It is much cooler than yesterday. We will have a slight chance of rain and something to consider for Fanatec GT World Challenge. But for GT4 we should be dry. The field lines up two by two. Aaron Telitz alongside Todd Coleman. Green flag. Kenton Koch makes a move from Stevan McAleeer. JCD loses places as they head for the esses for the first time. Kch in second and Andy Lee third. Adam Adelson in the Premier Racing Porsche Cayman sharing with Elliott Skeer. Tow and three wide. Kenton Koch is pushing for the lead of the motor race and a former 24 Hours of Daytona class winner. He and Bryan Putt are a solid duo.
Stevan McAleer, fifth, looking for a pass on JCD. Billy Johnson is pressing McAleer with everything he has. McAleer staying ahead of Johnson. This is not a class position battle. McAleer in the Silver divisoon scrapping with Pro-Am drivers. Telitz leads by one second. Koch second. Lee third. Matt Travis returning to the championship making a move as Elliott Skeer is being harried by Billy Johnson. Some argy bargy and here comes John Geesbreght in the second Toyota Supra and Terry Borcheller in another Supra as well. Engine trouble at Auto Technic. Adding water to the #51 Austen Smith/Zach Anderson car as Indian Summer Racing and RS1 have clattered each other. Juan Martinez drives away.
In replay, a nudge from #888 Sean Whalen and a massive impact before the #319 car of Travis Washay sharing with Frank Seldorff.
Marshals in SRO have been trying to clean up these incidents. Give each other racing room. Game over for Juan Martinez and co-driver Nelson Calle. Safety car on the road. Aaron Telitz ahead of Kenton Koch and Andy Lee. The #888 tags the #83 who cannons into the #319, boom! Watkins Glen is high commitment and high consequence if something goes wrong. Safety car on track. Flying Lizard have had a great run and they are back to third where they finished, on the podium yesterday. Elias Sabo is in his first full racing season and is thankful to the team for their assistance with engineering and so on.
For the Aston Martin, the cornering is great. The BMW and the Supra have more top speed but the Aston Martin has the cornering ability in sector two. Owen Hayes and Darren Law, the braintrust at Flying Lizard, among others. They've been around for many years. Steve Costello, team boss, as well. Racing is not just the drivers. It is also the people who run the teams. The incident we have just seen is under review from Race Control. The car that copped the most damage was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Auto Technic and their BMW, they might be put in a bit of a hole if they don't get back on track. However, they could still salvage some points. Nothing like the Pro-Am class. However, a DNF in Silver is still a real hindrance.
We have one more safety car lap before we go racing again as the tire barriers are repaired and the debris is cleaned up. GT4 America, you have to baby the tires as there are no tire changes allowed. The GT3 race later will see a 40–50-minute tire stint in a 90-minute motor race. We should see green flag racing soon. Go deeper into the window before hitting the lane. Doing the undercut might work out but the idea is maybe to keep the lead driver in the car a wee while longer before swapping over to the co-driver who is not as quick. McAleer has the experience and is leading in class. You can bet RS1 will let the race come to them. Terry Borcheller leads Am over James Clay sharing with Charlie Postins who are 15th in the overall. Borcheller has a lot of daylight there with co-driver Nick Shanny. Terry Borcheller would ideally like to be running a green flag race.
Borcheller is a legend who has been racing at a high level winning races like the 24 Hours of Daytona a couple times. Borcheller won the Rolex 24 in 2010 with my pals from IMSA at Action Express. Just a sidebar there. Aaron Povoledo and Michai Stephens are folks we will want to have a Captain Cook at as this race goes on. Conquest are down the order which is not what we expected to see. Jaden Lander and Anthony Geraci in another Toyota Supra are another driver duo we will be watching. I can't remember the name of the team they are driving for.
We are coming back to green flag racing now. Let's turn them loose again. Green flag. Telitz leads Koch and he has timed it well as Andy Lee is right on Koch's back door. McAleer has a run on JCD. John Capestro-Dubets sharing with Tom Capizzi and here comes Billy Johnson. These two ran together at Lime Rock Park in another sports car race. To the inside, McAleer closes the door on Johnson. Dust from the oil dry kicked up. Johnson can't pass McAleer while McAleer can't get around Capestro-Dubets either. Manage the gap at the front. They come right up to the wall out of turn 11 and one of the cars slaps the wall!
The #888 Zelus Motorsports Aston is off the track as a penalty for contact. Don't do anything stupid out there or we will park you. Koch and Lee are scrapping, and poor old Kenton Koch has to have clag on his tires because Andy Lee is closing in a hurry. More dust in the background, look. Everyone running wider and wider trying to find grip. Johnson looking to the inside. He is very strong through The Boot. The GT4 Mustang is reputable for being nimble. The Mustang is a muscle car but has cornering capabilities. Oh no! Aaron Telitz loses the left rear wheel! Broken hub and the wheel came off! Game over for Aaron Telitz and we could see another safety car with 23 minutes gone.
Borcheller leads Am. Full Course Yellow on the speedway. Oh man. The pit window will be delayed. What a shame for Aaron Telitz. He has been looking for wins in a number of championships. Pit window is delayed due to Full Course Yellow. It will be one completed lap after the restart. Todd Coleman will not be able to drive today. There's a sheared wheel stud that made the wheel come off. There are some sprinkles in the area. So we shall see what happens with the weather. The safety car scramble puts the Am drivers behind the eight ball. This will be a fight between the less experienced drivers in the second half of this race.
John Geesbreght, second in the Silver division. He and Kevin Conway are building things up and the team at Smooge Racing will have new infrastructure for next year. Michai Stephens and Gavin Sanders runing well for Conquest Racing with former driver Eric Bachelart as team boss. Colin Mullan drove with this team last year and now Gavin Sanders is the team mate to Michai Stephens. Game over for Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz, picking and choosing what races to run. Hopefully they will be with us next time out at Road America, then Sebring, and then Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You can do an emergency tire change when the pit window opens.
Green flag. Pit window opens the next lap by. Kenton Koch leads over Andy Lee, John Capestro-Dubets, and Stevan McAleer. The BMW is strong in the esses. Side by side, Johnson and Skeer. Billy Johnson is going for it. So is Jason Hart. Ian James and Gray Newell penalized for passing under yellow. Windscreen wipers on? Hmmm. Will we see raindrops? That windscreen is very dirty and so don't accidentally hit the wipers and smudge it. Ten minutes for the pit window where you have to be in the lane to get the service done before it closes. Michai Stephens into the lane and we are seeing raindrops now.
If you needed to make a tire change, you would have to make a second stop. Driver change, 76 second minimum delta in the lane along with adjusting tire pressures. Andy Lee is on the button trying to get past Kenton Koch. How variable are the conditions at certain parts of the track? That is the big question. Johnson lunges at McAleer. The Mustang handles better than people may give it credit for. Co-driver Edgar Lau is in the points standings fight with half a dozen races to go after this event is done and dusted this morning. A delayed stop for Justin Piscitell to Moisey Uretsky. You can only use the joker once per weekend as James Clay hands the #36 BMW M4 GT4 for Bimmerworld to Charlie Postins.
Five wins and a runner up for these boys in Am competition. Halfway through the pit window. Geesbreght pits the Smooge Racing Supra and will hand over to Kevin Conway. McAleer remains on track. Andy Lee wants by Bryan Putt. Not close enough. The risk you take is there is no grace period for the pit window. If you are caught fighting another car, spin, or have a yellow, if you run the window to the wire you will be penalized with a drive through. Ian James just copped a penalty and lost half a minute. Johnson cannot find a chink in the armor from Stevan McAleer. Edgar Lau from Hong Kong will take over the ARG Rotek Racing Mustang.
No real difference with the tires except pressures. Get out of traffic and into clear sailing. That is what a driver wants. The TRG Porsche dives for the lane as well and we could see Kenton Koch hitting the lane this time by. 20 minutes to go. A slow stop for Rotek and they went over the delta. The Borcheller to Shanny driver change was also slower than normal and the same with Andrew Davis changing to Jason Bell. The top four are now in the lane. 50 kilometers an hour speed limit. Unbelievably slow. But the driver change is all you need. Elias Sabo replaces Andy Lee. Sabo had a good race that went awry in GT America earlier.
Six wins in seven races for RS1 and Eric Filgueiras will take it home. Bryan Putt beats Elias Sabo out ahead of John Capestro-Dubets. No positional changes as NOLASport, RS1, and Flying Lizard use their jokers. Scott Noble in at NOLASport. You are jumping into a race that has a rhythm to it to begin with. Filgueiras is really pushing with Tom Capizzi ahead. Capizzi was very quick yesterday. Filgueiras cannot make the pass. Weather updste says rain has stopped and the sun has come out. Hot and stale. Alain Stad, fifth in the Am class in the #19 NOLASport Porsche Cayman sharing with Matt Travis. Eric Filgueiras really pushing Tom Capizzi, but this isn't for class position.
15 minutes to go. Focus on class position in the championship. Kevin Conway doing the chasing of Eric Filgueiras as Gavin Sanders dives around Chris Cagnazzzi. Two Mercedes AMG GT4's. Bryan Putt has been pushing, pushing, pushing, 6/10ths of a second lead over Elias Sabo. Tom Capizzi warned by the stewards for blocking. Filgueiras though, he has run down the top two. Flying through the Inner Loop. Let Filgueiras have the inside line in the braking zone for turn seven. Then tuck in behind. There is an art to being passed. Don't fight it too much because all that happens is that you lose time.
Putt and Sabo still scrapping. 12 minutes left on the clock as Filgueiras tries poking his nose in but don't make contact. Fast laps are the reward but there are penalties for mistakes. Filgueiras to the inside and now, Tom Capizza is going to try catching Elias Sabo who has run wide! Filgueiras wants by Bryan Putt. Putt fends off the challenge. Plenty of time. Ten minutes or so left. Filgueiras though, he wants by. Here's a lunge to the inside and he passes. Bryan Putt to second and now, Elias Sabo has a shot at it. Filgueiras and McAleer could get their seventh win in eight races if they hold on and keep it clean.
Good ingredients in that pie. Meantime, Bummerworld with Charlie Postins, he has now taken the Am lead looking for another win as well sharing with James Clay at Bimmerworld. They are looking forward to the new BMW M4 GT4 for 2023. Bryan Putt has been in this position a few times in 2022. They won the first two races of the year but have not had the races they wanted since. Putt is handling the pressure indeed. Bryan Putt and his wife run the team at BSport with team manager Eric Peterson. Charlie Postins continues to lead in Am running 12th overall over Rob Walker and Anthony Geraci. Postins has the pace over his rivals as the clock is running out. Less than seven minutes to go. #36 are looking for their sixth class win of the year and their fourth in succession.
Clay and Postins have raced together at the Nurburgring a lot before. Clay was hoping to run GT3 cars but it did not work out. Capizzi wants past Putt in Pro-Am for the overall lead. No dice for Capizzi with just over five minutes to go and don't count out Elias Sabo. Edgar Lau, too, lurking in fourth place. They had a long pit stop and he is making the deficit up well. Kevin Conway and Gavin Sanders are fighting for second place in the Silver class. Trouble for the TRG Porsche of Jason Alexandridis and Derek DeBoer. Putt wriggles and Capizzi wants it but can't quite make it.
Sabo is coming in a hurry. The sharks smell blood in the water. Putt is the minnow. Capizzi wants to pass Putt in the esses. The track narrows. Putt ahead. Capizzi now makes his move and here comes Sabo! The fight is for second and Sabo goes to second! Holy cow! Edgar Lau pressures Putt and Gavin Sanders dives past Kevin Conway in Silver! Holy mackerel! Look at this wad of cars. Lau wants the podium and can't pass Putt. Conway fighting Sandes and they touch! Oh man! That was a bear!
Kevin Conway takes the place back. Sanders will have to push as time is of the essence. A couple laps left to go for it. Put on defense over Edgar Lau. Can Elias Sabo move in on Tom Capizzi? Lau lunges at Putt who slams the door in his face. Lau has picked up junk on his tires. Sabo kicking up dust. Conway under pressure from Sanders as well, look. Sanders right on Conway's six! Conway drops two wheels! Sanders is right there! Final lap. White flag. Filgueiras is going to have an easy win. Capizzi and Sabo in the Pro-Am battle as Lau goes to the outside and is going to pass Putt and here comes the Toyota Supra! Conway makes his move. Sanders barges his way past Putt! Gavin Sanders in third place now. Sanders right back on Conway's tail. Lau in the Mustang wants to keep it in second place.
Filgueiras is going to gof ro the win, seven plus seconds ahead of Tom Capizzi. Final lap. Capizzi will go for the Pro-Am. Filgueiras and McAleer win number seven. Lucky number seven and Lau beats Sabo by 43 thousandths of a second! What a race!
Overall/Silver: #18 Filgueiras/McAleer RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Pro-Am: #52 Capizzi/Capestro-Dubets Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4
Am: #36 Postins/Clay Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT4
The manufacturer involvement means a real melting pot of cars and brands in different classes. Some of the drivers we expected to see, drivers and teams, had quieter races than we'd have though they would. Postins and Clay are borderline unstoppable in 2022 save for a wee bit of bad luck earlier on. Next up for GT4 America will be at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, another legendary and lovely venue, coming up in mid-August. Join us, there. But don't go away. The big boys and the big toys, the GT3 cars, are coming up soon!
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