Round one for Pirelli GT4 SprintX. We have Ryan Myrehn and Pirelli GT class manager Jack Baldwin in the booth for this race. Safety car in the lane and we have a green flag! Matt Travis and Derek DeBoer lead into turn one with two Porsche Cayman’s. Great start. Watch for the uphill corners as we have an hour of racing and no tire warmers in GT4 America. Travis ekes out a lead as James Clay wants by Derek DeBoer. James Clay is pressing Derek DeBoer already and outbrakes DeBoer. The competition is as strong as ever in this division. Kenny Murillo, Ryan Dexter, and Ross Chouest are next.
A mishmash of cars.
Porsche Cayman’s, Mercedes AMG GT4’s, Aston Martin Vantage GT4’s. Derek DeBoer drops a wheel and here comes
Kenny Murillo. DeBoer lives to fight
another day. Kenny Murillo is sizing up
Mr. DeBoer. Ryan and Warren Dexter are
really pushing. The Dexter brothers are
stepping up to Aston Martin after racing a Ginetta in recent time. Ryan Dexter is pressing on looking to pass
Kenny Murillo. Paul Terry in the #59
Aston Martin gets loose and here comes Ross Chouest in the Renntech Mercedes
AMG GT4.
Oh dear. Derek DeBoer into the pit lane and he has a tire issue. Off the road is Elias Sabo in the GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4. Left rear damage to that automobile. Six minutes on the board and three laps done and dusted. Murillo and Dexter run 1-2 in the Silver class. Paul Terry and Patrick Byrne are flying. Byrne is back in GT World Challenge in GT4 in 2021. The Pro Am series is working out very well it has to be said. This is the Bronze division for a championship we’ve already seen. The amateur drivers are very quick, so “amateur” is a misnomer.
Porsche, McLaren, Toyota, BMW, and so many others. Great cars. Porsche Cayman, Toyota Supra, McLaren 570S, BMW M4. The Mercedes AMG GT4 is another automobile represented of course. The Porsche Cayman is very stout in both generations. Patrick Byrne is a former Asian Le Mans Series champion in LMP3 and raced one-time last year for K-PAX last year in GTWC America when they raced Bentley’s. Murillo Racing is a very established team. Dexter Racing is a new team, but they are racing very well. Warren Dexter had a small contretemps yesterday, but they fixed the car.
Murillo is a data engineer for the team as well as a driver. Trouble for the sister Murillo Racing car as well. Not sure where the other orange Mercedes is. They are also running a Porsche Cayman in Am for Aurora Strauss and Christina Nielsen. Aurora Strauss is out of the car. Game over. This is not what the team wanted, and someone ran into their car. They have a busted radiator. Such a shame. The two of them will race again tomorrow.
Nielsen and Strauss are both highly active in bringing female drivers into the sport. Katherine Legge is a mentor, and she has driven with Nielsen before. Now, Elias Sabo has spun and has trouble. Jon Miller in the BMW M4 GT4 and Nikolai Elgheyanian along with Mats Siljehaug are giving the KTM X-Bow a good run. They will race part-time in the United States this year but also in Europe. You drive the KTM like a go kart. It has power from a five-cylinder Audi motor. Marco Polo Motorsports is the team. They won the second of three races run here at Sonoma last year.
Jon Miller is pushing, pushing, pushing, for tenth overall. Thomas Mejia is in the BMW M4 GT4 after racing touring cars with the Mini Cooper. This is a new experience for Mejia. Samanta Tan is the team owner, and they won their class in both the 24 Hours of Dubai and the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi. Matt Travis dominating the race already ahead of James Clay. They want a championship after finishing second two years in a row. Ross Chouest in the #89 Renntech Mercedes is running extremely well, too. Paul Terry is next in the serial. Chouest was fast in Ferrari Challenge last year and also had run prototypes and Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Patrick Byrne, same thing, as he is in a Nolasport Porsche Cayman. He was called up late to substitute in the car.
Kevin Conway, a NASCAR champion in 2010, is his
co-driver. Kenny Murillo, though, is
fending off Ryan Dexter Tim Barber in the CCR Racing/Team TFB BMW M4 GT4. Tim Barber sharing with Cole Ciraulo. Barber has done oval racing and road racing
and has run sprint cars and midgets.
John Geesbreght in the Smooge Racing automobile, the Toyota Supra GT4,
is running very well. His nickname is
“Smooge” as he was a chubby kid, as we get near the halfway mark before the pit
window opens for driver changes and service.
We do have a pit stop, but no tire changes on the pit stops
like in GT3. This race so far, has been
clean. Matt Travis leads by some 12
seconds. You just don’t see a lead like
that in GT4 sprint racing. Travis knows
how to drive the wheels off that automobile along with co-driver Jason
Hart. Nick Galante will be the next
driver into the Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4 teamed up with James Clay. Clay is going for it as well. Ryan Dexter still wants to make the pass on
Kenny Murillo.
Ryan Dexter was teamed up with Cody Ware in this race last
year who has run sports cars and NASCAR and will race some IndyCar this year,
too. Ross Chouest has Paul Terry right
on his rear bumper. Paul Terry in the
Aston Martin for WR Racing with a new team.
He is co-driving in SprintX with Brandon Davis. The pit delta is 92 seconds, meaning 47
seconds for the driver change, maximum. You don’t want a short stop. It won’t work, and if it doesn’t go right,
there will be a penalty unless you use a one second joker, which can be used
only once per weekend.
Keep the joker in your back pocket. Drive through penalties is not worth it as Matt
Travis has made his pit stop as well.
Derek DeBoer has lost time on his stop.
Kenny Murillo is within a second of the threshold as the Renntech boys
lost time as well. Same for WR and Paul
Terry. Nolasport is right on the
money. Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen in the
lane where Gibbons has a new co-driver for the Porsche Cayman GT4. Can’t see the number on that car.
Nearly halfway through the pit window. If you miss the pit window, you’re
toast. Some of the swaps un the lane has
been made. Jason Hart is one of the best
Porsche Cayman pilots in the U.S.
Nolasport could be in the pound seats to capitalize if there are no
yellows, and the same is true for Bimmerworld and James Clay, who has more
experience in this GT4 BMW in SRO America compared to co-driver Nick Galante,
who does have GT4 experience, but in a different championship. Ah yes.
Bimmerworld in the lane. But
Derek DeBoer’s handover to Spencer Pumpelly may have been botched according to
what the timing and scoring screen says.
Galante is making his SRO America debut in this race. The window is nearly closed for pit
stops. A near collision right into the
path of the ST Racing BMW! Egad! That could be a penalty. Someone made a major booboo there, look. Scary business! Galante was released I believe and maybe it
shouldn’t have been released. Standing
still Is costly, but that deal was dangerous.
It seems like the ST Racing BMW was not at fault there. In the lane, the Dexter Racing Aston Martin
Vantage GT4 now with Warren Dexter, brother of Ryan Dexter, in the car now.
Murillo and Dexter scrap.
Advantage Dexter for the time being wth 25 minutes on the board
yet. Christian Szymsczak is now at the
wheel of the Murillo Mercedes. I know I
have butchered his name’s spelling.
Sorry about that, mate. Cole
Ciraulo, meantime, is into the BMW that was previously piloted by Tim Barber I
believe. Christian Szymczak has been
passed by one of the Porsche Cayman’s.
Drive through penalty for the Renntech Mercedes AMG GT4 #89, for not
turning the engine off before the driver change.
Aaron Povoledo, the Canadian, is now at the wheel of that
car, sharing with Ross Chouest.
Meantime, Jason Hart leads the motor race over Warren Dexter. 22 minutes left to go as Warren Dexter runs
second overall and first in the Silver division, a family run team out of
Nebraska. We have different classes, but
for the driver levels, as everyone is racing a GT4 spec car depending on the
make and model. The Am class is a huge
deal. Former IndyCar and prototype
driver Memo Gidley is back racing after a major injury years ago which has put
his status at Am level.
Russell Walker passes the Toyota Supra run by Forbush
Performance. That new Toyota is working
out very well as a new car in GT4 racing.
Toyota has put up contingency money for finishes on the podium and, also
if you win championships. Customer
sports car racing is a definite avenue for marketing their cars and making
money for selling cars and parts and servicing them as well. There is passing all over the track as Chris
McCoy and Jeff Westphal in the #888 Audi.
Must check the team for that.
Penalty for the unsafe release for the #36 BMW issued by the stewards in
race control.
If you are told to go, you exit. Nick Galante had no clue the other car was
there. Meantime, a battle ensues between
Aston Martin and BMW. Cole Ciraulo vs.
Greg Liefooghe. Liefooghe has replaced
Sean Quinlan for the second half of the race with just 15 minutes to go as
Nolasport leads the motor race. The
scrap further back in the field is steaming right along. Andrew Davis in the GMG Aston Martin is being
pressed by the similar car of Paul Terry.
A great mix of automobiles.
Porsche, Aston, Mercedes, BMW, and so on.
Chandler Hull in the BMW is scrapping with Mads Siljehaug in the KTM, the Norwegian driver. Chandler Hull is struggling somehow with the tires on his BMW M4 GT4. Hull in the #94 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 sharing with Jon Miller. Patrick Gallagher gets caught behind another car. Aston Martin vs. McLaren. I couldn’t figure out which McLaren that was. Kenton Koch is chasing both Russell Walker and Greg Liefooghe. Ten minutes to go. So, this race is steadily ending.
Kevin Conway in the Toyota Supra chases Mads Siljehaug in the KTM Crossbow. Andrew Davis is chasing Kevin Conway, while veteran GT racer Jeroen Bleekemolen is running very well alongside Tim Pappas, racing overseas and here in the United States. Bleekemolen and company missed qualifying having to replace parts on the car. Jeroen Bleekemolen is seventh in Pro Am, 13th overall. Lapped traffic ahead will throw a spanner int the works. This is getting spicy.
Robert Orcutt and Jim Rappaport in the #17 TRG Porsche Cayman is passed by Jeroen Bleekemolen as the red mist is definitely down with the Dutchman. Jason Hart’s lead over Warren Dexter has ballooned to 19 seconds. Meantime, Brandon Davis wants by Andrew Davis… no relation. Just under six minutes to go. Brett Strom and Darren Jorgensen are going to be a part of GT4 America this year, and they race all over the world having run in Intercontinental GT Challenge through the years as well. Russell Walker is running well and can stay out of trouble to the end, hopefully. The glare of the setting sun is making it exceedingly difficult for drivers this late in the day with the sun straight in your eyes.
140 feet of elevation change from high point to low point here at Sonoma Raceway. Kenton Koch has done prototype racing and has run at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Ah. More scrapping with Aston Martin, Toyota, and Porsche. Jeroen Bleekemolen is pressing Brandon Davis. Jason Hart has a couple laps remaining before this race is done and dusted. Jason Hart can take his time. Bring the car home. No heroics needed, sunshine. We haven’t been shown the white flag just yet. A couple laps to go. Jeroen Bleekemolen is now right on Brandon Davis’ gearbox. Bleekemolen tries and Davis slams the door in his face. Oversteer for the Aston Martin, around the outside for the Flying Dutchman, and no dice.
What flag will we get? White flag. One lap to go. Two and a half miles remain. Warren Dexter will come home second and win the Silver division. Russell Walker is pressing hard to get the other Nolasport Cayman home. Sonoma Raceway is a great track for the Porsche Cayman. Hart makes a move and three wide, and a spinning car! Jason Hart has lapped traffic but ought to be in the car for the most part. To the inside he goes on the ST BMW #28.
Through the hairpin and Nolasport win race one, and they did it for the last two years at Circuit of the Americas and now do it at Sonoma as the Dexter brothers also win in class along with their dad, Zane. Patrick Byrne and Russell Walker will win the Am class here at Sonoma as well. Kevin Conway and Toyota third in Am. Well done, to John Geesbreght as well, Conway’s co-driver. We also congratulate Nolasport on two different winners in two classes.
Overall/Pro Am: #47 Hart/Travis Nolasport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
Silver: #062 Dexter/Dexter Dexter Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4
Am: #46 Byrne/Walker Nolasport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
See you tomorrow for more racing action as we look at the
verdant landscape of Sonoma Raceway one more time this evening, before we go
racing again tomorrow. Good night, everybody. Take care.
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