Good morning, everyone, from Road America. Grab some breakfast and a cup of coffee, espresso, or perhaps tea, as we get started with day two of SRO America action from "America's National Park of Speed" with race two for GT America, combining a bevy of cars from GT2, GT3, and GT4 classes. I am sure the breakfast concession stands are open at Road America, and as we have explained before when other sports car championships race there, if you want good food at a racetrack, Road America is probably the best for that. Eat well, and then, walk around the 4 miles of the track to see the cars at different vantage points. That will burn off the calories.
This is round two of a doubleheader. We saw Ski Autosport and Andy Pilgrim win yesterday. Again, we have Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish on commentary from the broadcast booth, and Shea Adam taking care of the pit reports. What a run for Ski Autosport and Andy Pilgrim. George Kurtz in the Mercedes will have something to say. Robb Holland has scored a hat trick of wins and is closing up on rival Jason Bell. The grid for race two set by fastest laps from yesterday's race. This track is so special. It is the perfect race track. 4,400 feet uphill from turn 14 up to turn one. Big braking zones. Check out the Moraine Sweep and Canada Corner. This place has been around since 1955 and local businessman Cliff Tufte. Jason Harward is slated to start from the pit lane. Moisey Uretsky starts caboose on the field. 29 cars.
Multi class racing has been a part of the old World Challenge days and so this class evokes those halcyon days of the championship. Zelus Motorsports and Lamborghini, Jason Harward is on stone cold sticker Pirelli tires. He is up to the challenge. Here comes the field. Green flag. Green flag. The race is on. Kurtz jumps to the lead, look. Mirco Schultis wants second place and Robb Holland gets a screamer of a start and Seth Lucas goes inside Elias Sabo on this mild Sunday morning. Clean and green. Lucas broke out the brooms and swept his debut at Watkins Glen last month. Bryan Putt in the Aston Martin goes inside Adam Adelson into the braking zone.
Easy. Gently, boys. Big downhill braking zone. Adelson runs wide, look, in the Premier Motorsports Porsche. Everyone else is scraping and clawing for position as Gray Newell passes Adam Adelson. Jason Bell wants it, too. Single driver, sprint racing. No time to wait. Joey D'Silva also makes a move in The Kink! Yikes! Discretion the better part of valor for Bell, look. Chris Allegro also looking racy into Canada Corner. George Kurtz was mired down the order after spinning. Now, he has the lead over Andy Pilgrim. He had a difficult day yesterday, did Kurtz. Kurtz has to take care of the car as this is the spare car for GTWC America when we see that race later today.
Schultis and Daskalos move up and Bryan Putt is passing Elias Sabo. BSport Aston vs. Flying Lizard Astona nd Ross Chouest moves ahead but Bryan Putt spins it! Jeepers creepers! Bryan Putt has to get it back together and he shall continue. Ah. He got in hot on cold tires and just looped the car. No tire warmers in GT America in contrast to GT World Challenge America coming up later on. Robb Holland is on a roll having won on the streets of Nashville and in the wide open and fast, flowing spaces of Road America as well. Andy Pilgrim is applying the blowtorch to George Kurtz. The Englishman who has been living in the United States. He has been a GM stalwart and has also driven Porsche's, but is now bringing the old Ferrari 458 Italia back to life.
The Audi R8 and the Callaway Corvette, these older GT3 cars are still out there racing and that is great to see that they won't be mothballed. Whistling down through Kettle Bottoms and through the trees. Gosh, this circuit is fantastic. The massive climb up the hill onto the front straight is stunning. Meantime, Schultis has Daskalos right o his six and Kyle Washington, too, in the Porsche, you know he wants it. He has been proving himself. Three very different cars racing each other. Turn seven runs downhill and the track continues going downhill. In October, we are going to see new pavement coming to Road America as C.J. Moses in the GT2 Audi is sixth in the overall.
GT2 is a big horsepower car as Elias Sabo makes a move on Ross Chouest in GT4. Chouest may have overcooked one of the turns and Chris Alliegro in the Ford Mustang GT4 is off and back on. The GT2 cars should fit between GT3 and GT4 depending on the track and maybe we will see more GT2 cars in the future. Adam Adelson is pressing on, but Gray Newell wants to go by. Adam, please let me by. Sorry, Gray. Not a chance, mate. Jason Bell is losing places after Moisey Uretsky has made the pass as well. Ross Chouest is having a good race as well. The top three in GT4 are only 13 points apart in the championship.
Tire degradation is a factor. An abrasive surface. Again, we shall see a repave of this wonderful circuit, in 2023. Screaming through The Kink and on the run to Canada corner. Adelson guards the inside and Gray Newell is making his move. I told you he had something left in the locker, but he has to be careful. The traffic is now backed up and these other chaps are chomping at the bit to make their move. Adelson to the inside and Newell slams the door in his face. D'Silva pressing Uretsky as well, look. He is right on edge on the brakes. Jason Bell wants it as well, look. He and D'Silva almost make contact!
The Toyota Supra GT4 has been very strong in this class and in GT4 America. Elias Sabo, though, he has caught Seth Lucas. Now that will be another battle to watch. Seth Lucas is quicker compared to Robb Holland and then, Elias Sabo went even faster. Still about 25 minutes of racing left. Sabo finished sixth yesterday and had the second fastest GT4 lap time. He is working well with co-driver Andy Lee and with team boss at Flying Lizard, Steve Costello. Robb Holland in the lane and now, the other Rotek Mustang is facing the wrong way and D'Silva too has crunched the wall! Spinning at the kink, the Mustang takes out a signboard. But nothing more, thank goodness. Chris Alliegro, buy a lottery ticket, mate. But now he is like, "how do I get out of this one?"
Holland had a tire puncture. So, this Full Course Yellow is going to eat into the race time and poor old Robb Holland might be in jeopardy of keeping his win streak alive. In the meantime, Jason Harward tries C.J. Moses and gets past the GT2 Audi. Harward, sixth in the SRO3 order. He has to get a wriggle on to catch the other GT3 cars. George Kurtz had the same issue yesterday and raced his way back to second spot. Harward is making hay while the sun shines. He has the pace. That's for dead sure. Another team boss at Flying Lizard, Darren Law, he knows it is a wee bit early but also knows how his driver is doing.
Everyone is bunched up under yellow but the Aston Martin is handling well. Elias Sabo qualified better and the track is dry. So, he is feeling good indeed. Custodio Toledo out of Canada Corner in the #35 Mercedes AMG GT4, he has no power. The Brazilian needs a snatch vehicle for assistance. This is his first year at this level of motor racing. He scored his first points at Watkins Glen and now running with Conquest after starting the season at RENNtech Racing. Pilgrim's top speed 166 and a half miles and hour and so there is a five mile an hour speed delta between Kyle Washington, Jason Dskalos, C.J. Moses, Jason Harward, and Andy Pilgrim.
High speed and high brake loads, even in these shorter races. Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette, he was losing his brake pedal yesterday and hopefully is not having troubles today with that Callaway Corvette which is long in the tooth. This car is very rare and so parts are hard to come by. But Schultis embraces being an underdog and he loves this car. He has a long history with GM cars. He does not crack like an egg under pressure and so the other drivers and teams probably want to know "what on earth makes this car and this driver tick?" Jason Harward and Bryan Putt, both, they are being assisted by this yellow.
We shall be keeping an eye out for Bryan Putt. Poor old Robb Holland though has lost a lap. He has to catch up to the GT4 crocodile and is stuck in the sandwich with the GT3 boys. Jason Harward has been setting purple lap times and team boss Tigh Isaac is confident. The Audi and the Corvette have been running slower. The Daskalos Audi might sound a wee bit sick. Thank you, Shea Adam, for the pit report. 2:09.178, fastest lap, for Jason Harward, with just 15 minutes and change left. Harward knows he has to be more definitive with his moves. Will we see a repeat of the Jason and Jason show from yesterday?
We are looking for a restart because this yellow is chewing up the clock. No more cookies for you, Father Time. We need to get this motor race finished. The cleanup continues and the stricken Mustang is still on the grass. So, we are running out of time behind the safety car. At best we will have eight and a half or so minutes to go. There is some oil dry down on the road. There was either oil or water leaking from the car and now, Robb Holland does get the wave by and he has to book it to catch up to the rest of the crocodile. We are going to see these cars next race at Sebring International Raceway in Florida and wrap it all up in October at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in conjunction with the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
The 8 Hours of Indanapolis will have a Saturday date and run into the twilight. That will be fun! Looking forward to seeing it. Cleanup continues and that does not bode well for a restart. Or does it? We only have less than ten minutes. Lights off on the safety car. Green flag. George Kurtz continues in the lead and stretches out the daylight between he and Andy Pilgrim. Jason Daskalos deep on the brakes nto turn one and Schultis in the Corvette slams the door in his face, and contact in GT4 with Elias Sabo and Gray Newell! Phew! That was close! Adam Adelson, two wheels in the grass, and Newell forces his way past Chouest who spins off the road!
Jeepers creepers! Chouest has to have clag all over his tires! Jason Harward looking for a way to pass Washington and Schultis in the Callaway Corvette, he is the cork in the bottle. Daskalos to the inside and Harward passes Wsdhington and now, Sean Whalen and Jason Bell have had a clatter. Full course Yellow and Bryan Putt spins while Whalen had nowehre to go and crunches right into the Jason bell car. Drivers not happy. What on earth did you do to me, you idiot?! You took me off the road!
Oh no! Seth Lucas and Gray Newell have crashed! Gray Newell's Aston Martin under double yellows is totally destroyed! Oh my God! That was a massive accident! This race has been absolutely all over the shop and there is no way we can restart this. George Kurtz should win this race. Pilgrim and Schultis will also get on the podium. 100 points still on offer after this race is over and Kurtz will have an insurmountable lead with a sixth 2022 win for Kurtz and Riley Motorsports. George Kurtz has a spring in his step and he can really build confidence and perform to a high level.
All we can do is hope Gray Newell and Seth Lucas are OK. This is a soberting ending to the races for GT America at Road America. Again, we have fingers crossed for Gray Newell and Seth Lucas. Elias Sabo could very well be our GT4 winner. Sean Whalen and Jason Bell discuss their incident and surely, they are not happy with each other. The debris field on the road, we are stopped now for obvious reasons. These massive 4,000 pound concrete barriers have been shifted. Gracious knows how heavy that impact was!
Bryan Putt's Aston Martin did suffer damage on the right front corner after making contact with Jason bell. The race is over. Cars are moving past the incident. Kurtz wins GT3 ahead of Pilgrim and Schultis.
Overall/SRO3: #04 George Kurtz Crowdstrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3
GT4: Still to be determined. It is under review. Provisionally, it is Elias Sabo.
#8 Elias Sabo Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4
GT2: #58 C.J. Moses Crowdstrike Racing by GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2
We wait for GT4 results and wait for word on the conditions of both Gray Newell and Seth Lucas. The cars will circulate around for one more lap and we will have a cleanup and so the schedule will be pushed back. We were supposed to see TC America race two coming next. That might be in about 15 minutes. Stay with us to see when that event happens. We also have Pirelli GT4 America race two and GT World Challenge America race two.
Great to see Andy Pilgrim and the Ski Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 do well. We shall have to figure out things post-race for the GT4 class in GT America. George Kurtz says he was managing the tires and hopes everyone is OK. They controlled the race. He enjoyed battling and winning against a legend like Andy Pilgrim. When we have more news about Gray Newell and Seth Lucas, we will let you know.
No comments:
Post a Comment