This is round three of the GT America 2023 season. We saw the cars from this series on the street course at St. Petersburg, Florida, in early March. GT3 and GT4 cars are going to compete. Adam Adelson now in the SRO3 GT3 catch all class. Adelson on the pole. He did not race at the opener at St. Petersburg. It isn't warm, and there is cloud cover. Adam Adelson now in a GT3 car. He says he was born to drive a GT3 car. He loves driving this GT3 Porsche 911 GT3R and thinks Sonoma Raceway is the most beautiful track in America. This is a previous generation 991 platform Porsche. Single drivers in these cars and we will have the GT4 cars out there of course and traffic management will be a key deal.
Memo Gidley next door to Adelson in the Flying Lizard Mercedes AMG GT3. Adelson vs. Gidley followed by Anthony Bartone, who spun in GTWC America qualifying. We have George Kurtz, Jeff Burton, and many more. Robb Holland has GT4 class pole. Todd Coleman, too, is on the outside in the new Aston Martin. So many more drivers who are in the GT4 class to look out for. Adam Adelson, Memo Gidley, Anthony Baton, George Kurtz, Scott Smithson, Jeff Burton, Jason Daskalos, Todd Treffert, Kyle Washington, and Andy Wilzoch, the top ten.
George Kurtz dominated this series a year ago in the #04 CrowdStrike, Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3. There are many more Mercedes AMG GT3's in the field this year in GT America. No GT2 cars are entered. GT3 and GT4. OK. It is time to go racing. Adam Adelson vs. Memo Gidley on the front row. Green flag! Who is going to lead this? Gidley goes for it and grabs the lead up the hill into turn one immediately. Great stuff and George Kurtz slams the door in Jason Daskalos' face. Robb Holland leading GT4. Just 40 minutes to get the job done. One driver, no pit stops.
Gidley is going for it already and has the grip. Kyle Washington in the Porsche just behind Todd Treffeort, a vintage racer. He is going to have to learn how to run wheel to wheel as the Aston Martin's battle between Jason Bell and Ross Chouest going for it already. They fought down to the wire for the GT4 title in 2022. Todd Coleman is chasing down Robb Holland already. Gidley, Adelson, Kurtz, Daskalos, and Treffert. The races at St. Petersburg last time had multiple Full Course Yellows. So, we can see Memo Gidley leading the motor race thus far over Adam Adelson.
You must be Bronze rated to race in GT America. A natural terrain road course is far easier for some of these drivers to work with and now, in GT4, Robb Holland is trainlengthing Todd Coleman! Coleman is going to push. He will be teaming up with Billy Johnson, and Aaron Telitz is still his coach. Coleman loves driving this new Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Jason Bell has passed by Ross Chouest and pressing Todd Coleman in the GT4 battle of the Aston Martin's behind the Porsche Cayman with Robb Holland. Coleman guarding the isndie and Bell wants a Captain Cook and Coleman slams the door in his face.
Robb Holland is whistling off into the distance and Bell and Chouest are battling with Coleman who is the cork in the bottle. Memo Gidley and TKO Motorsports, he is in the lead in SRO3. He is taking to the Mercedes AMG GT3 like a duck to water. He did run the Bentley Continental GT3 years ago and returned from a horrid accident at the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Robb Holland in GT4 has the lead in class. Now, Adam Adelson, his Porsche 911 GT3R is finding the sqeet spot. He is moving in on Memo Gidley, but Gidley's car is really coming into it's own.
This is only the second race weekend Adam Adelson has been in a Porsche 911 GT3R. He raced in the Creventic 24 Hour Series in a GT3 Porsche in the 24 Hours of Dubai back in January. Jason Bell, too, he is really pressing Todd Coleman out of The Carousel in the battle of the Aston Martin's. Coleman runs wide and Bell slices past for second. Bell has multiple SRO champion Michael Cooper as his driver coach this year. We have now been racing for ten minutes. Adelson in second behind Gidley. Gidley is here at his home track at Sonoma Raceway. He grew up coming to this track, racing motocross and karting and raced in a GT4 car here years ago but is thrilled to be in the GT3 Mercedes again.
Memo has also done some jet ski racing. Anthony Bartone catches Kyle Washington in the #32 Porsche and Washington got into the ABS and went off the road. Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R. There are sme decent overtaking places at turn seven and turn nine. Staying driver's right through The Carousel, there just is not enough grip when you are on the outside around the cushion. Bell is up the road from this battle between Coleman and Chouest. Bell is chasing down Robb Holland but Holland has the bit between his teeth and he is protecting the car indeed, sharing the car with Alain Stad in the GT4 America championship as well. Rotek Racing is the team. They were headquartered at The Nurburgring for many years and then came stateside to race GT America.
They have been a part of this series since it's inception. We still have 25 minutes left on the board. Patience is a virtue at this juncture indeed. 40 some odd cars in this race and we have 140 cars across five different championships and they have to use "the island" between the drag strip and turns nine and ten to house some of the teams. Good scrap as George Kurtz is catching Adam Adelson hand over fist. Memo Gidley still leads but this is indeed the battle for second spot. This is a long season and the competition has stepped up in a major way. He was absolutely stunned to see the competition growing in this particular championship.
Adam Adelson, Jason Daskalos, Anthony Bartone, and more. Daskalos is glad to have the new Mercedes AMG GT3. That Audi R8 LMS Ultra he used to run, it was a great car but it was definitely long in the tooth. Kurtz continues running third chasing Adam Adelson, still. This is a very cool liveryu on that Porsche. Inside the yellow stripe there is a track outline of every track GT America races on. It is dark green and yellow with a stripe on it. It is that British Racing Green and yellow, almost Lotus-esque colors. Adelson and Skeer finished second in Pro-Am with Seth Lucas and Jason Hart at the 24 Hours of Dubai back in January in the Creventic series.
One weekend you are adversaries and the next you are teammates. Some hip and shoulder, look, between Kyle Washington, Tony Gaples, and Tim Savage! Wow! Washington in the 911 GT3R Porsche, Tony Gaples in the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R and Tim Savage in the GT4 Aston Martin. Todd Coleman and Ross Chouest are fighting for third in GT4 and now, Jason Daskalos in the GT3 Mercedes makes the pass through turns eight and nine and into tuen before the hairpin. Easy peasy lemon squeezy for Daskalos.
There are many configurations at Sonoma Raceway for the different championships that run here. Daskalos waiting before going back to power. Todd Treffort is pressing hard in the GMG Porsche. Kyle Washington has caught Gray Newell in GT4 in The Heart of Racing #25 Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Newell lives and breathes this racing and the new generation BMW M4 GT4 G82 platform car is introduced for the first time in GT4. That new M4 is a pure race car compared to the previous generation. These new GT3 and GT4 cars are absolutely amazing to look at. They are gorgeous and far more than a street car adapted to go racing.
Adam Adelson has a massive head of steam and has caught Memo Gidley as we watch this scrap at the top of the shop. Holy smokes! Adelson was struggling for front end grip early doors but he might be getting the handling back a wee bit. You can plateau or the car can hit the sweet spot and stay there. Two very different platforms with the V8 Mercedes AMG front engined coupe and the Porsche 911 GT3R, the legendary 911 that has been around seemingly forever. 6.2 liter V8, naturally aspirated in the Mercedes and a screaming 4 liter flat six in the back of the Porsche. That is the previous generation 991 Porsche compared to the new 992 variant that will be debuting in GT World Challenge America.
Clean air to the front end of the car is so, so important with the dive planes and downforce. The closer you are behind another car, the aerodynamics is a massive component. In replay, we see former Trophy Truck driver Kyle Washington going back to his off road roots, and kicking up the dust at the side of the road. 13 minutes left in GT America race one here at Sonoma. We are going to see a fabulous duel between these two chaps in the waning moments of GT America race one here at Sonoma Raceway. Positional change in GT4 as Ross Chouest has passed Todd Coleman for the final podium place. Reigning champion in GT4, Ross Chouest has made the pass. Gray Newell runs seventh and has been hoping for more.
Newell finished second twice at the season opener at St. Petersburg in Florida. Gray Newell won in class and ran third overall in a Mercedes AMG GT3 last weekend at the Creventic 12 Hours of Mugello. Mercedes dominate GT3 while Aston Martin dominates GT4. Porsche lead GT4 with Robb Holland, two and a half seconds to the good over Jason Bell. Elias Sabo in fifth and Rob Walker in the BMW M4 GT4, G82 platform, he has also dropped back somehwat. The gap is now 1.2 seconds between Adelson and Gidley. Memo Gidley is managing this race just like we saw him do at St. Petersburg last month.
Sam White is the TKO Motorsports team manager. The track here at Sonoma is renowned for chewing up tires. Gidley, 1:42.6 while his personal best was a 1:39.3 and some fall off in just 32 minutes. In the longer GT World Challenge America race later today we are really going to see that with all GT3 cars competing of course. Gray Newell passed by Memo Gidley and now he gets trapped by Rob Walker and Adelson gets trapped y both Newell and Walker. Six and a half minutes to go. Memo Gidley looking for a win, Oh man! A full 360 for Kyle Washington when he makes contact with Todd Treffert! Wow! Porsche vs. Mercedes.
The grid for race two in these races is set by fastest lap in the first race of the weekend. Adam Adelson might just be in the pound seats for a pole position start tomorrow. Gidley, Adelson, and Kurtz, the fastest cars. Newell is late on the brakes trying to pass the BMW. Nick Shanny in the Toyota Supra is pressing hard as well. He is driving the Evo version of the Supra. Nick Shanny will be teaming with Terry Borcheller in Pirelli GT4 America I believe, or at least they did last year. Robb Holland laps past the Aston Martin of Paul Kiebler. Traffic ahead. Adam Adelson is right on Memo Gidley's six with two laps to go!
Memo Gidley and the Mercedes Benz are both strong. Traffic is going to play into all of this. Adam Adelson, you know he wants it, driving for Wright Motorsports. Adelson moves to the inside of Memo Gidley. He is trying to do the cutback into the apex in turn 11. Gidley, feeling the heat. One lap to go! Who will win? Adelson going for it after Gidley gets stymied by Todd Coleman and now, Ross Chouest as well. Can Adelson follow? Yes. He can. Coleman and Chouest in their own scrap. Through the Carousel for the last time. More traffic ahead with Jason Bell, running second in GT4 behind Robb Holland.
Gidley flashing the headlights. Gidley to the inside. Adelson clears the Aston. One more corner. It has to be now. How bad does Adelson want this? Adelson throws it in and lurches sideways! Memo Gidley wins it! Robb Holland in GT4 has checked out and he is going to win going away in the GT4 class in his Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport! He will score his first GT America win of 2023 in the GT4 class. Jason Bell is going to come home second in class.
Overall/SRO3: #101 Memo Gidley TKO Motorsports with Flying Lizard Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo
GT4: #099 Robb Holland Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
No yellows today. Clean and green all the way through after a myriad of yellows on the street course at St. Petersburg, Florida. Memo Gidley did a burnout on the way to victory lane! He is extremely happy with TKO Motorsports and team principal Dave Traitel. Wow! This was a corker of motor race indeed! We have another one for GT America coming up tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment