It is time for the final race of the day here at Watkins Glen International Raceway in upstate New York. Pirelli GT4 America gridded up and on the warmup laps for their first of two races this weekend. This is rounds seven and eight of the championship halfway through the season. This circuit is a fan and driver favorite. We are set to turn the cars loose with a massive grid. On the front row, the #18 RS1 Porsche Cayman of Eric Filgueiras right next to Gavin Sanders in the Mercedes AMG GT4 #34, Gavin Sanders. Green flag and Filgueiras takes the lead. Tom Capizzi trying to snag the Mercedes and does so three and four wide for this hourlong race. Driver change at halfway and no tire changes. The traffic jam is unreal as Edgar Lau in the Ford Mustang plunges downhill to the Chute for the first time. Three classes basrd on driver ratings as Kevin Conway wants by Ross Chouest. Silver vs. Pro-Am driver ratings. All GT4 cars.
Conway is bullish about changes made to the Toyota Supra. Conway a NASCAR driver turned sports car driver. Big move by Chouest and he almost hits the wall! Kevin Conway to the inside and there is a tire mark on one of the cars. Gray Newell in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin and some smoke from the BMW M4 GT4 ahead. That is a brush with the wall for the Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin and now Tom Cpaizzi is off the road trying to hold off Gavin Sanders and Sanders makes his move allowing Filguieras to whistle off into the distance. Filgueiras is Sanders' competition, not Capizzi.
Kevin Conway has damage on the left rear turn, look, and Tom Capizzi runs really wide into the dust and into the Armco through the laces of The Boot! Yikes! So many strong teams in Pirelli GT4 America. It is unreal. Jason Bell scrapping with Adam Adelson for sixth in Pro-Am. The #120 Premier Racing Porsche Cayman and the #2 GMG Racing Aston Martin. After this event we will be halfway home in the championship as Kevin Conway does have left rear damage and John Geesbreght is taking a look at it. Last year, Smooge Racing and John Geesbreght won the race. Geesbreght says they are figuring out how to drive the Supra and get a lap time out of it.
The car is on a knife edge and that is when it handles at it's very best. Kevin Conway has been willing to teach John Geesbreght the ropes. Eric Filgueiras leads this race now by 3.2 seconds but Gavin Sanders is matching him to the tenth of a second. Filgueiras is doing what he has done almost all seasn, controlling the race from pole. The Pirelli tires do a full race, 60 minutes. Driver change only on pit stops. No tires. Tom Capizzi third in Pro-Am in the #52 BMW M4 GT 4 for Auto Technic Racing. Manage the tires. Don't accelerate hard. Feel the grip and don't use total commitment.
Charlie Postins in the #36 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4 has some overflow of fluid out the back of the car, co-driving with James Clay who owns Bimmerworld and they've won three of the last four races in the Am class. Gray Newell is having a strong run and The Heart of Racing will race the 24 Hours of Spa with TF Sport next weekend and have been racing in multiple North American championships as James Walker moves past Greay Newell in the Am class. Elias Sabo is also back there in another Aston Martin.
TF Sport and team boss Tom Ferrier, they know what to do in endurance racing with full support from Aston Martin Racing. We are going to see a 65-car field at Spa Francorchamps next weekend. Join us for that one. It is going to be a massive motor race indeed. Elias Sabo had a good run in this morning's GT America race, but he was penalized for contact before the end. Sabo is fourth in class and tenth overall with co-driver Andy Lee. Team boss Steven Costello at Flying Lizard says Elias Sabo is getting more and more confident as a driver. They ran a partial schedule last year but did very, very well. They had a podium at VIR and in the season opener at Sonoma.
Edgar Lau chasing Charlie Postins, the #124 Ford Mustang GT4 he shares with Billy Johnson. Charlie Postins gives Edgar Lau the position as James Walker Jr. is coming in a hurry. Wait. Nope. That's Rob Walker. James Walker Jr. in 21st place. There was a lightning delay and a torrential downpour during the two Free Practice sessions yesterday. Rob Walker and Alex Filsinger in the #53 Auto Technic BMW M4 GT4 are in the fight as well. Gray Newell third in the Pro-Am class. Three classes, all GT4 spec cars with 15 minutes of the race gone. So, 1/4 distance. The pit window will open soon. The driver change will be make or break.
No tire changes. But you have to push and have good pit work and you cannot run afoul of the minimum pit lane delta either. Filgueiras leads Gavin Sanders by 2.8 seconds. That is for the overall and Pro-Am as Tom Capizzi leads in the Silver division. Trouble for Bryan Putt having made contact with Jason Bell! BSport Aston Martin and GMG Racing Aston Martin. Poor old Bryan Putt is going to be on the back foot. They swept the weekend in Pro-Am at Sonoma and failed to finish at NOLA while having an eighth and an 11th at Virginia International Raceway for Bryan Putt and co-driver Kenton Koch.
In replay, Jason Bell slowed, and Bryan Putt broke a suspension piece running over the curbs. Jason Bell, a wounded bird with a flat left front Pirelli P Zero. Bryan Putt's car is out of danger so we shall stay green with 40 minutes left on the board. Matt Travis is now racing again alongside Alain Stad. This is the Am/Am campaign for the Nolasport team in the #19 Porsche Cayman. Jason Hart driving with Scott Noble, the Pro-Am points leaders. Travis pulled a Nico Rosberg, winning the title and disappearing until now. Edgar Lau is chasing down Kevin Conway. What will Billy Johnson do? He is one of the best GT drivers in North America. A squeeze play between #83 and #888! Nelson Calle vs. Sean Whalen.
Sean Whalen gets squeezed by Nelson Calle, the #83 So, the #18 and #34 cars are in the lane. Filgueiras out and into the car, Stevan McAleer with a 76 second pit lane delta for monitoring tire pressures and doing the driver change. Ian James takes over from Gray Newell at The Heart of Racing in the #24 Aston Martin. More pit stops as well further back in the field and McAleer is back on track. Just about halfway home. The Heart of Racing and Gray Newell scored a runner-up and a win here last year. Michai Stephens has taken over the #34 Conquest Mercedes and Tom Capizzi has handed over to John Capestro-Dubets. A couple teams used their jokers as Al Carter takes over for Paul Sparta in the #98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4.
Tires the theme as we cross into the second half of the race. Stevan McAleer not worried about tires now that the cloud cover has settled over the track. McAleer is speedily pushing on hard in the lead. Aaron Telitz believes the Toyota Supra might have a tire degradation advantage as the car is the lightest one in GT4. He and Todd Coleman competed at Sonoma back in April. Filgueiras to McAleer was clean on the stop. Sanders to Michai Stephens had a slower stop and everyone else other than Flying Lizard, went well. Some have used their jokers. Charlie Postins is in the lane to hand the #36 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4 to James Clay.
They raced at the Nurburgring together for many years but have come stateside in 2022. Stevan McAleer is now in the lead as there is a new team, Indian Summer Racing from SCCA Club Racing running Mini's at the SCCA Runoffs. RS1 have been on top of their game since the beginning of the season. RS1 had the one miscue for the win at VIR but have been very consistent the rest of the season. McAleer is a race winner in GT4 and leading a GT3 championship in North America. The Indian Summer Racing Porsche comes to the lane, Francis Seldorf at the controls.
McAleer 8.4 seconds ahead of Michai Stephens. Tom Capizzi leads Pro-Am, actually, John Capestro Dubets at the controls. Billy Johnson has moved the Ford Mustang to second and cuts the fastest lap of the race so far at 1:56.1. John Capestro-Dubets is a full second slower. He has a six second buffer over Billy Johnson with 25 minutes to go, trying to pass by John Geesbreght at Smooge Racing being supported by Tony Ave's team and now, the Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4 has clobbered the tire barrier! Paul Sparta and Al Carter have just not had the season he wanted. A cut down, locked up tire and a crunch into the barriers. That car is stuck and cannot extricate iself under it's own steam.
McAleer's lead vanishes. Third in Am, Jaden Lander. Our pal Calvin Fish had a birthday yesterday too, on commentary for this race. Happy Birthday, Calvin. Overall top speeds balanced between brands at 153-154 miles an hour. 20 minutes to go. The local fans value this track, and the history is amazing with the Formula 1 race here so many years and the racing in the streets of Watkins Glen. Coming up they will race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana.
Billy Johnson has fastest lap at 1:56 dead. 1:56.003. Edgar Lau says that everything is running very well with Billy Johnson this weekend in his first race at Watkins Glen. Every lap is a learning experience. Team boss Rob Holland looking on, a man who ran at the Nurburgring and in British Touring Cars and World Touring Cars. Edgar Lau has run LMP3 in the Asian Le Mans Series in the past. 17 minutes remaining. Stevan McAleer's 8.4 second lead is gone. Michai Stephens is right on his six. Stephens is right on top of McAleer with John Capestro-Dubets next up.
Johnson passes Geesbreght chasing down JCD for the Pro-Am class lead. He wants in on the fight for the overall podium making his move on Michai Stephens! Elliott Skeers tags Ian James not once but twice! Elliott Skeer in the Porsche and Ian James in the Aston Martin as Billy Johnson wants past Michai Stephens. McAleer driving defensively with Capestro-Dubets and Johnson next up. The Porsche teams were very concerned about the pace of the BMW's this weekend. Can Billy Johnson make a move on Michai Stephens?
The BMW might have the legs in horsepower on the Porsche and the BMW as Andy Lee is now fourth in Pro-Am for Flying Lizard. Johnson passes Stephens on the inside. Aaron Telitz pressing hard as well. Billy Johnson going for the Pro-Am lead on John Capestro-Dubets. They touch! Johnson is off the road in the battle between the Ford and the BMW! Johnson weaves back on track almost wrecking the Aston Martin's. Right rear tire down and he spins and sliced open the tire with the splitter! The team is distraught. Both Pro-Am frontrunners in the pit lane now.
Ian James and Gray Newell now lead Pro-Am, and Andy Lee is going for it. Heart of Racing vs. Flying Lizard as John Geesbreght has caught Michai Stephens and Elliott Skeer coming fast, too in the Pro-Am class. Ian James has the experience as Andy Lee is doing everything he knows. The Heart of Racing have run very successfully in GT3 and GT4 and they will be racing the 24 Hours of Spa next weekend. Ian James has caught John Geesbreght as well, look. Elliott Skeer inches closer. Jason Hart fourth and Guy Cosmo fifth. James Clay leads the Am class, ninth overall.
Alex Filsinger, the second place Am car is 13th overall as Stevan McAleer has a 3.2 second buffer over Michai Stephens as Lee locks the left front and right front tires. He is on the braking threshold and the tires on the front could be going away. Skeer is a single make Porsche champion in 2015 but is now in Pirelli GT4 America for SRO. The old White Lightning team is the backbone of the Premier Racing group. Jason Hart is being harried by Guy Cosmo with co-driver Chris Cagnazzi at Stephen Cameron Racing. Ricky Cameron, his brother is a successful engineer and Dane Cameron, Ricky's son, is going to be part of the Porsche LMDh program next year.
Six and a half minutes to go. Ian James leads Andy Lee and Elliott Skeer in Pro-Am. James and Gray Newell have not won yet. They are only 39 points down in the championship. Jsson Hart uncorks his fastest lap of the motor race. Skeer is turning it on, making a liar out of me, pressing Andy Lee, hard. Team boss Kent Moore, who was crew chief for White Lightning Racing at the turn of the millennium. Guy Cosmo all over Jason Hart running down Elliott Skeer and Andy Lee. James Clay leads Am but Alex Filsinger is closing in. One car between those two drivers before this race is done and dusted.
McAleer leads Stephens by 4. seconds and Elliott Skeer passes Andy Lee. Ian James will not like seeing Elliott Skeer in his rearview mirror. Skeer and Adelson swept the weekend at NOLA and had a podium in race one at VIR while finishing tenth in the second race. Ian James is pushing, pushing, pushing, with two laps left. Don't worry about the tires. Go for it to the bitter end. White flag next time by. Hart and Cosmo have caught Andy Lee for third, fourth, and fifth in Pro-Am. Flying Lizard, Andy Lee, and Elias Sabo want a podium place.
Skeer has caught Ian James as the dust is flying through turn six. Skeer is right on James' decklid with two laps to go, or a lap and a half as John Geesbreght is reeling in Michai Stephens. The scrap is in Pro-Am. Ian James wants a win. Guy Cosmo is right on top of Jason Hart now. If Skeer can pass Ian James, that will be a championship lead. One lap to go. When this race ends we'll be halfway home in season 2022. Ian James looking strong late in the going. Andy Lee is pushing hard. Jason Hart is closing on Elliott Skeer as well, look. Skeer closing on Ian James. Can he make a lunge?
Final lap. Through The Boot and back up the hill to the heel. Through the toe and the laces. Hart defends from Cosmo. Cosmo gets balked. Cosmo dives inside but no dice. After winning five straight, they couldn't make it six but Stevan McAleer and Eric Filgueiras win while Ian James and Gray Newell win Pro-Am. Am goes to James Clay and Charlie Postins as Lander passes Filsinger for second spot.
Overall/Silver: #18 Filgueiras/McAleer RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Pro-Am: #24 James/Newell The Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4
Am: #36 Clay/Postins Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4
Six wins in seven races for RS1, Stevan McAleer, and Eric Filgueiras. We do it all again for Pirelli GT4 America here at Watkins Glen, tomorrow. See you then, on Sunday, for race two. So long for now, everybody.
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