Hello, and welcome, everybody, to the first race of the Saturday racing card for SRO America at the fabled, legendary, bumpy, Sebring International Raceway. Hashtag, Respect the Bumps. Do not try to repave this place! It is bumpy, and that is the way the drivers and the fans, like it. TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School is back at the punishing Sebring International Raceway. Surviving Sebring is important for everyone on a hot Saturday morning in race one of the weekend, as we join Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish, and Amanda Busick on commentary. Here come the cars for the sole formation lap before we go racing on this 70-80 year old concrete. Track temperatures up to triple digits. It is a hot and humid day.
Heat soak may be a storyline because these are production cars. Chris Walsh on the pole, the man who swept the TCX class wins last time we raced at Sonoma Raceway in California. Jeff Ricca in the Hyundai is on pole in the TC class. Watch for the Mazda 3 of Joey Jordan because he might have a mechanical issue. Mini on pole in TCA with P.J. Groenke. It is a classic track. Drivers will love a chance to race and win here. This is a special place indeed. There's plenty of room for overtaking as well. Here comes the field. Green flag! Away we go! Walsh gets the jump over Celso Neto and here comes Lucas Catania. He is hungry and wants a win. Celso Neto fends him off into turn three as Jeff Ricca leads the TC field. Ricca had a big fire in race two at Sonoma Raceway. Joey Jordan up to second in the Mazda 3. That's the #71 FTG Racing Mazda 3. Walsh, Neto, Catania, going for it.
He is right up behind the Acura Integra of Celso Neto through Tower Corner to Bishop Bend. Neto is playing defense over the Catania father and son team. Side by side into Sunset Bend for the first time of asking. Over the bumps, Neto accelerates and maintains his spot. Walsh ahead by 1.4 seconds so far. The two BMW's are run by Rigid Speed of course. Oh dear. Neto up on the curb and he is vulnerable to a pass. Neto under pressure, overdriving the turns. This is the run down to the hairpin which was reprofiled a few decades ago.
Cristian Perocarpi in the Mini JCW Mini Cooper has passed Joey Jordan in the Mazda. P.J. Groenke leading Maddy Lemke in TCA while Jeff Ricca leads TC over Cristian Perocarpi. Lucas Catania must pass Celso Neto and then chase down Chris Walsh. Lucas Catania has had 20 podium finishes, now up to 22 or 23. He has only a single win. That sticks in his craw I am sure because racing driver want to win. Winning is all that matters. Blimey! It is hot, hot, hot here at Sebring! Celso Neto was on the podium at Sonoma in California. The Acura's after a Balance of Performance change by SRO, they have more turbo boost.
Celso Neto continues to lead Lucas Catania with just seven minutes on the board. Celso Neto is a former, in 2022, Brazilian Touring Car champion. He has raced Brazilian Stock Cars and NASCAR Brazil as well. Chris Walsh at 2:19.741 sets the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap so far. Neto has the measure of Lucas Catania currently. Maybe the BMW has more turn in the car, or a different gear ratio, moving back to power under acceleration. Neto has his hands full with Catania and they are door to door into the hairpin. This is the inside move for Lucas Catania to go for second. Net fighting on. He is not giving up the ghost.
Luca Catania has the preferred line for turn 13, Tower Corner. Neto off the road! Three abreast into turn 16 onto the Ulmann straightaway! What will the stewards think of these moves? Jam it inside and try to push. Dive deeper on the inside lane, force him out, seal the deal. Now, Aaron Kaplan wants a bite of the cherry. Kaplan in the #18 BMW M2 CS Racing for his team, Kaplan Racing Systems. Race Control tells us Celso Neto was required to give the place back for going outside track limits. Neto is still pushing hard. Joseph Catania is coming, fast and so is the aforementioned bloke, Aaron Kaplan. We are watching his progress and that of the leader, Chris Walsh.
Celso Neto is fighting for everything he is worth. The Skip Barber Acura team thinks their car will improve as the race goes on. All this action happening ten seconds behind Chris Walsh leading the motor race as Cooper Broll, Christopher DeFreitas, and TC leader Jeff Ricca. Joey Jordan, Sally McNulty, and Ruben Iglesias Jr. in a battle of their own in TC. Hyundai, Mini, Mazda. The white and blue Mazda livery is reminiscent of the Mazda RX-7 IMSA GTO car, and our mate Calvin Fish drove one of those very loud, very fast, rotary Mazda RX-7s in the 12 Hours of Sebring here in 1991. Sally McNulty now in the TC class, stepping up from TCA. McNulty is the driver and mechanic for her race car and other auto racing and automotive projects.
P.J. Groenke leading TCA and he was the 2017 SRO TCB touring car champion in the final year of that category. Celso Neto's Acura Integra is settling down now. The car was loose, and he was losing grip. Maybe if he loses a touch of front grip, it'll balance the handling a wee bit. Save the tires and hope for a yellow as we get closer to halfway. Some drivers need to be talked through the strategy. Not everyone has a Kimi Raikkonen "leave me alone, I know what I am doing" moment. But some drivers do, telling their crew, "Let me drive. I've got this." Neto and Catania are fighting for the last step on the podium.
Sally McNulty challenging Joey Jordan. Mazda had a shock issue with the bumps here at Sebring. They will set the shock absorbers up again for race two tomorrow. In the corners, he is washing out. These are production-based vehicles with safety redundancies. It was extremely hot when we were last here with SRO America at Sebring last fall and it was sweltering! Today, it is more comfortable. With Front Wheel Drive, the car is accelerating, decelerating and turning all on the front tires. You've got to be feeling it and seeing where the car is. Speed is all about balance through the turns. Joey Jordan came up from Spec Miata and Team Mazda Challenge. He was sixth in Spec Miata in 2013 at the SCCA Runoffs in fields of 60, 70, 80 cars.
Joey Jordan raced in South America. His late father, Joe Jordan Sr., and his uncle, Jim Jordan, is with the team helping out. Jim Jordan was with SRO America for many years and was part of Dempsey Racing when they ran the Mazda RX-8 many moons ago, and yes, Patrick Dempsey, the actor turned racing driver and team owner, he raced that car. Cooper Broll is following Jeff Ricca and then behind Cooper it is Chris DeFreitas. Celso Neto hanging on by the skin of his teeth. Now, Joseph Catania is chasing Celso Neto, but the Acura, as cool as it looks, is awkward in handling compared to the BMW which is a far more developed automobile.
The Acura is brand new for 2024, in touring cars, now along with their GT3 and prototype programs. We just passed the halfway point in race one of two for TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School who sponsor the series and have a ladder system out of their racing school. Skip Barber, the namesake of the school, a legendary driver himself. Maddy Lemke improving as a driver, she debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last fall in the final events of 2023. The battle is on still between Neto and Catania on this hot Saturday in early sprint in central Florida. Conserve the tires in case of a safety car.
P.J. Groenke is the TC class leader. Chris Walsh passes to the outside of P.J. Groenke. Groenke is a veteran, a smart racer, and he'll know a faster car is coming through. 2:19.741 is Chris Walsh's fastest lap time which would put him on the Rowe Motor Oil pole position for tomorrow's race. 15 minutes left on the board before this race is done and dusted. Chris Walsh is a Florida native originally from North Carolina, was on the U.S. National bobsled team and he is in the military. The old Jaguar TWR team running the Jaguar prototypes was based in Valparaiso, Indiana, where Walsh is based now. I believe he studied at Valparaiso University and then, went into the military where he still has an opportunity, and is now racing as well.
Walsh raced four events in Pirelli GT4 America and raced in Porsche Sprint Challenge in 2023 as well. Joseph Catania, running steady, still wants a bite of the cherry vs. Celso Neto. Lucas Catania now leads Celson Neto by 3.7 seconds uncorking his fastest lap at 2:20.5 but is 8/10ths behind overall fast lap holder, Chris Walsh. Cristian Perocarpi is running well for his father's team, LAP Motorsports who raced IMSA in their touring car championship and then migrated to SRO competition later on. Cristian Perocarpi, outside of local karting, had a podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Alan Grossberg is in another Mini, and he will race as well, in GT America, in the GT2 class as the sole entry in a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. That will be fun! He is the sole GT2 car in GT America this weekend. Inside the final ten minutes. It is down to the nitty gritty, down to brass tacks for the victory here, well, not the victory, but the podium place. Neto backing the Acura into the turn, just like a pavement motorcycle road racer would do. Joseph Catania trying to solve the puzzle over Neto. But Neto's puzzle is a tough one. A letter, please. Where do the pieces fit? Neto off the road and into the dust! Now, Joseph Catania could possibly earn a podium.
The Neto and Catania battle is fascinating, and Chris Walsh is really pulling a gap on everybody else. It's wild. Catania again, tries but Neto closes the door. It is fun to compare and contrast the BMW with rear wheel drive and the front wheel drive Acura. Which axle is doing the work? With torque, acceleration, top speed, it is looking similar, but the BMW is steadier and more comfortable with cornering. They are fairly equally matched automobiles as Catania looks again to the inside and Neto says, "not now, sunbeam." Alan Grossberg in the Mini is a traffic obstacle.
Neto is stalwart in his defense over Joseph Catania. The Brazilian racer is really pushing hard. Neto was third in TC in 2023 for Skip Barber Racing with a single win and nine podiums. He has raced a Peugeot in TCR Brazil, too. Two and a half minutes to go before this race is finished. Two laps t looks like. Joseph Catania is going for it. He is staying in line, focusing on big speed if Celso Neto runs wide. Discretion the better part of valor, possibly. Walsh has a 12 second buffer. Jeff Ricca and P.J. Groenke could be on the way to wins in their respective classes, too.
Walsh ready to do a hat trick. Ricca looking for his second win. Groenke also wants a TCA hat trick. White flag this time by. Final lap. 17 corners left before this race is in the bag. Lucas Catania on his last lap and now, Celso Neto is still ahead of Joseph Catania. Aaron Kaplan has not had the pace he wanted in this race. Walsh has CrowdStrike Fastest Lap at 2:19.741. He will likely get pole for tomorrow. Walsh untroubled and he wins overall and in TCX. Three for three for him and Carrus Callas Racing! In the TC class it is Jeff Ricca showing the way. Ricca the class of the field after a bad event at Sonoma. But that is all forgotten.
GenRacer and Jeff Ricca win race one! He leapfrogs to the points lead. P.J. Groenke going for a clean sweep as well, with only a single win since 2017 until this year. The Canadian driver loves the heat. Groenke does the hat trick!
Overall/TCX: #104 Chris Walsh Carrus Callas Race Team BMW M2 CS (Cup)
TC: #78 Jeff Ricca Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC
TCA: #62 P.J. Groenke MINI JCW Team MINI JCW
Cue the dance music for the results. Chris Walsh believes, in his winners' interview, the tires will be key on a cooler track, and he knows he is going to push to go for the double tomorrow. Jeff Ricca and P.J. Groenke both happy with their wins. Groenke loves the heritage, the bumps, and the heat, and loves the circuit. He too has made his own history. He is an avid surfer and gives us the hang ten hand sign! Sweet! So, race one in the bag for TC America from Sebring. We will see you tomorrow for race two. Don't go anyplace though because we have plenty more racing left for you this afternoon in SRO America. Bye for now.
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