We are set to go for the second and final TC America race of the weekend in SRO America here at the legendary and wonderful Watkins Glen Raceway nestled in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York. A short, sharp, 40-minute sprint race is coming your way. We saw an action-packed race one that propelled Colin Garrett to the win and the Mini team honored Paddy Hopkirk, a racing legend, winning TC and TCA. We're ready to fire the engines. Drivers, start your engines. TCX, TC, and TCA, are ready to sprint to the finish. Jacob Ruud, reigning champion vs. Colin Garrett. 39 cars set to start here at Watkins Glen in a true sprint event. 40 minutes, full attack mode. The race yesterday was a barn burner. It is much cooler than yesterday but the humidity is indeed up.
Yesterday, cockpit temperatures were up to 115 degrees according to Kevin Boehm. Up through the esses they go on the formation lap. You have to thread the needle up through here. The back straight shoots you down to the braking zone for the Inner Loop. The grip level is still there as it has been a while since we saw the repave here at The Glen, five years ago. Clay Williams in the Mini in TC has had a mega size advantage all weekend thus far. TCX dominated by the BMW M2 CS Cup entrants. Colin Garrett wants to catch Jacob Ruud by sweeping the weekend. We shall see.
Okie dokie, then. It is time to go racing. Green flag! Go! Ruud gets the lead but Garrett is right in the pocket but has to give it up. He is using all of the curb. Here's the TC start as Williams steps on it over Jeff Ricca in the Hyundai Veloster. Now to the TCA start and Carter Fartuch is going t go for it making hay while the sun shines. He has to go for track position early doors as P.J. Groenke is pushing and so is Devin Anderson aboard the Subaru BRZ. Jacob Ruud is down to third while Colin Garrett leads over Lucas Catania in second spot. Garrett has a buffer and has the track position. In replay, Ruud gets stymied up the hill. Steven Cugliari also squeezes his way in but Ruud slammed the door in his face.
Kevin Boehm in the #9 Honda Civic runs third in TC. He is making the best of anything and Matthew Ibrahim is catching him up. Clay Williams has a decent gap in the lead. Boehm has to relinquish the spot to Matt Ibrahim running in contention for a podium. Spencer Bucknum is in the lead battle with Gresham Wagner in the TCA class. Subaru vs, Honda. Be cautious how much you are asking from the Pirelli tires. Three wide for the TCX lead and Catania, Garrett, and Ruud, this is getting spicy and Ruud makes the move for the lead and Cugliari wants a piece of the pie as well, look.
Catania, loose through the esses. Steve Streimer makes the move for fourth. This is spicy motor racing. Ruud dominated last year's championship. But the competition is on FiYah, this year, the colloquialism for fire. Garrett wants to spoil this party. Brett Scroggin wants by Steven Cugliari but no. Top seven, nose to tail in identical BMW M2 CS Cup cars. Jacob Ruud had a joker tire on the front left corner and it seems to be working like a charm thus far. Jacob Ruud and his fiancee are moving to L.A. Steve Streimer loves this track and has run here in Trans Am in the past as well. Scroggins is hanging tough with the veteran drivers at the top of the shop.
The joker tire had to be permitted by the marshals. But Ruud could have an advantage as Nicholas Barbato makes his move on Kevin Boehm who wants the place back. Hyundai Veloster vs. Honda Civic. Boehm has t slice and dice his way through if he wants another podium. Ibrahim and Barbato are both up and coming drivers. Manage the car and manage the tire if the performance is not there. Don't throw it away. Just stay with it. Clay Williams leads TC by over two seconds, all by his lonesome on a Sunday drive.
Ibrahim wants by Jeff Ricca. Ricca and Barbato are teammates at GenRacer. But two different configurations. One has a traditional H pattern gearbox and the other has a double clutch gearbox. Ibrahim wants a launch off the corner as Boehm is looking for clear track. Inrahim on Ricca trying the long way 'round the outside into turn ten and they are door to door, look. Ibarahim has the preferred line. Boehm is going to try poking his nose in but he is the meat in the sandwich. Two abreast, two rows deep. Ricca makes his move and Boehm is pressing Barbato and Ibrahim spins out!n Oh dear! Everyone makes it through without the dominos falling! Holy smokes!
In replay, Ibrahim tucked it to the inside and got pinched into a spin. Fukuda and others had to take evasive action! Egad! At the top of the shop, in TCX, Jacob Ruud leads by 7/10ths of a second while Catania and Garrett follow along with Cugliari, Streimer, Garrett Adams and Brett Scroggin. We still have over half the race left to run. Cooler weather may be helping performance of some of these automobiles. Very subtle nuances to track conditions can help or hinder. Colin Garrett, getting an education of how to be a road racer, former short track ace at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. Garrett is really pushing and poor old Catania is losing lap time letting Ruud get away.
These BMW M2 CS Racing cars are very evenly matched. Gresham Wagner eking out an advantage of over teammate Devin Anderson and Cristian Perocarpi who scored his first win yesterday, he is also in this scrap. Championship leader in TC, Carter Fartuch is buried in sixth in class and might move up befoe the climax of this race. Spencer Bucknum has the pace but can't quite break through to the top. Cristian's father Louis is the team manager. You know Cristian Perocarpi wants another victory. He was hounding his dad, "dad, let me race!" Finally his dad gave him the OK and he is proving himself.
Tyler Delgado in one of the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai's is lapped traffic and so is Mike LaMarra in the LA Honda World Honda Civic. Garrett tries to move to the outside on Lucas Cattania. More traffic ahead as we are very close to halfway. How sketchy is it offline with all the tire marbles? The clag, offline, it is out there. Jacob Ruud can whistle off into the distance with these two chaps having a ding dong like this. Cattania finished outside the top four for the first time yesterday. Colin Garrett wants by. Catania wants the launch off turn seven. Jacob Ruud is grinning like a stuck possum while these two chaps are in a sword fight.
Just past halfway through this motor race. Traffic ahead. Catania not stymied through it. Traffic is a part of sports car racing as we have explained. Traffic giveth. Traffic taketh away. Gresham Wagner still leading the TCA class. This is his first season in SRO America and the reigning Mazda MX5 Cup champion. Clay Williams leads TC but Kevin Boehm is second and is coming in a hurry. He was dropping like a stone in the race's first half but now he is gaining on Williams and the Mini. Maybe Williams is keeping his powder dry until the money laps are at hand. Kevin Boehm is a Honda engineer and test driver at the Marysville, Ohio plant.
Boehm is referred to as a robot because of all the work he does, but he is an analytical person. He is super smart and knows how to set up a race car. Lucas Catania and his father race together and his dad Joe is out there in ninth place. Just 15 minutes remaining now and Colin Garrett is right on top of Catania now going for the lead. Catania slams the door in his face and he has not cracked under pressure. The grip is still in the tires and the goody has not been rubbed out of them just yet. Garrett is the quickest of the three cats in this group we are watching.
But Ruud leads by 1.6 seconds. Again, another chap on a Sunday drive. He dominated last year and now, he has stepped up his game even more. Rinse and repeat? Not so much. However, he is improving greatly. Oh no. Cristian Perocarpi has a vibration on car #61 and he will not double up after the victory yesterday. Play it safe. Check the tire to see if it is OK. We had left front tire issues yesterday. Maybe it was mechanical. Get on the horn to the drivers and say "manage those tires". The cloud cover is deceptive in terms of the conditions of these tires.
Williams' pace is slipping a tad and Kevin Boehm wants a bite of the cherry. Clay Williams has really proven his worth this season. Again, for second overall and in TCX, Garrett wants past Catania. Can Garrett get enough momentum? Catania just won't give him anything, but he is slidng and the tires are starting to scream for mercy. Don't wash out wide through the Carousel and into The Chute. Be proactive, not reactive. You can make the first move but don't move in reaction. Catania covers it off and balks Garrett again. Nothing abrupt but calculating. Jacob Ruud is escaping up the road. When does the short track instinct come out? Garrett may just use the chrome horn.
Catania is managing the race but Garrett knows he has to go for it and begs Catania to let him go catch the leader but Catania says, "not a chance, sunbeam." Oh no. Spencer Bucknum has a problem with either a tire or a mechanical problem on the Honda. Jeff Ricca in the lane as well. Carter Fartuch moves to third place in class. Wagner and Anderson 1-2 in TCA and managing the gap, managing their motor race. Things can still go pear shaped in a big hurry. Under seven minutes left on the board. Jeff Ricca got a whole chunk of that Pirelli P Zero come out of the left front tire. Watkins Glen puts massive load on the tires. Grippy surface, high load, high speed, high duration turns.
Lucas Catania and Colin Garrettt pushing. Garrett is rebuffed, flashing the lights and poor old Tyler Delgado in the Hyundai Elantra is off the road, locking up, and... ker-runch! Straight into the tires! Kevin Boehm, meantime, has driven right to the front of TC. In replay, Carter Fartuch and Mike LaMarra scrapping and Clay Williams is pressing Kevin Boehm. Poor old Williams is losing pace in the Mini and Nicholas Barbato is catching up as well, look. This is a wild motor race again here at The Glen. Ricca has had trouble but Barbato has stayed in the game.
Using all the road through turn 11, you are playing chicken with the wall as P.J. Groenke in the other Mini has trouble. #62 in a spot of bother. Catania fending off the challenge from Colin Garrett. He times the crossover and pushes on the outside but no dice. Catania fends him off again with a wee bit over two minutes to the checkers. Another shot. Rinse and repeat. Catania is not budging. He says, no way am I letting you past me, bucky. Ruud is sprinting away by 3.3 seconds as Garrett nearly loses it but saves it! Rear Wheel Drive, the tail stepping out of line!
Throw caution to the wind, now. That's the plan. White flag this time by as Barbato passes Williams in TC. Jacob Ruud, one lap, 3.37 miles away from another TCX trophy. Catania still has Garrett on his six. He will try again. Catania feels secure. Garrett thrusting forward. Catania is closing the door. He is a half step ahead of Garrett's moves. Into The Boot, Garrett to the outside, can't make it stick. Next try, set up through the hphill. Time the exit and get to the right earlier. Here he comes. Breaking the slipstream again for the preferred line through the heel fo The Boot. Catnia goes wide and Garett forces it. Catania has the run. This is not done until the checkers.
Jacob Ruud wins for the fifth time in 2022. Catania beats Garrett to the line! Holy smokes! What a motor race!
Overall/TCX: #1 Jacob Ruud Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS Racing
TC: #9 Kevin Boehm Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R TC
TCA: #21 Gresham Wagner TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ TCA
So, some usual faces get victories as Colin Garrett earns fastest lap at 2:02.399. Great racing today at Watkins Glen! Wow! Next up for TC America, the 4 mile legendary asphalt ribbon of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in just under a month's time. More great SRO touring car racing will be coming your way then. It has been a remarkable event in race two here at Watkins Glen and we'll see you next time. More racing to come today with the GT cars. Stay tuned for that. For now, so long everyone. Great action today with the touring cars.
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