The championship in SRO GT America is SRO3 is done and dusted. Memo Gidley is your new champion. GT4 honors still wide open. It is the finale of the season. The last race of 2023. The battle in GT4 is between Robb Holland and Jason Bell. This will be fun to watch over the next 40 minutes. Gray Newell and Ross Chouest are also in the GT4 fight, not necessarily in the championship, but for the race. Cue the dance music for the points tables. It is going to be a fascinating race today as we get to find out how the GT4 championship plays out. George Kurtz won his class and the championship in the Indianapolis 8 Hours in Pro-Am last night along with Colin Braun and Nolan Siegel.
Wonderful to see more GT2 cars in the series with the KTM X-Bow GT2, the Mercedes-AMG GT2 and the Audi R8 LMS GT2. Low downforce, high horsepower, sexy looking sports cars. Less downforce that the GT3 cars but they look fabulous and are a great addition to this championship. On row two, Mirco Schultis in the Callaway Corvette, Johnny O'Connell in the Audi R8 LMS GT3, Jason Daskalos in a Mercedes-AMG GT3. Well, well, well. Adam Adelson is here, too, in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
Wright Motorsports looking to end the season on a high note even after not getting the best result in the Indianapolis 8 Hours yesterday. This is the exact car that raced in the 8 Hour yesterday. Callum Ilott impressed in his Porsche debut. The engines have fired. The cars roll off on their formation lap. The field rolls off the pit lane setting off on the 2.4-mile road course here at Indianapolis which has existed since 2000. Two formation laps. Drivers weave around and accelerate and ride the brake generating heat through the brake caliper into the upright and into the tire. Someone is pulling off the road and we'll see about that.
The KTM GT2 of Kevin Woods is having some issues. Maybe he is having car trouble. We'll see. Robb Holland on the GT4 pole with title rival Jason Bell right alongside. This is a 40-minute dash, and we have a GT4 championship on the line. Watch the class overlap if we stay green with no yellows like we did for most of the 8 Hours yesterday. The mix classes of this nature used to be what World Challenge was. SRO GT America is a young series but popular as well.
Robb Holland has seven wins in 2023 and he is already under investigation by the stewards for a technical infraction! Say what? Wow. Thst's a shocker! Rotek Racing did not run the season opener at St. Petersburg, Florida, back in February. It is time to race. George Kurtz, on pole, the Fanatec GT Pro champion. Green flag! Away we go! Memo Gidley, the champion-elect, leads them down. We're racing. The final race of 2023. Johnny O'Connell trying to go for it and so are Mirco Schultis and Kyle Washington and four or five cars are off the rorad!
Savage and Newell have spun off. It's like a pinball machine in the cold with cold tires. Everyone got bottled up in turn one. Memo Gidley keeps it together and holds the lead. Johnny O;Connell now runs third. Mirco Schultis was making a banzai move. I wonder where he is. He was able to pick his way through the back of the SRO3 grid. Meanwhile, as Adam Adelson is going for it, Robb Holland is harried by his title rival, Jason Bell. If Bell is second, he will get the title. He did not want to see a massive gap in traffic. The first lap shemozzle did not help. In replay, Gidley gets in deep, and Schultis gets tagged by the Porsche of Kyle Washington. Dan Knox in the GT2 Mercedes and another GT3 Mercedes also got spun around.
Everyone continues with no damage. Back to live action. Robb Holland still ahead of Jason Bell but he would come up short for the title by two points. With Robb Holland's situation, there was a deal with using tire warmers. That's not true. They maybe have used fans. The team will not tell him about this infraction issued by the stewards. Especially if Holland continues to lead. Can we take this as truth? Not yet. We need to know more. Don't make instantaneous judgments. Meanwhile, let the race play out and let Holland control his own destiny.
Mirco Schultis is coming through in a big hurry. Jason Bell can see the red Aston Martin of Ross Chouest in his rearview mirror. Ross Chouest won the title last year by sweeping the weekend here at Indianapolis. Adam Adelson is third as Memo Gidley leads George Kurtz in SRO3. Kurtz would love to finish the season on a high note. Johnny O'Connell is running six seconds slower than everyone else. Race Control has decided no action taken for the argy bargy between Tim Savage and Gray Newell in their Aston Martin's.
No decision made yet on the argy bargy between the SRO3 and GT2 cars at the start. The field in GT4 is beginning to compress. Jason Bell is being monstered by Ross Chouest and I think the Louisiana native is playing mind games with Bell. This title is not coming easy for Jason Bell by any means. We have barely ten minutes on the board. He has a nine point lead but he cannot afford to drop places. Memo Gidley and Adam Adelson along with George Kurtz volleying fast lap back and forth. Adam Adelson wants to make inroads on Kurtz.
Holland leading Bell and he knows he must back Bell up to Ross Chouest. This could be an ice cream headache for both drivers in terms of this championship. Actually, Bell is in a good spot and it is an ice cream headache for Holland right now. Dan Knox in the silver #80 Mercedes-AMG GT2. He is running well. In the meantime, Adam Adelson resets fast lap at 1:25 dead. 1:25.084. Rotek Racing says the fans engage when the car starts. It has a standard fan on it just like a road car does. Meanwhile, Bell is now right behind Holland.
Holland is doing all he can to hold off Jason Bell and wants Ross Chouest to close in on Bell and give him fits. Through the tight corners, don't roll so much speed. Bell cannot drive over the top of Holland in the Porsche. There are certain places where you play follow the leader and allow the other chap to close in. It is very similar to saving fuel. Someone is right on your six and you have to back them up deliberately. Holland knows what is going on. Johnny O'Connell runs fourth on track in the #3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS. His Nashville win was the highlight of the season.
Melissa and Kent Hussey, the owners of SKI Autosport, have been having a wonderful time. Johnny O'Connell made one Indianapolis 500 start in 1996. Started 29th and finished 29th. Chouest closing in on Holland. This is being managed by Holland and Chouest is right there. Bell is in a hornet's nest and Bell must be going bonkers inside that car. His GT4 America co-driver Michael Cooper can advise him on the radio to stay cool. Bell is having none of this and Ross Chouest wants a bite of the cherry as well, look. This is a dream turning into a possible nightmare.
Complexities abound. As they run, Bell has done enough. He needs to stay where he is as we get closer to halfway. Now, Memo Gidley is moving in on this battle. Just two points separate Bell and Holland, 279-277. This was all set up on Friday if you were with us and you read about it, race one. Bell needed a top eight if he'd won Friday. Holland did not give a wide berth to Memo Gidley. Gidley leading the motor race. George Kurtz will also clear these two cars with the SRO3 car having more power. Adam Adelson closing as well. The gap is shrinking between Adelson and Kurtz.
Adam Adelson is the real deal for sure. Adelson will be slightly stymied by the GT4 traffic. Sitting at the bar having a brew and you say, "let's race tomorrow morning." In GT2 it is Kevin Woods for Chicago Performance & Tuning in the #094 KTM X-Bow (Crossbow). The KTM Crossbow, what a cool looking race car! It is distinctly a KTM. It does remind you of the new C8 Corvette for sure. We'll see more of those here in SRO next year. Bell takes a peak trying to get inside Robb Holland's mind. Holland has driven just about everything. He's driving touring cars, raced at the Nurburgring, you name it, he's done it.
Ross Chouest cannot move up a place to defend his 2022 title but he wants to win this race in GT4 no matter what. Just past the halfway mark. 20 minutes to go in the 2023 season. Holland lets Johnny O'Connell through, but he was momentarily slow. Is there a transmission or electronics issue on the car? I wonder. Many nervous faces in the pit lane right now indeed. Flying Lizard team boss Darren Law says things are stressful. Bell must win or finish directly behind Robb Holland. The team has talked to him and told him to be calm and make no high risk moves.
Michael Cooper on the radio, and I wonder what the message is. Make sure your rival does not make a bold move. For Ross Chouest, and Jason Bell, both of them are racing Aston Martin's. Ross Chouest wants to win the race though. He won't roll over and play dead. Traffic has cost both Aston Martin's time compared to Holland in the Porsche. Is this by design or by Bell's pace? Not sure. Holland is driving as fast as possible to lead the motor race. But there has to be more to it. I wonder. Nervous energy on the pit wall. My gosh.
The Aston Martin's have run extremely well in GT4 in North America for GT America and Pirelli GT4 America alike. Robb Holland is the fly in the ointment for the Aston Martin bunch. Memo Gidley still leads in the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in SRO3. Ross Chouest cannot improve on his placing in the standings. It is almost like Holland is teasing Jason Bell, throwing bait in the water. Bell must be disciplined and focused. Don't let the racer's instinct kick in too quickly. Be smart. The accordion effect is in place. Build the gap, close it back up. Build the gap, close it up.
These three are tethered, glued together. Maybe there has been discussions about this final race. Who knows. We don't know. Maybe a couple of them have chatted, or maybe they think, why am I going to give you any help, Mister? We are 12 minutes away from the end of the 2023 campaign. Memo Gidley is the 2023 SRO3 champion as we watch Adelson who has lost some time but has taken out half a second on Gidley. What a beautiful soundtrack of GT racing. Each brand and car with a distinct engine note. It is only a 40-minute event, but Bell will be exhausted. He has one more race, the hour long Pirelli GT4 America race coming up in a wee while.
Bell is closing in on Holland and Ross Chouest still wants something out of this out of turn 14 and onto the frontstretch. Straighten your hands and get back to power. Ten minutes to go. This has been a game of cat and mouse between Holland and Bell. Holland seems worried about his rival being there and knows he has to defend. Turn two, turn 13, you can stall the car out at apex. But you cannot roll off the throttle too soon or you will give your rival a chance for a flying leap. Chouest is right there. Maybe he is playing the friend game with Bell, the frenemy game. Gidley's lead over Kurtz is 1.4 seconds. Adelson 5.4 seconds behind Gidley and 3.6 behind George Kurtz.
Eight and a half minutes remaining in the season. GMG team boss James Sofronas is happy about whow their team is doing in GT America and expects growth for the category next year. They have a tribute to a friend of their team, a crewman, who lost his life in a car accident. Bryce Kortz is his name. Rest In Peace, Bryce. God Bless. Our condolences to Bryce and his family. Kyle Washington very circumspect right now and won't interfere in the GT4 race. Kyle Washington's car is faster but won't interfere with the title battle in GT4. The laps, the minutes continue to dwindle.
Ross Chouest has not made any deliberate moves yet at all. Five and a half minutes to go. Robb Holland leads the race but Bell is up in the title fight by two points. Holland can do no more than win this race as Mirco Schultis is off the road and back on. Holland has been third in both 2021 and 2022. Robb Holland has to have an ace up his sleeve trying to tempt Jason Bell to go inside and get it all wrong. Chouest closes in on Bell, look. Bell slowing the car up more than Chouest wanted. Too much brake pressure can overpower the ABS. Kyle Washington coming through and so is Memo Gidley.
Gidley has to motor because Kurtz is right behind him. So is Adelson. TKO is run by Flying Lizard, the same team Bell drives for. Washington and Alex Vogel, and now, Adelson goes inside Kurtz. bell is there too and that could have been a pig's breakfast! My gosh! Kurtz passes Bell! The Mercedes was sideways and here comes Ross Chouest again! Time is running out. Washington gets tapped by Vogel. Vogel runs wide. Holland runs wide! Oh my! Kurtz passes Adelson! Chouest right on Bell's six! Gidley in the clear!
Kurtz and Adelson swapping second place. The battle is on in GT4. Bell has the run. Holland goes defensive. One lap remaining! This is it. This is the season, the title. Split them up and at the end of the race they are right back together. Holland leads but it is not enough to win the title. Robb Holland has to park his race car in one of these corners. He has to back Jason Bell up into Ross Chouest. Chouest harrying Bell. Gidley wins at Indianapolis! Kurtz and Adelson second and third. In GT4 Robb Holland wins the race but Jason Bell is a two-time GT America powered by AWS champion! What a motor race! What a motor race!
Overall/SRO3: #101 Memo Gidley TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
GT4: #2 Jason Bell Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
Champions: SRO3: #101 Memo Gidley TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3
GT4: #2 Jason Bell Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
Bell gets the job done and wins the GT4 title in GT America. What a season it has been. Thanks for being with us. We'll see you for more GT4 America action in 2024. For now, so long, everyone. Take care.
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