Hello, and welcome, everyone, to the first of two races for the final weekend of SRO GT America in 2023, from the most famous racetrack on the planet, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. "The Brickyard" sees a championship battle between Memo Gidley and Jason Daskalos in SRO3 plus we have three GT2 cars in the field to add spice to the race from Audi, Mercedes, and KTM. It is a chilly fall Friday afternoon as we are getting set for 40 minutes of wonderful racing after a deluge yesterday. We've got gorgeous weather as we set up the championship battle between Memo Gidley and Jason Daskalos. TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 vs. CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. Johnny O'Connell in the #3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS is going to let those two chaps battle.
We have a three-horse battle in GT4 with Gray Newell on pole, and three drivers going for the championship. The wildcard is the three GT2 cars that are not as sophisticated as the GT3 cars have less sophisticated systems but more aero than a GT4 car. We have C.J. Moses in an Audi R8 LMS GT2, Dan Knox in a new Mercedes-AMG GT2, and the KTM Crossbow GT2 in the hands of Kevin Woods. There is a GT2 race in Europe with SRO boss Stephane Ratel in the race itself. Memo Gidley is your polesitter. George Kurtz has a spare car. Some drivers in this race are getting extra track time for the Indianapolis 8 Hours tomorrow. Andy Wilzoch will not start this race.
Gray Newell is the pole man in GT4. We have a field of 27 cars for race one for GT America, 40-minute sprint. Great to see the new KTM Crossbow here at Indianapolis. Memo Gidley had a quiet period but is now making his move. If Gidley wins this race, Daskalos can basically tie him in race two coming up on Sunday morning. Memo Gidley had those horrible injuries in a crash about a decade ago, but he is now back at it as a racing driver. The GT4 class will come down to the wire. Jason Bell and Ross Chouest, along with Robb Holland, these are the three protagonists for the title in GT4.
Holland won four on the bounce and has half a dozen 2023 victories. A big week for The Heart of Racing on both sides of the pond with their resuccitated Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar program. We are set to go racing. GT America, ready to go at Indianapolis. Green flag! Away we go! They scream towards turn one as Johnny O'Connell is going for the lead but gets chopped. Gidley has the start he was looking for. Jason Daskalos second as the GT4 cars start. Gray Newell being monstered already by Jason Bell.
Two Aston Martin's and Robb Holland gets tagged! Yikes! That was close! They are trying to get the balance and get things together through turns five and six. Into the second half of the infield through turn 14 onto the front straightaway. Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette trying make a move on O'Connell and has to give it up. George Kurtz, reigning series champion, but just for a few more days. Gidley and Daskalos are scrapping for the championship. The TKO Motorsports Mercedes is coming alive as Jason Bell passes Gray Newell for the lead. Robb Holland tries pushing but decides to defer. Holland has to get aggressive.
Bell leads the championship by 16 points and Holland has to pass Newell to have a shot at the GT4 crown. The GT4 cars are very compliant over the curbs. Watch ut for the larger ones. There is a slight bit of elevation change but it is flat and smooth, the utter opposite of what we saw at Sebring two weeks ago. Robb Holland tries it for the lead and can't quite make it stick. Gray Newell knows and does give the contenders a wide berth. Ross Chouest, reigning GT4 champion, he is beginning to push hard. He needs some magic if he wants to be in the fight.
Mirco Schultis still pushing Johnny O'Connell. Corvette will enter a pair of FIA homologated GT3 cars in SRO GT World Challenge America for 2024, not for the full season, but for most of it. Gidley leads Daskalos by 25 points, 302-277. Gidley might just be in the pound seats for the title resetting the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap. No tire warmers allowed in GT America. Mirco Schultis cut a 1:26.271 but Gidley had topped that lap time in the 1:25 range.
George Kurtz's spare Mercedes-AMG GT3 is beginning to come alive. He got taken out in the Bronze Test yesterday by a GT4 car. He had a very close call in a prototype here in IMSA LMP2 racing just a few weeks ago at Indianapolis. GT2 cars motoring, going for it. Kevin Woods in the KTM Crossbow. Woods in the #094 car, a veteran of Pirelli GT4 America, Porsche Carrera Cup, and other championships. Not far behind, Dan Knox, in the Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2. They are involved with the Craft Bamboo Mercedes racing in the Indianapolis 8 Hours tomorrow.
Johnny O'Connell putting daylight between himself and Daskalos who has George Kurtz pressuring him. Excuse me. Johnny O'Connell and then Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette C7.R GT3. SKI Autosports has a new car for 2024 but we don't yet know what new generation GT3 car they will race. Peter and Darren Law are making a movie about their racing careers. Peter Law, worked with Roger Penske many moons ago back in the 1960s. Racing is a family sport, for sure. This new movie coming should be fabulous.
Peter Law worked with Mark Donohue, the 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner, a Formula 1 driver, Can Am driver, and Trans Am driver. Roger Penske and his company own and manage the Indianapolis Motor Speedway these days. Great battle for P3 in the GT4 class with Gray Newell being harried by Ross Chouest, the 2022 GT America GT4 champion who could not replicate the consistency he had in 2022. He has given it his all this year as well. But the race wins just haven't come. Oh boy! George Kurtz turns Tony Gaples in the #5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R who won his first race since 2017 at Sebring last time out.
Kurtz snagged Gaples in the left rear, I think. Egad! That was close! No real damage to the Camaro. Jason Bell doing everything he needs to do. Holland is still in the fight and we'll see what happens in race two on Sunday. I thought it was tomorrow. But no. It surely will be on Sunday. Tomorrow of course is the main race, the 8 Hours. Jason Bell has had two wins and 11 podiums in 2023. Johnny O'Connell passes by Jason Daskalos. O'Connell knows he needs to punch it and get moving. Daskalos will not go quietly into the night as they scrap down Hulman Boulevard.
Great to see Johnny O'Connell back in sports car racing after a long, decorated career. SKI Autosport say that GT America is their sweet spot. They likely won't move up into places like GT4 America or GT World Challenge America, but they are fine with racing in GT America currently. Kent and Melissa Hussey, the husband-and-wife team that operate SKI Autosport. SKI means Spending the Kids' Inheritance. Kyle Washington s racing here today in the #32 GMG Porsche 911 GT3R. He raced in IMSA, single make Porsche racing, and at the 24 Hours of Spa for GT World Challenge Europe and Intercontinental GT Challenge.
A lead change in GT2 as Knox passes Woods. Mercedes ahead of KTM ahead of C.J. Moses in the Audi R8 LMS GT2. Stephane Ratel firmly believes in the GT2 platform driving one in France. The Meecedes races a 4-liter twin turbo V8. It is very early on in development, currently. It is the first ever Mercedes-AMG GT race car with a swan neck rear wing on it. It's a true race car. The KTM is gorgeous, too. A cutting-edge design and has familiarities with the new Chevrolet Corvette GT3.R coming next year to SRO GT World Challenge America.
The stewards are reviewing the argy bargy between Kurtz and Gaples we saw earlier. We are just past the halfway mark of race one for GT America at Indy. Black Dog Speedshop are doing fine. But we have to correct the idea that Tony Gaples was emotional about the win. He was happy but did not show how he felt. Ray Sorenson, Blackdog Speed Shop team manager also considers it just another race win. Tony is a tough cookie. He has been around for a long time. Ray Sorensen, too, worked on the pit crew for Nigel Mansell at Newman/Haas Racing and the same is true for mechanic Tim Cofene. Contact, look, between Schultis and Daskalos and poor old Schultis, the Corvette has damage.
Yup. The left front fender is crunched. George Kurtz, too, has a head of steam. Kyle Washington in the Porsche, as well. He is closing in. Schultis made a late move into turn one and Jason Daskalos did not give him enough room. Schultis off the road, again. Oy yoy yoy! That's not good. In replay, he gets into turn one too hot under the ABS. He has mowed the lawn a wee bit. Watch the temperature gauge. It is a relatively cool day in central Indiana, but Schultis too, has less dpwnforce to work with. The Kurtz, Gaples, Schultis incident, all will be reviewed after the race. 1:25 dead, 1:25.067, CrowdStrike Fastest Lap for the CrowdStrike Mercedes-AMG GT3 of George Kurtz.
0h boy. Kurtz is behind Gaples and he clears his down Hulman Boulevard. The nose on Kurtz's car does not have damage I don't think. None at all, really. The stewards will have a Captain Cook at all of this and we'll see what happens. Jason Bell stretching out the gap over Robb Holland, going for a measured, Friday drive to the checkers. He will extend his points lead. Bell will race with Michael Cooper in Pirelli GT4 America later today and we'll have that race for you, as soon as possible. Yours truly has another non-racing event to attend to this afternoon.
Meantime, in GT2, Knox has made his move on Woods and believe you me, Kevin Woods wants a bite of the cherry. This is Mercedes-AMG GT2 vs. KTM X-Bow GT2. Great to see the GT2 cars here. GT2 racing is a massive deal for SRO and we'll see more of these cars. C.J. Moses has run unopposed in GT2 a lot, but now he has competition and is excited about it. Moses has taken on larger and larger roles within AWS these last number of years. Jason Bell did not have to get involved with letting the faster cars go by. Bell is just being smooth, leading Robb Holland by 2.2 seconds. Bell could earn 23 points for his lead if this result stands before race two tomorrow. Excuse me, Sunday, I think.
We have ten minutes left and believe you me, Woods is applying the pressure to Knox. Knox has to wait to get back to power and loses a wee bit of downforce compared to Woods. Chicago Performance & Tuning Company, the team behind this KTM Crossbow GT2 for Kevin Woods. These cars couldn't be more different and yet they are evenly matched. The KTM and the Mercedes. What a great duel and now, Kyle Washington in the Porache tries passing by Daskalos and Kurtz, but goes off the road and the two of them pass right by and now, Mirco Schultis also passes in the Callaway Corvette.
This is close stuff and now, Tim Savage is off the road right in front of this scrap! Yikes! Washington trying Schultis. Memo Gidley leading the motor race by seven and a half seconds. Daskalos, Kurtz, Schutlis, Washington, second to last race of the year with just eight minutes on the board. Kurtz is feeling it. He is really pushing to try getting by Daskalos. A five second drive through time penalty issued to Daskalos for shortcutting the chicane in turns five and six. Kurtz would leapfrog ahead of him. Daskalos would have to clear Kurtz by over five seconds to win this race and gain the title.
Gidley can score a handful of points but not many and poor old Daskalos, his championship hopes do not look good. However, the difference in points in GT4 is 16 points. Bell, if he wins, will go to 23 points but if Holland wins, the margin would be nine points. Daskalos does get the time penalty for shortcutting turn six. Holland, the much more experienced driver of the two, racing in British and World Touring Cars and in GT cars. Bell must be proactive in his moves, not reactive.
The edge is to the Porsche Cayman on pace over the Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Will Bell be comfortable? Will he be worried? Warning issued to Bell for blocking, just as I thought. Oh boy! The traffic is tight with Marc Austin in a GT3 spec Mercedes-AMG GT3, the #011 Lone Star Racing car. Holland finds a gap and Holland pokes his nose past Bell! Holy cow! Nothing Bell could do. He couldn't protect the line. Desperation showing. Everything on the line! Holy cow! Alex Vogel comes through in the #43 MRS GT Racing Porsche 911 GT3R.
Schultis and Washington still going for it. The lead has now come down and the points deficit is 28 points I believe. Memo Gidley, as they run, would be champion elect. Time is running out. Through the infield section on the south end of the course. White flag this time by. One lap to go. Memo Gidley should find victory lane and a championship here soon. Johnny O'Connell is in second and there's contact between Daskalos and Kurtz. Washington also off the road. They remain side by side. Daskalos still fighting kurtz past a lapped car.
This is academic. Kurtz is pushing Daskalos more. Mirco Schultis is coming in a hurry too. Just a handful of corners to go. Memo Gidley for TKO Motorsports, the Californian, wins the race and wins the 2023 GT America SRO3 championship! In GT4 Robb Holland wins, trimming the deficit, to nine points in the championship with one race to go. Bell has to finish second if Holland wins.
Overall/SRO3: #101 Memo Gidley TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
GT2: #80 Dan Knox Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2
GT4: #099 Robb Holland Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
There is a dropped score for GT4, and Robb Holland is the bloke in the pound seats headed into race two of the weekend, the final event of the year.
2023 SRO3 Champion: #101 Memo Gidley TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
What a motor race this was! Truly enjoyed bringing it to you. There is plenty more to come this weekend in GT America. Memo Gidley has to be an extremely happy champion! Gidley, through trials and tribulations, has had a decorated career. A wonderful race in GT America for this first one. We'll see you for race two. That'll be exciting. But before we go, congratulations to you 2023 SRO3 GT America champion, Memo Gidley. He can sleep easy tonight.
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