podium along with an overall pole. Rodrigo Baptista is up to seventh overall and fourth in the Pro division. Baptista sneaks past Barkey, look. Baptista gives Bentley the welly down the straight and is showing extremely well here in Texas. Intense concentration, the focus of a racing driver, shows on Rodrigo Baptista's face. As a driver, you have to look way ahead, into the corner. Stay calm, and be smooth. That's exactly what these professional drivers do.
Miguel Molina leads as we have another final track limits warning for someone. Rodrigo Baptista is sixth, trying to reel in Wei Lu, and he needs eight seconds, with just 28 minutes to go. Maxime Soulet conversing with team strategist and race engineer, Thomas Blam at K-PAX. Patrick Long gets caught behind a lapped car and Andy Soucek gets a big run! Wow. Soucek is clear of Patrick Long now. Rodrigo Baptista continues to run in the 2:06 range. Patrick Long is way up on the curbs, and is throwing caution to the wind, look. Every position is critical in the big picture of the championship season.
Andy Soucek has indeed put some daylight between himself and Patrick Long for second place. Miguel Molina in the Ferrari is on a Sunday drive as a final warning is given for Alan Metney in the #991 Porsche 911 GT3R. COTA is so wide, that if you get stymied, you can't leave the line open for a competitor. Traction control is great in a straight line, but it doesn't help you avoid side drifting the car. There's a fine line on the TC systems. Polar inertia and the physics of racing is what you want. Every lap in racing is a study in physics. Wei Lu continues to lead Pro Am and he's been caught by the Pro Bentley with Rodrigo Baptista at the wheel of it. Baptista is a lot like Juan Pablo Montoya was in his early career, less talk, and all driving. Alfred Caiola is the next lapped car these blokes deal with.
J.C. Perez gets a driv through penalty as the #38 Kevin Milstein/Alex Barroon driven Porsche 911 GT3R is stopped on the road and so is the Ferrari #19 of Brian Kaminskey. Baptista has 20 seconds to make up on Patrick Long. Game on, now, boys. Will the stopped cars get underway? Nope. Full Course Yellow. Poor old Kevan Millstein is high sided, sharing with Alex Barron in the #38 K2R Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3R. Chris Cagnazzi is the co-driver of Brian Kaminsky in the One-Eleven Motorsports Ferrari. Neutralize the field and then bring out the safety car. At Portland last years, there was a yellow where the field was not neutralized and caused trouble. It's game over for the Barron/Milstein entry and for the Cagnazzi/Kaminsky car. Alex Barron ran open wheel cars in Formula Atlantic and IndyCar in the past.
The other Ferrari has drivers coming up from the Ferrari Challenge division. Martin Barkey, Steve Agakhani, and George Kurtz are all coming into contention in the final moments of this motor race. It's going to get interesting. Molina and Long's margins have evaporated. This is for the money, boys. Don't run to the fridge yet. Stay close, as there's 15 minutes to go. Safety car in this lap. The tires will cool off under the safety car. Don't wash out wide off the corner entering at an acute angle. This will be a battle royal for the last ten minutes. Strap in, and hold on. Steve Agakhani and George Kurtz are running well in Pro Am. Cesar Bacarella and Brent Holden are 1-2 in Am. Baptista has been flying. Watch for him to make his move.
Soucek eats up Molina at the restart. Poor old Molina was slow. Molina is fighting on the outside into the esses and Molina retakes the lead. Wei Lu has spun off the road. Wow. Molina is pushing as the #71 Mercedes will need a pejnalty as Wei Lu is parked offline in the esses. Martin Barkey will move into the lead and Henry Schmitt is off the road as well. There may have been contact, and there was. Wei Lu must have clouted Henry Schmitt. 2:09.1 for Molina, and 2:09.9 for Soucek. It's getting down to crunch time as Miguel Molina leads the motor race and Cesar Bacarella leads Am in 12th in the overall. Local yellows will fly, no need for the safety car. Some infraction for the #71 Mercedes on refueling or too many men over the wall.
Wei Lu limps his way back into the race and into the lane, possibly. Better to hit pit lane than be disqualified. Martin Barkey will take the Pro Am class lead. George Kurtz and Steve Agakhani can move up. Perez does not move to the lane. Maybe his pit crew has not told him yet. Molina, Soucek, Long, Baptista, the top four. Miguel Molina has a second cushion in P1. Those are the margins right now. Miguel Molina is being reeled in by the Bentley, look. He's applying the blowtorch as they fly down the back straight. Two laps to go in this motor race essentially. The #71, #87, and #31 kerfuffle is under review by the stewards. #71 has to serve the penalty for the pit infraction, and also for the aforementioned incident.
Molina is 3/10ths quicker than Soucek and the margin balloons to 3.2 seconds. #71 is black flagged. He didn't take the drive through penalty. He will be disqualifed or will stop being scored. He has lost radio communication it appears. He was called multiple times for the drive through, as Patrick Long defends from Rodrigo Baptista. This is it. The race is on the line here in Texas. White flag lap this time for Miguel Molina. Finally, #71 acknowledges the black flag and into the Pro Am class lead, the Acura for Racer's Edge of Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli. This is a big league win for Barkey, potentially. Through turn 11 for the final time. Baptista is closing on Long for third spot.
Long protects the line on Baptista. This is it. The clock has run out. Baptista wants it, but he can't get there. He's not close enough to dive outside as Miguel Molina is going to win in Texas here at Circuit of the Americas! Bentley second, Porsche third for Long/Hargrove, and Rodrigo Baptista gets fourth. Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli win Pro Am. 1-2 in Pro Am as smoke billows from the George Kurtz Mercedes. Wow! What a race! A 1-2 in Pro Am for Acura, and Ferrari/R. Ferri controlling their destiny. Toni Vilander and Miguel Molina win it!
#71 hit the side of Wei Lu earlier and the #87 BMW was also in that shemozzle. Forza Ferrari! Your winners in race two at COTA:
Overall/Pro: #61 Vilander/Molina R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3
Pro Am: #80 Marcelli/Barkey Racer's Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3
Am: #7 Fuentes/Bacarella Squadra Corsa Garage Italia Ferrari 488 GT3
Break out the broom in Am, as the Squadra Corsa Garage Italia team sweeps the weekend in the Am class. 40 laps completed by the winners in the hour and a half race. Daniel Morad and Michael de Quesada fight back to fifth overall. 1-2 sweep for Acura in Pro Am. Am honors also to Ferrari. This is the opener of the Blancpain World Challenge which will have 18 races in total across North America, Europe, and Asia. It's been a treat to cover this race at Circuit of the Americas. We look forward to the rest of the season.
Join us, for round tow of the championship for Blancpain GT America, at another great circuit, Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, coming up the last weekend in April. That event should be awesome. Looking forward to covering it. For now, we say so long, from Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas.
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