Pirelli GT4 America is set to go for their first of two races in their 2022 season finale here at "The Brickyard", the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This is the only other support race besides a Dodge Viper League race that ran this morning, before we get set to go for the Indianapolis 8 Hours. Go to SRO GTWorld's YouTube channel if you have time and check out the Viper race. It was fun to watch. Now back to the serious stuff. It is race one, as we said, for Pirelli GT4 America and they will have a second race we shall cover, tomorrow morning, as well. So after the 8 Hours today, the racing will not be over. We will be here tomorrow mornng for some additional SRO America racing to come.
Silver and Pro-Am championships are on the line. Four Pro-Am teams can clinch and Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer can clinch. We join Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish, along with Amanda Busick. Am is done and dusted. Pro-Am and Silver still up for grabs. Bimmerworld with James Clay and Charlie Postins are already champs. Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer are fighting Gavin Sanders and Michai Stephens for Conquest Racing. Of course, Filgueiras and McAleer drive the Porsche Cayman for RS1. Get on the brakes to force the heat into the tires on this cold racetrack and cold ambient temps in Indianapolis at the speedway this morning. No tire warmers allowed in GT4.
Put one foot on the gas pedal and one on the brake pedal. Watch the ABS. Be careful. 31 starters in this race across three classes based on driver levels. They are in Noah's Ark formation, ready to race. Green flag and it's go time! Michai Stephens is jumping into the lead or trying to. McAleer leads down past the yard of bricks. Three, four, five wide. Kevin Conway in fifth in the Smooge Racing Toyota Supra and Adam Adelson wants to pass Custodio Toledo. He can't quite make it. Adam Adelson in the fight for Pro-Am. Scott Noble is going backwards in the #47 Nolasport Porsche Cayman sharing with Jason Hart as we have a spin or two. Tim Horrell and Toby Grahovec. Raphael Matos is racing for the Trans Am title at Virginia International Raceway this weekend.
Noble is trailing Adelson riht now for the championship. McAleer and Stephens 1-2 and Gray Newell is pushing in The Heart of Racing Aston Martin ahead of Ross Chouest. Two Aston Martin's. Michai Stephens drafting Stevan McAleer already. The first task is to pass McAleer who has dominated the Silver class. They failed to finish at Road America in late August. Conquest Racing are chasing. NOLA was the only race where RS1 did not do well. Austen Smith and Tim Horrell have some argy bargy being observed by Race Control. Newell, Chouest, Kevin Conway, and more. McAleer is eking out a gap already.
Scott Noble struggled in qualifying but has passed Moisey Uretsky. Adam Adelson is coming in a hurry and now, Elias Sabo passes Custodio Toledo. Sabo had a hard accident in GT America yesterday crunching into Adam Adelson. Sabo and co-driver Andy Lee must have a strong result and beat Nolasport to stay in the championship fight. The fight between Conquest and RS1 is also one we are watching. Gavin Sanders says the year has been spectacular and a true journey in motor racing. Sanders is improving as a driver, stepping up to the plate. They are doing exactly that at Conquest. He is doing what he can to stay warm in the chilly Indianapolis morning. This is balmy compared to his home in Canada.
Austen Smith cops a drive through penalty for the argy bargy with Tim Horrell. Now then, McAleer is pulling away from Stephens. Full Course Yellow on the speedway, look. Not sure what the cause is. We shall see. Custodio Toledo leads the Am division right now, the Brazilian. Oh no! Tim Horrell is off the road and has stuffed it into the tires. That's terrible news for the #10 team at Fast Track Racing sharing with Toby Grahovec. Pau;l Sparta in the #98 BMW M4 GT4 for Random Vandals Racing, alongside Al Carter, they won Sebring. They have new GT4 spec M4 GT4's ready for next year and will also race more in the touring car division.
It is the same model as Conquest Racing and their boss, John Farrow. Gray Newell and The Heart of Racing are at the top of the shop in Pro-Am. Filgueiras and McAleer are good buddies and have that chemistry on and off the track at RS1. The equation is simple. Putting the pieces together is harder. Great driver lineup, check. Great car with the Porsche Cayman, check, and a great team at RS1, check. Everyone else is wondering, "what do we have to do to match those blokes?" RS1 are constantly tweaking the car and are detail oriented. That is what you want in a good racing team, anywhere in any kind of motor racing. Not just sports car and GT racing.
If RS1 finishes eighth or better for this race or the one tomorrow, they are champions. We have the mandatory pit stop window coming up in about ten minutes and looking at the driver change happening in a ten-minute window. Go the distance on tires and we have no tire trouble. Baby the tires in the cold. That is what you want to do. The Pro-Am lineups, will dive in and change over to the professional drivers. We shall see if the yellow moves back the driver changes. 45 minutes or so on the board still, everybody. Maximize stint time for the professional drivers in a Pro-Am duo. That is the plan.
Scott Noble, Jason Hart, Elias Sabo, Andy Lee, Gray Newell, Ross Chouest. Many contenders still in the fight. Elliott Skeer, wrapped in a blanket to keep warm. The strategy at Premier Racing, the Porsche vs. Porsche battle will be equal. The team has repaired the car from yesterday's shunt. Adelson and Skeer want to kiss the bricks today here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Adelson and Skeer are buddies just as much as they are co-drivers on their team which is great. Their Porsche Cayman is totally set up and running well. Keep warm before your stint, Elliott.
Kent Moore, team boss at Premier Racing, and the crew, have had to thrash, using this same car for both Pirelli GT4 America and GT America, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michai Stephens wants to get a jump on this restart. 1/3rd of the race done and dusted as we wait for the tire barrier to be repaired. Tim Horrell is OK. That is great news. The pit window is coming in about five minutes. Maybe the pit window shall be delayed a tad. More vigorous weaving of the tires. Safety car lights out. On a cold day like this Saturday, you really want to have the heat in your Pirelli tires. Make hay while the sun shines. That is what you want to do.
Clean the tires, but also use the brake and the accelerator to get heat while trundling around behind the safety car. Derek DeBoer has started this race for the Porsche Cayman of The Racer's Group. Robert Orcutt will finish. OK. Time for a restart. McAleer, Stephens, Newell, Chouest, Conway the top five. Adelson and Sabo also up there. Time for a restart. Go! McAleer leads over Stephens and Newell. Adelson gapping Sabo who has Custodio Toledo all over him. Into the chicane and nw througn the first turn. Stephens wants by McAleer! Discretion the better part of valor and here comes Newelll n the outside, look.
Newell and Chouest, two Aston Martin's in Pro-Am. Ross Chouest applying the blowtorch to Gray Newell! Adam Adelson chasing Conway. Toledo passes Sabo too. This is hot motor racing! Wow! They whistle onto the front straightaway. How special to be racing at Indianapolis. Todd Coleman running wide and thankfully not hitting anything! Turn 14 is indeed a corner, it is turn one on the oval in the other direction. The track is warming up just a shade. Pit window open next time around. Sabo pushing Toledo. He is now separated from Adam Adelson. Pit window now open. The Silver drivers will take their time while Pro-Am's will dive for the lane. Three, four, five. Ian James to take over from Gray Newell. Aaron Povoledo in for Ross Chouest. John Geesbreght in for Kevin Conway. Elliott Skeer will take over from Adam Adelson.
Pit lane very busy. 97 seconds is the stop time, and you can use one, one second joker. This is the final event before the 8 Hours which we are really excited about. Paolo Carasci into the Mercedes to replace Custodio Toledo and Austen Smith is now pushing the #71 Porsche Cayman of Jay Logan! Logan maybe lost drive in the GMG Porsche Cayman! Povoledo ahead of Ian James in Pro-Am! Yikes! The joker was used and now, Andy Lee is ahead of Elliott Skeer! He is pushing right from the word go! Track position is critical. Bimmerworld in the lane. Ten minutes to play with in the pit window. The Silver leaders may lap the other frontrunners.
McAleer and Stephens continue 1-2. The pit delta is right on a lap time around IMS. RS1 and Conquest Racing both in the lane. Andy Lee vs. Ian James. James runs wide and Elliott Skeer gets a bite of the cherry. Oh wow. The front end washed out and went numb. Half an hour to go. Halfway home. Chouest and Povoledo pinged for speeding in the lane! Drive through penalty! The Pro-Am leaders are in trouble! Deary me! Conquest Racing nips RS1 for the overall lead in the lane! They did not run afoul of their joker. Gavin Sanders has been quick, but he will have to hold it together. Eric Filgueiras will pounce to the inside and he gets it done!
Be careful! That was a bold move by Eric Filgueiras! Sanders says "oh no you don't!" He wants the lead 0f the race, back. Control rolling speed into the corner. That is how Filgueiras made the pass. The driver change between James Clay and Charlie Postins, delayed, the Am class champs. Well, well, well. Everyone but Rooster Hall Racing's Johann Schwarz has pitted. Schwarz and his team are getting stronger. Will they be back at Rooster Hall in GT4 America in 2023? We'll see. New M4 GT4 ready to go for next year. John "Smooge" Geesbreght running well after winning an Am title last year.
Oh no! Geesbreght runs deep on the brakes and takes the cutout. They will lose a spot or two on track but not in class. Johann Schwarz finally hits the pit lane with a minute or so to go. Stevan McAleer says that Eric, his co-driver is doing a great job. The battle between the #18 and #34 are pushing each other. Take each race as it comes. Stevan McAleer has been racing sports cars a long time. Eric Filgueiras is getting far faster. It has been a blast all season and McAleer may be back with the team next year. We shall see. There have been rumors, about how fast they are. I think they are a competitive team and that is what makes them fast.
Great scraps through the field as there is a massive lunge to the inside! That is the #899 Porsche Cayman I believe. This is a massive battle in the middle of the pack! No track limits at turn six. But the track is still dirty. Jaden Lander in the Krugspeed Toyota Supra is right on it and here comes another Supra in the hands of Ryan Dexter for Dexter Racing! Yikes! Lander timed his move perfectly. Holy smokes! This scrapping is way down the order. Side by side stuff as James Clay gets passed by Zack Anderson. Todd Brown now in the Rooster Hall BMW M4 GT4.
Paolo Carasci sixth overall and Aaron Telitz uncorks fastest lap at 1:30.322, the CrowdStrike fastest lap. Telitz is a wheelman in a GT4 Toyota Supra. He was taken out in a massive crash at Petit Le Mans in IMSA last weekend in his Lexus RC F GT3. RS1 will clinch the title with a race to spare in about 20 minutes. Andy Lee at the top of the shop in Pro-Am in the #8 Flying Lizard Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Andy Lee and Elias Sabo have really been pushing hard all year. They are in the championship fight along with the Adelson/Skeer duo in the Premier Motorsports Porsche. Jason Hart at Nolasport also in the fight for the title going into tomorrow's title decider.
Time is of the essence as John "Smooge" Geesbreght is very new to racing and did not race go karts. He was GT4 Am class champion in 2021, racing with Kevin Conway, Smooge Racing, being assisted by former driver Tony Ave. Jaden Lander in the Krugspeed Supra is off the road. Full Course Yello2. Oh my! So, Jason Hart can make inroads on the top three. He might be able to go for it. It is official. RS1, Stevan McAleer, and Eric Filgueiras are champions in Silver. As for Lander, he crunched into a car he was battling with, lost control of the steering and may have broken a tie rod in that Toyota Supra GT4.
We have a whale of a battle developing here in the final 15 minutes of this motor race. Clean the tires and maintain the temperature. Bimmerworld are Am class champions. Kudos to James Clay and Charlie Postins! Gavin Sanders and Michai Stephens cannot win the championship. But a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway would be special and something to have for the rest of your life. Stephens and Colin Mullan broke out the broom and swept these races last year. Hauling the mail at 155 miles an hour for the Porsche Cayman's, BMW M4's and one of the Toyota Supra's. The Mercedes seems to be a tad slower than the Porsche down the straight.
Poor Jaden Lander. He is upset after having to retire from the motor race. Such a shame to see him and Anthony Geraci have trouble so close to the end of the race. Eric Filgueiras can enjoy it now and go for the race win. Half a dozen Silver ranked GT4 cars in the race today. The Pro-Am fight is still in focus so we shall have the lens on that one for the final dozen minutes or so. Then we shall see how Sunday turns out. Matt Travis and Jason Hart won the title last year and Travis elected to race in a different GT4 series. So, Hart has teamed up with Scott Noble in SRO Pirelli GT4 America. Custodio Toledo is trying to handle the nerves. He could win his first race. But let's see, because there is still time on the clock.
Custodio Toledo is relieved and happy. Can the team hold on? Conquest Racing has helped Custodio Toledo for his whole career. They had a second place in class at Sebring last time we saw these cars race. 45 degrees. Gee whiz. It is practically toasty! Time for a restart. Let's go back to racing, mate. Green flag! Eight and a half minutes to go. Jason Haet wants it and here comes Andy Lee to the lead! Holy cow! He has a buffer between himself and Elliott Skeer who has his hands full with Ian James and Jason Hart is pushing, pushing, pushing.
Skeer to the inside, look. Man oh man! Sanders wants this! He drops a wheel and has to give it up. Jason Hart going to the inside on Ian James. No dice. Has to give it up. James dives inside and poor old Sanders is fading. His tires are busted, perhaps. Jason Hart still balked and Paolo Carasci has argy bargy with John Geesbreght. Three wide as John Capestro-Dubets goes wide and runs into the ABS! A shemozzle there! Carasci is getting monstered by other contenders in the other classes. It is fierce, fast, frantic in GT4 at The Brickyard, folks!
Skeer and James scrapping and so is Jason Piscitell giving Ryan Dexter the chrome horn and Todd Brown is off the road in the Rooster Hall Racing BMW! Local yellow possible. If we get a Full Course Yellow this motor race might be done and dusted. Poor old Piscitell just dropped like a stone to eighth in class. Andy Lee leading in the overall. Sanders behind Filgueiras who leads Silver. They are going for win number ten and they have the championship in the bag. James fending off Hart and this is manna from Heaven for Elliott Skeer. Elias Sabo looking for his first career win and might get an overall win at Indianapolis.
Just a couple laps to go. Andy Lee has left Eric Filgueiras in the dust. Jason Hart is still pushing Ian James, hard. If Andy Lee wins, they could still have a mathematical shot at the title in class. Pit stop, drive through penalty for Random Vandals Racing, the #98 BMW M4 GT4 in the hands of Paul Sparta. Skeer may be quicker than Filgueiras. Two and a half mnutes to go as Hart continues to monster Ian James! Oh my! This will be a nailbiter right to the bitter end! Two minutes, two laps at IMS. Lee leading overall followed by Filgueiras, Skeer, James, and Hart. Jason Hart will have four points in hand before tomorrow's race or seven if he can pass Ian James.
Carasci leading Anderson, Alexandre Premat, and others. Aaron Telitz cannot pass John Capestro-Dubets and Carasci goes off but saves it! Yikes! He is in a hornet's nest! Who will win? Ryan Dexter off and on. Aaron Telitz and John Geesbreght both want to make a move. One lap to go in the penultimate event of the season. Telitz spins! He tried to undercut his teammate and spins out! Criminy! Final lap. Rooster Hall cops a penalty for pit time infringement. Carasci behind Capestro-Dubets not for class placings.
James Clay is coming and fast. Terry Borcheller makes his move for the Am class lead. This is it. Flying Lizard win Indy! Elias Sabo and Andy Lee take race one! Filgueiras and McAleer win Silver and the title! In Am, it is Terry Borcheller winning! Carasci was roughed up and Borcheller pounced. Cannot wait for tomorrow's finale!
Overall/Pro Am: #8 Lee/Sabo Flying Lizard Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4
Silver: #18 McAleer/Filgueiras RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Am: #20 Shanny/Borcheller Carras Callas Race Team Toyota GR Supra GT4
No pressure for Filgueiras and McAleer going to tomorrow's finale.
Champions: #18 Eric Filgueiras & Stevan McAleeer RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Elias Sabo and Andy Lee, and Flying Lizard win Indianapolis! Jubilation in Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory lane! They are ready to fight for the title in Pro-Am tomorrow. They are great drivers and great pals as well. Andy Lee has not won a race since 2015! Wow! What a relief! Darren Law, team manager, and former driver, who is the team boss at Flying Lizard and K-PAX. Wow! What a race for Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer as well. They have one race to go but the championship is in the bag. Enjoy it!
This is McAleer's second SRO title. They want to win one more race to close out 2022. Congratulations too, to Am class winners Terry Borcheller and Nick Shanny at Carras Callas Race Team. One more race tomorrow. See you then. But don't go anywhere. The Indianapolis 8 Hours is next!
Wait. Andy Lee is out of petrol. Oh dear. He won't make it back to victory lane. He tosses his gloves to fans and I thought he was going to do a Helio Castroneves and climb the fence. Not now I guess.
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