We are back to racing. We will run for 40 minutes to the end. There is a tweak for the pit window. 25-15 minutes left. Two pace laps before the race resumes. The first of two pace laps being completed, and we have only run three laps I believe. Stevan McAleer leads over Elliott Skeer, Kenton Koch, Michai Stephens, and Guy Cosmo. Perfect racing conditions. The safety car has accelerated away from the field. McAleer and Filgueiras looking for win number six. Green flag. Battle for the Pro-Am lead, look as Kenton Koch wants by Elliott Skeer. Mike Skeen in the Ford Mustang is on top of it as well running sixth overall. Yikes! Kenton Koch wants by and has to give it up before trying again and getting past Skeer!
Michai Stephens is pushing as well. Skeer wants back by the Aston Martin headed for Oak Tree. Elliott Skeer and Michai Stephens are pushing hard. Nearly three abreast down Madison Avenue as Jason Hart has Guy Cosmo and John Capestro-Dubets right in the fight. JCD won yesterday and wants to do the double. Zach Anderson in the sister car #51 is actually ahead. Mike Skeen on the defensive over Jason Hart with Scott Noble having a wreck yesterday. They are trying to get back in the game. Jason Hart raced last weekend in a Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend.
John Capestro-Dubets in ninth in the overall as we look for the Am class leader. Car #21, Terry Borcheller sharing with Nick Shanny in the TGR Accelerating Performance Toyota GR Supra. Derek DeBoer next in line for The Racer's Group in their famous #66 Porsche Cayman. They are sponsored by a local coffee company this weekend. In Pro-Am, Guy Cosmo has been demoted to fifth in class, eighth overall, the gold and blue #39 Mercedes AMG GT4. Ian James behind in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin followed by the RENNTech Mercedes AMG GT4 of Kyle Marcelli. So many great drivers here in GT4 America.
Good to see that we now have green flag laps going. John "Smooge" Geesbreght finished fourth overall and in Silver in yesterday's race as Michai Stephens scraps with Mike Skeen. Stephens, elbows out, as Skeen in the Ford Mustang is pressing on through Hog Pen. Down the front straight they come. Into the braking zone for turn one. Mega elevation change, down into turn one. Through NASCAR Bend, Left Hook, and The Snake. We saw the incident that brought the red flag out, in NASCAR Bend. RS1 have found the silver bullet and have dominated this whole season.
RS1 from Florida. We have seen them dominate like K-PAX has in GT3. RS1 focused on qualifying as well. Going down into the midpack, you have to survive. Kenton Koch and Bryan Putt, last year, they won this race overall in race two. They've won this year as well. The team is getting better and gaining solidity and Derek DeBoer is in trouble in the Am class Cayman. Pit window is now open and has been open since 30 minutes. Steam billowing from the Porsche. Did he spear across Hog Pen after a wheel broke? A tough race for Jason Alexandridis and Derek DeBoer. Again, Happy Father's Day to all the racing dads out there.
Stephens is working over Elliott Skeer. Full Course Yellow again for the stranded car of Derek DeBoer. McAleers gap now erased. Pit window open. Full Course Yellow. We saw this at NOLA at another interrupted race. Pit window still open. A few drivers missed the shot and that will shuffle them behind those blokes who are in the lane now. Guy Cosmo handing over to Chris Cagnazzi. Johann Schwarz done with his stint handing the #80 Rooster Hall BMW to Todd Brown. It is a tight squeeze in the lane for the Bimmerworld boys. McAleer and Koch stay out and so does Elliott Skeer.
How will the cars get to the lane who haven't pitted? How will the cars who have pitted catch up to the crocodile? Here come the leaders. Where is everyone else relative to the lead bunch? This is not a virtual safety car situation like we see in Formula 1. McAleer handing to Filgueiras. These are the dominant drivers. Can they keep their streak alive? RS1 Porsche #83 also pitting. BSport out ahead of RS1. Did BSport make a mistake? We can't find timing of the pit stops due to the red flag situation. Did BSport go ahead overall of Filgueiras? Eric Curran in the Saleen S1, is now fully homologated. He won't be inside the window for pitting.
Eric Curran sharing the new Saleen S1 with Steve Saleen, and it is now homologated to GT4 via SRO. It is out front for the time being. But it is hard to say what they will do when it comes to the pit lane. Gavin Sanders for Conquest Racing and their Mercedes AMG GT4 cycles to the lead. Sanders leads the Silver class. The next closest Silver class car is Kevin Conway in the Toyota Supra in fourth spot. Pro Am leaders, Jason Hart and Scott Noble. Gray Newell next in the serial, second and third on the road. Kevin Conway now second in Silver as Scott Noble is the Pro-Am leader.
Austen Smith for Auto Technic is next up. Gray Newell next up in the #24 The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Pit under yellow. Michai Stephens says go two steps forward after a stumble. Ian Willis, team manager, has been in the endurance sports car racing game for years. We should restart this time by and have 15 minutes to go. A long recovery ahead for the RS1 team. Sanders punches it with Scott Noble next up followed by Gray Newell and Kevin Conway. Conway wants to get to Sanders into the Horseshoe as Chris Cagnazzi is trying to get by Austen Smith. Everyone on cold Pirelli tires. Through the Left Hook and The Snake.
Elias Sabo and Andy Lee in the Flying Lizard Aston Martin, they have found something. Sabo did well in GT America. This is the cream colored Aston Martin. Gray Newell in the blue Aston Martin ahead. Chris Cagnazzi also ran GT America. Sabo wants by Newell. Gray Newell holding on by his fingernails to second place. Cagnazzi back on the attack right up behind Elias Sabo. Sabo has to run defense as Cagnazzi is right on his tail. Tires still in good condition. Eric Filgueiras, fourth in Silver, 21st overall. So he will still get points but won't have a chance to win today. Filgueiras trying to pick off more cars.
Stevan McAleer not happy as there was a miscommunication not to pit. Filgueiras' parents are here watching and they have to be disappointed. Get your head down and keep on trucking. That is all you can do. Hard to say if Filgueiras will catch Austen Smith or not. Scott Noble for Nolasport leading the motor race. He walloped the tires yesterday and have done a reset. The Pro-Am leader fell in the same trap, Premier Racing with Adam Adelson at the controls, he too is digging to get back up there to the sharp end. Filgueiras now chased by Raphael Matos as well. James Walker, Charlie Postins, and Todd Brown all scrapping. Postins being harried by Todd Brown.
Brown follows him through. This is a massive scrum. Postins and Clay won at NOLA and won here at home yesterday. Rooster Hall Racing, Todd Brown with Johann Schwarz, they are also in a home race here at VIR. Don't make a mistake. Car off the road. One of the Toyota Supra's is off the road. There is another accident in the Rollercoaster. We don't see that but we might head for the house early with this one. Conquest came on the scene midseason last year and won four straight. They want to get the victory. Drivers are doing all they can to salvage points. Filgueiras not in the points but Adelson will get just a single, measly point. Then again, every point counts to the end of the season.
Full points will be awarded I believe with just six minutes and change to go. Pit lane staying open even under yellow for the pit window. Kevin Conway and John Geesbreght are doing a good job in Silver and Geesbreght is new to the sport of motor racing. A big impact for one of the Toyota Supra's. Gray Newell and Ian James, John Geesbreght and Kevin Conway. Heart of Racing are looking for second spot and there's just no way we can get this race back running again. Anthony Gerazzi in the Supra and the #930 Audi of Steve Dinan, the CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4. Dinan in the lane with mechanical woes.
Moisey Uretsky, game over. He won in GT America in GT4 and now, game over, having run well in this motor race. Ups and downs on the same day indeed. Glad to see Moisey Uretsky is OK. Next up for Pirelli GT4 America, more iconic tracks like Watkins Glen, Road America, Sebring, and Indianapolis. Watkins Glen will run next month. Too many incidents in these races. The competition and intensity is wild. We need to see these races get into a rhythm. Gavin Sanders comes from a karting background. Eric Bachelart and John Farrow, the team owners at Conquest Racing. Farrow wanted to find young, talented drivers in need of an opportunity.
That is how he found Michai Stephens, Colin Mullan, and Gavin Sanders. Farrow and Sanders are both Canadians. Michai Stephens and Gavin Sanders are going to win this motor race. Conquest Racing takes it behind the safety car. Tom Dyer at 1:53.362, fastest lap despite retiring from the motor race.
Overall/Silver: #34 Stephens/Sanders Conquest Racing/JWF Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT4
Pro-Am: #47 Noble/Hart NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Am: #36 Clay/Postins Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4
So, that's it from GT4 America race two at VIR. We gotta go because the big boys and the big toys, the GT3 cars, are about to get ready to race. We'll see you next time for GT4 in a month in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York at another legendary track. Watkins Glen International Raceway. Bye bye.
No comments:
Post a Comment