From Off in the Esses. IMSA heads to Road America for the 8th round of the season! This is everything you need to know!
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
2024 IMSA Road America Race Preview!
From Off in the Esses. IMSA heads to Road America for the 8th round of the season! This is everything you need to know!
The IMSA Championship Battles Are Getting Interesting!
From Off in the Esses. A detailed look at how the IMSA points system works as a refresher, and an analysis of championship points in all classes as the season in 2024 is really, really close and coming down to crunch time with three races remaining in the GTP ranks and I believe only four that are counting towards the GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona ranks as they have, I believe, one more race, that is a standalone event without the prototypes, at Virginia International Raceway, late next month. Keep an eye on the points tables when and if you are watching or listening to the races either on NBC/Peacock or on IMSA Radio or on YouTube on IMSA Official.
WeatherTech Championship Headlines getting ready for Road America
Headlines you should pay attention to as we prepare for and look ahead to Road America coming up next week. All of this is via Sportscar365.
AO Racing's 'Roxy' to Return for Road America, VIR
Some stories cross over between IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, so in future WEC updates, they will also be updated and mentioned.
Porsche's Customer 963 Options "Wide Open" for 2025
Valkyrie AMR-LMH's First Runs an "Immensely Proud" Moment
Trueman, Akin Award Battles Head for Homestretch
Sebastien Priaulx has parted company with AO Racing.
AO Racing Parts Ways With Priaulx
47 cars are entered for the next all-category IMSA sprint race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, next weekend.
47 Entries for Road America
Corvette, Lexus, Porsche Get More Weight for Road America
Andlauer to Replace Priaulx in AO Racing Porsche
The latest Michelin IMSA Insider all about returning to Road America, one year after the whole track was repaved.
Michelin IMSA Insider: Road America Return
Mitchell to Sub for Marcelli at Road America
Joey Hand's latest column.
HAND: A Big Dog Battling With Mustang
Nasr: Porsche Has to "Maximize" Points at Road America
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
5 MUST Follow Storylines in the Upcoming IMSA Race at Road America!
From Off in the Esses. Next up IMSA heads to Road America and these are 5 storylines that you should follow in this years race!
Post-Race News After the 3 Hours of the Nurburgring
All the post-race news after the 3 Hours of the Nurburgring, round four of SRO GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, is now in the books.
Grasser Ends Endurance Win Drought with Nürburgring Victory
Pepper: Surviving First Lap Melee Key to Grasser Victory
The latest Double Stint Podcast. Recapping the Nurburgring SRO Europe race and including more news from the sports car racing world, with Jonathan Grace and Davey Euwema.
DOUBLE STINT: SRO Nürburgring Recap; News Roundup & More (7-30-24)
More Manufacturers Consider Building an LMDh/LMH Car!
From Off in the Esses. Sportscar racing is in a boom and these three manufacturers may be looking to build an LMDh or LMH car!
Monday, July 29, 2024
LIVE | Race | Nürburgring | Fanatec GT Europe 2024 (English)
Ready to go racing? Sit back, relax and enjoy three hours of Fanatec GT Europe action at the Nürburgring. A 50-car field featuring nine manufacturers will tackle this Endurance Cup contest. Live on SRO GTWorld, Bruce Jones and John Watson cover all the action in the booth with Antonia Rankin reporting from the pit lane.
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Winner & Highlights of the GT World Challenge Europe 3 Hours of the Nurburgring
The fabled, legendary Nurburgring in the Eifel Mountains of Germany is the venue for round three of the 2024 SRO GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. After an exhilarating and unbelievable 24 Hours of Spa at the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, last month, the championship moves only 60 kilometers, from the Ardennes Forst to the Eifel Mountains and the legendary Nurburgring, although this time the racing action is taking place on the Grand Prix circuit, the three-mile modern track that has existed since 1984, compared to "The Green Hell", the Nordschleife.
On the pole for today's race is the Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, car #96, leading a Porsche front row lockout. Julien Andlauer is sharing the Rutronik entry with Sven Mueller and Patric Niederhauser. This is the first GTWC Europe Endurance Cup pole for Porsche in 2024, with the similar Porsche, the #44 CLRT entry, also on the front row. This is the car to be driven by Ayhancan Guven, Laurin Heinrich, and Dorian Boccolacci sharing the driving chores. Welcome to the Nurburgring for the third race of GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. Weather can often be a factor but today we are going to see dry weather.
We have 50 cars in the field coming to play, fresh off of the 24 Hours of Spa won of course by Aston Martin. Every detail is being attended to, to find success. Of course, we have championships for GT3 on all continents especially North America and Europe. This is the middle segment of the season. The Pro category accommodates any category of driver. Comtoyou Racing and Aston Martin who won Spa, are in the points lead. Mattia Drudi wants the momentum to continue and knows how hectic the Nurburgring race will be.
AF Corse Ferrari finished second at Spa but are still in the title race. Alessandro Pier Guidi, Alessio Rovera, and Davide Rigon are looking ahead. Rowe Racing won the season opener at Paul Ricard in France. Max Hesse, Dan Harper, and Augusto Farfus would like to do it again, and win another one at their home track here at the Nurburgring. Luca Stolz loves the Nurburgring and wants to take victory here with teammates Fabian Schiller and Jules Gounon who finished second here last year. The new Ford Mustang GT3 for Proton Competition is really finding it's feet. Mies sharing with Dennis Olsen and Fredric Vervisch.
In the Gold class, watch the #77 Haupt Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Atjun Maini, Jusuf Owega, and Michele Beretta. In the Silver class, all drivers must be at that level. The GetSpeed Mercedes team of Swiss driver Yannick Mettler, American Anthony Bartone, and British driver James Kell has a good number of points but want more. Patrick Assenheimer has won many races at the Nurburgring. Assenheimer is sharing with Ezequiel Perez Companc and newcomer Tom Kalender. Walkenhorst Motorsports and Aston Martin are hungry especially their drivers in the #35 car, Maxime Robin of France, Lorcan Hanafin from England, and Frenchman Romain Leroux.
Platinum, Silver, and Bronze class drivers make up the Bronze class. Herberth Motorsports' Porsche with Ralf Bohn as lead driver are very excited. He is sharing with Robert Renauer and Morris Schuring. Klaus Abbelen is back in the driving seat with David Perel and Felipe Fernandez Laser, the 2023 winning team, Frikadelli Racing, with Ferrari at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on the Nordschleife. After a rainy, cloud, grubby day yesterday, today is sunny and gorgeous but very cool. The Nurburgring short course is not particularly difficult but passing opportunities will be at a premium. Think long and hard about where to overtake.
The first half hour of this race will be very frantic. A Pro driver, if they tag an amateur driver, it will be the Pro that is at fault for the incident. Glad to see the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG is back up and running after being damaged in qualifying as was the aforementioned #35 Walkenhorst Motorsports Aston Martin which caught a damp patch and whacked the tire barriers. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG is set to be driven by Dutch drivers Dann Arrow and Colin Caresani, and Thai driver Tanart Sathienthirakul.
Rutronik Racing Porsche on the pole. Rowe Racing and Augusto Farfus see a tactical race to manage their tires and optimize their race strategy, starting from eighth place on the grid. The Farfus, Hesse, Harper trio will be going for it in a big way. They will be clever, try saving tires, and push, push, push. The #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin which won the 24 Hours of Spa is next up. Nicki Thiim starts the race sharing with Mattia Drudi and Marco Sorensen as the German National Anthem plays. AF Corse Ferrari #51 had a pit lane incident in qualifying with slight damage and could not go on track after an unsafe release. They will start way down at the tail end of the grid in 48th place compounding their woes from the 24 Hours of Spa last month.
I don't want to say they were unlucky. It was circumstances outside of their control. Watch the Mann Filter Mercedes #48 with Lucas Auer, the Austrian, starting from fourth spot. Auer sharing with Daniel Morad and Maro Engel. Phillip Ellis will be another driver to watch. He is starting the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes sharing with Thomas Drouet and Maximilian Gotz. Lamborghini #63 will also be a contedner. But first, Loek Hartog in the sister, Bronze ranked Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, car #97 is optimistic. Hartog sharing with American Dustin Blattner, and Dennis Marschall of Germany. A Porsche front row lockout as we said in the intro.
Everybody must contain themselves and try not to win the race in the first turn. Please, tell me you know what to do at the first turn! Again, the sister #96 pole sitting Rutronik Porsche is being shared by Julien Andlauer, Sven Mueller, and Patric Niederhauser. Don't overuse the tires. It is a balance between risk and reward. There is a lot of merit to the #44 CLRT Porsche on the outside of the front row. Parts of the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit have been resurfaced. Jules Gounon, reigning champion, says they have had a better qualifying result than they expected.
GetSpeed are still looking for their first win in GT World Challenge Europe. Jules Gounon has a frog in his throat, a bout of laryngitis or sinusitis or something. Feel better, Jules. The Ford Mustang #64 has a tribute to the late, great Parnelli Jones, a true legend, an unbelievable racing driver from desert racing in trucks, Formula 1, IndyCar and the winner of the 1963 Indianapolis 500, and a champion for Ford Motor Company in 1970 with the Mustang Boss 302 in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Julien Andlauer, one of the pole sitting drivers for Rutronik Porsche thinks the track conditions will suit their car. The grid is beginning to clear.
So, we are setting up for the race to begin as the pit siren sounds. It sounds like a laser, a laser alarm. OK, The formation lap begins. We will be going racing next time by. Oh no! Ralf Bohn and the Herberth Porsche are off the road in the grass! What has happened there? Blimey! I think that is a mechanical or electrical issue. Maybe he has to do a reset. That car is off the road and in the grass. Jeepers creepers! So, we are on the second formation lap, a good idea to get the race underway safely so the #91 Porsche can be safely removed and recover.\
The race has started behind the safety car. OK. We have an Aston Martin in the pit lane. One of the Comtoyou Racing cars. This is the Matisse Lismont driven car with a right front tire puncture. Oh dear! The bodywork is rubbing and the wheel rim is busted pouring smoke out of the right front! The #91 Porsche was rotated by the Aston Martin. Car #21 needs repairs. Goodness gracious! Matisse Lismont was five places behind Ralf Bohn and some other bloke tipped him into a spin. That's an unfortunate incident. Spare a thought for both teams. So, we have a third formation lap. Form into Noah's Ark, 2x2 formation ladies and gentlemen. Oy yoy yoy!
Some are accelerating and some are braking. There was an incident in qualifying this morning where Ezequiel Perez-Companc almost ran into the #777 Al Manar Racing Mercedes. Now we are moving into the 2x2 formation readying for the grid formation and the start. The field under control of Patric Niederhauser as we look for the green lights on the starting gantry. The safety car pulls to the pit lane. Alright. Here we go. The lights flash green! Away we go! Niederhauser leads bit everuone is diving into turn one side by side! David Vidales tries to make an ambtitipus pass but there are four, five six cars that have spun off!
Oy yoy yoy! We've got a pig's breakfast in the middle of the field and Patric Niederhauser has clattered into someone and there goes the #64 Mustang into a spin on the whirligig! I... I... I don't know what to say! OK. Hold the phone here. The field has been split wide open! Settle down, lads. Settle down. In this replay, we see Niederhauser in the lead and the trouble began in 20th place and the remaining 30 cars had to find a way to thread the eye of the needle! Patric Niederhauser's tire is totally shreded as Jordan Pepper leads Lucas Auer, Ayhancan Guven, and David Vidales. Porsche, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari. Alessio Rovera has picked up 15 places from 48th to 33rd spot.
South African Jordan Pepper is now a second to the good over Lucas Auer followed by Ayhancan Guven, the Turkish Porsche driver. The pole sitting car now trundles to the pit lane. What terrible luck! It is the left rear tire that was flattened and the right rear quarter panel got tweaked by the Ferrari. Jordan Pepper making good his escape. More chasing and racing in the back of the pack. Crunch! The Rutronik Porsche was pushed into the nose of the #48 Mercedes I think and then Luca Stolz was clattered into by Niederhauser before spinning and so did the #998 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3. Good grief! Stay cool, calm, and collected? Not these boys.
So, Jordan Pepper leads and now Charles Weerts has moved up the order in the #32 BMW Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Chris Froggatt moving up as well in the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Jordan Pepper leads the motor race by 1.8 seconds. The gap is going up to 1.9 seconds over Lucas Auer, and then comes Guven and Vidales behind. Jordan Pepper has had an opportunity and grabbed the bull by the horns, quite literally with Lamborghini being symbolized by the raging bull. Lucas Auer cannot make inroads on the Lambo yet. Luca Stolz monstering Benji Goethe who had a clatter or two on the opening lap.
It is nose to tail from there as Alessio Rovera has rocketed from 48th place way up to 26th place. Rovera is keeping his nose clean. Well done. OK. The #21 Aston Martin, the Comtoyou car of Matisse Lismont is back on track and Andrey Mukovoz in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi has come back in as well. Roee Meyuhas leads the Silver Cup class. Gold Cup being led by Jusuf Owega. We will need to find time to mark the top places in the classes if the action simmers down. But now, Lismont is back off the road. He is under investigation by the stewards and runs wide trying to recover.
The opening 15 minutes of this race, six laps in the bag, has been frantic. 18 miles completed. Patric Niederhauser and Rutronik Racing, from the pole, I suspect, they are headed for the house! Game over after earning the pole! How soul destroying is that! That car was the cue ball on a snooker table. From the pit lane, we hear Matisse Lismont is having trouble with the antilock brakes. ABS is a standard feature on the GT3 cars and is adjustable from the cockpit but if it malfunctions, you are in a world of pain. Lucas Auer smells success and can sense where Jordan Pepper is in the lead. Jordan Pepper just stays out of the way and now Lucas Auer is reeling him in inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter.
We have only raced eight laps, 24 miles. More woe for Matisse Lismont and so has a second Comtoyou Aston Martin! After dominating the 24 Hours of Spa, two of the three Comtoyou Aston Martin Vantage Evo's are in the lane. Lucas Auer giving chase to Jordan Pepper. Auer still has fastest lap in the green and yellow mamba liveried Mann Filter sponsored Mercedes-AMG automobile. For Lucas Auer and Jordan Pepper both have clear air until they get to the traffic and the next car in the chain at risk of going a lap down. Roee Meyuhas leads Silver, Michele Beretta leads Gold, and Dustin Blattner leads Bronze. Rutronik have just a single car left in the race. Mercedes, Mercedes, Porsche, the class leading brands.
Nicki Thiim makes his move and is chasing and passing David Vidales and already dispensed with Philip Ellis as well, look. Ayhancan Guven, the Turkish driver, is down to third. Vidales vs. Thiim, a longtime sports car racing rivalry that has lasted by 3/4 of a century, 75 years. Lucas Auer continuing to chase Jordan Pepper. This is a cat and mouse, a rabbit and hound game at the top of the shop. Patric Niederhauser a very disappointed young man. He couldn't see anything. He felt being clattered by the Ferrari on driver's right after making a good start. He thought there wouldn't be immediate danger and thought he was in control.
All of a sudden, the Ferrari T boned him, and he is devastated, understandably. He probably does not realize that he was pushed out of the way right where the Mercedes was about to exit the corner and got a tire cut down. So, Lucas Auer has the pace and Jordan Pepper is trying to consolidate the lead, but Auer is right on his six, right on his back door. The dark blue and white Lamborghini vs. the bright yellow Mercedes. #998 BMW and #2 Mercedes, Augusto Farfus and Luca Stolz, under investigation by the stewards for contact and a couple spins. Farfus started seventh just behind Nicki Thiim, the championship leader. The battle for the lead is still red hot.
11 laps, 33 miles, in the bag. Auer had nothing he could do about Niederhauser clonking into him. The #48 Mercedes contact has negligible damage but the #96 Rutronik Porsche is headed for the scrap heap. They will need to order another one from Stuttgart. So, Dustin Blattner in the sister Rutronik Porsche is running well and now, Arjun Maini leads the Gold Cup over Paul Evrard and the rest. Roee Meyuhas leads Silver ahead of Mattia Llarena. Again, the classes are denoted for driver ratings. All cars are the same, GT3 spec, from the different brands.
Finally, the race is finding a rhythm and settling down a wee bit. Valentino Rossi starting the #46 Team WRT BMW, playing slowly, slowly catchy monkey, before Maxime Martin and Raffaele Marciello finish out the race. Klaus Bachler behind him in the #911 Pure Racing Porsche. Bachler sharing with Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm. Louis Machiels in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari and Gabriel Rindone in the #72 Barwell Motorsports Lamborghini are under investigation by the stewards, for contact. In a battle for seventh, it is Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini vs. Nick Yelloly in the BMW. Both of them also race for their respective manufacturers here in Europe and in the United States, in the prototypes, the LMDh/GTP/Hypercar entries.
Matisse Lismont in the delayed Aston Martin is wisely staying out of the way. Half an hour into the race, Charles Clark has taken over the #21 Aston Martin just to test the car. They are 11 laps down. Half an hour officially on the board. Up to 17th place is Augusto Farfus in the #998 BMW M4 GT3 passing Al Faisal al Zubair in the #777 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Top drivers moving up the order. Jordan Pepper's lead has ballooned slightly to 8/10ths of a second. 14 laps now in the bag. 42 miles. The #64 Ford Mustang GT3 of Christopher Mies is running well even though he is 32nd in the overall. David Vidales is fourth and being harried by Nicki Thiim. Vidales trying hard to reel in third place man Ayhancan Guven.
Philip Ellis too, he is making inroads on Nicki Thiim as well. The gap is only 1.2 seconds though, so Ellis is motoring and coming in a big hurry. Nick Yelloly, Mirko Bortolotti, Alex Aka, and Charles Weerts complete the top ten. BMW, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW. We have Lamborghini, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, the top five. This is a three-hour event, but it is more of a sprint than an enduro. Last time when we raced the 24 Hours of Spa, that was an enduro in true form, in every sense of the word. One car that picked up damage in qualifying earlier today is back on track but is still struggling.
A lot of vibration for the rear wing on these cars. Use your mirrors. Most drivers do. It is the drone vs. the Lamborghini! Wow! The drone makes the race even more fun to watch! Ah! Track limits for the drone! Stop and go penalty! Hee hee hee! Oh my! The lead battle is simmering again. Lucas Auer catching Jordan Pepper. Auer pulling back a shedload of time. Maybe there just isn't enough cooling for the radiator on the Mercedes for Lucas Auer even though the ambient temperature in the Eiffel Mountains is relatively cool. These two chaps are six seconds clear of Ayhancan Guven and are 15 seconds up on Nicki Thiim! They are absolutely motoring and in another zip code.
What will their pit strategy be in the ten-minute window they have? They need clear space on the road and with pit stops coming soon, smoke is coming off the strategist's calculators. Alessio Rovera is now up to 19th spot chasing down Al Faisal al Zubair. Augusto Farfus spun through the grass but is making a good recovery. Speaking of recovery, the #51 Ferrari has made up 29 places up to 19th. Paul Evrard in the Audi, second in the Gold division, is the next obstacle for Rovera there. Can he maintain momentum? He may need to get crafty.
Rovera now right on Evrard's six. AF Corse setting up for pit stops. Evrard gives it up easy. Let him go. He is faster than you. A fair, clean pass. That is what we like to see. Sensible driving. His teammates Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi must be happy about all this, early doors. The Ferrari 296 GT3 looks great and the way it handles and the way it drives, it does everything a driver wants it to do. Jordan Pepper ekes out a gap over a second to Lucas Auer, with co-driver Daniel Morad, the Canadian, looking on. Trouble in paradise with a second unscheduled pit stop for the #66 Tresor Attmepto Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II in the hands of Andrey Mukovoz of Russia, sharing with Dylan Pereira of Luxembourg and the Austrian, Max Hofer.
Nick Yelloly has not been caught yet by Mirko Bortolotti from what we saw a wee while ago. Yelloly has the pace. Incident between the #71 Ferrari of David Vidale, and the pole sitting, now retired #96 Rutronik Porsche, under investigation by the stewards. OK. The Ferrari was an unguided red missile who's movements poor old Patric Niederhauser couldn't predict and now, a drive through penalty is handed to David Vidales who will fly Plummet Airways way down the order. Vidales sharing with Vincent Abril and Thomas Neubauer. You cannot serve a drive through penalty and make a pit stop at the same time.
It is a 27 second delta line to line in the pit lane. Take your medicine but it is indeed a painful error. He is back out and gets caught right in front of the sister car of Alessio Rovera! He is now in 17th, 18th place. There is no way he is going to give up the place to the sister car unless the team gets on the horn and says "David, let Alessio through." The pit window will open soon. Just the pit window. Not the pay window. We must wait for another hour and change for the pay window to open. Tanart Sathienthirakul is all over Till Bechtolsheimer. This is a battle for 34th place overall. The Thai driver vs. the British driver in Silver and Bronze class competition and someone has kicked up some gravel. OK. Klaus Abbelen is the cork in the bottle here and the Frikadelli Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 moves out of the way.
That is the #333 car. Now, Jordan Pepper can use traffic to his advantage. Lucas Auer is stuck behind the Aston Martin and now, Chris Froggatt has spun the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. No visible damage but something isn't right. I think he had to do a reset with the electronics and now he is back on his way. Was he assisted? He had Yannick Mettler behind, the Frenchman. He got pushed by Mettler's Mercedes. "I was hit, spun around." "You just spun? Is something wrong with the car?" "I was hit, by Yannick Mettler" Froggatt says. The #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 pits for fuel, tires and a driver change. Ditto for Rowe Racing car #98 the rival BMW. Rowe Racing is still ahead of the WRT car.
No position swap at AF Corse. Pit stop time too for fueling for the Lamborghini. The pit crews are athlet's too. Just the same as the drivers. They need and do the same level of training to stay fit. The #88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi pits for service and a driver change. Excuse me. It is a different Audi I am thinking of and now I have lost my train of thought. OK. Moving on to the next pit stop, the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 is in and Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi has finished his stint handing over to Maxime Martin. Lucas Auer dives to the lane from second and Jordan Pepper continues to lead and is well on his merry way. Mercedes in the lane from second spot. It will be either Daniel Morad or Maro Engel getting into the car.
The battle of the BMW teams went the way of the Rowe Racing squad over WRT. Jordan Pepper's lead over Ayhancan Guven is 5.8 seconds. Pepper ran a slower lap last time around. Alex Aka in third in the #99 Tresor Attempto Audi who needs to pit yet. Philipp Eng has taken over the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3, the Austrian. Maro Engel is now in the #48 Mercedes, the yellow and green Mann Filter car. In the lane now, the Lamborghini, from the lead as we close in on the first hour being completed. Marco Mapelli, the Italian, I believe he will take over the car from Jordan Pepper. Still fuel going into the Lamborghini and now he is sent back onto the track.
But he is crawling down the pit lane at the speed limit. Fractionally I think he will get out in front, and he does. Ayhancan Guven is the erstwhile leader in the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche he shares with Laurin Heinrich and Dorian Boccolacci. Did they put enough fuel in the car for Lamborghini? The #159 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo is in the pit lane now for service. Ayhancan Guven, from Turkey, leads the motor race and now we see Maro Engel catching Marco Mapelli hand over fist. We are now into the second hour of racing. Mapelli runs a high line entering turn eight. That was a no score draw that time.
Mapelli and Engel will cycle through up to the top of the shop again momentarily as Alessio Rovera brings the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 into the pits after driving his tail off and will hand over to Davide Rigon I believe. Ayhancan Guven is pitting as well. Guven should hand the Schumacher CLRT Porsche to Heinrich or Boccalacci. That is the team owned by Frenchman and driver/owner Come Ledogar. Grasser Racing Team and Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter have both looked great all weekend. Dorian Boccolacci is taking over the #22. "Bocco" will be pushing hard, squirming around on stone cold tires trying to find the performance window of the Porsche.
A position swap as the #51 AF Corse Ferrari passes the sister #71 entry. Vincent Abril, the Monegasque now at the wheel of #71. The #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari which had the spin moments ago, goes for a driver change and full service. Chris Froggatt out of the car and it will be Jonathan Hui of Hong Kong into the car I believe before Eddie Cheever III. finishes it today. The Mapelli and Engel lead scrap continues in earnest. 1:56 dead for Mapelli, 1:56.002. Engel in chase mode. No further investigation for the fracas between the Barwell Lambo #72 and the Bronze ranked #52 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
That is the Louis and Jef Machiels and Andrea Bertolini car. Michele Beretta leads the Gold Cup over Dominik Baumann, Jim Pla, Lorenzo Ferrari, and Hugo Cook. Aurelien Panis leads the Silver division and the Bronze class has Loek Hartog out in front. Side by side here, look, between the BMW #32 and the #63 Lamborghini! This is the battle for eighth place. Be patient. Sheldon van der Linde, the South African chasing Andrea Caldarelli, the Italian, a great champion from 2019 or 2020 in GTWC Europe Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup I believe. 2019 I want to say. Louis Machiels is at the wheel of the #52 Ferrari.
Sheldon van der Linde taking time out of the Lamborghini, but Caldarelli is log jammed in lapped traffic. His lap times are being dictated by the back markers he is following. Sheldon van der Linde's initial charge was stymied when Caldarelli passed him. Directly ahead is the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes, Frenchman Thomas Drouet at the wheel of it. 35 laps in the books, 105 miles down. Phillipp Eng in fourth place right now in the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 lapping at 1:56.7. Eng is told on the radio, the cars ahead they are not able to catch but Mattia Drudi in the Aston Martin cannot challenge you yet. Hold station. Don't freak out.
But speaking of freaking out, Marco Mapelli is pouring on the steam to stay ahead of Maro Engel. I think Engel has better drive. 6.2-liter atmospheric V8 in the Mercedes vs. 5.2-liter atmospheric V10 in the Lamborghini. One front engine car and one rear engine. Engel is giving Mapelli all he can handle. Engel though he closes in but doesn't have enough oomph to sweep past the Lamborghini despite the idea of "no replacement for displacement" with the Mercedes V8. Maro Engel is surely keeping Marco Mapelli 100% honest. No further action for the incident between the #46 Team WRT BMW of Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi. Martin is 23rd, just ahead of Hugo Cook and behind Karol Basz. He is the meat in the sandwich between two Audi's, the #111 CSA car of Hugo Cook and the #84 Eastalent car of Karol Basz.
Dan Harper has taken over the #998 BMW M4 GT3 from Augusto Farfus but he will pay a penalty for Farfus' contact at the next pit stop, ten seconds added to the pit time, and he will lose places especially to Vincent Abril in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Max Hesse, the next driver in the car will cop the penalty. Aurelien Panis leads the Silver division as Esteban Buth is being chased by Haytham Qarajouli in the #19 Lamborghini of Grasser Racing Team. We might be able to highlight the Silver class order but there is frantic action right now. We may get there. Harder to highlight the individual classes, sometimes, in these races.
Thomas Kalender, 16 years old, he is really showing his skills as a driver. He is wise beyond his years and is proving himself in 30th overall just behind Haytham Quarrajoli. He is leading the German ADAC Masters championship for GT3 cars. He tries for the undercut, but Andrea Caldarelli slams the door in his face all the while, backed up into the fellow Mercedes with Thomas Drouet at the wheel of it. Drouet almost passed by Sheldon van der Linde but not quite. There has been a ton of gravel pushed the center of the road. van der Linde saw an opening, Caldarelli covered it, and van der Linde in the BMW stands the car on it's nose to avoid a wreck! Man, oh man!
Ah. The refueling time for the #98 Rowe Racing BMW of Philipp Eng is in for a possible penalty. So, the sword of Damocles is hanging over the Rowe BMW team which could result in a time penalty. Marco Mapelli reeling in lapped traffic while Maro Engel is reeling Mapelli in as well, look. This is a big game of chess but on a racetrack with GT3 cars. Dean MacDonald in the McLaren 720S GT3 has moved up and he has Davide Rigon right on his six who's car has come all the way up from stone last, 48th on the grid. Whoops! Caldarelli runs wide and does the switcheroo on Sheldon van der Linde. Some argy bargy there, almost.
Caldarelli resisting the temptation. David Pittard, "Pitbull Pittard" is reeling in this group of cars. Thomas Drouet's gap expands ahead. If you get yourself trapped in a battle, your rivals ahead will begin motoring. Marco Mapelli withstands the pressure and has a clear road. But right now, Engel is still pushing hard. Mapelli was caught behind the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes. That is the Yannick Mettler, James Kell, Anthony Bartone car. Caldarelli right on Thomas Drouet's six but at the same time the Italian continues feeling the heat from Sheldon van der Linde.
One of the sponsor decals has come loose on both sides of the BMW. That decal cannot be a movable aerodynamic device. That isn't allowed. Michele Beretta leads the Gold Cup over Dominik Baumann, Jim Pla, and Hugo Cook. In Silver it is Aurelien Panis, Esteban Muth, and more. Loek Hartog leads the Bronze division, the Dutch driver. Bastian Buus is second in class. Toby Sowery is third in class in Bronze. So many cars and so many drivers with pockets of each category. It is hard to make a whole list of the running order. Eddie Cheever III. is now at the controls of the #93 Sky Tempesta Ferrari. 50 cars and 150 drivers it is hard to figure this all out.
Bastian Buus, second in Bronze, has a penalty in his future for the refueling time on the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi. This team won the opening Creventic 24 Hour Series race of the year way back in January, the 24 Hours of Dubai. Meanwhile, we have reached the halfway mark in the race and the battle is well and truly on between Andrea Caldarelli and Sheldon van der Linde. An hour and a half now on the board with an hour and a half to go. Thomas Drouet, driving his own race. Thomas Drouet is 15 seconds in-arrears of Christopher Haase in this game of chess. No checkmate yet. Sheldon van der Linde is trying all maneuvers in tbe book but he can't get by.
The Frikadelli Racing Ferrari wriggles through the corner, getting loose! Sheldon van der Linde, what can he do? He tries to line up for a dive to the inside but ran out of space into the chicane. Jean Alesi and Michael Schumacher pulled off an amazing pass into that same chicane in the Formula 1 race, 1995 I believe it was. Andrea Caldarelli is a wise bird with extra pairs of eyes to see where his rivals are. Now I can keep my eyes on you hooligans, at all times! Hee hee hee. The stewards are still working through another incident between the #52 and #72 cars. Same incident, it was noted earlier but is now being studied by the stewards. Meanwhile, Dean MacDonald in the McLaren is being chased by two of the Ferrari's.
Caldarelli has a Captain Cook to the inside but no. Sheldon van der Linde going for the undercut on corner exit out of the fianl turn. Drouet flashes the headlights to the lapped cars ahead and they must move over. Ten second time penalty for the #998 BMW has been cancelled by the stewards. OK. No need to worry. That penalty is declined, for Dan Harper, as the referees say in American football. The battle continues raging for seventh between these three cars in your picture if you are watching on the GTWorld stream on YouTube. Luca Stolz tries making a move but again, no dice this time.
It is so busy! My mind is buzzing right now trying to keep all this stuff together. David Pittard is closing fast on Andrea Caldarelli and Sheldon van der Linde, both. Dries Vanthoor will get into the BMW soon. David Perel, the South African, he is at the wheel of the Frikadelli Racing Ferrari at this point, the car and team that won the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring here on the Nordschleife for GT3 cars and more. Marco Mapelli wants by the McLaren and the McLaren wisely pulls over, with his crew chief saying, "let these chaps go, please." Dorian Boccalacci in third in the #22 Porsche is some distance behind the two leaders.
"Bocco" has been in no man's land for a wee while now. Will Dorian Boccalacci get back to the lead? Let's not do any guessing right now. The leaders continue scrapping. No loss, no gain. Some of the lapped cars are being Generous George and that is a good thing. Mattia Drudi and the Cometoyou Racing Aston Martin that won the 24 Hours of Spa, he has a warning for contact with one of the Audi's. Maro Engel is piling the pressure on Marco Mapelli but the Italian is not flinching. Mapelli is working harder to retain the lead though because of lapped traffic and meanwhile, back at the ranch, the seventh place scrum, Caldarelli has the speed over van der Linde. So, not much has yet been written more in this story, the Andrea Caldarelli vs. Sheldon van der Linde story.
Let's hear from Dries Vanthoor, his co-driver. Vanthoor says it is better to watch and knows Sheldon van der Linde is doing everything that he can. It is a very warm track today. WRT have had to make adjustments on the fly, fighting for points. Just keep digging. Matteo Cairoli and Dries Vanthoor will pick up the battle after the pit stops. Now, the Mercedes as the speed, van der Linde tries the Lamborghini, but he runs wide. Same for the Mercedes. van der Linde is stymied, but Thomas Drouet, the Frenchman, he is very consistent in the lines he chooses. Now then, Mapelli has Engel right back on his six again!
This is a tight formation at the top of the shop! The Lamborghini's handling is edgy while the Mercedes is planted and for Mapelli, with an evil handling race car, this is going to up the ante with the challenge he faces. He has real pressure from Engel, look. Car placement is key. Ah. Engel tries it and Mapelli slams the door in his face! Be patient through turn 12. That is a difficult corner. Mattia Drudi in the #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin has fallen away from the Audi with Christopher Haase at the controls. No further investigation from the stewards for contact between Drudi and Haase, Comtoyou Aston Martin vs. Attempto Audi. It is a to and fro battle here between Mapelli and Engel for the race lead.
Drudi side by side through the hairpina nd they rub. Oh man! He is now three to four seconds clear of Mattia Drudi. No harm, no foul. 11 minutes from now, we will complete the second hour. Not, Lucas Auer, but hour on the clock! OK. A throwaway pun in the pun tin. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. I had to do it. David Pittard, an expert around the Nordschleife but handy on the Nurburgring Grand Prix trakc, too, he has the BMW right on his six. I mean, that was a hard hit. If you slugged a human being that hard, the policeman would put you in the slammer for assault and abuse! Top speeds between 249 and 253 kilometers an hour, so 155-159 miles an hour.
Davide Rigon in the Ferrari still in 14th chasing down Dean MacDonald in the McLaren. A 15 second time penalty has been called for Rowe Racing of course and will be served at the beginning of their next pit stop for Philipp Eng. No fault for the drivers. It was started by Nick Yelloly. It is a penalty for short refueling. 15 seconds is an eternity as your competition goes thundering by. David Rigon reeling in Dean MacDonald and now, Dorain Boccolacci is nine and a half second down on Maro Engel but still in the fight. "Bocco" is racing very well in a podium spot but has had a boring race to this point.
Sheldon van der Linde almost alongside Andrea Caldarelli who leans n him a wee bit. David Pittard wants this, too. Caldarelli ain't gonna give it up! The Italian goes wide and washes out too far. David Pittard says, "I'll have a piece of that" and he gets the job done. He has had years of racing on the Nordschleife and is nicknamed "Pitbull Pittard" for a reason. #998 Dan Harper runs wide and kicks up the dirt in front of Davide Rigon! Yikes! Davide Rigon has moved up the order.
Collective pit stops are happening now with wholesale service and driver changes as Daniel Morad, the Canadian, will take over the wheel of the #48 Mercedes and Marco Mapelli too, hits the lane, handing over to Frenchman Franck Perera who is suited and booted, and set to race. This is for the third and final stint of the race. Fuel added, and tires changed. Fresh Pirelli P Zero boots on the car. Wow! David Pittard has a head of steam, and he is right on Sheldon van der Linde's six! Maro Engel, he is possibly staying out an extra lap. Another team pinged for 15 seconds, and it is Karel Basz in the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi in 11th by dint of not stopping before, for the Austrian team.
OK. Maro Engel is now in the lane for service. Daniel Morad will take the car to the finish. Some fuel overflow seepage for the Mercedes. Oh dear. Be careful with fuel and a hot car! Oh my! He almost got chopped by a BMW, did Morad and now Morad gets passed by the Lamborghini of Perera with 59 minutes left on the board. A ten second time penalty for the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi added at the end of the race for pit lane infringement. So, now the battle is on again between Lamborghini and Mercedes. Grasser Racing Team, Franck Perera, vs. Mann Filter Mercedes-AMG and Daniel Morad. "Moradness" as he calls his persona, Daniel Morad, will be pushing hard, pouring on the steam.
Alessandro Pier Guidi meanwhile, is tenth at the wheel of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. The order is reshuffling. Laurin Heinrich has now taken over the #22 CLRT Porsche, one of the driver's you will recognize from IMSA and the "Rexy" dinosaur liveried Porsche 911 GT3R in the WeatherTech Championship, also a star in SRO competition in Europe. Maro Engel says the overcut cidn't quite work in Mercede-AMG Mann Filter's favor. It is such a tight race between the AMG Mercedes team and the Lamborghini team. So much can happen in the next 55 minutes.
Cesar Gazeau leads the Silver class over Colin Caresani. Mercedes vs. Mercedes. Boutsen vs. Winward and Theo Nouet is third in the #55 Dinamic GT Porsche. Sebastian Ogaarrd is equal with other drivers in fastest speeds at 247 kilometers an hour, 154 miles an hour. Gilles Magnus leads Gold ahead of Mikael Grenier, Jusuf Owega, Arthur Rougier, and Lorenzo Patrese. We'll mention the drivers but it is hard, as I said, to make a table of the placings with all the action happening. In the Bronze Cup, Dennis Marschall is the effective leader in Bronze with Eddie Cheever III. having a pit stop in his future.
13 of the Bronze Cup cars are still in the fight. Dennis Marschall leading the Bronze category. Cheever in the lane for service. Jonathan Hui will take the car to the very end of the motor race here. 50 minutes to go. Car #7, the points leading Comtoyou Aston Martin under investigation for an unsafe pit release. Marco Wittmann in the equally penalized BMW is behind it. Could Aston Martin have the same task to perform in serving a penalty? Matteo Cairoli is now at the wheel of the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini behind Maxi Goetz and ahead of Dries Vanthoor in a battle for seventh place in the Pro category.
Dries Vanthoor is playing mind games with Matteo Cairoli. I don't think Cairoli is falling for it. The Vanthoor brothers have a great podcast. Check it out. It is Dries and his brother Laurens. Dries a factory BMW driver in GT3 and Hypercar/GTP and Laurens the same, for Porsche. A really solid run today for Boutsen VDS Mercedes. Alessandro Pier Guidi is up to tenth and David Pittard has now dropped to 13th in the Aston Martin. I wonder what Alessandro Pier Guidi is thinking. He knows they have the pace. We saw that at Spa Francorchamps before the final hour when everything went pear shaped.
In the Gold Cup it is Mercedes vs. Mercedes. Mikael Grenier vs. Jusuf Owega, the French Canadian vs. the German. Gilles Magnus leads the Gold Cup. Rougier and Patrese round out the top five in Gold Cup. Poor old Raffaele Marciello is way down in 20th place, a man who is so used to winning. It has been a fraught race for BMW and Team WRT #46. Raffaele Marciello just needs to make passes out of class. WRT has one car in the top ten. Laurin Heinrich in third spot, he has been catching the race leading duo of Perera and Morad. Perera is building the gap. What can Laurin Heinrich do? He is chipping away at the gap, and he is running his own race.
It is a Porsche running like a top. 68 laps completed, 204 miles. 43 minutes to go. Heinrich must find nine seconds in 43 minutes to catch Daniel Morad. Jake Dennis is now driving the #991 Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 sharing with Toby Sowery and Darren Leung I believe. Marco Sorensen now being caught by Marco Wittmann for fifth place, Aston Martin vs. BMW. It is the Marco and Marco show. The BMW at this pace is the quicker of the two cars compared to the Aston Martin. Catching is one thing and passing is something, as Monty Python would say, "completely different". Former BMW team Walkenhorst Motorsport now with Aston Martin with Ross Gunn from England now at the controls.
In the #98 camp, Wittmann is told that there is a penalty for his rival that has not been decided on yet. Not totally clear about what the situation is, I'm afraid. We are still waiting on news about this investigation for unsafe release for the Aston Martin. He needs to know, if there is no penalty, the plan is to pass my rival in the final 40 minutes. There might be a freebie, but it is hard to say. Dries Vanthoor is beginning to steam towards the Lamborghini of Matteo Cairoli. Alessandro Pier Guidi is laying back, waiting to pick up the scraps. Jordan Pepper had a fabulous first stint. He did incredibly well, movjng through the melee to the lead with no scratches.
With modern GT3 cars with tire pickup on the road, it is hard to pass. He managed to hold them off. He is proud of his team, bouncing back after a bad race at the 24 Hours of Spa last month. The Lamborghini team is confident in their driver roster. Now then, Dries Vanthoor is making his move on Matteo Cairoli! Wow! Now, the Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi is coming. Matteo Cairoli gets freight trained! Oh man! He was wrongfooted entirely and paid the price for it. Dries Vanthoor is released, and he must be the man with the plan to go catch Maxi Goetz.
The Marco and Marco Show is in its second act by now. They are still pushing and the Barwell Lamborghini slithers sideways momentarily ahead of Jake Dennis in the Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 passing Sandy Mitchell. Sandy Mitchell is a scrapper, and he will keep fighting hard. Mitchell came off worse there. He was jolly lucky to avoid a collision. Jake Dennis knows he will have his hands full with the Scotsman. Barwell worried about the pressure of the left front Pirelli tire, and his crew says "don't worry. Get back after it. Focus forward." No, you don't have a puncture, the car in front might have a penalty in his future.
We have seen battles before between Century Motorsports BMW and Barwell Motorsports Lamborghini in the British GT Championship also sanctioned by SRO under GT3 rules. 32 minutes remaining on the board. It is crunch time now. Theo Nouet is some distance ahead of these two, Nouet in one of the two Dinamic GT Porsche's. Dennis Marschall still leads the Bronze Cup in the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche, the sole Rutronik Porsche still in the race. Half an hour to go now and we see Alessandro Pier Guidi reeling in Dries Vanthoor who's rear tires I think are being used up and beginning to cry, "enough!"
There is a tow to be had but it is nt quite there. The Ferrari is better at the end of the straight with more aero. A sleek shape compared to the boxier BMW which is so much like a touring car. The BMW will be scruffy in the handling department with tire degradation. That car was tobogganing around Spa in the wee hours of the morning on a stone-cold racetrack. Dries Vanthoor, though, the handling on that BMW is fading fast. 28 minutes left on the clock. Franck Perera is four seconds to the good on Daniel Morad and now, Laurin Heinrich is beginning to close in "Moradness". Not a "rad" situation for Daniel Morad because he has a competitor right on his six. Push, push, push. Alessandro Pier Guidi, a black and white warning flag for track limits abuse shown by the stewards.
Pier Guidi could be burdened with a time penalty at the end of the motor race. Small stuff can snowball in these races, believe you me. The Mitchell and Dennis story continues to be written. No change between the pair of them, closing in on Theo Nouet, the Frenchman. Nouet, again, in the green Dinamic Porsche, I believe that car has a lime green livery on it. Ah yes. That is the car I was thinking of. Patrick Kolb in the #80 Lionspeed car, second in the Bronze Cup for a team he owns. Kolb, the German, sharing with Michael Verhagen and Bastian Buus, in the Bronze Cup.
Heinrich has a head of steam and is taking chunks out of the gap between he and Morad. Poor old Morad is also falling away from Franck Perera. Franck Perera is using all the performance in the Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini. 24 minutes to go meaning we should have just a dozen laps left before we see the checkered flag here this afternoon. Pier Guidi on notice, he cannot afford another abuse of track limits. He is still chasing Dries Vanthoor hard. Matteo Cairoli inching back towards Pier Guidi as well, look. Pier Guidi running wide through the chicane.
The concertina effect we see with a lapped car, one of the Garage 59 McLaren's, I think. Yes, I was right. Maxi Goetz is being driven crazy by that McLaren with loose bodywork with the dihedral fenders. So many moves are planned lap after lap, drivers trying to find cracks in their rivals' armor. The clock is ticking with just 20 minutes on the board. A lap down is that McLaren with loose bodywork, British driver Adam Smalley at the wheel of it. Smalley sharing with Monegasque Louis Prette and Portuguese driver Miguel Ramos. Pier Guidi right on Dries Vanthoor's tail. Vanthoor laser focused on Maxi Goetz in the Mercedes, the #9 car for Boutsen VDS.
Pier Guidi really fighting it, standing the Ferrari on its nose, the gearbox crunching as he steps on the brakes and downshifts at the same time. Ten laps to go essentially in the final 18 minutes. A five second penalty added for the final race time for an infringement and a ten second penalty for an unsafe release from the pit lane for Marco Sorensen, and there has been contact between Pier Guidi and Vanthoor! Dries Vanthoor has a cut down Pirelli P Zero tire! He got tagged and the alignment on tthe left front of the BMW is cattywampus! He clonks the Ferrari trying to do the undercut and had the door slammed in his face. As Larry Grace used to say, "shut that door!" and Pier Guidi did.
A ten second penalty for the #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin, the Spa 24 Hours winner. Oh no! Dries Vanthoor off the road into the gravel and he has suspension damage and the car snapped off the road immediately. That is a toe link or a tie rod, broken. 15 minutes to go and it is game over for WRT. Turn it off, put the dollies under the car, close the shutters, put this race on the shelf. It is game over for #32. Daniel Morad might hang on for second, but Laurin Heinrich is reeling him in. Daniel Morad slides wide on acceleration. Maybe his tires are fading fast. 82 laps, 246 miles completed. Morad's car was hit on the opening lap and maybe damage from that clonk is manifesting itself, that was the contact between the Mann Filter Benz and the now retired #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche.
Vincent Vosse and WRT are not happy bunnies. Raffaele Marciello in the sister #46 car is 18th just passing by Jusuf Owega. Morad barely hanging on to the second position over Laurin Heinrich and the gap has now ballooned to 6.6 seconds between Perera and Morad. Heinrich could earn a podium place and could still pass Morad with 12 minutes to go. With five rounds in SRO GTWC Europe Endurance, you need to score points from the word go. Time is of the essence. Morad has traffic ahead with twp more Mercedes-AMGs fighting for position! Oh my!
James Kell in the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes will move out of the way, a Silver class car. Kell, Bartone, and Mettler lead the points in Silver. Daniel Morad is being driven crazy because the #3 Bartone Brothers liveried Mercedes is not moving out fo the way and here comes Heinrich! The red Mercedes finally moves. Can Heinrich pass Morad? He tries it and, on the inside, he is so close. Morad slams the door in his face and is run off the road! This is getting spicy! Ricardo Feller in fourth is 20 seconds in-arrears in fourth spot. Feller in the #99 Attempto Audi. Eight minutes of racing left.
Lucas Auer, looking on, hoping. Alessandro Pier Guidi's #51 Ferrari has gone from 48th up to eighth but is under investigation for that incident earlier with Dries Vanthoor. Heinrich has not lost or gained anything, flashing the lights. He will be burning the graphic wrap off that car. It's a wrap, show over. Not yet. Morad is a tough customer. Six minutes to go. Daniel Morad, a very popular driver. We'll have maybe three laps to go. A ten second penalty added to the final race time for the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes for James Kell running way down in 39th spot.
Laurin Heinrich has caught Daniel Morad. Morad is not giving a hint of a gap to Heinrich with four and a half minutes to go. Franck Perera is nearly ten seconds to the good in the race lead, 9.4 seconds exactly. Now 9.8 seconds. Heinrich has a look and shovels Morad out of the way! Wow! Will he, or won't he? He did. Lucas Auer and Maro Engel can probably sense they are running out of time for this race. Gold Cup led by Gilles Magnus. Cesar Gazeau leads Silver. Bronze led and dominated by Dennis Marschall and Rutronik Racing. Sorry I couldn't get you running order serieals but this race has been so action-packed.
Rutronik Racing will have some consolation with a class victory but must still be very sore about the sister car because Patric Niederhauser did nothing wrong in his contretemps with David Vidales. Final lap. Cruise and coast. Enjoy the celebration Franck Perera, Gottfried Grasser, and GRT Grasser Racing Team. Heinrich second and Morad third. GRT Grasser have done so well all weekend. Another ten second penalty for causing a collision with car #12. That is a late, late penalty for the Mad Panda Motorsport Mercedes running fifth in Silver Cup. Victory for Franck Perera, Jordan Pepper, and Marco Mapelli!
Jake Dennis, Darren Leung, and Toby Sowery get on the podium in Bronze Cup. In Silver, Boutsen VDS will win! Gilles Magnus wins Silver for Audi and Sainteloc! In Bronze, the victory goes to Dennis Marschall and company for Rutronik Racing Porsche!
Overall/Pro: #163 Perera/Mapelli/Pepper GRT - Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan
GT3 EVO2
Silver: #10 Gazeau/Meyuhas/Panis Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Gold: #25 Pla/Evrard/Magnus Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II
Bronze: #97 Blattner/Marschall/Hartog Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
A little Sunday money for gardening on the side of the road? Maybe he is low on fuel and cannot make the victory lap. Oh dear. That's not good to see. Maybe the Lamborghini is on fumes. Maybe Franck Perera is so happy, he wants to enjoy the victory lap. I think he may be out of gas. He will make it back to the pit lane and to victory lane and the podium. 50 cars started and a handful retired. Lamborghini wins for the first time in GTWC Europe Endurance for the first time since here at the Nurburgring in 2021 with Orange1 FFF Racing.
Grasser also wins for the first time since their title winning season in 2017, seven years ago. In the Gold Cup, it is the #25 Audi R8 LMS Evo II winning for Sainteloc Racing with Jim Pla, Paul Evrard, and Gilles Magnus. In the Silver Cup, the #10 Boutsen VDS Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 wins in the hands of Cesar Gazeau, Roee Meyuhas, and Aurelien Panis, son of former Formula 1 driver and 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner, Olivier Panis. In the Bronze Cup, the winner is the sister Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, #97, Dustin Blattner, Dennis Marschall, and Loek Hartog.
Cue the dance music for the results. A cracking race with 45 of 50 cars finishing the race today. The podium finishers, and the winners, celebrate as they are displayed to the fans, cheering for them. Time for the anthems, and the Austrian anthem for GRT - Grasser Lamborghini. A great race today. So, now there are two more endurance events in 2024 remaining. The next, and penultimate endurance event is another three-hour contest, in Italy, near Milan, at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy, which happens in the middle of September. So, we'll see you in Italy, then. Auf wiedersehen, from The Nurburgring.
Quick Headlines Before We Go Racing at The Nurburgring
Before we go racing, a couple quick headlines from the Nürburgring to be aware of.
The Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Endurance Cup race this November, will be a one off. One and done, and no plans to return in 2025.
Jeddah Endurance Cup Finale Dropped for 2025
...and
Thiim Hoping to Continue Comtoyou Momentum After Spa
Rutronik Leads Porsche 1-2 in Nürburgring Qualifying
Rutronik Racing and Schumacher CLRT lead Porsche front row lockout at Nürburgring...
LIVE | Qualifying | Nürburgring | Fanatec GT Europe 2024 (English)
Join us for live coverage of Qualifying at the Nürburgring. A field of 50 cars will be on-track to battle for the best starting spot in this afternoon's race, with grid positions decided by the average time of all three drivers. Bruce Jones and John Watson call the action from the broadcast booth, with Antonia Rankin reporting from the pit lane.
Saturday, July 27, 2024
GT World Challenge Europe news from the Nurburgring
All the Nurburgring headlines from both Friday and Saturday, setting up for the 3-hour endurance race for SRO GT World Challenge Europe on Sunday morning. There will be a qualifying broadcast posted before we get underway with the race. So, stay tuned for that, too.
Bortolotti: Iron Lynx Taking "Low-Key Approach" at Nurburgring
Magnus Paces Wet-Dry Nurburgring Practice
Sowery Quickest in Rain-Hit Nurburgring Pre-Qualifying
Nurburgring Weekend Notebook
Just as it was today, tomorrow, with both qualifying and racing action, will be a huge day. So, get some rest and stay tuned. There will be a lot to talk about with the qualifying updates, and a full report on the three-hour feature race for SRO GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nurburgring coming up, tomorrow. Looking forward to it! We'll see you dark and early in the morning, and just after sunrise, U.S. Central Standard Time, for all of the racing action from the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit in the Eifel Mountains.
LIVE | Pre-Qualifying | Nürburgring | Fanatec GT Europe 2024 (English)
The Fanatec GT Europe field is on-track for Pre-Qualifying. Settle in for an hour of action featuring GT3 machinery from nine prestigious manufacturers. Bruce Jones and John Watson call all the action from the broadcast booth, and we have Antonia Rankin in the pit lane to check in with updates in the final Saturday session before we qualify the cars tomorrow morning and then have the race for you, tomorrow morning. Tune in at 7:30 A.M. on SRO GTWorld on YouTube to watch and I shall be here, diligently writing the race report for you, as well. It'll be a fun day on GT3 racing indeed. Looking forward to it!
LIVE | Free Practice | Nürburgring | Fanatec GT Europe 2024 (English)
We are live from the Nürburgring and ready for another big weekend of GT3 action. First up it's Free Practice, a two-hour session that allows the whole field to prepare for what lies ahead. We join Bruce Jones, and John Watson in the commentary box, and Antonia Rankin in the pit lane for all of the Free Practice action. We have pre-qualifying coming up soon, too. Please do stay tuned for that.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Cadillac V-Series.R Pure V8 Sound
From Formula Jonah.
This is footage of the incredible sound of the Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh. Cadillac's LMDh, produces a wonderful noise and for this video I wanted to share footage from my experiences of the Cadillac LMDh as well as from other footage from across the globe of this amazing machine! Hope you enjoy the coverage.
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Postcard | Crowdstrike 24 Hours Spa 2024
A weekend 100 years in the making. Relive the 2024 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the perfect way to celebrate the centenary race in the Ardennes.
The festival of motorsport brought additional on-track thrills from the Fanatec GT2, GT4 European Series and the Anniversary classic cars, as well as off-track entertainment like no other.
This is the postcard from the 24 Hours of Spa. Soon, I hope to have the race reports and video broadcasts of the doubleheaders for GT4 Europe and GT2 Europe as well. Please do stay tuned for those.
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup news heading for the Nurburgring
News you can use before the next SRO GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup event at the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit in the Eifel Mountains of Germany.
Eastalent Audi Joins 50-Car Endurance Grid at Nurburgring
Ellis Completes Boutsen VDS Pro Lineup at Nurburgring
Winward Targeting Race Wins in Remaining Endurance Rounds
The race is this weekend. There will be more to come. Do stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
First Look at NEW Aston Martin Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar
From Formula Jonah.
Aston Martin has begun the testing for their Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar that is set to join the WEC and IMSA in 2025! The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin recently conducted some test sessions with the Valkyrie LMH at the Silverstone Circuit and Donnington Park and at the latter, Aston Martin gave us our first official look at the new Le Mans Hypercar and in this video ill take a look ad breakdown the details behind the Valkyrie LMH!
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
DOUBLE STINT: SRO VIR Recap; News Roundup & More (7-23-24)
John Dagys joins Jonathan Grace for this week's Double Stint...
https://sportscar365.com/podcasts/double-stint-sro-vir-recap-news-roundup-more/
Monday, July 22, 2024
GT World Challenge Australia headlines
News and headlines from GT World Challenge Australia heading for their next pair of races coming up at Queensland Raceway in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.
Hampton Downs to Host 2025 Season Finale
Taylor, Morris to Make Series Return at Queensland
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Sunday, July 21, 2024
Sunday VIR Race Broadcasts
All of the racing action from Sunday at Virgina International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on SRO GTWorld on YouTube. Kyle Heyer and Calvin Fish calling the action in the broadcast booth, and Amanda Busick reporting from the pit lane.
GT America Race 2
TC America Race 2
Pirelli GT4 America VIR Race 2
GT World Challenge America VIR Race 2
Ellis, Burton Take Breakthrough Overall Win in Race 2 at VIR
Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo wins overall at Virginia International Raceway...
GT World Challenge America: VIR, Race 2
Play-by-play analyst Kyle Heyer puts it best in the intro to race two of the weekend for SRO GT World Challenge America. "Popularized by its famous slogan written in the 1960s, "Virginia is for Lovers", the state of Virginia features famous landmarks and tourist attractions. One of those attractions is Virginia International Raceway, which broke ground in 1957, for what would become a coveted American circuit. It retains most of its classic features save for the old oak tree that marked turn 12. This weekend, VIR hosts rounds seven and eight of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America season, where the drivers face a challenging course with immense natural beauty, in the state of Virginia."
This is the midpoint of the season, round four of seven. Paul Newman called this track "Heaven on Earth", and he was right. Wright Motorsports leads ST Racing BMW in Pro While in Pro-Am, it is an all-BMW battle between the second ST Motorsports BMW and the similar M4 GT3 campaigned by Turner Motorsports. We have seen the release of the 2025 schedule for Fanatec GT World Challenge America and we will come back to the track next year. Refer back to yesterday's race before things got started to see the track description.
It is a sunny Sunday afternoon for race two of the weekend for Fanatec GT World Challenge America, round eight of the 2024 championship. We have Kyle Heyer, and Calvin Fish calling the action from the broadcast booth and Amanda Busick, as always, reporting from the pit lane. The weather conditions today on Sunday are a true contrast to Saturday's racing with blue skies and sunshine. The DXDT Racing Corvette and the Wright Motorsports Porsche, these are two cars we will be keeping our eyes on throughout the race. DXDT swept both races in May at Circuit of the Americas while Wright Motorsports are the championship leaders at this stage.
We saw a new winner in yesterday's race in the Pro-Am division with Tom Sargent bringing home the victory for GMG Racing in their Porsche 911 GT3R alongside Kyle Washington. It is sunny and crowded in the pit lane for the grid walk for race eight of the 2024 season. Robby Foley and Neil Verhagen, there is some tension between these two drivers for BMW for two different teams. We'll see what is going to happen. There is a special personality here, the CEO of Virginia International Raceway who has a blue flower in her hair. This is Connie Nyholm, the track owner, being interviewed by our mate, Calvin Fish.
In May 1998, the track reopened thanks to Connie and her then business partner Harvey Siegel, they reopened the course and divided them into north and south and revitalized the support businesses. They have new garages, new villas coming, they have new partners, and are also a home for Skip Barber Racing School. The infrastructure and safety improvements really elp and they redid the pit lane. They replaced or supplanted the fencing and reworked the curbing. They have a great tea led by President and COO Kerrigan Smith. The facility looks great and the track races great, too.
Connie Nyholm is a great supporter of women and particularly women in motorsports. The Turnstahl High School Junior ROTC color guard is here and so is Drum Logic out of South Boston, Virginia, with their drumline. We have Kristy Wilkins from Yanceyville, North Carolina, here, to sing "The Star -Spangled Banner". OK. Neil Verhagen and Robby Foley apologized to each other for their accident yesterday. Alec Udell and his team want to execute for every race. Tommy Milner is starting race two today. Corvette, over the other brands, it is about the team at DXDT and Pratt & Miller who build the cars.
Now, before we go racing, we are going to look at how fans spend their time at the track. Are you ready to go camping? Well, we'll take a look and see what fans might be up to when the cars are not out there tackling the 3.27 miles of racecourse here at VIR. Now, trust me. If you have a motorhome, take a drive, and come to the track. Nothing beats having a bunch of GT3 cars with all their different engine notes, as your morning alarm clock. Grab a tent, a grill, and a hammock. But make sure those who you are camping with knows the right way to set up the tent and the hammock. That's hard work I am sure.
In the evening, what will you do? Probably hang around the campfire and reminisce about the racing you've just seen while making s'mores. Now, from personal experience, making s'mores on a campfire is not as easy as it seems. Trust me, you want to toast the marshmallow but not burn it. Marshmallows are tricky and can get very, very messy if you aren't careful. A VIR sunset must be absolutely gorgeous. For all of you thinking about it, yes, come to VIR for SRO America in 2025. It will be on their schedule.
Alright. Now, we are awake, alert, and ready to go for it. Young fan Christian Rose gives the command. Drivers, start your engines! This will be the pivot point for the championship. The cars roll off onto their formation laps and we are going to be keeping an eye out for the #63 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. I think Tommy Milner and Alec Udell once again might have the car to beat. Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson swept the opening races of the year at Sonoma Raceway in the California wine country. You know they want another bite of the cherry and want ot get back to victory lane.
We have seen five weekend sweeps this year already. RS1 swept at Sebring, and they did so at Sebring with Trent Hindman and Spencer Pumpelly. We will indeed be keeping an eye, too, on the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 which had to go to a spare car. This is the team of Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg. It is warming up now. The track was dry yesterday, but the grass was soaked. We had a ton of water over 36 hours. Several cars crunched the guardrails yesterday. 3.27 miles, 17 corners on this track. Madison Avenue, the backstretch is a key area of this course. The climbing esses and The Rollercoaster, are also critical. You are not braking in a straight line.
GMG start third today. We have a dozen cars starting the race. Robby Foley will be up on the wheel indeed. But they need help from yellows like we saw yesterday. Robby Foley and Jeff Burton will do the reverse strategy. To keep Jeff Burton close to the pack, the Regulator Racing team will be looking to make hay while the sun shines. After today, we have two regular 90-minute race weekends to go, so four more 90-minute races at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Then, we finish the season and bring down the curtain with the Indianapolis 8 Hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October. That will be a double points race.
OK. The field of a dozen cars makes their way through Hog Pen, the final turn, and towards the VP Racing Fuels acceleration zone. The safety car has headed for pit lane. Tommy Milner for Corvette and Elliott Skeer for Porsche across the front row of the grid. Green flag! We're racing for the second time this weekend at VIR! Tommy Milner fires his way into the lead and now the second DXDT Corvette is eating up the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche as well, look! Bryan Sellers has the hammer down right from the start! Tom Sargent looks to his inside. Bryan Sellers did all he could to thread the needle but that didn't work.
Off turn two, it is a tight squeeze as Bryan Sellers goes for third into Left Hook. Sellers third overall with the Pro-Am lead. Through The Snake and into the climbing esses they go. Varun Choksey, the starting driver in the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, he is one to watch as well, sharing that car with Bill Auberlen. Robby Foley has passed both Jeff Burton and Trent Hindman. He is reeling in Varun Choksey as we speak. Neil Verhagen passes Aaron Povoledo chasing down Tom Sargent as they fly down Madison Avenue and towards The Rollercoaster for the first time. Tom Sargent chasing down Bryan Sellers.
DXDT Corvette vs. GMG Racing Porsche. 5.5 liter naturally aspirated V8 vs. 4.2 liter naturally aspirated flat six. 160 miles an hour tipping it into The Rollercoaster, like a slalom skier. Neil Verhagen is reeling in Tom Sargent as the cars remain single file again out of Hog Pen and down the front straightaway. Lap one in the book. This is Tommy Milner's home race. He debuted here and won here at VIR. He and Alec Udell won race one yesterday. Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer want to maintain their points lead because DCDT Racing are chasing. Foley and Hindman, both, are right on Varun Choksey's six and Choksey is doing very well to defend his position.
BMW vs. BMW from two different teams. ST Racing being harried and hounded by Turner Motorsports. Pro class car vs. Pro-Am class car. Keep in mind, in SRO rules racing for GT3 cars, the cars are all from the same class but the driver rankings make up how the classes work. A much better start to this race for Aaron Povoledo and his co-driver Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 than what they had yesterday with electrical problems that plagued the car at the start of race one. That team is making progress getting their heads around a GT3 car.
Oh dear! Out of turn 17, Hog Pen, the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 is off course. Zach Veach at the wheel of it, sharing with Luca Mars. He trundles through the grass and is now back on the road. It is called Hog Pen. There used to be a pigpen sitting there but believe me, the poor old pigs would be scared out of their wits by the race cars. Foley and Verhagen both get by Tom Sargent in the meantime. Excuse me. Trent Hindman in the #85 RS1 Porsche. Irishman Adam Carroll for Esses Racing is having a good weekend here at VIR, and had a good performance in race one on Saturday sharing the #19 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo with Will Hardeman.
They had a wheel issue in race one yesterday. The wheel broke and the thing wiggled loose and fell off. Let's take a look at Zach Veach's spot of bother through Hog Pen a wee while ago. He jumped over the curb and spun off the road. I think he oversteered into the turn. The grass is thankfully dry today on Sunday as they plunge through The Rollercoaster. A new livery, a new car, and an emotional victory for Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent in race one yesterday. Neil Verhagen though is coming in a big hurry and wants a bite of the cherry as he is scrapping with Sargent fro second place. Kyle Washington is working hard and racing in several championships in 2024.
What's the news at Chouest Povoledo Racing? We're about to find out from Amanda Busick in the pit lane. Ross Chouest says that they thought there was trouble with the battery. When the team got the car back into the pits, the engine was flooded due to a faulty fuel injector. There wasn't a battery issue as we had first suspected yesterday. Thank goodness the car is back in action this afternoon. He fights the steering through Oak Tree before the launch down Madison Avenue. Again, the old oak tree is not in the corner anymore. The name stuck. I could have sworn I had heard someone planted an acorn but it is slow growing. It takes time for something like an oak tree to grow.
Will we see a new oak tree in that turn here at VIR in the future. Whoever is on the grounds crew at VIR, please, please, please, keep watering the acorn! All these different cars make speed in different ways in GT3. The BMW have a slight edge over everyone else. At the top of the shop, it is still Tommy Milner in the Corvette. Now, the 'Vette is not the fastest car but it is planted to the racing surface and handles extremely well. DXDT were concerned with tire degradation of the Pirelli P Zero tires. Right here and right now the #63 Corvette is fastest. It is built like a miniature prototype as some of these GT3 cars with mid-engine drivelines are. The Corvette Z06, Acura NSX, and Ferrari 296 GT3 (which we see in GT World Challenge Europe but have only occasionally seen in the American series this year), each have a mid-mounted engine layout.
V6 turbo power for the Ferrari and the Acura. V8 atmospheric power with a flat plane crankshaft for the Corvette. Tommy Milner knows the Corvette better than anyone from all the testing he did. He knows this car backwards, forwards, inside out, and can read it like a book. Elliott Skeer pushes the limit into the Virginia clay out of Oak Tree and onto Madison Avenue. Alec Udell and Tommy Milner have won three races since they debuted this year as a driver pairing. They are leading now and you know they are feeling the heat as we speak from Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson in the green and yellow Wright Motorsports Porsche, the #120 car.
The sister DXDT Corvette is also in the picture that debuted before the #63 did so. This is the #08 entry in the hands of Bryan Sellers and former SRO TC America touring car racer, Scott Smithson, who has skyrocketed into the GT3 class here in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Bryan Sellers has experience and championships. The irony is that he runs a BMW M4 GT3 in a different championship for sports cars, so, he adjusts between that BMW and the Corvette with each passing race. He races a Corvette here in SRO America and a BMW in the IMSA series, the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship that we also cover here on the blog.
Sellers is a great mentor for Scott Smithson. EBoost Super Fuel is the sponsor in colorful form on the GMG Porsche. EBoost Super Fuel are energy drinks. They are energy and vitamin drinks as I am looking here doing a little research during the race. It appears they come in four flavors including blue raspberry, orange mango, strawberry lemonade, and ginger lime. A great looking paint scheme as they climb up into the esses. Through Oak Tree you must arrest the speed of the car and your mind. Now, Robby Foley has caught Adam Carroll after passing by Varun Choksey. Much experience and speed. Robby Foley teamed up with Vincent Barletta for a one-off race weekend he did in SRO GT World Challenge America here at VIR a year ago.
The BMW is very quick. Adam Carroll is in his first weekend of racing at VIR. Passing on the outside, Foley tries it and can't quite make it. But he tucks back inside through The Horseshoe and makes his move well. Trent Hindman, through NASCAR Bend is right on the tail of Varun Choksey. This is a battle that has been simmering for some time and now the burner has been turned up to the boiling point. This is a pass for third in Pro and ninth overall. Justin Rothberg and Varun Choksey are two rookies that are really proving themselves. They are very calm, too, resisting any challenges at all. I think Bill Auberlen must be the winningest GT driver in North America and maybe globally.
Zach Veach is now back on the road but there must be some grass in the front radiator inlet on that car which could be slowing the Acura NSX GT3 down. I really think Racer's Edge team boss Jon Mirachi would want to stay on the lead lap, but try hitting the pit lane just for the team to clean the grille inlet out so the car does not risk overheating. The Acura powered by a 3.5-liter twin turbo V6 engines of course. Bryan Sellers is now reeling in Elliott Skeer for second place in the overall. This is also for second spot in the Pro class as well. There is a maximum drive time of 50 minutes. The reverse strategy will mean getting the Am driver out and the Pro in. At 51:05 you can come in and serve the minimum pit time and you will be good to go.
The mid-engine layout is a massive departure from the front engine and rear wheel drive configuration Corvettes have been known for since being introduced as the original American sports car way back in 1953. Over decades and decades, the Porsche 911 has been refined over and and over and over again from it's 1963 introduction and of course, Porsche really began their company as Auto Union and then, with the venerable 356 model which was first introduced at the start of the company back in 1948. Scott Smithson looking on, looking at the data screens, staying cool, calm, and collected. In the meantime, for ninth and tenth in the overall and a battle for the overall podium in the Pro class it is Varun Choksey in the BMW vs. Trent Hindman in the Porsche. Varun Choksey is doing everything right and Trent Hindman has a Captain Cook to the inside.
He rolls speed and looks feisty. To the inside he goes. Through Left Hook, he might try diving to the inside. He is doing everything to mess with Varun Choksey's mind and force him into a mistake. These young drivers do not crack under pressure. The youngsters do not care how often the veterans have won races or titles. I am here to learn and to keep my position and I will fight you for it. Clean, fair racing. That is what we want. Adam Carroll in the Mercedes is whistling off into the distance ahead of these two. Carroll is doing all he knows to keep up with Robby Foley. Foley is quicker now than Povoledo, Verhagen, and Sargent at this point in time. Robby Foley is just 2/10ths of a second off the fastest lap of the race set by Tommy Milner.
Aaron Povoledo is picking up the pace as well, look, over Robby Foley. The Canadian GT3 newcomer is proving he is made of strong stuff. He and Ross Chouest have partnered and formed this team getting stronger and stronger against some of the biggest GT3 teams in North America. I thought Trent Hindman was going to pull the pin and try to reel in Varun Choksey but he realizes that at this stage there is no point in taking any risks as we have been racing for barely 20 minutes. There's plenty of time left on the board as we close in on the pit stop window. The professional drivers will be getting into the cars. The BMW M4 GT3 I think does have a speed edge over the Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
Robby Foley is in the green zone, going faster and cutting faster lap times than Aaron Povoledo is. He is running down the Mercedes driver. He is chipping away the deficit. Sargent, Verhagen, and Povoledo have all just uncorked personal best lap times but Foley, I man, blimey! He is really motoring. Did he have extra coffee at breakfast this morning or an energy drink before the race? One of those Super Fuel energy drinks? He is really turning it on right now. Trent Hindman now side by side through turn one with Varun Choksey! He fires it into turn one and says to Varun Choksey, "so long, mate. I am out of here, marching forward to the next position!"
There might have been some argy bargy that we didn't see. You know that Varun Choksey will not roll over to have his tummy scratched like a big dog, a big labrador retriever. Choksey is going to be more like a terrier and fight for this spot. Choksey will be doing all he can to catch Skeer and Milner who are the next Pro class cars that are up the road. Up into the climbing esses and Hindman has put a tremendous amount of daylight between himself and Choksey. Bill Auberlen, looking on, on the ST Racing pit box with their two-car team. Robby Foley closes the gap to Aaron Povoledo through The Horseshoe and into NASCAR Bend. NASCAR raced here at VIR decades and decades and decades ago.
Through The Snake they go. Povoledo charges Oak Tree and now the dyno run down Madison Avenue, deep in the slipstream. I see. He goes to the inside and makes the move. Povoledo has to concede because running side by side into The Rollercoaster, braking and steering at the same time, can end in tears. Robby Foley is now sixth and fourth in the Pro-Am class, and now, he will be chasing down, Neil Verhagen. No love lost between these combatants for two separate BMW teams. You know that this is going to be a barnburner when these two blokes find each other on the track. Play fairly, gentlemen. Do not try to rekindle any kind of rivalry. Let's make this fight fair, and clean. Coin toss, anyone? I think both of them don't want a replay of yesterday's argy bargy.
Trent Hindman has freed himself from Varun Choksey's inroads but is now making his presence known to Adam Carroll in the Mercedes as they come back down Madison Avenue once again. Mercede-AMG GT3 vs. Porsche 911 GT3R (992). Points as they runin the Pro-Am class has Neil Verhagen and co-driver Samantha Tan leading the championship by 43 points over Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg in second place. Again, this is a battle between two BMW teams. Verhagen and Tan on 159 points and Foley and Rothberg on 116 points, a difference of 43 markers. Rothberg has had great success in GT America, the single driver series.
Trent Hindman has a long look at Adam Carroll and Carroll leaves half a lane open for the Porsche driver diving for turn one. Through The Horseshoe Hindman is flying running laps in the low 1:47 range. Lunging into Left Hook, this is getting dicey, and I wonder if discretion may turn out to be the better part of valor in this instance. You must compromise as a driver. You cannot be hardnosed about it or someone is going for a ride, slithering their way through the wet grass. Coexist and give eachother racing room. This is such an old school circuit with no paved runoff anyplace.
If you take a bite of the apple too soon, it is going to turn sour on you. Hindman regrouping having been the cork in the bottle a wee while ago. The #19 Mercedes lost a wheel in race one yesterday. Now trust me, it is never any good when different parts of the car are doing different lap times. You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we can see Bryan Sellers in the Corvette still in hot pursuit of Elliott Skeer in the Porsche. Sellers sliced 4/10ths of a second out of Skeer's gap. We will see a fun second half of the race with co-drivers getting into the car. We expect to see Scott Smithson in the #08 Corvette, Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing BMW, Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Porsche, Justin Rothberg in the #29 BMW, and more.
Tommy Milner is now 3.3 seconds to the good, in the lead of the motor race over Skeer and Sellers and Skeer is still the meat in a DXDT Corvette sandwich. We haven't heard a peep out of Robby Foley for a wee while which means he is working on the next gap, and he is reeling in Neil Verhagen. Again, no love lost between these two even though they seem to have patched up their differences from yesterday's little shemozzle. The battle for eighth place is still raging as yours truly has been chuntering on about other cars in the field. We are still seeing Adam Carroll being pursued hotly by Trent Hindman.
Into the corner at South Bend and then through Oak Tree we see Adam Carroll in the #19 Mercedes wriggle his way through there. Set the car up to the right to widen the radius and float the speed through the turn. So easy to drop a wheel on corner exit into Oak Tree at turn 11. As you are turning downhill it is taking grip away and the tires, in this case, the Pirelli P Zeros that are used in SRO, cannot bite into the track surface. The elevation happens in a hurry. When we go to our next doubleheader weekend of races at Road America, there is a ton of elevation change there, but it happens more gradually and not as quickly as it does around the circuit here at Virginia International Raceway.
Trent Hindman is a demon on the brakes! Holy smokes! He looks inside and Adam Carroll wisely lets him go. No risk. Don't fight with a different class car. Trent Hindman is a couple tenths faster than Elliott Skeer in second place currently. Both are at the wheel of Porsche's but from two different teams, two different prep shops, between Wright Motorsports and RS1. They need a yellow to erase the gap to the leaders. Zach Veach in the beleaguered #93 Rscer's Edge Acura is currently caboose on the field in 12th spot. That said, he is running down Jeff Burton in the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 for 11th overall.
Burton going defensive up Madison Avenue. The Acura has a head of steam, Veach passes, Burton does not fight it. 58 minutes of this race left on the board. We will soon approach the halfway mark. Down through Hog Pen at the bottom of the hill. A Full Course Yellow has not appeared so far unlike the handful we saw in race one yesterday. Acura have always been quick here at VIR. They didn't have the best of luck last year in 2023 when they had Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher as the drivers. Racer's Edge were bullish about qualifying but it didn't work. For Regulator Racing and Jeff Burton, they have that reverse strategy plan going. In the #91 camp, Ellis is cooling off with ice. It is hot, it is toasty. 87 degrees ambient with real feel temperature of close to 100 degreees! Yikes!
Now we are watching a battle for the lead in the Pro-Am class. Corvette vs. Porsche. DXDT Racing vs. GMG Racing. Bryan Sellers vs. Tom Sargent. The pit window will be opening shortly. You get baked in these GT3 cars even with air conditioning. Cool suits are not the most efficient and, in the cockpit, it can be 150-160 degrees! Particularly, with a front engine car like the Mercedes, the Aston Martin, or the BMW, the heat comes at you through the firewall. So the driver is like a roasting chicken the whole time. In the pedal box, it is like putting your foot in a hot fire under braking. Adrenaline will push you through the thresholds in an endurance race.
We think, in this championship, of the crown jewel races like the Bathurst 12 Hours, the 24 Hours of Spa, or even the Indianapolis 8 Hours in the fall. Robby Foley is really up on the wheel. The gap between Verhagen and Foley was four and a bit seconds and is now down to 2.3 seconds, inching closer to Neil Verhagen. 54 minutes left on the clock, closing in on the halfway mark in the race. Think of both the maximum drive time and the minimum pit stop delta. Regulator Racing are eyeing the pit stop as Jeff Burton is super fit and he ski's, hikes, plays golf, to stay in shape. He is in his mid 60s but he can still drive the wheels off a GT3 car. Elliott Skeer feeling the pressure from Bryan Sellers. But Tom Sargent, the Australian, is coming in a big hurry.
With 40 minutes left on the board, the drivers must be in pit lane to not exceed the minimum drive time of 50 minutes according to the rules stipulated by SRO. Sellers, Sargent, Verhagen, Foley, Povoledo, they will all stay out as late as possible. Tom Sargent is running right within the ballpark of the leader Tommy Milner's lap times. He is 4/10ths quicker, just a tenth off of Milner. There is some lap time drop off give or take. The lap times have been in the 1:47-1:48 range due to the heat. We have a Full Course Yellow. The Safety Car is on course. We are so, so close to the pit widow and Aaron Povoledo has stopped the #50 Mercedes between The Snake and The Climbing Esses.
It looks like a tech issue. Something is wrong with the car. It looks like a Control, Alt, Delete. But I hope there is no smoke in the cockpit of that Mercedes-AMG GT3. Smoke means fire. I wonder if that fuel injector issue has reared its head again. This safety car happens at the perfect time for Regulator Racing with the compressed field. Philip Ellis will jump into the car and have less work to do. He will indeed be a happy bunny. This could open the door for the #91 Regulator Racing car to score a great result. Bank on a yellow to compress the field.
Ellis will be much quicker than a Scott Smithson or a Kyle Washington who just don't have the same level of experience. Ellis will need to carve his way through the field. The pit window is open even under the safety car but the lane is not open yet. A tough, tough weekend for Chouest Povoledo Racing as a belt has come off the 6.2-liter V8 engine in the front of the Mercedes. If that is a serpentine belt, a drive belt, the engine is busted, and they are going no further. Everybody, save for the Turner Motorsports BMW are coming down the pit lane for service. Foley staying out.
DXDT double stacking in their pit box. Sticker Pirelli P Zero tires going on with fuel being added. 65 seconds is the minimum pit stop time that must be met. We no longer have a joker to work with in SRO America like we used to. You can be underneath it by up to one second, but every second underneath is a multiple of ten for a post-race penalty. Maybe the #32 car was not at the proper pit speed, now with Kyle Washington at the wheel of it. If there is overlap, you'd assume Kyle Washington is up to speed. If you have any overlap between the working lane, the transition lane, and the fast lane, the inside car must yield and give it up. I am confused by Turner Motorsports' strategy because Robby Foley is now in P1 ahead of Adam Adelson, Alec Udell, Kyle Washington, and Scott Smithson.
The whole field is going to come around and be right on his six. Justin Rothberg has not gotten in the car yet. They have not pitted. They want to extend his drive time under Full Course Yellow. It is a double negative because you will lose time to the pack, and you will lose time by being forced to pit under green compared to doing so under the yellow. I am baffled by this strategy play from Turner Motorsports. This is a strange situation. Safety Car lights off. Onto a restart? No. Robby Foley dives for pit lane and we see that the safety car is still on track with the lights on.
45 minutes to go and this puts Adam Adelson at the top of the shop. Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 is now sixth and with all this mix up, Justin Rothberg will reenter the racetrack in 11th place out of 12. So, this is going to likely be a strategy which could backfire on Turner Motorsports if they are not careful. Maybe there was a radio issue. Turner Motorsports is smart with strategy, so I don't get the idea they have on this strategy play. This is an oddball situation. That is a weird deal as we just pass the halfway point here at VIR. Robby Foley clearly not happy. He drove right through half of the field in the first half of the race.
Rothberg had gone to the restroom before being informed of the driver change. This is a no, no. Get your business done well before you are scheduled to get into the car. When you have to go, you have to go. But, next time, be more prepared. That was unfortunate timing. Safety Car lights off. Adam Adelson and Wright Motorsports lead the way over Alec Udell and DXDT. We could see pit lane penalties. An early restart before Adam Adelson punches it and we are green again! Into turn one, they go. Spencer Pumpelly is now making a move on the sister #08 Corvette GT3 of Scott Smithson. Adelson judged it perfectly.
A big lunge from Spencer Pumpelly past Scott Smithson in the Porsche #85. Smithson is now being monstered by both ST Racing BMW's! Samantha Tan drops in line behind Bill Auberlen. Spencer Pumpelly slides through Oak Tree in his bid to get by Kyle Washington as they thunder onto Madison Avenue again. Phillip Ellis wants by Luca Mars, and this is three wide with contact! Luca Mars, the co-driver now in the #93 Racer's Edge Acura was also in that shemozzle! It is go time with the clock ticking, 41 minutes on the board. Ellis slides past Will Hardeman and has the time to work. Adam Adelson leading in Pro while Kyle Washington leads Pro-Am trying to sweep the weekend. Luca Mars has work to do.
Regulator Racing and Phillip Ellis are on the move through the field. The DXDT Corvettes are now beginning to charge. Alec Udell is right behind Adam Adelson while Scott Smithson is right on Kyle Washington's six. Alec Udell had a very slow pit stop, six seconds outside the minimum. The #63 car has been the Corvette at the pointy end of the field this weekend. Samantha Tan in tow, as we watch Luca Mars who is nose to nose with Will Hardeman. Auberlen all over Pumpelly like a cheap suit as the BMW veteran is carving his way through the field. Alec Udell is keeping Adam Adelson honest. Corvette vs. Porsche. This is getting speicy and Phillip Ellis is in this fight too.
Ellis is up to third place. He is going to make moves, believe me. Flying up Madison Aveue and into The Rollercoaster, Alec Udell is right on Adam Adelson's rear bumper! He is not intimidated. He believes he needs to be leading these races. Alec Udell has much more experience in sports car racing than Adam Adelson does, but these two blokes are going to be scrapping for it to the bitter end. Pumpelly and Auberlen also closing in a big hurry. Ellis around the outside of Smithson and is now chasing down Washington in that multicolored Porsche, the fruity energy drink car.
Scott Smithson now has his hands full with the Acura of Luca Mars. #93 is now on the scene. Samantha Tan in the BMW, she also wants a bite of the cherry. This is getting spicy in the midfield. We are in for a grandstand finish here at VIR in the next 36 minutes. Do not go to the fridge. I hope you all have a snack and a drink before the end of this race because you don't want to miss a moment of this thrilling motor race, ladies and gentlemen! This is going to be a barnburner. Ellis looks inside of Washington. No dice. Tan steals a spot from Smithson. Alec Udell in the sister car is swarmed by Spencer Pumpelly! Oh, my heavens!
While this scrap is going on, Adam Adelson says, "thanks a lot, suckers!" and begins making good his escape! The Corvette has dropped to P3. Udell got stymied, big! Be careful dragging your tires through the dirt off Oak Tree. Big trouble for Kyle Washington and GMG Racing. They will cop a drive through penalty from the stewards for a pit lane violation. They lead the Pro-Am class, and this must be for speeding. Violation of an article in the rulebook. So, now, the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes of Phillip Ellis takes the Pro-Am class lead. Washington bypasses the lane this time. The team arguing the case but the computer, the radar gun, knows all.
Luca Mars has pace, and we'll see if he can hang tough with Philip Ellis, the only Pro-Am car in the top six. Adam Adelson leads the race overall, but Spencer Pumpelly is closing in all the time and dragging Alec Udell right with him. It is a four-horse race for first place. Spencer Pumpelly was a race winner weeks ago in GT3 and GT4 in another championship north of the border in Canada. Udell looking to the inside of Pumpelly and can't quite make it stick. Udell tries swinging the long way around Pumpelly but can't make it. Ellis uncorks the new fastest lap of the motor race at 1:46.972. The penalty was for being too slow out of the pit box for Kyle Washington. Not a constantly held speed. That is the penalty. Yikes!
Adelson is gaining over everyone else. Ellis leads Pro-Am. How much does he want the overall victory? We are in the zone of entering the final third of the race. Two wheels off the road for Bill Auberlen! Yikes! Double yikes! He is pushing hard. Luca Mars is half a second quicker than the Pro class leaders as well with lots of time on the board yet. In this replay, he grabs the edge of the curb and runs off into the grass. That grass grabs you under full speed and full power. The exit of turn 17 is a narrower, older curb, out of Hog Pen. Udell is doing all he can to pick Spencer Pumpelly's pockets here. Alright. Half an hour to go. What can Alec Udell do to figure out the answer to Spencer Pumpelly's riddle? That is the question.
Ellis is a full second quicker than everyone ahead and Auberlen uncorks his personal best lap too. Don't throw it away getting into battles you don't need to. Alec Udell pulls alongside Spencer Pumpelly down Madison Avenue as they nudge! Pumpelly runs wide and, zing... like a dart, Auberlen makes the pass and resumes chasing Alec Udell. That was down into The Rollercoaster with poor old Spencer Pumpelly going off into the weeds. Auberlen all over Udell like a cheap suit and here comes Pumpelly again! Auberlen says, "not now, sunbeam" and slams the door in his face. Two veteran sports car drivers in a heated battle.
Adam Adelson continues making good his escape now 8/10ths of a second ahead of Alec Udell. Adelson running away from everyone in the Pro class. Ellis still holds fastest lap of the race. His co-driver Jeff Burton says something finally went well for them. Ellis is the fastest bloke on track. Regulator Racing wants to go get the rest of these guys. Ellis is being turned loose but his lap times have slowed down and he might be purposely in a vacuum right now. The stewards are now putting the argy bargy between the #63 DXDT Corvette of Udell and the #85 RS1 Porsche of Pumpelly under review. No great surprise.
In this replay, Udell got the launch and I think they just touched before Udell dropped the left side tires into the dirt. I don't think that was a blatant chop across the bow. Udell now second and Pumpelly has been demoted to fourth and has his hands full with Philip Ellis. Udell can now focus forward. He has the pace and can chase down Adelson as they go through South Bend and Oak Tree and back up the hill. Pumpelly fighting down Madison Avenue. Ellis cannot afford to get feisty and now, Pumpelly wriggles into Rollercoaster and Ellis needs no second invitation. Ellis up to fourth spot.
Pumpelly, I think he has Fred Flintstoned his tires. He's squirming around out there with less traction than the rest. Ross Chouest is now behind the wheel of the beleaguered, delayed #50 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Now, Alec Udell is turning on the heat and he is closing on Adam Adelson for second. Oh boy. This is the battle for the Pro class lead. Ellis, charging uncorking the fastest first sector time of the race. Leaping down through Rollercoaster, the #91 Mercedes quickest in sectors one and two and Alec Udell quickest in sector three. Ellis has had a magical 2024 season winning in class at Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, and Spa, a lot of the big enduros.
Ellis again, 1:46.959, a new fastest lap! 22 minutes to go. What are Adam Adelson and Alec Udell going to do when Philip Ellis comes on the scene? I think Udell will use it to his advantage and try messing with Adam Adelson's mind. Scott Smithson in the #08 DXDT Corvette, the sister car, is third in the Pro-Am class behind both Ellis and Samantha Tan. Justin Rothberg is in recovery mode in the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. For the overall lead, Alec Udell blows past Adam Adelson like he was standing still! Wow! Adelson is on offense now. 20 minutes to go! This is going to get spicy! Adelson wriggled through Hog Pen and now, Udell is opening the gap.
Ellis to the inside of Bill Auberlen, job done through Left Hook. Auberlen now must stick to Ellis like glue. Not in the same class, but in the same fight overall. Udell, Adelson, Auberlen, the top three in the Pro class. The #91 will give everyone a tough run for their money, shortly. Big correction for Auberlen with no speed, wriggling through Hog Pen and onto the frontstretch. Adelson defending from Ellis. Ellis is looking at the big picture with no need to worry about taking any risk. In Pro-Am the second place battle is Tan, Smithson, and Rothberg. Corvette, the meat in a BMW sandwich.
Ellis is making a pass on Adelson down the frontstretch. Adelson does not need to fight Ellis because now, he has Bill Auberlen right on his six. Auberlen looking to pass Adelson into NASCAR Bend! Auberlen tried the inside, but no. Adelson is feeling the heat right in the wheel tracks of Bill Auberlen, one of the most experienced BMW drivers of all time. Bill Auberlen has now been racing with BMW for 28 years having started way back in 1996. Hence, the number on the car. With 15 minutes left on the board, Ellis is chasing down Alec Udell for the overall race lead. Regulator Racing are employing a strategy to try and win races. It is all circumstantial.
Alec Udell and Tommy Milner aboard the #63 DXDT Corvette are going for their fourth consecutive Pro category and overall SRO GTWC America victory in 2024. Jeff Burton is amazingly going along with this strategy call. It is a team sport and a two-driver lineup. Keep the car on the road, execute in the pits, and avoid incidents. Ellis is still 3/10ths of a second quicker than Alec Udell. He has fresh, clean air on the nose of the Corvette. How much does he want the overall win and want to avoid fighting Philip Ellis for it? Ellis is reeling Udell in hand over fist through Oak Tree. Mercedes-AMG vs. Corvette.
The Corvette is a horse for all courses and does everything well. 12 minutes remaining in round eight. Udell has a slight bobble through turn one! Ellis sees his chance! The door is open! Side by side. Corvette vs. Mercedes! Udell defending into NASCAR Bend. Both these guys want the overall win and Alec Udell lets Ellis go. Ellis needs this. This will put an exclamation point on the weekend for Regulator Racing, running under DXDT. Funny because the DXDT team is also the Corvette effort. These drivers might share coffee or ice cream off track but when you get out on the track and push comes to shove, there is a rivalry there, a team rivalry.
Tommy Milner said that Ellis is on a charge. The Mercedes is under the DXDT umbrella of course, with Regulator Racing. Nerves on the pit box for Jeff Burton must be through the roof. Ten minutes to go. In Pro-Am, the story is not quite over yet as far as the podium. The battle for second in class continues in earnest between Samantha Tan in the BMW M4 GT3, Scott Smithson in the sister Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and Justin Rothberg in a similar BMW M4 GT3. ST Racing, DXDT, and Turner Motorsports. Smithson is doing a very good job compared to yesterday. Bryan Sellers is talking him through, maintain focus, bring the car home.
This battle is glowing embers. Adam Adelson still fending off the challenge from Bill Auberlen. Auberlen digging deep and Adelson showing resilience. Auberlen to the inside of Adelson approaching turn one. Late on the brakes, they make contact! Adelson goes for a lazy spin and now will need to regroup and ends up on the back foot. Neither of those cars needed that. Adelson back on his way. How did that transpire? Adelson and Auberlen too close for comfort approaching the apex. The eyes of the stewards will be on that one. This promotes both Spencer Pumpelly and Luca Mars back up the order. Auberlen cops a drive through penalty for the contact with Adelson. A quick decision handed down by the SRO stewards.
I thought Adelson would save it but that didn't happen. Luca Mars could get on the podium here with six minutes to go. Adelson and Skeer swept the weekend at Sonoma and came second at both Sebring and Circuit of the Americas. DXDT could have more wins in less races. Still a few minutes left. The battle for third in Pro-Am is still hot between Scott Smithson in the sister DXDT Racing Corvette and Justin Rothberg in the Turner Motorsports BMW. Samantha Tan raced with John Edwards for a while, and they were very successful before Edwards changed career paths and traded racing sports cars for flying planes in private aviation. A similar skillset required for flying a plane as driving a race car, that is for sure.
Auberlen trundling down pit lane for the drive through penalty. A tough weekend for Bill Auberlen and co-driver Varun Choksey. Luca Mars wants more in the Acura. Spencer Pumpelly dangling the carrot in front of him. Into The Snake they go and through the climbing esses. There has been nothing finalized with the contretemps we saw earlier between the #63 Corvette and the #85 Porsche. Three minutes left on the board. Two laps, minimum. Should everything stand, DXDT Corvette have maximized and now, in Pro-Am the sister car of Scott Smithson is side by side with Justin Rothberg! Oh my! Braking late, Smithson defends the inside line that is rightly his.
He washes out wide. Rothberg still probing. Bill Auberlen is still in the fight. He has a lot of ground to make up to get back to Adam Adelson. Elbows will be out. The next round is at another high-speed circuit. Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. We may very well see more new entries for the Road America round next month in August as well as the penultimate races of the championship in September at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. Then, the crown jewel will close out the season as a round of GTWC America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge finale, the Indianapolis 8 Hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That will be the first weekend in October. I have not heard anything about entries for that race, but I am predicting we might see a bumper grid of North American entries and maybe, just maybe, a handful of contenders from SRO Europe also coming over to join the party. We'll have to wait and find out what is going to happen. Through Oak Tree corner for the penultimate time. Philip Ellis on his final lap around Virginia International Raceway. Same for Alec Udell, seven seconds to the good over Spencer Pumpelly. In Pro-Am, Rothberg battling Smithson, can't keep the overlap into NASCAR Bend. Smithson keeps it together.
He has 3/4 of a lap to go before earning a podium. The clock is at zero. Through the esses for the last time. This is a massive day for Philip Ellis, Jeff Burton, and Regulator Racing! They win race two at Virginia International Raceway. DXDT win four races in a row in the Pro class! For the Pro-Am podium, as Pumpelly and Mars finish out the Pro-Am podium. Smithson beats Rothberg.
Overall/Pro-Am: #91 Ellis/Burton Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3
Pro: #63 Milner/Udell DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Wow! What a motor race! What a motor race! An unbelievable drive by Philip Ellis and Jeff Burton. Erin Gerhagen, Tommy Milner's sister, is team manager for DXDT and in both camps. Cue the dance music for the race results. Next up, we head to another classic racecourse at Road America in the Kettle Moraine in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. That race will be in the middle of August, so, in about three weeks or so. We will see you in vacation country in Wisconsin, very soon. Take care, everybody. Bye for now.
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