Race two of the weekend for SRO GT World Challenge America is set to get underway here at Sebring International Raceway. Fanatec GT World Challenge America has entered it's final fortnight. Yesterday it was K-PAX Racing with Andrea Caldarelli and Michele Beretta returning to form for a race win in race one on Saturday. Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher looking at the Pro-Am championship. The grid is completely mixed together, and as we often say, it is a candy dish. Conquest Racing joining the championship with Alessandro Balzan and Manny Franco. They have been promoted to the Pro class. This is the second of two races at Sebring joining Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, and Amanda Busick. Alessandro Balzan knows how hard it will be to win, but qualfying on pole, they could have a shot at it.
Racer's Edge Acura won yesterday. Mario Farnbacher starts the motor race and then she will take the wheel in the second half. Stay calm and keep your mental state in the right place. Bring the car home in one piece so the two weeks are well spent getting set for Indianapolis and the 8 Hours. This is the final 90 minute race of the year. Two formation laps coming up before we turn them loose to race. Hot Pirelli P Zero's on the cars, as it is has been hot in Sebring but has cooled down just a tad. There is rain in the area and could see raindrops before the end of the race today.
Ryan Dalziel was 21 thousandths of a second away from pole. We are down two cars. No Bimmerworld BMW and no RealTime Acura today. Bill Auberlen is back along with Chandler Hull. No Turner Motorsports today either as Michael Dinan had family matters to attend to so, no Robby Foley and Michael Dinan today in this race. Trouble for Mario Farnbacher and Racer's Edge too, starting from the pit lane. We are readying for the start. Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher, Pro-Am winners from yesterday's race, has a braking issue.
They will have to bleed the front brakes quickly and see if they can get back out. We hope to have 13 cars in the field. Big trouble at Racer's Edge. Trying to bleed the rear brakes. They are going to miss the start. Green flag is out. Go. Taking the lead, Alessandro Balzan and here comes Ryan Dalziel to the outside. He wants the lead. Close quarters between Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper who has passed Caldarelli into Kristensen corner. Racer's Edge and Mario Farnbacher back in the race. The two Ferrari's are eking out pace on the Lamborghini's. Conquest vs. Triarsi. Colin Braun making progress and so is Bill Auberlen.
This is the #94 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT3 of Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull. Auberlen monstering Corey Lewis presently as Colin Braun defends down the Ulmann straightaway. Corey Lewis wants a bite of the cherry. He can't quite make it. Corey Lewis is going to have to play defense. A shallow attack angle on turn one exit. Auberlen up four places. Colin Braun moving up. Mario Farnbacher still in trouble and back to the pit lane. More brake issues at Racer's Edge Acura. K-PAX Racing had six straight race wins before their drought. Conquest Racing making a great debut. They are not eligible for championship points.
Troubles continue for Racer's Edge as the brake issues continue. They will be ninth in class. They were leading over Jan Heylen and Charlie Luck as well as George Kurtz and Colin Braun, but they are in trouble. Auberlen goes past Corey Lewis who is rolling speed around the outside. Minimal tire degradation at Sebring for the GT3 cars. Lewis won with Bryan Sellers in 2018 at the 12 Hours of Sebring and Bill Auberlen has three 12 Hours of Sebring victories in the 1990s. Auberlen has his query ahead. He has to show patience. Chandler Hull will be up on the wheel when he gets into the car for his stint.
Yesterday, Bimmerworld scored nil points. They have yet to crack the top step of the podium. Auberlen moving in on Lewis. No dice in Sunset Bend as Lewis continues fighting Auberlen on the outside. Lewis rolling speed into one and he makes it stick! Wow! That was some scintillating motor racing. Huge twitch from Colin Braun right in front of Lewis! Lewis on offense. That fifth corner is a skating rink. Onofrio Triarsi, the only Am contender in the field and he passed Dirk Mueller for position in the #63 USALCO DXDT Mercedes sharing with David Askew.
Racer's Edge continues to be in a spot of major trouble. Anything is possible. Bimmerworld rebuilt the car last night. Chandler Hull is ready to go for his stint, at the halfway mark. Hull ran a 24-hour race here at Sebring in a GT4 car. Hull has always had great pace and has Bill Auberlen as a mentor. K-PAX running third and fourth as Alessandro Balzan leads the motor race in the Conquest Racing Ferrari 488 GT3. Fastest lap for Balzan so far in the 2:01 range. Bill Auberlen has passed Corey Lewis and Onofrio Triarsi also went through. Auberlen has pace in the BMW going after both Colin Braun and Bryan Sellers as well.
The two K-PAX Lamborghini's run side by side as Andrea Caldarelli takes the place back on Jordan Pepper. These two have dueled like crazy after being split up after round one at Sonoma, California, back in March. Caldarelli being pushed and we wonder about his pace. He has cleared away and Bill Auberlen is monstering Colin Braun. Racer's Edge into the race now with Mario Farnbacher, three laps down. Team bosss Jon Mirachi says there was a brake fluid problem. Mirachi told Mario Farnbacher to go for it with everything he's got and he almost drops a wheel at Le Mans curve.
Do not throw the car at the fence. If you reach 70% distance of the winner, you will score points. Nine of ten Pro-Am cars are in the field this weekend. Attrition will help. Auberlen and Caldarelli both cutting 2;01.8 lap times. Jan Heylen is motoring after Bryan Sellers. DXDT and Riley are the bread while we see Wright Motorsports in the Porsche, Jan Heylen, the man in the middle. We have a lot of interesting announcements coming up before the Indianapolis 8 Hours insofar as teams and drivers. So, we are going to see lots more news coming up this week and next. It is the season finale for Fanatec GT in North America, and points are paid after the full eight hours and it is round three of the Intercontinental GT Challenge that has seen Bathurst and Spa then Indianapolis and then the Gulf 12 Hours.
Wow. New fastest lap by Caldarelli and he is beating both Balzan and Dalziel. The tires coming into their sweet spot. The pace is going up, up, up. What will Charlie Scardina do when he takes over car #23? Caldarelli has unleashed the gap on the #1 stealth black Lamborghini. 2:00.992 is the fastest lap for Caldarelli so far. That Lambo is very edgy. The Ferrari and the Mercedes are far more compliant. An hour and ten minutes still on the board. K-PAX won yesterday and want to repeat today, to break out the broom, and sweep.
The Pro-Am battle has been amazing all year. Bryan Sellers feeling the heat from Jan Heylen into Sunset Bend. Sellers drifts wide, Sellers sees an opening, but Sellers slams the door in his face through Sunset Bend. Bicycling through the corner. Coming fast is Bill Auberlen in the #94 Bimmerworld BMW M4 GT3. Chandler Hull should have pace on a lot of the Am drivers although George Kurtz is also on form having swept both GT America races this weekend. It is a darn shame the Turner Motorsports car is not in this race today. They did compete in Saturday's first race, however. Sellers not getting flustered by Jan Heylen who has the speed into Sunset Bend.
He has run for Wright Motorsports in the 12 Hours of Sebring before. Colin Braun is really applying the pressure. One hour and seven minutes to go and this race has been orderly so far. Bill Auberlen is reeling in Sellers, Heylen, and Braun. They are having a little party, and I might get invited. Note from race control, an incident under review between the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari and Corey Lewis in the #191 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 for Zelus Motorsports. Corey Lewis, a multiple champion in single make amborghini racing as Jordan Pepper has two wheels off the road into the dust. He can dance on the ragged edge and keep that car in one piece.
The stewards say #191 must give the place back to Onofrio Triarsi. That was the chrome horn. Lewis is going to be demoted and pulled back from the Auberlen, Heylen, Braun scrap we are looking at. Auberlen too, is losing a wee bit of pace. The delta is spreading between Auberlen and Braun. They could not get a notebook from yesterday's race due to the retirement of the car. Jan Heylen pressuring Bryan Sellers. Sellers is doing what he must and Scott Smithson will take over for stint two as the pit window shall open in a dozen minutes. Corner speeds at the Hairpin, in the slowest turn on the track is between 44-45 miles an hour and Sellers and Muller in the Mercedes are top of the shop there over Ferrari, Aston Martin, and BMW.
Sellers, Muller Triarsi, Braun, Auberlen. Caldarelli uncorks new fastest lap of the race. The pace is bang on the money half an hour in. The fuel load is beginning to burn off. Alessandro Balzan has the lead of this motor race over Ryan Dalziel and Andrea Caldarelli. So, it is all Ferrari at the top of the shop thus far. Balzan, the Italian, took pole for race two yesterday and is dominating with a two second cushion over Dalziel, the Scotsman. This is the final year of the 488 GT3 with the new Ferrari 296 GT3 coming soon. Conquest will have a new 296 for the full season and perhaps Manny Franco will be one of the drivers, and we'll see if Balzan is as well.
Heylen goes deep to the inside of Sellers in Sunset Bend! Yikes! Great driving. Now, Braun is going to move and he does so to the inside. He kicked down the door. Poor old Bryan Sellers gets mugged by two cars. Is the handling on that DXDT Mercedes fading? That was unexpected in the Pro-Am class. Jan Heylen, the Belgian, up to second, with Braun third and Sellers third. Through Cunningham Corner and Fangio Bend and into Tower Corner. Peter Cunningham has a corner here at Sebring and it is actually Briggs Cunningham I think, the legendary race car designer.
Heylen has made the move and he was doing the slide job into the exit. Bryan Sellers had something go awry under braking it appears. There is a divot at turn five on corner exit. Sellers is a second and a half slower than Braun as Andrea Caldarelli is about to pass Ryan Dalziel. Michele Beretta will be taking over the #1 as we get closer to the pit window in about five minutes I believe. Alessandro Balzan has had consistency. He has had track position as well. Manny Franco, his team mate, in his first weekend of GT3 racing and he will inherit the overall lead of the motor race. He is a bundle of nerves, but will rise to the occasion. He is going for being consistent. We will see if the #34 car shows up at Indianapolis.
The car and team will be there with Alessandro Balzan but we wonder who the other drivers will be. Caldarelli is right on Ryan Dalziel's six. Dalziel will not go quietly into the night. The Lambo of Caldarelli applying the blowtorch. Passing opportunities are available but they are at a premium. We are approaching the pit window and Michele Beretta shall get into the #1 K-PAX Lamborghini. Colin Braun and Jan Heylen are beginning to uncork fastest laps as Balzan's gap grows to 2.4 seconds. Triarsi is at their home track and Ryan Dalziel's wife Jessica is a Sebring, Florida native.
Jan Heylen just uncorked his personal best lap of the motor race. He is motoring. Charlie Luck waiting patiently for his stint. He is doing calesthenics, stretching, limbering up for the drive. Charlie Luck loves the history of this place with the history of WW. II. and the German's and Italian's testing their cars back in the day. Ryan Dalziel goes for and gets a personal best lap and now, Caldarelli is right behind Dalziel. The Pirelli P Zero tires late in the stint stay together and the performance stays right on it. No tire degradation to speak of as the pit window opens. Who will blink first and head for the lane?
Dalziel has won many of the big sports car races and he is the coach for co-driver Justin Wetherill who will drive the second stint. Pit window open now. Take it deep into the window before stopping. DXDT pts Dirk Muller. They have been struggling with the tires. He is handing the car over to David Askew, team boss. You have a one second joker if you did not use it yesterday, for pit stops. DXDT does indeed employ the joker this time. Halfway through the pit window and the race alike. Ryan Dalziel continues to be absolutely harried by presumptive champion Andrea Caldarelli. He could very well clinch it today and would not even have to race at Indianapolis. But I think he ought to be there.
One race with double points is how the 8 Hours of Indianapolis will work. Jan Heylen pressing Jordan Pepper and makes the pass. Heylen has been really strong and now, Colin Braun will be doing all he can to make a move on Pepper. Pepper and Misha Goikhberg have just not had the race they wanted. His championship hopes are beginning to evaporate, beginning to melt. Alessandro Balzan in the lane and now, Manny Franco will get into the car. Dirk Mueller says something is wrong with the DXDT Mercedes. New Pirelli P Zero tires may work. Conquest in the lane. Tires, fuel, Manny Franco into the car for the former IndyCar turned sports car team.
Charlie Scardina will take the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari to the end and they have a delayed stop. 80 seconds is minimum delta. They got hung up on the belts, on the driver change. 12 seconds over the minimum stop time for Conquest! Ouch! Can Misha Goikhberg make up time on fresh tires? The leaders are in cutting it all too fine to the end of the pit window as Ryan Dalziel hands over to Justin Wetherill and Andrea Caldarelli hands over to Michele Beretta and Jan Heylen handing over to Charlie Luck. K-PAX used their joker.
Wright executed to perfection. DXDT, Riley, and others did the same and so did Bimmerworld. The big losers are Triarsi! Four seconds over the limit! Deary me, that will really put those chaps on the back foot! Ryan Dalziel takes it on the chin if there is a mistake. Dalziel, the Scotsman, Justin Wetherill, his co-driver, from Orlando, Florida, former Ferrari Challenge racer. Manny Franco all over the back door of George Kurtz. Justin Wetherill leading and now is passed for the lead of the motor race by Michele Beretta. Conuqest got snookered and are buried in the middle of the pack. Manny Franco has to push Kurtz and Misha Goikhberg wants by Franco. It is the Misha and Manny show!
Kurtz, Franco, Goikhberg. These three have to push to catch Wetherill who of coursr had a dud pit stop. Franco feeling the heat. This is quite the shemozzle we have in the midfield. GT3 racing is a different level and Franco has had his head on his shoulders and minded his P's and Q's. George Kurtz and Misha Goikhberg are veterans. Franco is a new driver but he is driving like a veteran. Michele Beretta leading the motor race and putting himself in control. Scott Smithson spins. No. It is David Askew who has spun and is in a precarious spot down the Ulmann straight. He is back underway.
We saw Bryan Sellers with handling troubles, and I wonder if Askew s dealing with the same thing. The bumps will absolutely rattle the suspension to pieces and screw up the wheel alignment. 2:03.9 for Justin Wetherill and he is gapping Charlie Luck. Franco continues holding off Goikhberg. Chandler Hull has now passed Scott Smithson. So he is on recovery, salvaging what he can after a very difficult weekend for Bimmerworld. It was a horrendous race for them yesterday which barely started. Hull has to focus forward and close the gap to George Kurtz and the rest.
Chandler Hull made his 100th pro start in a BMW and did not even make it to the start/finish line. Scitt Smithson in the #08 DXDT Racing Mercedes, Bryan Sellers and Dirk Mueller, shaking their heads in confusion having lost the tire performance. The tires have fallen off a cliff for some odd reason because track and ambient conditions are similar to yesterday. A rodeo ride for Goikhberg out of turn 16! He is pushing like mad! George Kurtz too, finding his sweet spot. He and Jason Harward had a battle royale in GT America of course. Manny Franco too, my oh my, racing against these professional drivers.
Franco asked for a derogation to Bronze rating by the FIA after being originally entered as a Silver. But he has not driven a GT3 car very often. Michele Beretta well in control but everyone else is fighting, clawing, scrapping for position before this motor race is done and dusted. Beretta leading by 15 seconds, although it looks like a country mile. Justin Wetherill, his lone win came in race one at VIR. Wetherill is the closer here in race two at Sebring. Wetherill has to be consistent but he also must pick up the pace.
Goikhberg will want by Manny Franco ASAP. But Franco uses more extra track to set up a wider radius into the turn. Tries the draft on George Kurtz and then at Sunset Bend they are side by side. Franco wants the racing room. He presses Kurtz. Wow. Misha Goikhberg does likewise. Amazing. The GT3 debutant looks like a savvy veteran. Holy smokes! That was tasty! It was a really close call. Some hip and shoulder over the bumps. Franco being praised by his co-driver Alessandro Balzan and team co-owner and former driver Eric Bachelart. Chandler Hull is next up behind Kurtz. Top speeds overall and the fastest is Auberlen in the BMW at 162 miles an hour followed by Hull, Drew Steaveley, Colin Braun, and Alessandro Balzan, in the 157-159, 160 miles an hour range.
Just over 20 minutes to go. Franco passes Kurtz and now is on the attack towards Charlie Luck and if Luck gets defensive, Wetherill will motor away. Keep focused forward. Do not let your rivals past. Take charge of your own destiny. Don't crack under pressure. Wetherill is cutting some good laps at 2:03-2:04 and change. The Pro-rated Lamborghini's are pushing. That is the Lambo and the Ferrari. Kurtz has fallen back somehow some way. Chandler Hull is far faster than George Kurtz insofar as lap time. Misha Goikhberg powers past Manny Franco. Give each other room, don't try the squeeze play!
Wetherill, cool as a cucumber in Pro-Am. Hull has the advantage as we said. Franco slams the door in Goikhberg's face, holding off the former 24 Hours of Daytona class winner! Yikes! How close do you like it? Goikhberg wants it. Franco says, no you don't. He is poised and not panicking. 20 minutes to go. Manny Franco is hurt a bit after a crash in a test at Sonoma Raceway. Use adrenaline. It was at VIR where Franco had a wreck. He won in Ferrari Challenge and is now pressing on for his GT3 debut. He is up to it. Beretta, Wetherill, leading in their classes. Franco and Goikhberg still engaging in their duel. Time is fading through the hourglass in the final 90-minute race of the season before Saturday October 8th, and the Indianapolis 8 Hours on a Saturday into twilight.
That one will be fun. Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher, ninth in class in Pro-Am after their brake issues. If Wetherill and Dalziel can pick up points they can minimize the damage before Indianapolis. Manny Franco pressing Charlie Luck more. Goikhberg falling back but the trio is moving in on Wetherill and here comes Chandler Hull in the white and blue BMW M4 GT3. Luck is really giving it the stick trying to catch Wetherill. Misha Goikhberg applying the blowtorch, look, to Franco as well. We could have half a dozen cars in the fight before this race concludes this afternoon.
Keep the margins tight. That is critical as we have 15 minutes left on the board. Manny Franco wants by Charlie Luck at Sunset Bend. No dice. Goikhberg to the outside into turn one. More hip and shoulder? Not quite. This is compressing, a definite concertina effect. Will we have a brawl here? A street fight. Racer's Edge want Chandler Hull to get into this fight to take away big points from Wright Motorsports and Riley Motorsports. Franco is lunging at Charlie Luck in Sunset Bend and he can go alongside. That Ferrari is a screamer down the front straight and now, Hull is coming in a hurry.
Franco to the inside and Luck slams the door in his face. Goikhberg and Kurtz and Hull and Wetherill. Oh man oh man. Franco slams the door in Goikhberg's face another time! This is unreal. Hull wants by Kurtz to get on the podium after their disappointment from yesterday. Wetherill is too far down the road but anything can still happen. Wetherill is the closer today. He has been very impressive in stint two of this motor race. But he is losing gobs of time to Charlie Luck. Focus, hit your marks. He will have a pack of wolves behind him. This is unreal.
Ten and a half minutes left. Do not run to the fridge now. You won't want to miss any of this! Michele Beretta 32 seconds in front and everyone else, it is a war zone! Charlie Luck tries to go by Wetherill. This fight is not over. Manny Franco is the fly in the ointment, the cat among the pigeons. Luck thinks about it, discretion the better part of valor but not for long. Chandler Hull losing time in the BMW M4 GT3. That car is just not handling the right way. Luck to the inside through Sunset Bend. Franco has the run, on Luck in the Porsche. Here goes Luck on Wetherill for the Pro-Am class lead and he takes the spot away!
Franco past Wetherill and here comes Goikhberg. This is not over. Wetherill vs. Goikhberg. Hull is pressing Kurtz to the inside. He has a Captain Cook but can't make it? Charlie Luck now leading Pro-Am. In replay, Wetherill runs wide and washes out into Kristensen corner. Wetherill slides past Franco but Franco knew he had to pull the pin. Michele Beretta is whistling off into the distance. Beretta is 36 seconds up the road! He is in another zip code! Another county! He is just having a stroll through the orange groves here at Sebring. Charlie Luck, what will you do, mate? He lets Franco go. Goikhberg will do all he can. Luck needs to let Goikhberg go.
Franco has been unleashed. He is the hound chasing the rabbit. Wetherill, Kurtz, Hull, scrapping in Pro-Am. Alessandro Balzan looking on. Misha Goikhberg a former Prototype Lights champ and class winner at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Bimmerworld not in the fight but Kurtz and Braun are going to get stymied in the points if they cannot get to the third step on the podium. Chandler Hull can go for second at the very least but he is running out of time. Wetherill is in the box seat. Franco ahead of the pack. He just had to scythe through the maze and did it.
Two laps to go. Hull passes Wetherill for second in class in Pro-Am flying towards Charlie Luck. Luck will have to hit his marks and cut two perfect laps. Do not open the door for the Bimmerworld boys. They might be willing to throw caution to the wind after their DNF yesterday. He will go full send mode but he needs to close up on Luck in the next lap or so. Time is of the essence. Maximize the championship lead is what Luck and company want to do as Michele Beretta comes to the white flag. Caldarelli could clinch his second straight title and now, Frank Gannnett in the Aston Martin, off the road. Askew lunges and clips Frank Gannett who spins.
One lap to go. Chandler Hull closing on Charlie Luck. Goikhberg in the clear. Hull is on his last lap running out of time. George Kurtz could gain a place as well having caught Justin Wetherill. If Triarsi loses the podium place, they will be devastated. Charlie Luck was 2021 GT America champion. George Kurtz is GT America champion in 2022. No lack of cofidence for K-PAX. They sweep the weekend and win the title for Andrea Caldarelli! Pro-Am honors go to Wright Motorsports! Chandler Hull second.
Justin Wetherill completes the podium over George Kurtz as Charlie Scardina and Onofrio Triarsi win the Am class unopposed.
Overall/Pro: #1 Beretta/Caldarelli K-PAX Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3
Pro-Am: #45 Heylen.Luck Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R
Am: #23 Triarsi/Scardina Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020
Wright Motorsports should lead by 14 points over Crowdstrike and Riley Motorsports going to Indianapolis. We will see wildcard entries, but they cannot earn points. 2:00.812 is fastest lap for Andrea Caldarelli. K-PAX win again! Then there was one. It is the biggest race of GTWC America and a part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, the Indianapolis 8 Hours at "The Brickyard", the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, coming up two weeks from now. Join us for a Saturday race into the twilight hours. It is going to be a screamer! Excited to bring it to you.
See you in two weeks. For now, goodbye, everyone, from the orange groves of central Florida, and the great Sebring International Raceway. We'll see you at Indy. So long.
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