Race two is on deck at Circuit of the Americas for Pirelli GT4 America. After heavy rain Friday and Saturday, we see the sun on Sunday. What a difference a day makes! How refreshing! Pirelli GT4 America had a long delay and rain, rain, and more rain on Saturday. This will be a safer track today although we do have a shuffled lineup. Nolasport, with Jason Hart and Matt Travis, are here and ready to start, although Jason Hart has been on baby watch and he’s been checking flights and whatnot to try to get back to Dallas from Austin, should his wife have the baby. It would be his family’s third child. He must do at least 25 minutes of the race. Travis/Hart are leading the championship and have had three straight race win.
Kenton Koch in the Aston Martin is the man starting alongside the Nolasport Porsche. We are set for race two of the weekend in GT4 America here in Austin! 37 cars strong will start this motor race. Nolasport and Jason Hart on pole. Alongside, Kenton Koch in the BSport Racing Aston Martin. Row two sees Spencer Pumpelly in The Racer’s Group Porsche Cayman and Chandler Hull for Bimmerworld. Here we go! We have a 38-car field. The good news, as we get ready for a start, is Matt Dalton is racing today after his savage accident yesterday.
Green flag! Away we go! They fan out three, four, five wide. Funneling down into turn one, actually uphill. Four wde and plunging downhill as Aaron Povoledo in the RENNTech #89 Mercedes is moving up, and fast. Jeroen Bleekemolen is fourth in the Black Swan Racing Porsche Cayman. Probable issues for Spencer Pumpelly and the #66 Racer’s Group Porsche Cayman. He did not take his second spot on the grid, or, he has been shuffled back this early in the game in a race that has only just started and is slated to last for one hour.
Uh oh! We have a spinner! It looks like the BMW M4 GT4 of Chandler Hull. Oh dear, oh dear. We have another big accident right from the start here in Austin. Hull is not the only one caught up in this shunt. A big impact for Chandler Hull as the drivers hit the brakes to avoid the wreckage. There is another M4 BMW facing the wrong way up the road, look. Poor old Matt Dalton is caught up in yet another crash, and we can also see Guy Cosmo off the road someplace. Full Course Yellow, and calamity once again at the start of a GT4 race.
Chandler Hull got loose in front of the pack on the opening lap. The rest of the field was blinded. Cold tires indeed may have caused this, right out in the clag, and Chandler Hull got involved. Bill Auberlen, too, got turned around. One of our championship contenders, and Guy Cosmo in the second RENNTech Mercedes is all torn up as well. Chandler Hull sharing with Jon Miller. A fraught afternoon for Guy Cosmo and co-driver Chris Cagnazzi as well. Game over. A few drivers are marching through the field already. In Pro Am, Owen Trinkler has moved up ten places from 31st to 21st.
Trinkler at the wheel of the #29 Rearden Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 that he shares with Dmitri Novakov. Jeff Westphal moves up 11 places from 23rd to 12th aboard the #888, the sister Rearden Racing Audi. So, a good start for both cars on that team. Ryan Eversley, too, now running ninth. Eversley in the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 sharing that car with Joe Rubbo. In replay, we can see the cars fanning out and running up the hill. The star-spangled Porsche Cayman #17 has holed a radiator, water pouring out of it. This is the second car for The Racer’s Group, shared by Dr. James Rappaport and Todd Heatherington. Andy Lee has also been moving up, aboard the #8 Pro Am Audi R8 LMS GT4 for GMG Racing that he shares with Elias Sabo.
The radiator has exploded on that Porsche and we have an Aston Martin stopped on the side of the road. Is that Jason Bell and Andrew Davis? It could be. Spencer Pumpelly did not start from row two. They had started this race from the back of the grid as Guy Cosmo trundles to the pit lane with significant right front damage. So, it is without doubt game over as the wheels are not turning whatsoever on that #39 automobile, the Mercedes AMG GT4 for RENNTech Motorsports. Pro Am rated drivers hold the top five places at this moment. Jason Hart, Aaron Povoledo, Kenton Koch, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Greg Liefooghe, and the Norwegian, Mads Siljehaug in the KTM X-Bow.
Siljehaug is sixth. He shares that car for Marco Polo Motorsports with Nicolai Elghayanian. That is car #71 and of course it has a unique feature as it has a canopy on it instead of a pair of doors for ingress and egress. Mads and Nikolai are two top drivers. That KTM is a unique automobile. Speaking of unique, the Am class, with Al Carter, is leading, and Carter is driving for Random Vandals Racing at the wheel of their #98 BMW M4 GT4 he shares with Paul Sparta.
Russell Walker is next followed by Sam Owens. 17th, 18th, and 19th overall. Walker at the wheel of the #46 Nolasport Porsche Cayman. That is Russell and David Walker, and I believe they very well could be brothers. Sam Owens at the keyboard of another Nolasport Cayman. That is the #7 car for Nolasport with OGH that he shares with Sean Gibbons. Next up is the #43 car of Jeff Mosing. Mosing, sharing the #43 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman with Aurora Strauss and the car that is normally driven by Christina Nielsen. They are fourth in Am. Now, big damage for the Cagnazzi/Cosmo Mercedes. They will be in it for the long haul, except for the races at Watkins Glen as Chris Cagnazzi has prior commitments on that weekend.
Cagnazzi and Cosmo knew each other racing Ferrari Challenge. They knew each other enough that they could team as drivers as this is the first weekend of that program in 2021. The team had Guy Cosmo and Patrick Byrne racing together in 2019. Matt Dalton is at the end of the queue, and he had a huge hit yesterday, rolling the Aston Martin in a major way. The cars are crawling ‘round behind the safety car and the Aston Martin and others are moving slowly. The Aston Martin also raced in GT America, a race you will hear about later.
The Full Course Yellow for track cleanup continues here at Circuit of the Americas. Tim Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen have raced together for over a decade. In the wet, they were chasing the setup. In the dry, how can they compromise? They have a hybrid wet/dry setup on their Porsche Cayman today. Bleekemolen and Pappas are comfortable racing together. They probably have a certain ESP as friends out of the race car as well. Rapport with a co-driver is extremely important for success. The compromise they have made is softening the handling, softening the suspension. It has to be a stiffer, sharper setup in dry conditions.
We have had loads of damp and wet conditions. Sunny and warm weather is what we see now, during this motor race. A good notebook of past races here at COTA is a major help. The cars continue to crawl around the circuit. The tire temps are dropping in the Pirelli P Zero’s. Maybe the tires will be underinflated before the pit stop window opens in ten minutes. The window is ten minutes and will include the driver change. Yesterday, the first stint drivers and second stint drivers both had shorter stints. No tire changes during these GT4 America pit stop.
There is no rule that says don’t use a second set of tires. Two new sets out of four allotted for the race weekend including qualifying. New sticker tires during the pit stop window, that will be the way to go. The onus is on the teams to do a quick tire change. The strategy can give you an edge, but it can also turn your race pear shaped. So, be vigilant. In GT World Challenge America, there are live pit stops with refueling and tire changes of course. Jason Hart has more on his mind than winning the race as his wife gives birth to their third child.
They were prepared to sacrifice, even in a racing situation, because of their marriage. They have two daughters already and do not yet know the gender of the new baby. Jason Hart and Matt Travis have really gelled as a duo in racing. We see some debris on the road. The pit window means you keep your faster driver in longer or get them in as soon as possible. Another quick pairing is for BMW and that is the duo of Stevan McAleer and Toby Grahovec of course. Watch for the white, teal, and black Toyota Supra. Kevin Conway, sharing with John Geesbreght. Matt Dalton says that in the race yesterday when he crashed, he did not have enough tire temperature.
He was pulling up to the BMW to set up for the next turn, the car hopped, and when he got on the paint, the ABS grabbed but there was no traction. He saw the barrier and he knew it was not going to be pretty. In this race, he wants to stay away from a bump on the road and get back into it. Matt Dalton is in good shape and feeling good. His given name is Joe, but he goes by Matt to honor his grandpa. He and Patrick Gallagher are a solid duo. They are also racing in GT America, so, they have a second car to help the learning curve.
Older drivers who are businessmen, and have big accients, they are able to get right back into the game, and they know the risks of driving a race car. The advancements in safety in any kind of racing has been astonishing over the years. The drivers are generating brake and tire temperature as we get ready to restart this motor race. So, your top five is Jason Hart, Aaron Povoledo, Kenton Koch, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Greg Liefooghe, Mads Siljehaug, Brandon Davis, John Capestro-Dubets, Ryan Eversley, and Andy Lee.
Look out for Ian James in 11th and Jeff Westphal in 12th as well. They are turning it on as well. Aaron Povoledo in second will look to get a jump on the Nolasport Porsche. The safety car lights are off, and we will restart. What does Aaron Povoledo have left in the locker to use to try and go for it around Jason Hart? It is hard to say which car has the advantage. Povoledo in the Mercedes is a good one. The timing is important. It is hard to time the restart in a low-speed turn. Jason Hart leads the field back to green. Let’s go! We are under green and here come Povoledo, look, on the outside of Jason Hart!
Povoledo bish bash boshes his way to the lead of the motor race, outbraking the Porsche Cayman. Kenton Koch tries a move but decides discretion is surely the better part of valor. Side by side stuff, too for Jeroen Bleekemolen and Greg Liefooghe as well. So, the top five are right in it and Mads Siljehaug in the KTM, he too, is lurking, watching for any of the blokes in front of him to get crossed up and maybe he can pounce. The Mercedes has the power compared to the Porsche. Siljehaug is pulling a gap out on Brandon Davis. Kenton Koch wants it but can’t reach out for the opportunity yet.
The pit window ought to open now. Ah yes. It is. Early takers are not often an occurrence. Wow, wow, wow. Side by side between Bleekemolen and Liefooghe and Liefooghe goes by, as Bleekemolen gives up the fight for the time being, waiting and watching. Jeroen Bleekemolen is the shark, and Greg Liefooghe is the minnow. Meanwhile, Aaron Povoledo, he has bolted. Jason Hart is well behind the Mercedes driver, falling into the wheel tracks of the B Sport Racing Aston Martin, Kenton Koch at the controls. Mads Siljehaug is really going for it past Bleekemolen. Poor old Bleekemolen is getting swamped! Brandon Davis now, on the inside, in the Aston Martin, he’s wheel to wheel, look, with Bleekemolen, and he’s going to try and nab Siljehaug as well!
Up the hill they go into turn one, leaving the braking amazingly late. Who has the edge? Bleekemolen over the curbs, gets a wee bit tail happy. Liefooghe is right on Kenton Koch’s six. Blimey! Poor old Bleekemolen has been freight trained and is in a rut behind Liefooghe. Ryan Eversley in the Vincent van Gogh Starry Night liveried ST Racing BMW, he has his hands full with Andy Lee in the Audi! There are battles all over the shop here, look. Such quality drivers at the wheel when the pro drivers begin these races. This one is a cracker!
Liefooghe is on the charge! He must have eaten his Wheaties for breakfast this morning and has some extra boost. Side by side stuff, again, between Liefooghe and Koch. Koch isn’t going to roll over and play dead. This is spectacular! Do not go to the refrigerator now, ladies and gentlemen. You will miss some inspiring motor racing if you do. Liefooghe is trying. Kenton Koch has the preferred line into turn 15 and here comes Jason Hart! He is booking it as well! He has dropped from the lead as Povoledo leads the motor race. Poor old Kenton Koch had power steering woes yesterday and hopefully that has not reared its head again.
Things are going from bad to worse for Bleekemolen, and he is dropping like a stone. Did they miss the setup on that Porsche Cayman? What is the deal? Pit stop time for the #72 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4. Christian Szymczak was the starting driver, so he should hand the car to Kenny Murillo. These boys were on the outside of the front row yesterday while on the second lap, the gearbox packed up and it was game over. Meanwhile, RENNTech and Aaron Povoledo continue to lead. If you know aftermarket automotive parts, and Mercedes Benz, RENNTech, in south Florida, are a major part of that aftermarket and tuning business for Mercedes Benz.
Tomas Mejia has just pitted the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 from 24th place. Canadian Nick Wittmer is his co-driver today after Bryson Lew raced yesterday. So, a driver shuffle in that automobile. Mejia now at the controls. Bryson Lew and Tomas Mejia are some of the younger drivers in the championship. Meanwhile, John Capestro-Dubets moves past Brandon Davis. BMW vs. Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has really become a popular car for this series. Ben Anderson engineers cars for Dexter Racing who are running Aston Martin, and he will be in a car in the next SRO GT4 America event at Virginia International Raceway in mid-June. But, it won’t be an Aston. Instead, Anderson will drive a Ginetta.
We look forward to seeing that. #888 in the lane for service. That’s the Audi R8 LMS GT4 shared by Jeff
Westphal and Vesko Kozarov, the Rearden Racing entry. Westphal out, Kozarov in. This is a Silver rated class car. Westphal is a veteran GT endurance driver and
Kozarov is a strong driver too. Kozarov
originally from Bulgaria, but now living in the United States. This team races in GT4 and in GT3. So we will see them again later. Meanwhile, Kenton Koch for BSport Aston
Martin is second and he has Greg Liefooghe all over him. Mr. Liefooghe wants to make a race out of it.
Some of the setups have been compromised in the dry compared to the wet track we had in the rain on Saturday. Aaron Povoledo pits at 26 minutes on the clock and everyone else hits the lane now to squeak in a stop before the pit window closes. Ross Chouest, from New Orleans, Louisiana, will take over from Povoledo in the RENNTech Mercedes. The minimum pit stop delta is 82 seconds. You can use a one second joker but only once per weekend. The Kozarov/Westphal stop is way off the mark. They will be penalized with a drive through. Astonj Martin #59 in the lane as well. Same for the #18 Forbush Performance Toyota Supra.
#59 has Paul Terry getting into the car after Brandon Davis ends his stint. Cannot tell if it is Matt Forbush, or the Canadian, Damon Surzyshyn getting into the Supra. Ah. It is Surzyshyn taking over as Povoledo is back on track from the lead of the motor race. Nolasport looks good. Ross Chouest now at the wheel of the #89. Elias Sabo replaces Andy Lee. Sean Wuinlan leads Jason Hart, Brandon Putt, Vesko Kozarov, and Elias Sabo. Putt took over from Kenton Koch and has lost places. Sean Quinlan and Matt Travis race each other. Quinlan ahead of Hart.
The Nolasport team are ticking the boxes indeed. Pit lane has been busy. Matt Travis is now driving. Jason Hart can shift his focus to his family. So, Nolasport have gotten out of the starting blocks well in 2021. They want a championship. So, Sean Quinlan is your leader, Matt Travis second, Bryan Putt third, Vesko Kozarov, fourth, and Ross Chouest, fifth. Nikolai Elghanayan is next up at the wheel of the KTM X-Bow that he has taken over from Mads Siljehaug.
John Geesbreght has moved around Elias Sabo after taking over from Kevin Conway. A good crew at Smooge Racing. Tony Ave is the operator with Thomas Knapp as engineer. Knapp is a former driver turned engineer. Yikes! Kenny Murillo is almost biffed into a spin by Paul Terry! Jeepers Jenny! What was that all about? Elgahanayan is the shark, and he has two minnows he could swallow in one gulp here. He smells blood in the water. John Geesbreght meanwhile, is in the pit lane. This is unscheduled. Not a good deal for Smooge Racing. Not a good deal at all. It appears to be a drive through penalty.
Sean Quinlan leads and Matt Travis in second. In 2019, Steven Cameron Racing and Nolasport battled for a championship. Could that be the same in 2021? In tenth place, the Black Swan Racing Team as Jeroen Bleekemolen pitted the #54 Porsche Cayman, handing the car to Tim Pappas. There was no power from an overheating motor according to Bleekemolen. Yikes! That’s not good. The team checked the car, and no radiator debris, but a hot radiator indeed. Less than 20 minutes to go. Sean Quinlan leads. Greg Liefooghe was behind traffic and not drafting because the ambient temperatures are hot.
Maybe some teams have been caught out in the heat as Stevan McAleer is scrapping with Paul Terry. McAleer makes the move stick for sixth, and second in the Silver class. Kenny Murillo leads Silver right now in the Mercedes, car #72. Kenny Murillo is working with his dad and is a data engineer. His dad was a racer who changed to being a team boss. Murillo ran in Porsche Cup last year but knows how to drive a Mercedes. Murillo makes a move on Ross Chouest and there’s a little contact there. Nikolai Elghayanian is next in the KTM. KTM is going to race in the United States this year for Marco Polo Motorsports.
Matt Travis is now just half a second behind Sean Quinlan with less than 15 minutes to run. Travis is on the power into the stadium section. What risk will he take? He Is going for four straight wins. Be careful. Don’t throw the car off the road, but it is indeed go time. The BMW is going to have a tad more power and the Porsche might have the handling advantage. The Cayman is right in the tire tracks of the BMW M4. This is a stonking battle! Quinlan is not intimidated by Travis. The BMW just does not have the handling in the esses.
Side by side, too, between Kenny Murillo and Bryan Putt. Putt is going to give the spot to Murillo as he can finish on the podium in class. The classes are for drivers and their ratings. All these cars are GT4 automobiles. Pirelli GT4 America class manager, Jack Baldwin, he said that Nolasport is the best Cayman team in the country, and Baldwin, a former champion in sports car racing, he knows of what he speaks. Ross Chouest is moving in on Bryan Putt. Aaron Povoledo says Ross Chouest is running phenomenally right now with pace and that the Mercedes is a joy to drive because it handles extremely well.
Chouest is pressing Bryan Putt. Ross Chouest is not afraid of getting his elbows out and giving it the old welly. Chouest moves ‘round Putt in turn 12 for the final spot on the Pro Am podium. There is nothing in it between Quinlan and Travis. Travis has the pace through turn 19. Into 20, Quinlan has to close the door so he cannot give Travis a chance and here comes the orange and black Mercedes of Kenny Murillo as well. Murillo is going to be a factor. Travis has to light the afterburners, now.
Side by side stuff! Travis is being eaten up by Quinlan! Travis makes the move! Nolasport lead now. 149-150 miles an hour are the top speeds. Quinlan needs to press Travis and here comes Murllo! Through turn 11. Quinlan makes a mistake and loses time. Travis has escaped. Murillo all over Quinlan like a rash. Steve Cameron must tell Sean Quinlan to let Murillo go by. Quinlan can take advantage in theory, but he wants to keep second place.
Stevan McAleer passes Bryan Putt for fifth place. McAleer is behind Murillo. McAleer might not have enough juice, sharing with Toby Grahovec, to move in. Murillo Racing have really come back after their fraught race on Saturday. Christian Szymczak turning the car over to Kenny Murillo early, must have helped. McAleer wants by Chouest, but not for a class spot, and rather an overall place. Travis leads by a second at least. Chouest’s lap times are right in the ballpark with his competitors. He is really pushing. Bryan Putt is right behind these two. Putt and company have had a number of podium’s but they still need to win, as the Aston Martin is the best all around GT4 automobile in the class. So many cars can have speed on different track.
Sean Gibbons, sharing with Sam Owens, have had a good race today in the #7 Nolasport with OGH Porsche Cayman. Gibbons had a career season in 2020. White flag this time by as Kenny Murillo is making some inroads on this last lap. Can he win overall? Will he want the Silver class win? Probably the Silver. Matt Travis is still ahead as we see the Jason Bell driven GMG Aston Martin move over courteously. A lapped McLaren in the way. Not sure who it is exactly. Travis is being balked by this McLaren 570S GT4.
Travis must pass on the inside and be obvious with your intention to pass. No worries. Final lap of the motor race. Murillo is running out of time. Matt Travis and Jason Hart, they can sweep the races here at COTA. Travis is going to win over Murillo. Travis and Hart win it as Jason Hart will meet his new baby soon. Sean Gibbons in the other Nolasport Cayman is going to finish well and win Am. Wow. Great race. Nolasport are tough to beat at Circuit of the Americas.
Derek DeBoer and Spencer Pumpelly bring it home after being down the order all day. We have seen some drivers really finish well and we willcheck in on the class winners in just a moment. Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan are second in Pro Am, and next up is the duo of Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo. Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak share Silver honors followed by Toby Grahovec and Stevan McAleer. Ryan and Warren Dexter finish eighth overall and third in Silver. Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen win Am for Nolasport. CrowdStrike fastest lap goes to Aaron Povoledo.
So, here are your overall and class winners in Pirelli GT4
America race two at Circuit of the Americas.
Overall/Pro Am: #47 Hart/Travis Nolasport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
Silver:
#72 Murillo/Szymczak Murillo Racing
Mercedes AMG GT4
Am: #7 Gibbons/Owen Nolasport with OGH Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
Clubsport
Early doors in the season yet. But the next event is coming up in mid-June
at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. More awesome action yet to come in the 2021
Pirelli GT4 America championship. See
you at VIR.
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