GT America, powered by AWS, in 2024, the single driver championship which is a catch all of GT cars for GT2, SRO3 (older and newer GT3 machines), and GT4 cars, is headed into the homestretch. Here at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, two races are on tap. One this afternoon in mere moments, and one tomorrow morning. Justin Rothberg aboard the #29 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 is on the pole for race one. Bryson Morris is outside the front row aboard the #64 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Third place is the #3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS Evo II in the hands of the veteran racer, Johnny O'Connell. Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3R is in fourth, and completing the top five in SRO3 it is Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
The GT4 class has Isaac Sherman at the top of the shop again, in the #098 Rotek Racing Porsche Cayman. Curt Swearingin in the similar Porsche for ACI Motorsports, car #7 is second, with the third usual suspect in the GT4 class in the same spot, Gray Newell at the wheel of the #24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. There are no one off or standalone GT2 entries competing in the pair of 40-minute GT America races this weekend. Championships are up for grabs. Isaac Sherman can cinch up the title in GT4 while it remains a three-way fight in SRO3. Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish call the action in the broadcast booth and Amanda Busick reporting from pit lane.
This is a great racetrack with a massive challenge and the first time SRO America has raced here in eight years as the sun is peaking through the clouds. Justin Rothberg, I think we will be calling him "The Rottweiler" because he is chomping into Johnny O'Connell's points lead. In GT4, Isaac Sherman has been the revelation of the season and has won nearly everything this year. Curt Swearingin is 53 points back. He and Sherman have split the victories. Sherman has the edge and Swearingin has to beat him this weekend to keep the fight alive before the final doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The cars roll off on their formation lap. Kyle Washington and Jason Daskalos are two f the other drivers to watch for and who get their elbows out. The Heart of Racing just won in the FIA World Endurance Championship last weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Stay tuned because I will post all about that race very soon. Justin Rothberg has been going like gangbusters in the last couple rounds with five straight podiums and some race wins. This is race one of two this weekend. Alan Grossberg is back in the McLaren Artura GT4 and he will be racing in Pirelli GT4 America later on today, too.
A great flow, and a charming circuit here at Barber Motorsports Park opened 20+ years ago. We can see Georgina the mannequin who fell off her perch during the IndyCar race here back in the spring. That was comical, believe me. OK. No comedy now. This is serious racing. They're leaning on each other as we prepare to race. Green flag! Away we go! nto the lead, O'Connell dives deep on Rothberg as the GT4 cars start. Sherman vs. Swearingin, Porsche Cayman vs. Porsche Cayman and into Charlotte's Web, here comes Kyle Washington! O'Connell at the top of the shop.
Jason Daskalos makes his move and Jason Bell scrapping ith Ross Chouest. Rothberg is coming in a big hurry. Audi vs. BMW. The Audi has the balance. O'Connell has raced here at Barber Motorsports Park before. Daskalos needs to motor because he is eight points behind. One lap complete. Jason Bell and Ross Chouest continue their battle in SRO3 that they had in GT4. O'Connell keeping it clean out of Charlotte's Web and now, Rothberg makes his move slamming the door in O'Connell's face in turn eight! Holy cow!
Jason Daskalos can start moving up. Kyle Washington is his next target. Porsche 911 GT3R vs. Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Porsche Carrera Cup, Porsche Sprint Challenge, GT America, and Fanatec GT World Challenge America for Kyle Washington in 2024. O'Connell would have a dozen point advantage over Rothberg and Dakalos just a further two points in-arrears. What will the car baance be? Rothberg uncorks a 1:25.4. O'Connell in the 1:27's. Washington also puts in a 1:25. O'Connell looks good in sector three.
Isaac Sherman, Curt Swearingin, and Gray Newell, the top three in GT4. Sherman, Swearingin, Newell. O'Connell losing time through sector one. Nine wins, two more podiums for Isaac Sherman in GT4 with a huge smile on his face, an ebullient bloke. Rotek Racing has had a lot to celebrate under team boss and car owner, Robb Holland. Rothberg still driving away from the field. Daskalos is really chasing down Washington, still. More laps, more miles, no test days this weekend. The Free Practice day was somewhat of a washout yesterday.
Now we see Bell and Chouest scrapping again, and they battled each other in GT4 in the last three years. Daskalos setting up the wide radius and gets a head of steam to pass Washington. Washington has to give it up. Ryan Dalziel, is Daskalos' driver coach with CRP Racing and car owner Nick Short. Ryan Dalziel raced with CRP Racing in GT World Challenge several years ago. Rothberg is comfortable, driving away from Johnny O'Connell and everyone else. Half an hour to go. Ross Chouest approaches tightly into turns 15 and 16.
These are valuable laps for Jason Bell and Ross Chouest adapting to GT3 cars. Chouest will race in Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS later today. Meanwhile, Todd Parriott and Nick Shanny continue their GT4 battle. This is Todd Parriott's last event of the year, and he races with Tom Dyer in Pirelli GT4 America and he may have other commitments that preclude him from racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the finale in a month or so. Nick Shanny in the BMW M4 GT4, he has the edge in points over Parriott.
Jason Daskalos at 1:23.9 turns in the fastest lap of the race thus far. O'Connell and Daskalos second and third. Daskalos hammering the brakes. Milder braking works better to not unsettle the car. Jason Daskalos has been quiet on the radio which is good. He seems to be happy and getting more comfortable with the circuit as Ross Chouest passes by Jason Bell after they had to pass by Alan Grossberg in the McLaren Artura GT4. This is a throwback to the heritage of the Pirelli World Challenge and other championships of World Challenge when it was run by the SCCA, the Sports Car Club of America.
Out front, Justin Rothberg is controlling the race and managing his tires. Daskalos has fastest lap over O'Connell but just by 52 thousandths of a second! Rothberg stymied in traffic and O'Connell, the same. It is not easy to disappear through these flowing corners. You cannot hit the disappear button. Race car drivers are not superheroes with spy car technology to push disappear or smokescreen. They are real life superheroes but without the gadgets. Maintain your line so you don't go off the road into the boonies. Daskalos closing in on O'Connell.
It is anyone's game in terms of the championship. Rothberg, O'Connell, Daskalos. Isaac Sherman has had a phenomenal 2024 season. Super impressive, unflappable, doesn't get flustered. He has been out of racing for over a decade but comes back in and has the skillset and the personality to go racing. Curt Swearingin too, has stepped up his game especially with his Pirelli GT4 America co-driver Kay van Berlo helping him out. Swearingin has been active in single make Porsche racing and Gray Newell too has raced in both GT4 and GT3 spec cars.
Almost to the halfway point in race one. Daskalos is now right on O'Connell's gearbox. Well, well, well. Daskalos gets stymied by Swearingin in the GT4 Porsche Cayman as Ross Chouest has now caught Kyle Washington for fourth spot. O'Connell has traffic as well, look, and clears the GT4 Porsche Cayman of Isaac Sherman, leading the class. The performance delta between the GT3 and GT4 cars here at Barber Motorsports Park is not great. It is not a wide chasm. They are very close together. But as we always say, traffic giveth, traffic taketh away.
Halfway home in race one. So, if you have the pace, use it. Time is running out. Justin Rothberg, 1:23.965, not quite the fastest lap to determine the grid for race two tomorrow. Based all on best lap times. Average speed around Barber Motorsports Park is just shy of 100 miles an hour. Daskalos has the speed but I think Johnny O'Connell's Audi is in the sweet spot but so does Rothberg in the BMW who resets fastest lap! The pints margin is just 11 from first to second and a signle point between second and third. O'Connell vs. Daskalos vs. Rothberg.
Daskalos needs to be close enough to go for it if O'Connell is stymied by traffic and now, O'Connell is bottled up behind Alan Grossberg in the McLaren. O'Connell and Daskalos touch, and now, they wave and dart back and forth, side by side headed to Charlotte's Web again! Daskalos in deep. O'Connell again to the lead. Daskalos says, "not now, sunbeam" and O'Connell is now third. So, Rothberg is leading but the battle is on between Daskalos and O'Connell! Rothberg uncorks fastest lap of the race and will be on pole for tomorrow if he can hold on. The gap is now nine points in the championship chase.
Oh, my heavens! Can you believe it? Rothberg might be able to be on pole and control race two tomorrow morning. SKI Autosport will need to work on the Audi R8 to find more pace. Rosella Manfrenado, the team engineer cannot be happy about what is going on right now with 14 minutes left on the board. Rothberg upping the ante, resetting fastest lap at 1:23.6! Jeepers creepers! The longevity of the Pirelli P Zero tires here at Barber Motorsports Park is unreal. Parriott and Shanny have some argy bargy, a round of bumper cars, but they are OK. No spinning, no rotations.
Hard to tell if these two blokes are buddies or if they are bitter rivals. There was some carbon fiber that flew. A great battle to watch, fourth and fifth changing hands in GT4. Isaac Sherman whistling off into the distance, 6.6 seconds ahead of Curt Swearingin as Daskalos cuts his best lap of the race within 13 thousandths of a second to Daskalos. Blimey O'Reilly! This is good racing! In the GT4 class, Gray Newell runs third. Now, another snatching back of the fastest lap in SRO3. Gray Newell has had a great year this year.
He could be racing in GT3 next year somewhere and they have the new Valkyrie Hypercar coming out next year in FIA World Endurance and in GTP in the IMSA series. the WeatherTech Championship. Ian James might be cutting back on some of his racing but he earned pole and won in FIA WEC at COTA last weekend. You will hear more about that race in due time. The sports car schedule is very busy. Daskalos is losing time but O'Connell in the Audi has a punctured tire! Right rear, flat as a pancake! Oh, my heavens! Team boss Phil Creighton looking on.
This is painful for Johnny O'Connell. What will we see happen? Only once off the podium this year and now, Jason Bell has passed by, and Tim Savage is closing in. O'Connell will drop all the way down to seventh spot. On such little things do championships turn. The team shaking their heads and O'Connell had contact with a GT4 car. Tim Savage has made the pass. O'Connell would only score points for seventh place. Daskalos could emerge with the points lead. O'Connell back on track. Ten minutes to go.
I think Nick Shanny in the BMW M4 GT4 tagged O'Connell. Six minutes left in the motor race. Justin Rothberg might be in the catbird seat. Although Daskalos is leading right now and could be put into the points lead Rothberg looking for his sixth straight podium, three victories. Daskalos though is closing in on Rothberg. He passes by Alan Grossberg in the GT4 McLaren Artura and now, Daskalos might get bottled up by Curt Swearingin, or excuse me, Rothberg. So, Daskalos is now reeling in Rothberg hand over fist. Traffic has been the key.
Time is running out. The points are tied for second with only four points between the top three! Wow! Daskalos drawing a bead on Rothberg. The two classes in GT America have brought us tons of action all year. When Rothberg must do so, he answers the bell. The GT3/SRO3 cars have a ton of downforce compared to the GT4 cars. Johnny O'Connell very disappojnted as the right rear wheel is destroyed and the tire was punctured completely. The car has to race tomorrow in race two.
For the lead, Daskalos right on Rothberg's six! Jason Daskalos is reeling him in! Rothberg got held up in traffic. It is the luck of the draw where you catch the traffic. He is not close enough out of turn 17 and into turn one. Just over a minute to go. Rothberg getting advice on the horn from co-driver Robby Foley and engineer Jay O'Connell. Hit your marks. The BMW tends to have more straightaway speed than the Mercedes does. 3-liter twin turbo V6 in the BMW. 6.2-liter atmospheric V8 in the Mercedes. Daskalos will be on pole for race two tomorrow with fastest lap.
Rothberg holds a narrow lead. The white silk flies. One lap to go. Can Rothberg hang on? Dsskalos uses all the road. Will he send it into Charlotte's Web? Daskalos with a late apex. No dice to match BMW M power. One final time through Museim corner. This is it. Rothberg clean through there. Daskalos using all the road in turns ten and 11. Daskalos right on Rothberg's tail. Rothberg covers it and the two crash! They are rubbing fenders and on the road, Daskalos wins it! Heavy damage to the tail of Rothberg's BMW! Oh my gosh!
GT4 honors go to Isaac Sherman! He can clinch the championship tomorrow. Incident under eview. Rothberg not happy. Big damage to the back of the car. Good heavens. In replay, Rothberg was vulnerable. Daskalos tries the high side, no room there. What is going to happen? How will this be adjudicated? Rothberg took the tighter entry. I think that is a racing incident. I don't think there was malice intended but that's not my decision. I am just the messenger.
Cue the dance music for the results, the provisional results. It seems as though Jason Daskalos will be the winner by 2/10ths of a second over Rothberg.
Overall/SRO3: #27 Jason Daskalos CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
GT4: #098 Isaac Sherman Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport
Race two tomorrow. We'll see you tomorrow morning for the climax of GT America here at Barber Motorsports Park. Jason Daskalos is incredibly happy with his victory here. He gives all credit to his team. Daskalos says he was on the outside and says Rothberg launched the BMW into him and kept hitting him. Daskalos believes it is a racing incdient and Rothberg cannot be happy. Isaac Sherman on this tough, technical circuit, he got into a rhythm and did what he needed to do.
Oh, by the way, no further action from race control on the Daskalos and Rothberg fracas. A racing incident it is. We'll see you tomorrow for race two in GT America. So long for now, everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment