It is time for the finale of the weekend at Watkins Glen. It is GT World Challenge America race two! We head into the second half of the season today. K-PAX Racing had their streak broken by the #45 Pro-Am Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R of Jan Heylen and Charlie Luck winning. A gorgeous track at Watkins Glen. Hello to Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, and Amanda Busick, our commentators for today's motor race. We saw a very exciting race one yesterday. The K-PAX Lamborghini's hard a very hard time yesterday. Very strange to see them at the bottom of the deck in the official results sheet yesterday. Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull are ready to go. Drivers, start your engines! The command is given. Engines fire and the cars make their way onto the track for the formation laps.
The weather is cloudier than yesterday which will give the Pirelli P Zero tires a reprieve. Rest In Peace Marlena Solomon, who joined SRO America prior to this season. Rest In Peace, Marlena. Godspeed. The drivers are on their sighting laps getting ready to race, through the Inner Loop. Watkins Glen was resurfaced a few years back. High speed, lots of elevation change, high grip. The grip is there but then you will have tire marbles later on. Loris Spinelli starting the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes AMG GT3 wanting to vastly improve and they've been snakebitten all year.
Can they pull it off today? Spinelli put the car on pole over Jordan Pepper by 6/10ths of a second. Winward Racing are back also with a Mercedes AMG GT3. They have been trying to go for wins in other championships as well and also want a result. Phil Ellis sharing with Russell Ward. Gppd starting place in Pro-Am for the #13 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 for Justin Wetherill and Ryan Dalziel. Next up, Colin Braun and George Kurtz in the #04 Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3. The second of two formation laps are underway as we get set to race. It is going to be hot. Will we have issues with the Pirelli P Zero tires?
US Racetronics have reset the camber in the tires and the tires on that car only ran four laps in qualifying after Loris Spinelli scored pole. We are down some cars due to attrition from yesterday. Now we get started. Loris Spinelli has control of the field, crawling onto the front straight. Green flag! We are underway! Spinelli leads over Jordan pepper and here comes Ellis getting ahead of Dalziel. Braun and Heylen in a scrum already. Mario Farnbacher coming fast as Heylen and Braun tag each other into The Inner Loop, a 30-year-old part of the track. Big slide for Colin Braun down the hill in the heel of The Boot. Farnbacher draws even with Heylen!
Robby Foley goes outside of Bryan Sellers for fifth spot in Pro-Am. In 12th spot, Andrea Caldarelli, a disappointing start for K-PAX. Beretta put the car on pole. Caldarelli is now a factory driver for the upcoming Lamborghini LMDh prototype program. Michael Cooper bottoming out over the exit curb as Spinelli and Ellis are leading the motor race. Braun and Foley are moving in for a shot here. Big confidence boost for Turner Motorsports and Michael Dinan as well as Robby Foley as Andrea Caldarelli is balking the advance of Bill Auberlen in the #94 BMW M4 GT3 for Bimmerworld. K-PAX had their race go south on them with a penalty or two yesterday during the pit stop window.
He is now warned for blocking after the move on Auberlen. Michael Cooper ahead in the #43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3. Be proactive, not reactive. Auberlen seeing an opoortunity. Cooper sharing with Erin Vogel and they scored a fourth place overall yesterday and got onto the Pro-Am podium. Caldarelli gives Auberlen no quarter. Caldarelli still under pressure from Auberlen. Michael Cooper, from New York, so he is at his home track as he runs wide. Watch out for track limits. The lone Am class car is Charlie Scardina sharing with Onofrio Triarsi in the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo.
Charlie Scardina has half a dozen professional drivers behind him. Loris Spinelli leading the motor race at 1:45.5 for fastest lap so far. Jordan Pepper monstering Spinelli right now. They are so close, Spinelli and Steven Agakhani. Can they break through to victory lane? That is what they want. Spinelli eking out a gap of 1.2 seconds as we have been racing for barely ten minutes. South African Jordan Pepper sharing with Misha Goikhberg. Spinelli and Pepper. Sounds like an Italian meal. Tee hee. Up until this weekend, Andre Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper were undefeated as a duo. Spinelli had a huge margin in qualifying.
US Racetronics are managing their pace. There is no doubt they are keeping an eye on the lefr front tire. Each team allotted a certain number of Pirelli P Zero tires through the weekend. Philip Ellis in third as we see the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 in the lane after finishing third overall and winning in Pro-Am. Right front tire trouble. Maybe it is a cut down Pirelli tire. Serviced and sent, but that drops the boys out of contention barring a safety car scramble. Andrea Caldarelli has dropped like a stone back down to 12th place. Very unusual for Caldarelli and K-PAX to be down the order like this. Don't get mad about it. Drive as hard as possible without making a mistake.
Robby Foley is now back out but is caboose on the field. Lots of drivers flirting with track limits in turn one. Spinelli, Pepper, and more, trying to take the loads out of the tires. Watch that left front tire, release your hands early on the wheel going in the corner. Steven Agakhani racing with a fever and strep throat. He is much better today but didn't take a bunch of medication, just water and Pedialyte really. Just drive. That is what you have to do even when you are as sick as a dog. The cambers were changed on the tires on the #6 team. It is a major hit or miss at Watkins Glen and it is very on/off at this specific track.
Steve is looking and feeling much better than he did days ago. Don't overheat the inside edge of the tire. Flatten out the contact patch, but then you will lose grip. Kind of like a skier going downhill. There is a lot of similarity between motor racing and downhill skiing. Ryan Dalziel, he and Justin Wetherill have been working together in single make Ferrari racing and they are quite the team in the Pro-Am class. Dalziel leads Colin Braun and Jan Heylen. This is the Pro-Am class. Justin Wetherill has his family and kids here to see him race. He is wearing a cooling shirt to stay cool. It is 91 degrees Fahrenheit... 88 degrees actually. It was 95-96 degrees, much hotter, yesterday.
George Kurtz swept both GT America races. Read about and watch the GT America race. That one was a sizzler! Meanwhile, Jan Heylen has escaped the clutches of Mario Farnbacher in the #93 Racer's Edge Acura NSX GT3. Charlie Scardina putting n a good race in Ferrari #23 so far as we come closer to the pit window. Colin Braun and George Kurtz after the switch over the Riley Motorsports, they are enjoying the experience of having a consistently prepared race car in the Mercedes AMG camp. Bill Auberlen is hard at work, chasing down Michael Cooper. Acura NSX GT3 vs. BMW M4 GT3. This new M4 GT3 has been impressive in a myriad of GT3 based championships so far in 2022.
Bill Auberlen is a master of driving a sports car especially a BMW. The trouble with the car has been mega understeer and they seem a bit happier today but the pace is what they need. Loris Spinelli and others have really been pressing the button down as Philip Ellis is closing up on Jordan Pepper hand over fist while Spinelli increases his lead. Ellis is bringing Ryan Dalziel and Colin Braun with him as this race is 20 minutes old. Ellis and Dalziel are right on Pepper's back door. Maybe the balance is shifting in the Lamborghini. Spinelli uncorks a 1:46.8 and Pepper a 1:46.4. Dalziel quickest of all at 1:46 dead and Braun at 1:45.8!
Track limits abuse is something the stewards are really loolking at. The three cars we are loking at have all been warned by Race Control. Ellis is keeping it clean and hasn't drawn the ire of the stewards yet. Ellis knows he cannot abuse the left front Pirelli P Zero. Tucking into the space behind another GT3 car causes bucketloads of understeer through the transition and the change of directions and all the cars look and sound different. That is the cool part about sports car racing. Spec racing is fun but sports car racing just seems more fun. Ellis ducking inside Pepper and going side by side. Pepper is going to slam the dooor in his face, or not. Pepper is all over the shop!
Pepper has the preferred line and now it is a drag race to the heel of The Boot and Ryan Dalziel wants a piece of that pie as well! The Scotsman leading Pro-Am moves past the South African. Wow! Amazing we are not seeing the side mirrors clipped off these cars! Unbelievable! Galfway through the opening stint and the pit window will open either side of the 45-minute mark at halfway. 126-127 miles an hour corner speeds in the esses with Ellis and Dalziel evenly matched. Braun can tuck his way up behind pepper. Here comes the Mercedes to the inside. Pepper gives it up and does not want to play anymore.
Spinelli leading by 2.7 seconds as Philip Ellis is beginning to turn it on and uncorking his best lap the last time by. 1:45.4 for Ellis, 6/10ths of a second quicker than Loris Spinelli. These tires have to survive for another 20 minutes and the professional drivers will dive deep inside the pit stop window before heading for the lane. You roll loads of speed through turn 11 because the GT3 cars have so much downforce available. Jordan Pepper is plummeting through the field with a possible loose undertray. Pepper has the undertray dislodged from eating curbs up through the Bus Stop chicane. Pepper is having more and more trouble.
He will have an evil handling race car and so will co-driver Misha Goikhberg as we see Jan Heylen coming in a hurry in the Porsche. Under an hour to go. Different downforce at different speeds through the turns. Not good. At K-PAX, Thomas Blam says the #1 car has had a speed issue. It is a loose diffuser on the #3, the green car. They just hope that diffuster can stay together. Michele Beretta just wants points. It is going to be a tough road for them to slog through. The diffuser dilemma will only get worse. They are carbon fiber diffusers but keep clanging the curbs and the diffuser will be totally busted. Bryan Sellers in trouble in the lane in the #08 DXDT Mercedes AMG GT3. They ahve a tire ready to go, just one tire.
The front engine cars get more force on the left front tires, especially the Mercedes. Sellers sharing with Scott Smithson at DXDT. The Pro drivers will want to ease the loads on their tires even after changing over to a new set. They probably want to ease the load and some cars did have to start with qualifying tires on. The #6 team chose not to allowing Loris Spinelli to stay out longer. The level of commitment is immense to extract lap time around Watkins Glen. Amazing that Jan Heylen cannot get more out of the car after wunning yesterday and having top times in Friday Free Practice as well.
Mario Farnbacher currently fourth, the German. Drivers maximizing the radius through the Toe of The Boot. Plunge downhill into the braking zone. Ashton Harrison, the second driver in this lineup has done extremely well. Her race craft is way beyond a driver of her level. Bill Auberlen will put trust in his co-driver Chandler Hull as well, coming up later in the race with the Pro-Am drivers taking over soon. Jan Heylen has caught Jordan Pepper. He just does not have the cornering. Pepper is really, really earning his money today. Holy smokes.
Pepper has inconsistency and a lot of porpoising to deal with through the high speed corners. These three cars have been glued together for 25 minutes or thereabouts. Pepper able to hold off both Heylen and Farnbacher. Ashton Harrison, keenly watching Farnbacher's progress, an HPD factory driver. Jan Heylen has found his way past Pepper and Farnbacher is going to push. Farnbacher gets wide off into the dust. We saw Jason Harward do that earlier this weekend. He is pushing 110% going for it against Jordan pepper. Not quite there yet. Jan Heylen accomplished it. Can Farnbacher do likewise? The pit window opens in less than a minute.
Pepper has to give it up but now he is going to make the move. No. Farnbacher slams the door in Pepper's face as Pepper has to lift. The South African is driving an evil handling Lambo at this time. He knows he has a shot duck with the loose diffuser. Jan Heylen fifth overall just ahead of Farnbacher behind Colin Braun and Ryan Dalziel. They are top of the shop in Pro-Am. Phil Ellis is turning up the wick on Loris Spinelli in the lead of the motor race. Spinelli signaling to someone. Not sure who. 46.5 for Spinelli and 45.8 for Ellis. Ellis is using up the tires before the pit stop as the window is open. They climb through the esses and we are going to see driver changes. Agakhani, Ward, and others will take over.
Ellis is right on top of Spinelli. Mercedes vs. Mercedes. To the lane, Caldarelli. Michele Beretta taking over the #1 Lamborghini. Spinelli is in toruble. Ellis smells blood. Poor old Spinelli will have to dive for the lane earlier than first thought. Man, oh man. Spinelli stays out. Here comes Ellis. If you stay out longer, your team mate will stay out shorter. Spinelli slams the door in Ellis' face and Ryan Dalziel is reeling in both of these chaps! Holy cow! Something flappong on the bonnet of the Winward car, a ducting seal. It is hot and greasy in upstate New York and the Pirelli P Zero's are screaming for mercy!
Try the overcut. Agakhani will have to press hard as Ellis is cutting hot laps. Ellis just cannot make his move on Spinelli. Spinelli diving to the pits. Ellis stays out. Can Ellis uncork a quick enough lap to maintain track position without traffic? Steven Agakhani on fresh Pirelli P Zero's. Russell Ward will be next into #33. It's hammer time. A hangup on the radio cable or the window net. Tire change seems OK as does the fueling. Ellis is turning up the wick pulling away from Dalziela and a stall for Agakhani! Yikes! The minimum delta is 71 and he was three over at 74! Deary me! Ellis to the lane. Dalziel and Braun will stay out a lap or two more.
Agakhani pushing for all he's worth on hot tires. Traffic playing a factor. Russell Ward from Texas will take over from Philip Ellis. That was a clean stop waiting on fuel and now they wait for the delta to conclude. So, #33 may be in the pound seats. He is well clear of the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes. You do get a one second joker for either of the two races but you can use it just once. Oh my! Contact between Farnbacher and Heylen. Heylen throws the block. Heylen to the lane and Farnbacher will squeeze the window down to the bitter end.
Contact to the rear wheel of Jan Heylen in car #45. Colin Braun also in the lane changing over to George Kurtz. Charlie Luck takes over the Porsche. Farnbacher making hay while the sun shines. He is doing the ultimate overcut right down to the Racer's Edge as it were. Bimmerworld in the lane and Chandler Hull takes over for Bill Auberlen. Justin Wetherill back on track replacing Ryan Dalziel. Misha Goikhberg taking over for Jordan Pepper. Kist ne om tje ;ame as the pit window clock winds down. Farnbacher bang on the money pushing to the limit, handing over to Ashton Harrison.
George Kurtz now second in the overall when all this comes out in the wash. #6 got snookered on the pit stop. Charlie Luck comes across the line and he will barely be ahead of Ashton Harrison. Harrison leapfrogs Charlie Luck one place. 38 minutes remaining on the board. It is squeaky, squeaky time, right now. Russell Ward did not get that piece of plastic cleared off the car, flapping around in the corners, obstructing the vision through the windscreen. The field cycling through for the first lap after the pit window is closed. Ward, Kurtz, Agakhani, Wetherill, Harrison, the top five. Luck, Goikhberg, Hull, Beretta, and Askew, complete the top ten.
Steven Agakhani now second in Pro-Am closing up driving smoothly despite being under the weather. They are desperate for a first victory. They were second yesterday in class I believe. Agakhani running out to the wall trying to catch and pass George Kurtz. Mercedes vs. Mercedes. Ward's gap has ballooned to seven seconds. Michael Dinan after the tire puncture, he has to really push to get back to the top of the shop. Kurtz is fighting Agakhani but should let him go. Kurtz has the Pro-Am lead over Justin Wetherill. Don't slow each other down. Two different classes based on driver rating not car performance.
Colin Braun mentions the fuel weight matters here at The Glen because of the high grip track surface. Kurtz is gapping Agakhani and is being told to manage the tires and let Kurtz rumple his tires. Kurtz though is not rumpled. He is driving at the top of his game with all the confidence in the world. Spinelli fastest at the Bus Stop at nearly 109 miles an hour and Sellers slowest at 106. Half an hour to go. That spot on the road is also the Inner Loop. Agakhani is being more consistent and knows he won't catch Kurtz. Charlie Luck being harried by Chandler Hull and Michele Beretta, both. Porsche vs. BMW vs. Lamborghini and Beretta is using the Pro-Am traffic as a pick. Late on the brakes and Hull throws it up the inside of Luck but Beretta is going to lunge.
Side by side between Justin Wetherill and Ashton Harrison. Harrison, she makes the pass on the Ferrari. In the Pro-Am championship, no one has stamped a claim on it. Half a dozen cars scrapping race in and race out. Russell Ward is still leading the motor race by a considerable margin. Michael Dinan recovering as Erin Vogel wants by Onofrio Triarsi, not for class position and Misha Goikhberg is continually having issues right behind Erin Vogel. The diffuser woes are just getting worse for K-PAX car #3. He locks up with unbalance under braking and less downforce reall wreaks havoc under braking and scares the you know what out of a driver on a high commitment speedway like The Glen.
Vogel is chasing Triarsi. Onofrio Triarsi and Charlie Scardina are getting better. Nathan Boneau and Jim Bell at RealTime, along with team boss Peter Cunningham, they are finding the sweet spot on the car. Russell Ward now leads George Kurtz and Steven Agakhani by 13.8 seconds. Russell Ward, the Texan, having a great race. Steering troubles for Agakhani in the #6 Mercedes and it is game over for Misha Goikhberg. This Lamborghini is an evil handling motorcar with the loose diffuser. Game over for Pepper and Goikhberg. K-PAX Racing will be headed to Belgium for the 24 Hours of Spa next weekend for a 65 car field.
That is going to be a massive race and we will be here to bring it to you. So, in the meantime, Agakhani is going to try running down Michele Beretta. Agakhani is driving in a measured manner. His last lap though is 1.7 seconds down. He is liable to be caught up by Beretta as he is trying to catch (Agakhani is), Chandler Hull. Beretta is in the mid 1:47 range while Agakhani is in the 1:49's and the US Racetronics boys cannot buy a break in 2022. Beretta can still catch Agakhani. Chandler Hull is carrying the load and making the difference. We have been clean and green the whole way with no safety cars.
20 minutes left. Hull is focused on this one program after expanding his experience and portfolio as a driver the last couple seasons. Chandler Hull has run Creventic 24 Hour Series, NLS, and Asian Le Mans Series as Michael Dinan is having a wee bit of trouble. That was a wallpaper hanger in a windstorm and poor old Dinan is slowing! Deary me. Wait a minute. He's back on pace but very tentative, the Pro winner from yesterday finishing third in the overall. The battle is heating up indeed as Wehterill is ahead with Chandler Hull wanting to make his move. Michele Beretta, too, needs to clear Wetherill and Beretta sends it around Hull and onto the grrass and he makes it past Wetherill too!
Hull follows him through and is going to take advantage of the Ferrari driver. Welcome to top level GT3 racing Justin Wetherill. Michele Beretta has to push to run down Steven Agakhani. Wow. Just 17 minutes remaining. Hull will now try to go after Ashton Harrison in the #93 Racer's Edge Acura NSX GT3 as well. Chandler Hull has been stymied. Just a tad over 15 minutes to go as Russell Ward, they are 16 seconds ahead. Wnward Racing are looking for a victory. George Kurtz in Pro-Am is within a tenth of Ward as Agakhani is losing time. Kurtz 15 seconds ahead of Harrison. Agakhani's car is not a happy motorcar right now.
Someone squealed their tires and maybe went off the road. Harrison has to ask her team who else has the pace. Chandler Hull still lurking. Beretta wants to make a move and it is wise for Ashton Harrison to let him go. She stretches the gap in the Acura over the Lamborghini as Beretta flirts with track limits again and will have watch it so he does not incur thr wrath of the stewards. Harrison's pace is bang on the money. Beretta is losing patience and Chandler Hull too, has the hammer down and is 9.10ths quicker than Harrison. Steven Agakhani nursing home an ailing race car. He is thankfully keeping it clean responding insofar as lap times.
Beretta is being stymied and the Italian won't like it. Andrea Caldarelli, the co-driver, would really have an advantage. Agakhani 1:48.6, same for Harrison and Beretta. Agakhani has answered the bell and turned up the wick. Harrison opens into the turn and Beretta passes as Chandler Hull is gaining. Beretta is going to try catching Agakhani and Harrison will have Hull right on her back door. Ten minutes to go. Agakhani says the speed is down in sector one and the #6 team just wants to earn a bucketful of points today. It is down to the nitty gritty. What did I say? It's squeaky, squeaky time. Just like cleaning a window. But this won't be as clean.
Chandler Hull doing all he can to pass by Ashton Harrison. Which step of the podium will either driver be on? If they make a mistake Justin Wetherill knows he will pick up the scraps. Beretta pushing it hard. The gap is two seconds and Agakhani is dead stick! Game over! The car lets him down again! Ugh! US Racetronics. What do they have to do?! Criminy! He is backed up into the on track cutout. A suspension and toe link failure. He is upset. I don't think he can trudge back to the pit lane. Michele Beretta inherits second in Pro as Chandler Hull is pushing Ashton Harrison, still, in the final seven minutes of the motor race. Steven Agakhani, game over with suspension woes.
Russell Ward continues on his merry way in the lead and is thanking his lucky stars there was no Full Course Yellow. Ward is cruising with 14 seconds on George Kurtz. Everyone nursing the cars to the end. Ward leads Beretta by 23 seconds. Kurtz leads Pro-Am by 13 seconds and the scrap we will see is Harrison vs. Hull. Michael Dinan is fine and Michele Beretta is headed for the lane! Where on earth is Dinan? He could move up to second in Pro. Left rear tire down on the Lambo? Maybe. A shot duck? Less than four minutes on the board. Dinan won't be far behind Beretta.
Ward is practically stroking it to the fnish, nursing it. Is he feeling something's wrong? He is pulling a Nigel Mansell or so it seems. Chandler Hull still pushing like no tomorrow trying to get by Ashton Harrison who is performing well. Hull closing in fast. George Kurtz has caught Russell Ward for the overall lead. Russell Ward is having trouble. Kurtz makes the move. Kurtz has the hammer down. He is going to push and pick up the scraps here. Final lap. White flag. George Kurtz and Colin Braun, one lap remaining. Ward might just have a vibration or something.
Trouble for the #08 Scott Smithson driven DXDT Mercedes stuck in the mud trying to refire the car. Wetherill has to push against Charlie Luck for fourth in Pro-Am. Wetherill in the Ferrari and Brertta in the Lamborghini. The clock is at zero. Final lap. Chandler Hull has one more shot at Ashton Harrison, taking a lunge. No dice. Not enough. Riley Motorsports win overall in GTWC America! George Kurtz and Colin Braun win as Winward wins Pro and Harrison holds off Hull who completes the Pro-Am podium.
Triarsi and Scardina win the Am class in Ferrari #23. Dinan is third in Pro for Turner Motorsports passing Charlie Luck for fourth.
Overall/Pro Am: #04 Kurtz/Braun Crowdstrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo
Pro: #33 Ward/Ellis Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo
Am: #23 Scardina/Triarsi Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020
This is a major shot in the arm for Kurtz who will be racing at the 24 Hours of Spa next weekend. The amrgin of victory was four seconds. Russell Ward nursed the #33 car home to the end winning the Pro division. Russell Ward not so happy as maybe there was trouble with suspension on the car, same as the #6 entry. Maximum points but no victory overall for the #33. Charlie Scardina and Onofrio Triarsi are both absolutely exhausted, but they will celebrate a win today.
They made changes to the car which helped onto the victory in Am, running unopposed since AF Corse were not here. So, a busy two days of motor racing for SRO America are done and dusted. Up next for the American series is Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and we will see you there in a few more weeks. We will have great tracks with Road America, Sebring, and the 8 hour enduro at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Braun and Kurtz build their lead. The other teams will have to do all they can to play catch up. It is great to come here to a mega and treacherous track. Survival is the key. Road America next will be the same way.
Before we go, what happened to US Racetronics? Loris Spinelli says that during his stint he could not keep the car together and Steven Agakhani had his troubles as well with the wheel. They have the speed but are having issues putting it all together. He was under pressure for sure. Perfect execution is necessary. Winward still have chances to put things right and so does US Racetronics. BMW also looking for pace as the podium celebrations will be welcome. We will see you, later this week, for the crown jewel. The 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. It is going to be a doozy!
Get some rest. We will be up all night at Spa enjoying the biggest SRO race of the season. Excited to bring it to you. Thanks for joining us at Watkins Glen. So long, everybody. Take care.
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