Just three events remain on the schedule for the 2022 GT America season in SRO production sports and touring car competition. Time is of the essence, and championships of the utmost importance. When last we met the GT America contenders, they were playing a tune in Music City, in Nashville, Tennessee, on a street circuit, which gave many drivers and teams a case of the blues with its tight confines. Now, on this 4-mile ribbon of asphalt, the drivers and cars will surely be more able to compose a symphony, or an improvisational composition of mechanical music, with the wide variety of cars and engine notes echoing through the Kettle Moraine here in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
We will race through the 14 corners of Road America in the Wisconsin woodlands. Shea Adam in the pit lane, Ryan Myrehn, and Calvin Fish, in the broadcast booth. The reins are off the horses today. Jason Harward in the Lamborghini for Zlelus Motorsports is on the pole overall and in GT3. Scott Smithson and David Askew qualified but will not start. C.J. Moses is the lone GT2 entry as Bryan Putt starts on pole in the GT4 class. All of the usual suspects are in this field today as we have 30 cars starting. Road America gives you a bit of everything. Fast turns, long straights, heavy braking zones. Here they come through Billy Mitchell Bend. The track is abrasive but this is a sprint indeed.
Green flag in the Kettle Moraine! Away we go! SRO3 cars are off and running! Jason Harward has the jump over Jason Daskalos keeping a watching brief and three wide and George Kurtz spins the car! The championship leader, and oh man oh man, Moisey Uretsky and Jason Bell in GT4 spin! Gracious! Just 45 seconds in as I was making a point about Kurtz being a winner in class at the 24 Hours of Spa as Robb Holland takes his Porsche Cayman to the front of GT4 ahead of Bryan Putt and Adam Adelson scrapping like mad. Here comes Gray Newell through Hurry Downs, look. Adelson goes back by and now, Ross Chouest takes the spot away.
The Heart of Racing Aston Martin undesteers to the kink. Chouest, three straight second place finishes, snapped in race two in Nashville and here comes Newell, but no dice! Seth Lucas in the Toyota Supra is pushing like crazy as well. Team boss Ian James, looking on. Seth Lucas' debut at Watkins Glen, in the Toyota Supra, he was very stout at Watkins Glen a couple races ago. One of the other Mercedes cars took out Moisey Uretsky! Mama Mia! Meanwhile, George Kurtz is doing all he can to make hay while the sun shines, leading the championship by 52 points with lots to play for yet. Jason Daskalos now, leads the motor race ahead of Jason Harward.
So it is the Jason and Jason show at the top of the shop. Harward is feisty and in attack mode. Harward is not running the Fanatec GT World Challenge America races today and tomorrow. Harward wants it. He has a Captain Cook but Daskalos slams the door in his face. Nick Shanny in the pit lane with trouble on the Toyota Supra GT4. Through turn five and up the hill, this battle is hot and heavy and here comes the Ferrari 458 Italia of Andy Pilgrim! Ski Autosport, running a part-time schedule. They are back for the first time since VIR in June. Pilgrim loves Road America. He first won here in the late 1980s in the old Corvette Challenge.
Harward wants by Daskalos and Daskalos spins! He has damaged suspension and he won't be a happy bunny! He does not have far to limp it home, but take a look at this. Harward needed to give Daskalos more room. Kyle Washington nearly got crunched too. This car is damaged. Daskalos has zero steering and he will be fuming! We could very well see a Full Course Yellow which might just put George Kurtz in the pound seats and his championship lead would balloon massively. Jason Harward too, game over with mega size suspension damage. He too will be quite upset. They both needed to give each other a wee bit more racing room. Jumping juniper! That was bananas.
Andy Pilgrim is the bloke now who will have a bite of the cherry as far as victory. We can see that Mrico Schultis in the Callaway Corvette, he is starting to move up. Welcome our pit reporter, Shea Adam. Bryan Putt is told over the radio by Kenton Koch, you have two laps to make your move. They want their first podium in GT America. They want the results and today could be the day. Thank you, Shea, for that report. George Kurtz leading the GT3 points is right behind Bryan Putt. Kurtz is able to move back into the picture now.
He will have to move past the GT2 Audi of C.J. Moses. In downtown Elkhart Lake there was a parade between Road America and Siebken's bar. Game over, for poor old Jason Daskalos. He will be wondering why all this happened to him. Will he be able to get back in the game tomorrow? 27 minutes left on the clock as Andy Pilgrim is our race leader. He has been racing a partial schedule in this series for two teams in two classes, in both GT3 and GT4... SRO3 in this division. He is able to run this older Ferrari 458 GT3. Phil Creighton, the crew chief. Ski Autosport, Spending the Kids' Inheritance. Their children must be like "mom, dad, why do you do that?!"
The Audi of Daskalos is an older car but still competitive, and so is Mirco Schultis in the Callaway C7 Corvette racing in Germany in ADAC GT Masters. These cars are older but they are still staying comeptitive in this class. Schultis gets quicker as the race goes on and Schultis has run in prototype racing too. He is a GM fan. He appreciates working hard and being an underdog. Green flag and we are back to racing as C.J. Moses is cleared by George Kurtz. Kurtz is flying right now dwn the back straight. A class winner last month at the 24 Hours of Spa.
Robb Holland, who broke out the broom and swept the races at Nashville in GT4, he is coming alive as we see Gray Newell still working on Ross Chouest and now, Elias Sabo wants an invitation to the party but he is going to have clag all over his tires. Seth Lucas in the Hattori Racing Toyota Supra and a couple more Supra's scrapping. Todd Coleman vs. Adrian D'Silva. Todd Coleman is here at Road America with his young son, Jack.
Jason Bell spun in qualifying according to his driver coach and co-driver in GT4 America, Andrew Davis. Jason Bell, showing patience as we see the Toyota Supra's matching their speed and handling both, here at Road America. The GT4 cars have some downforce but not as much as they'd like. Tony Ave, the team boss at Smooge Racing. Todd Coleman's car is smoking. What could that be? Robb Holland leading the GT4 division as Mirco Schultis is being monstered by George Kurtz. Schultis playing defense and Gray Newell has spun and is now getting back on he road coming out of Canada Corner.
Kurtz passes Schultis. Schultis had zero track time yesterday in Free Practice and qualifying. Poor old Newell has dropped like a stone, to 15th in GT4. We are past halfway in the race. Jeepers creepers! Kurtz has to get a wriggle on if he is going to move up before this race is done and dusted. George Kurtz at 2:09.958 uncorks fastest lap. Big climb up the hill and then a huge drop from turn six to seven and down to turn eight. Hurry Downs, through to The Carousel at turns nine and ten. Through the Kink and into Canada Corner. Corner speeds at The Kink are between 113-114 miles an hour and George Kuttz is fastest. Up through Canada Corner and then up the hill through turn 14 and the 3/4 of a mile front straight.
Less than 15 minutes remaining, the Riley Motorsports team looking on as Andy Pilgrim is a second or so off the pace of Kurtz as Pilgrim is actually building a gap. Kurtz needs to clear Kyle Washington and now Jason Harward is back on track in a repaired car but is laps down. He must complete 70% race distance to score points. Kyle Washington, focused as a driver and fending off the challenge of George Kurtz for the time being. Now then, Washington in the Porsche and Kurtz in the Mercedes. This is a passing opportunity. Kyle Washington, hitting his marks. Just enought to dissuade Kurtz from making a move. Out of turn 14, it is a drag race and Kurtz is ahead just barely.
Now into the turn one braking zone they go. Focus forward. He has his head in the game. He had a lot of clag on his tires but they are cleaned off now. Kurtz is a man on a mission but Andy Pilgrim is five seconds ahead, in another zip code. Pilgrim not in the championship picture. Kurtz will score valuable points in this race. Andy Pilgrim wants this win uncorking a 2:10 dead while Kurtz ran a 2:09.9. Equal between them as Robb Holland is dominating GT4 looking for a hat trick in the GT4 class in GT America. Holland is just 32 points down on Jason Bell who is way down in eighth place. Actually, he is now 13th overall but eighth in class and he is chasing down Todd Coleman.
Ross Chouest being monstered by Seth Lucas. For Ross Chouest, he has an opportunity and Chouest scored nil points in race two at Nashville last time out. He slides across to dissuade Lucas from making a move. Up through Billy Mitchell Bend they go. Adam Adelson has his hands full with Bryan Putt. Putt is right on his six. BSport chasing Premier Motorsports. The Porsche Cayman, traditionally, has not run well here at Road America but it is now. Adelson in too deep into five but he reads the line and makes the pass back on Putt. Lucas goes around Chouest. Lucas is coming in a hurry. Jason Bell might recover a tad as the positions change. We have five races to go yet and that's all.
Dirt tracking it throug the Carousel, Adam Adelson! Criminy! He's flying! Drop a wheel in the kink, and then, you sweep across and crunch the wall. Be careful out there. High speed. Massive commitment here at Road America. This place is fast. Andy Pilgrim, on a Saturday drive, leading by 4.6 seconds. George Kurtz goes purple, fastest of all n sector two compared to Andy Pilgrim in the race lead. Just over six minutes on the clock. Andy Pilgrim is now only 2.3 seconds ahead. Kurtz is coming in a hurry! He is pouring on the steam!
It's Hammer Time for George Kurtz. GT4 traffic ahead. Deary me. Andy Pilgrim, a five-time podium finisher at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He was driving for Corvette Racing quite successfully years ago but is now in a red Ferrari. They pass by the #124 Ford Mustang GT4 for Chris Allegro. Justin Wetherill was taken out of the races for the whole weekend. He will not race these events and will not partner Ryan Dalziel in GTWC America either. What a tough break. Mirco Schultis is giving a yellow Corvette a good ride and we were just talking about yellow Corvette's with Andy Pilgrim of course.
Schultis just does not have enough laps here but it does not matter. He is pushing. Andy Plgrim has to catch and pass Gray Newell in The Carousel. Into The Kink, Kurtz is balked by Newell into the transition. That was not too painful and he wiggles through turn 12, Canada Corner. Robb Holland leads by four seconds over Adam Adelson, Bryan Putt, Seth Lucas, and Ross Chouest. It is now or never. Four miles to go. Last lap. George Kurtz wants by Andy Pilgrim. Sector one, they are evenly matched. Sector two, Kurtz wants to have a head of steam through turn five. Hits his marks perfectly. Blind entry to turn six.
Off camber on exit. Down to Hurry Downs through turn seven. Canada Corner will tell us who is going to win this motor race. Kurtz chasing Pilgrim, biding his time. Here he comes now. Pilgrim, the Brit, using all the road. He covers the isnide. Through Canada Corner for the final time with traffic ahead. Through Billy Mitchell and the final turn. Here is the drag race. Kurtz has the run. He has the draft. Not enough! Pilgrim does it!
Robb Holland is going to win in GT4. The battle is on between Adam Adelson and Seth Lucas who is right on his six. Through turn five. Checkers out for GT3. GT4 has half a lap to go. Adelson slips in the Carousel. Lucas to the inside. Through the kink, Seth Lucas is probing. This is the battle for second and third, not the win, though. Adelson gives Lucas the inside but Lucas can't quite make it. We can see Putt, Chouest, and Sabo in a battle of the Aston Martin's behind. Robb Holland does the hat trick! Wow! In the drag race to the line Adelson holds on by a tenth of a second!
Overall/SRO3: #56 Andy Pilgrim Ski Autosports Ferrari 458 GT3
GT4: #99 Robb Holland Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
GT2: #58 C.J. Moses CrowdStrike Racing by GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2
2:08.522, George Kurtz sews up fastest lap of the motor race. Todd Coleman, stuck in the pit lane. Now, he might be able to make it back but needs that car for the GT4 America race later today too. Andy Pilgrim says everything worked perfectly for his part-time team. It is their first season racing team with crew chief legend Phil Creighton. So, GT America Road America race one is done and dusted. We will see another one for these boys tomorrow.
Robb Holland got his first professional podium here at Road America and now he is a winner again. He has done the hat trick and wants the four bagger tomorrow. More racing to come today. Stick with us everybody. You won't want to miss it.
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