Race two beckons at Road America on the new track surface, for SRO TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School. Championship points battles hang in the balance after a wild and crazy race one yesterday here in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, as we join Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, and D.J. Clark, filling in admirably for our friend Amanda Busick. This is a pivotal point in the season with only five races remaining in 2023. TCX, TC, and TCA. TCX are customer race cars from BMW and Honda using as a turnkey car. The other two classes are tuner cars for grassroots racing which has gone back decades in the World Challenge touring car lexicon. Jeff Ricca grabbed victory in TC by 91 thousandths of a second over Cristian Perocarpi yesterday.
Clayton Williams hemorrhaged a ton of points in yesterday's race with a litany of troubles. Jeremiah Burton driving for Skip Barber Racing School in the Honda Civic, it is his first professional racing season and he works for Donut Media making videos. What does it take to become a pro racing driver? That is the question Jeremiah Burton was out to answer and it sounds like he is living up to his billing of being a racing driver. Everyone is fast and talented in racing. Learn the car, the tires, the track, driving a front wheel drive car on slick tires. All of the other drivers are professionals and being a second off the pace, you won't even see your competition. Match the pace of everyone else. That is incredibly important.
Don't crash the car. Finish the race. He has an automotive online show called Bumper to Bumper. Skip Barber Racing School has produced many champion drivers and weekend warriors alike. They have their own race team through SRO America and the Touring Car America division. The engines have fired and the cars are headed out on their warmup lap behind the Toyota GR Supra safety car. Dai Yoshihara has the pole position. Front wheel drive and rear wheel drive touring cars and the long straightaways here at Road America lend themselves to slipstreaming. This is going to be fun to watch.
Colin Garrett is looking at the big picture of the season title. Lucas Catania knocking on the door of another win after doing so at Circuit of the Americas. Colin Garrett has a drive in Pirelli GT4 America in the race we are going to see immediately following this event. OK. The field is forming up for 40 mnutes of racing. The safety car pulls off. Up the hill they come. Dai Yoshihara accelerates away, and we have a green flag. It's go time! Yoshihara swallowed up by the BMW's and Colin Garrett leads. TC cars away and Clay Williams is being harried now by Jeff Ricca and by Cristian Perocarpi and P.J. Groenke gets the jump over Spencer Bucknum and Devin Anderson in TCA.
Jeff Ricca under attack from the Brazilian, Celso Neto. Colin Garrett leads the motor race and there is a spin for Christopher DeFreitas. He pulls away with no worries and we stay green. So, Colin Garrett is really pushing hard now. This was early in the corner, and he lost the rear end of the car. My gosh. Get used to cold tires on the rear end and the car will be tail happy, pulling out of the slide with the front wheel drive. Yoshihara needs a green flag race so the restarts are not troubling. Spencer Bucknum being chased hard by Devin Anderson who wants to make a pass and goes off over the curbs and now, P.J. Groenke wants to make a move as well, look.
Groenke out of the slipstream and the Mini has the speed pulling alongside the Subaru BRZ. Bucknum accelerating away and Anderson rolls to the outside in turn one taking the spot away and Bucknum is making good his escape. Colin Garrett and Lucas Catania running away from everyone else in TCX. Last year's champion in TCX, Jacob Ruud, has moved on. Nick Roberts has had a great opening lap up to third with a challenge from Kenny Schmied. Christopher DeFreitas is the cork in the bottle for Clay Williams. Jeff Ricca is now right back to Cristian Perocarpi's decklid.
Williams needs to make his move and does so. DeFreitas is being smart and letting these three drivers go. Ricca is now getting back into the groove. He has a run on Perocarpi. The lunge pays off in late braking for Ricca around Perocarpi. Ricca must chase down Williams. At Circuit of the Americas back in May when Ricca was racing for Hyundai at the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring, it was thought one of the factory drivers like Mark Wilkins would be drafted in for the races but that did not happen. Colin Garrett twitches through The Kink, over the curbs. Dai Yoshihara pressuring Joseph Catania trying to claw his way back to the front.
The BMW's are holding up Yoshihara and he has to push if he is going to chase down the leaders. Surprisingly the Honda's are being swamped as Yoshihara dropped like a stone. Mat Pombo from pole, was taken out of race one yesterday and the car could not be repaired so he didn't start race two we are in now. Perocarpi needs to pass Ricca to be a wingman for Clay Williams. The Road America circuit with the new pavement is pristine. Meanwhile, Devin Anderson is right in the wheel tracks of Spencer Bucknum. Andersont ries going to the outside in turn five but Spencer Bucknum slams the door in his face. Bucknum covers and is a half-step ahead of Devin Anderson. Spencer Bucknum part of the famous racing family, his father Jeff, and grandfather, Ronnie. Bucknum has to go defensive forcing Anderson to the outside and Shaoyi Che wants by Groenke for thid while Anderson makes a power move to the lead!
Bucknum and Anderson, the young drivers while Groenke has the experience and Bucknum is left vulnerable to Groenke. Bucknum does slam the door in Groenke's face, but he won't take that sitting down. He is very well aware that the two blokes ahead are racing for a championship. Shaoyi Che now smells blood in the water. Che does the crossover and is edged to the inside by Bucknum. Bucknum has to be vigilant and make sure he stays in the game. Subaru vs. Mini vs. Honda, such different cars that all run similar lap times. The TCA cars develop their power under acceleration.
In TCX, Yoshihara is chasing after Roberts, Schmied, Kaplan, and Joseph Catania. With these production based cars, watch your temperature gauges. kenny Schmied beginning to turn it on and the same is true of Roberts and Kaplan as well. A great livery on Roberts' BMW M2 CS Racing. P.J. Groenke has passed Devin Anderson getting a launch up the frontstretch, like taking candy from a baby. Shaoyi Che in search of another podium. So, the Chinese driver for Techsport Racing and Subaru is making his name known.
Bucknum is in the danger zone with his championship lead now that he is trying to resist the fight from Shaoyi Che and P.J. Groenke has the Mini right in the sweet spot and is still being chased by the Subaru of Devin Anderson. Canadian driver P.J. Groenke, the Canadian driver, strong in Canada Corner. Put on the dunce hat, the tin foil hat. Do I smell a conspiracy? In the meantime, Anderson goes around Groenke. Drafting a la a superspeedway. Bucknum getting closer to the leaders. Nearing the halfway mark of the race. Bucknum still under pressure from Shaoyi Che, not quite able to unlock the puzzle, or unlock the combination lock for the treasure chest.
Dai Yoshihara is moving up right on Aaron Kaplan's six. Acura will be introducing their new Integra TCX car next year as P.J. Groenke is off the pace! Game over. A flat right front tire? I am not sure. He will stay on the course. Does he have a flat tire? Maybe the drivetrain or the electronics are playing up. In the meantime, Lucas Catania is keeping his powder dry but is now chasing after Colin Garrett who does not crack under the pressure. Catania has to motor, now. Catania cracks the throttle. P.J. Groenke is having braking trouble. At Mini, they are trying to solve the braking issues but P.J. Groenke has now dropped to fifth in class.
He was an outsider for the title but there are four races left after today at Sebring and Indianapolis which will run in conjunction with the Indianapolis 8 Hours. The TC battle is hot and heavy. Ricca monstering Williams. A 14-point swing potentially, if these two chaps trade spots. The Hyundai Elantra N TC has been a winner straight out of the box. He went over to Korea and learned about this car which was racing in a spec series over there. It is now decision time. Groenke still suffering with braking trouble. Past the halfway mark. Kenny Schmied trying Nick Roberts with Joseph Catania doing everything to stay with this scrum.
Catania has a head of steam. Schmied inside of Roberts. Catania to the inside on Schmied and gives it up. Discretion the better part of valor rolling speed through the apex of turn three. Kenny Schmied having a good season in 2023. Catania forces Schmied and Aaron Kaplan wonders, "they are having a little party, and they didn't invite me!" So, Kaplan is an uninvited guest. Roberts still in a spot of bother. Kaplan is making inroads for dead sure and he finished third yesterday. Kaplan Racing Systems vs. AOA Racing vs. Fast Track Racing vs. Rigid Speed. Dai Yoshihara in the lane, with engine trouble. He lost power. More trouble and disappointment for the Japanese driver.
Colin Garrett is maybe too far ahead of Lucas Catania for Catania to make a move. Of course, Colin Garrett is a stock car racer who has run at the fabled short track at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia, and he is up for any challenge, also racing NASCAR stock cars. He makes it happen and keeps his head down. Shaoyi Che trying to be courteous to the leaders but there is a ton of grip online and when you get off the road, you are in big, big trouble. It is like running the rain line on a wet track. Garrett gets stymied behind Spencer Bucknum, part of multi-class racing. They blitz past Devin Anderson.
Bucknum has a two-point advantage in TCA after yesterday's results. Everyone has been close, since the season began. It will come down to the wire at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. A TCA car runs wide, not sure who. Mini will hold off Hyundai in the TC class or so it seems. The tires screaming for mercy in The Carousel. The drivers are hearing heir Pirelli tires more than they are used to. On a race car, a tire is not necessarily supposed to squeal. This is the first repave at Road America since 1995. Roberts, P4 in TCX coming up on Devin Anderson, TCA leader. Catania has a head of steam into the braking zone for turn five. Roberts trying to do the crossover running up the hill to turn six.
Joseph Catania trying to get the radius in the corner and Roberts is hanging tough. You don't want to be on the outside or you are off in the Tooley's, in the grass. Ruben Iglesias, Cooper Broll, and Bruce Myrehn are all scrapping with each other. Of course, Bruce is the father of our lead play-by-play announcer, Ryan Myrehn. Ruben Iglesias runs wide and now, Bruce Myrehn has the Mini in it's sweet spot. Who will get the run? It is the Mini with the horsepower and here comes Cristian Perocarpi in the TC spec Mini, for fifth in the TC class and Perocarpi is off the pace! Oh dear. I think the heat is shutting the engine off.
Clay Williams, the leader in class could be having similar woes if he is not careful. This will affect the manufacturer's cup in the TC class, they bleed their manufacturer colors. Roberts wants by Joseph Catania as time is of the essence. At the top of the shop, Colin Garrett has a two second buffer over Lucas Catania. Catania was pressuring but Garrett did not crack. These are long duration corners and long straightaways. Be patient with the throttle application, keep the tires together, and that produces lap time around this place. Even with this new surface that is less abrasive, but long duration corners on a front wheel drive car, puts a bucketload of strain on the tires. Tire degradation not a factor. Meantime, Ricca has caught Williams. How bad does he want it?
White flag. One lap to go at Road America with Colin Garrett in the lead by two seconds or so. Clay Williams trying to cling to the championship lead eaten into yesterday by Jeff Ricca. One lap to go. What does Ricca have left in the locker? They pass Spencer Bucknum; the second place TCA car and the TCA leader is ahead. Clock hits all zeros. Checkered flag next time by. Williams digging deep and wants this one. Williams cannot clear him. Anderson shaking his fist at Williams and Ricca. Williams thrashing the Mini through the carousel. But Colin Garrett and Rooster Hall Racing break out the broom and sweep TCX at Road America.
Williams keeping the gap over Ricca. Will Ricca slingshot? No. Clay Williams bounces back and wins the TC class. Devin Anderson wins TCA ahead of Bucknum and Che to complete the podium.
Overall/TCX: #44 Colin Garrett Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup)
TC: #60 Clayton Williams Mini JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC
TCA: #22 Devin Anderson TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ
Cue the dance music for the results sheet. What a race in TC America race two! A great race indeed. We will see you next time for the penultimate races of the 2023 TC America season on the legendary, bumpy, rough, character-filled concrete of Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, coming up next month, in late September. For now, so long from the Wisconsin dairy country, and we've got a couple more races to talk about yet today. So, stay tuned for more. Bye bye.
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