It is the penultimate weekend of racing for SRO GT America in 2022, from one of the most historic and one of the oldest racing palaces in the United States. We're live in the orange groves of central Florida at Sebring International Raceway and it is time to go racing, SRO America style! It's live, and it's next! Strap in. Hold on tight and stay tuned! Just four races left in the season. GT3 points leader George Kurtz can clinch this weekend. But in GT4, we have seen eight winners in a dozen races as we welcome Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, and Amanda Busick on the commentary team. In GT3, the battle is between George Kurtz and Jason Daskalos.
We'll talk about GT4 in a minute. Kurtz says that the team switch to Riley Motorsports has paid massive dividends. More seat time and a great team are the keys. They have been working with Operation Motorsports to help veterans. That's a fabulous gesture. In GT4, t is hot and heavy. Jason Harward in the Lamborghini, is close in GT3, SRO3. But in GT4, oh man, there's a ton of folks in contention after the teams and drivers dropped their worst scores. We will burn out the calculators here at Sebring and at the finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Oh dear. Trouble for Bryan Putt in Aston Martin #15 for BSport Racing. Bryan Putt will have to start from the pit lane. Deary me.
These events are 40 minutes and go by in a flash. 3.74 miles, 17 corners, and bumpy, cracked pavement. It has more wrinkles than my forehead, mate. Believe me. Play chicke with the throttle. Good gracious. Andy Pilgrim, in this division is back in GT4 this weekend. Five GT3 cars at the front. Here we go. Time to race. George Kurtz takes the lead to turn one for the first time sweeping around Jason Harward. Here come the GT4 boys. Good jump by Moisey Uretsky and now, Adam Adelson passes Andy Pilgrim and Marko Radisic wants a bite of the cherry and here comes Ross Chouest on Andy Pilgrim going for the championship lead.
Seth Lucas in the Hattori Motorsports Toyota Supra pressing haerd. Man, oh man! Harward gets the lead and here comes Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette GT3. He is putting the welly down through turn 16 onto the Ulmann straight. Schultis wants it, or maybe he is looking for clean air. So, lap one done and dusted as Harward leads the motor race. Jason Daskalos is dropping like a stone and does not have the pace. What is the scoop with that Audi R8 LMS? Jeff Burton in the Lamborghni for TR3, co-driving with Corey Lewis in GT World Challenge America we will see later today.
Burton has been sidelined in the last four GT America races and has had many big accidents. He wants to have clean races. Burton raced GT World Challenge America at Road America the last time we covered these boys and their races. Moisey Uretsky and Adam Adelson, along with Ross Chouest are pressing on in GT4 through the Tower corner at turn 13. Ross Chouest has the confidence even though he had a wreck at Road America or maybe it was here in qualifying. I am confused. Can't remember which. Oh man! Schultis is loose and here comes Burton, look.
Schultis has to give it up. Egad! Keep it clean. Give each other racing space, please. So, the top two are rocketing away in a battle of their own. Kurtz wants by Harward. Does he go conservative for the title and go harder tomorrow? Or does he throw caution to the wind? Don't force it and take risks. Do not damage the car. Meantime, in GT4, Ross Chouest in third is being monstered by Andy Pilgrim and Jason Bell, both. Bell is really turning it on because he wants to maintain his points lead over Ross Chouest. Bell gains points on Chouest. We are focusing on this weekend at Sebring and then we have the finale at Indianapolis to look forward to in early to mid-October.
Mirko Radisic wants by Seth Lucas, but Lucas says, "no you don't, sunbeam" and keeps him behind. Rob Holland is coming and Andy Pilgrim has damage to the front splitter. That shall become a concern, maybe, as the race goes on. Trouble for the #71 car. That is the Porsche Cayman of Jay Logan who slides to a stop at turn seven and he will be racing in Pirelli GT4 America later today which, as I said, we will have for you, but on a delayed basis for posting it. That is one of the GMG cars. It is hot, but Sebring is a low tire degradation circuit so the Pirelli P Zero tires won't be affected all that much.
Chouest, Bell, Holland, Adelson, the top four in points, and all four of these blokes are pushing and Moisey Uretsky leads GT4 and is fifth in the championship. His gap over Adelson has ballooned to 4.2 seconds. Where on earth is Adam Adelson? He has had a problem with that Premeir Motorsports Porsche Cayman. Criminy! What is the scoop? Rob Holland has swapped to the Porsche Cayman after racing a Ford Mustang GT4 in the past. Now, he has really adjusted to the Porsche and improved mightily. Adelson probably lost heaps of time.
Remember on the streets of Nashville, Robb Holland swept the GT America races at Nashville and won one of the races at Road America. But, their pace for the Cayman here at Sebring has been a bear. He cannot find front grip. It just ain't workin'. But he is doing everything he can to recover. That charge could be fizzling like a seltzer tablet. Chouest is the cork in the bottle. GT4 cars got their ride heights raised by the SRO. So, that is going to be a factor indeed. No change at the top of the shop. Harward leads Kurtz who set fastest lap a wee while ago but just cannot pass. He lunges through the Le Mnas corner, but again, he is still having to push. Kurtz has not won in GT America since we opened the season at Sonoma, California, back in March.
Through Sunset Bend, named after driving through the sunset in the classic 12 Hours of Sebring run by another great championship here in North America. You hit the bumps differently through Sunset Bend. it is like riding a mechanical bull. Harward at 2:02.9, answers the bell compared to Kurtz. This is simmering along nicely, thank you. Kurtz is thinking championship. From Harward's perspective, he is not in the title fight. So he is looking for another win. He won the second race at Sonoma. But he has had an up and down year in 2022. This is a single car team now at Zelus Motorsports with Jason Harward and team boss Tigh Isaac.
Working traffic at a place like Sebring takes experience and George Kurtz ran here at the 12 Hours of Sebring in a prorotype as well in another sports car series we follow on the blog. He has won many of the big endurance races in North America and has raced at the 24 Hours of Spa too. Kurtz is really enjoying the racing side of his life. He is a corporate executive and has a busy life in the business world. We're just about halfway done in race one and man oh man, Kurtz is really applying the blowtorch now, look.
Jeff Burton extends the gap on Mirco Schultis and is on the podium. We could have seen Mirco Schultis as a race winner and he could have been at the top end of town, but the team maybe missed the setup just a wee bit. Halfway home everyone, and we still watch Harward and Kurtz racing through Bishop Bend and Le Mans corner. Custodio Toledo in 17th overall, 12th in GT4. Race vision shows top speeds in the 156-157 range and the Mercedes and Lambo are equal but it is Mirco Schultis fastest at 157.8 miles an hour. Through Kristensen corner, named for Tom Kristensen who won nine Le Mans 24 Hour races and seven 12 hour races here at Sebring/
Well, then, Harward is really pushing hard and Kurtz has had to regroup but in traffic, Kurtz can pounce and give Harward the rough end of ye olde pineapple. That's for dead sure. Jason Daskalos in the pit lane. Oh dear. He has not completed 70% of the race. So George Kurtz might be in the pound seats for the title. Harward flashing the lights at Robb Holland who gets stymied in the Porsche Cayman. This has been a cracking motor race, ladies and gentlemen! Wow! Three wide headed to the hairpin and it's dodge 'em car stuff between Kurtz and Harward! Holy cow! Keep it clean. We still have 15 minutes on the board. The GT3 cars have so much downforce. It is amazing. 15 minutes. That's all. Kurtz could be your champion. We'll see.
Then he can swap focus to winning Pro-Am honors in GT World Challenge America. Daskalos is gong to go for whatever points he can. Kurtz with clean track ahead but Harward is beginning to close in again, look. Mercedes vs. Lamborghini, two of the newer GT3 cars in the race and we have also seen older GT3 cars like the previous generation Audi and the Callaway Corvette. Holland has been passed by Pilgrim. The gaps between the leaders late in the going in 2022, are crucial. Did a bit of bodywork come off Chouest's Aston Martin? That's strange.
Daskalos has had splitter issues after going off the road on Wednesday in the paid test session. Chouest too has bodywork flapping around. Jeff Burton is putting the cat among the pigeons as well. Pilgrim monstering Jason Bell too. He has run a partial schedule in GT4 and in GT3 for two different teams. He won one of the Road America races back in August, so, about a month ago. Pilgrim had loads of success with Corvette Racing back in the day winning endurance races. Chouest and Bell at the front of the crocodile but Moisey Uretsky is driving away from everyone else. He has gapped Chouest and Adelson indeed.
Holland and Radisic scrapping through turn one side by side! Holy smokes! Running deep on the brakes Holland keeps the place. Marko almost sent it and he has Anthony Bartone and Seth Lucas. Holland pressing Pilgrim too and Batone moves by Radisic. Wow! George Kurtz's lead is now four seconds, and he is whistling off into the distance, well and truly in control. Poor old Jason Harward is slipping away and may have to settle for second. Schultis has sorted the braking issues. He cannot run the air blower and the cool suit at the same time. Thank goodness it is not as hot today. Friday was brutal during practice and qualifying. Tomorrow will also be a tad cooler.
This will be a fourth straight podium for Schultis if he can hold on. Moisey Uretsky has had a lonely race but he is bish, bash, boshing it in GT4. He won race two at Virginia International Raceway back in June, but since then he has been in the deep end and having to swim for it. A range between 73-75 miles an hour cornering speed in turn 17, Sunset Bend. Bell and Uretsky are the fastest GT4 cars. Putt, Bartone, and Toledo next up. High commitment, bumps, long duration, through corner 17. Ross Chouest is being monstered by Jason Bell in the battle of the Aston Martin's for the GT4 title. Bell is at one of his home tracks a couple hours from his home in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Off camber through turn 12 and the camber of the tires wants to drag you off the road. Time is falling away. Only four minutes to go in race one. Just four minutes to go. Ross Chouest has not blinked yet over Bell through Sunset Bend. Bell is going to press Chouest who guards the inside and Bell has a Captain Cook on the outside. Bell is going to pass, and they squeeze eachother and Bell makes the move. Bell has crashed! His podium opportunity is gone! Oh no! I don't think there was tire damage but let's see. He hits Chouest once and then turning into tuurn five, he understeers and spins the car, backing it into the fence.
Bell will score points, but he is dropping like a stone. Race Control reviewing the pass. I believe it was good racing only. Chouest too, has dropped like a stone. Adam Adelson moves to second. Robb Holland moves up to fourth. Poor Jason Bell is out of the points. Bryan Putt will score a single point or so it appears. White flag. One lap to go for George Kurtz here at Sebring and he will win another race and a championship. He should have both hands on that trophy with one round to go at Indianapolis plus the second race here at Sebring tomorrow as well. Final lap. Moisey Uretsky, the GT4 leader. He will score 25 additional points. Adelson second. Holland fourth.
George Kurtz started the championship in 2021 with wins at Sonoma. But he has won early and often in 2022. He will win the race and clincht the championship with three rounds left! Kurtz wins the race and is champion elect! Wow!
Overall/SRO3: #04 George Kurtz Crowdstrike with Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3
Oh dear! Robb Holland is stopped on course! Bell is out of it too. That's brutal luck for Holland in the GT4 championship fight! Jeepers creepers!
GT4: #55 Moisey Uretsky Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4
GT2: #58 C.J. Moses Crowdstrike Racing by GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2
Uretsky punches his ticket into the championship fight. Marko Radisic also off the road! Oh my gosh! This is unbelievable! Eight winners in 13 races in GT4 for GT America racing in 2022. Chouest is stopped as well! Holland, Radisic, Chouest, in eighth, ninth, and tenth, but they are all stopped on the road! Good grief! Jason Bell had a warning on the dashboard about a puncture so that is what sent him off the road. He has escaped the car but he will be frustrated again with a bad finish. Goodness.
We just don't know what happened to Holland, Radisic, and Chouest. Adelson could be the leader in the points with his second-place effort in GT4. Uretsky has earned a bucketload of points though. Can he repeat tomorrow? Fastest lap from race one sets the grid tomorrow. Elias Sabo was fifth in class, and we did not even hear his name mentioned. But he will be at the top of the shop tomorrow. That was close! We have touring cars coming up shortly. Stay with us.
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