A very good morning to everyone. Glad to have you with us on this Sunday morning, as we prepare for day two of racing action for SRO America at Virginia International Raceway. GT America is the first category to run their second and final event of the weekend, as always. Grab a cup of coffee and your breakfast food of choice and join us for the action. It is a misty, foggy morning but the skies are clearer than yesterday. We have Kyle Heyer and Calvin Fish ready to call the race from the booth and Amanda Busick in the pit lane. It is foggy and humid this morning with a light breeze as we are set to go racing with SRO3 and GT4 cars. We did have some argy bargy to determine the winner but it was a fun race. We have had cars needing repairs between the races.
Johnny O'Connell is chasing Jason Daskalos for the championship. CRP Racing has done a ton of work after an ABS failure in race one yesterday. Isaac Sherman is the GT4 class polesitter. Did we see smoke out of the #50 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Ross Chouest? I think it was brake lockup. No tire warmers allowed in GT America unlike Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Safety Car lights out. Here we go. It is time to go racing. Green flag! Bring the thunder! We are off and racing! Johnny O'Connell looks like he is going for the lead. No dice for Justin Rothberg to try getting by Jason Bell.
In GT4, Isaac Sherman pokes his nose ahead of Curt Swearingin in these cool conditions. Gray Newell twitches into turn three, and into Left Hook, Damir Hot wants a bite of the cherry. Rothberg makes a move on Jason Bell and now, Johnny O'Connell is feeling the heat from Justin Rothberg. Down Madison Avenue for the first time. Jason Daskalos needs to motor to pad his slim points lead. Daskalos 13 points behind if they finish where they run currently. 169-156. Squealing tires in the background. It sounds like it. Ah. Jean Frederic Laberge has spun the MMG Porsche 911 GT3R (992). At least he stayed on the road and out of the swamp of the wet grass.
Daskalos now chasing Ross Chouest for fourth spot. Mercedes vs. Mercedes. O'Connell pulling a gap on Rothberg, yesterday's winner. His GT World Challenge America BMW M4 GT3, is ready. The car is in a bubble. Justin Rothberg's father tells him, "Son, I want you to be safe." Too true. Rothberg teaming with Robby Foley later. Daskalos passes through Left Hook and into The Snake. Chouest reads the situation and decides discretion is the better part of valor. Oh dear. Kyle Washington goes off and on through Oak Tree corner.
Down through The Rollercoaster and into Hog Pen. Another lap begins. Jason Bell is a nice guy I am sure but behind the wheel of a race car, he is determined to be a winner. Bell slams the door in Jason Daskalos' face. Rothberg edging closer to O'Connell for the race lead. Daskalos flashing the lights, messing with Bell's mind. It's the Jason and Jason show. Daskalos has a head of steam up Madison Avenue out of Oak Tree. Daskalos chops Bell's nose off and he tucks in line. Rothberg runs another best lap of the race, late on the brakes trying the over/under on Johnny O'Connell. Johnny O'Connell has only a single win in 2024 with eight podiums.
He is also the championship leader. The mid-engined Audi vs. the front-mid engined BMW. The esses are an incredible part of this track. Isaac Sherman is motoring in GT4 as well. He is pulling a gap on Curt Swearingin. Swearingin had great races in GT America and GT4 America yesterday as Gray Newell is moving ahead. They are getting ready to campaign the new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar for next year in both the United States and in Europe. Johnny O'Connell has the track position even though the handling on the Audi has had to be refined.
O'Connell might be in a more defensive mode. Daskalos takes fastest lap so far at 1:48.660. Will he maintain it? Will someone else go quicker? Let's find out. Still 28 minutes left on the board. O'Connell is being disciplined with his lines. Justin Rothberg has a tad more pace. Rothberg knows he needs to make the pass. He knows the pressure is on. Meanwhile, Jason Bell has his hands full with both Ross Chouest in the Mercedes and Kyle Washington in the Porsche. Good GT4 battle too between Nick Shanny in the BMW and Todd Parriott in the Aston Martin. This is for fifth spot in GT4. They are both early in their racing careers.
O'Connell feeling the heat from Rothberg. Jason Daskalos can move towards these two blokes. O'Connell minimizing the damage. Now, we still are having a Captain Cook at the scrap for fourth spot, look, between Bell, Chouest, and Washington. Kyle Washington has calmed down and has great speed. He is making less mistakes. Washington and Tom Sargent won their class in GT World Challenge America. Tim Savage is off the road in the #007 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. Full Course Yellow, and safety car scramble for clearing up Savage's automobile, the ProSport Competition Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.
The restart will be fascinating as we have just a wee bit over half the race left to go. We know Jason Daskalos is going to get his elbows out and has four wins on the year, but he wants the championship, and he knows Johnny O'Connell is his biggest competitor. Isaac Sherman has had a drought after winning seven GT4 races on the bounce in GT America GT4. The field weaves behind the Toyota Supra safety car. We should have a quick Full Course Yellow procedure. O'Connell will be looking in the mirror and out the windscreen at the same time. Tim Savage exits the Aston Martin but the car is not able to move under it's own steam.
SKI Autosports are chuckling about something. He was trying to be told his split time and he told the team, "Shut up!" He had a Kimi Raikkonen "leave me alone, I know what I'm doing", moment. Yes, it's rude, but it's true too. Zip it and let me drive. As it stands now O'Connell would have an eight-point advantage over Daskalos 169-161. Now, we are setting up for the restart. Halfway home. Generate tire temperatures by running the brake against the throttle. Ross Chouest was having an issue with warming up the tires. There is some smoke coming out from under the diffuser. It could be some kind of oil leak. Oh dear.
The safety car heads for pit lane, and we have a late restart, O'Connell holding the field back through Hog Pen. Green, green, green. Rothberg sticking like glue to O'Connell. Justin Rothberg does not have Daskalos all over him like a cheap suit yet. Through the climbing esses they go as Jason Bell has Ross Chouest all over him. Elias Sabo is back there too in the Flying Lizard Aston Martin, through Oak Tree. Daskalos is not closing in on the leaders quite yet either. Lots of time left on the board, 16 minutes. The edges of the bonnet on the Mercedes are lifting a bit as Rothberg tries the inside but is on the dirty side of the road.
Rothberg is feeling it. He wants to win this motor race. O'Connell on defense. Now, Daskalos is reeling in both O'Connell and Rothberg. Rothberg seems to have been studying O'Connell's weak spots. The BMW is quicker than the Audi down the straightaway. Down Madison Avenue again. This is a three-player game, a game of 3D chess. O'Connell has a gap on Rothberg with 15 minutes to go. Keep right through the bend in the straightaway. Rothberg late on the brakes again. You can brake later by being defensive. O'Connell is protecting the line on the inside.
Rothberg wants this victory. He really does. His pace is improving but he would be poised and calm in racing battles even earlier in the season as they fly down Madison Avenue and towards The Rollercoaster. Rothberg might even be more comfortable in the GT America BMW than the GTWC America car. Isaac Sherman is pulling away from Curt Swearingin in GT4 after losing two races in a row. His pace has been unreal. Robb Holland, his mentor, is looking on. Jason Daskalos introduced Isaac Sherman to Robb Holland, and they have chemistry between driver and coach/team owner.
They are evenly matched. Rothberg has more in the locker compared to O'Connell, or so I should think, at least right now. Watch out so you don't overheat the tires with the pressure on the nose of the car. Rothberg has the edge in sectors two and three and Daskalos has the advantage through sector one. Track position is everything, and I mean, everything. Many of these drivers have not tested or raced in two months during the summer break. Under ten minutes to go. Johnny O'Connell has defended brilliantly but he knows Rothberg and Daskalos want it. Rothberg tries to tuck O'Connell up like a kipper but fails.
Rothberg is a poised, disciplined driver. He won't make a rash move. Daskalos will force the move. Rothberg is planning his moves, not just leaping down the inside. Three brands in the top three. Three German sports cars. The Audi R8 LMS, the BMW M4 GT3, and the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Memo Gidley, Johnny O'Connell, some drivers have come into GT America with the passion, and they know how to drive and know how to push. Our mate Calvin Fish raced against Johnny O'Connell in Formula Atlantic open wheel cars back in the 1980s.
Rothberg is looking for an opportunity, but he is also watching O'Connell to learn race craft. This is a learning opportunity for younger drivers. Curt Swearingin is running out of time to try and catch Isaac Sherman. Two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport's. Rotek Racing vs. ACI Motorsports. Third place is Damir Hot, the Canadian, in the Nissan Z NISMO GT4 for Flying Lizard Motorsports. We also have Blackdog Speedshop running this car in Pirelli GT4 America as well. Gray Newell is doing all he knows to reel in Damir Hot. Isaac Sherman on 236 points and Curt Swearingin on 173 points. The difference currently is 63 points.
Rothberg and Swearingin have both cut their personal best laps. Two laps to go I think before the clock runs out. Daskalos has dropped away from O'Connell and Rothberg. Rothberg late and deep on the brakes setting up O'Connell into NASCAR Bend. Joseph Catania chasing Todd Parriott for sixth in GT4. Aston Martin vs, BMW. Joseph Catania has moved up from touring cars to GT4 cars and into GT America. His son Lucas has also been in the touring car ranks. The livery is from Samantha Tan Racing. It is that Van Gogh Starry Night livery.
White flag this time by for O'Connell. O'Connell will take over the championship lead tonight. One lap to go. This is it. 3.27 miles to go. Rothberg closing in towards Oak Tree. I wonder if they will catch the traffic on Madison Avenue or through The Rollercoaster. Go to the right. That was easy. Into The Rollercoaster one last time but he clonks the curb. Rothberg right on his six! Last turn. Who will do it? O'Connell will hang on, just barely! Wow! That was a good one! That was a good one! Second win on the year for SKI Autosport.
For Isaac Sherman, he will be the GT4 winner. He breaks his short winless streak.
Overall/SRO3: #3 Johnny O'Connell SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3
GT4: #098 Isaac Sherman Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Three more events, six more rounds to go in GT America 2024. The next doubleheader of GT America races will be at the fabled four-mile ribbon of asphalt at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, coming up in a shade less than a month. We look forward to bringing you the action there. For now, so long from VIR. More racing yet to come today. Stay with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment