It is the final 90-minute sprint race of the 2024 season in SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America competition, here at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. After their seventh consecutive victory in 2024, DXDT Racing and the #63 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the hands of Alec Udell and Tommy Milner, on this Sunday, they will be going for eight in a row. It is appropriate once again, I believe, to quote host Ryan Myrehn's race intro for this event. "Barber Motorsports Park is a world class, two and a third mile, 17 turn road course, nestled in the rolling hills of Alabama. World class sports car racing returns to Alabama for the first time in eight years, since 2016. A grid of supercars are set to race past the vintage car and motorcycle museum here at the track which holds supercars and motorcycles of the past, while a series championship hangs in the balance, in the present."
Fanatec GT World Challenge America is racing the final sprint race before we conclude the season at the Indianapolis 8 Hours, the crown jewel of the championship, to end the year, next month. We could see ST Racing lock up a title in the Pro-Am class with Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen this weekend but in the Pro class, the fight remains on between the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R of Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson, and the #63 DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Alec Udell and Tommy Milner, who, yesterday, scored their seventh victory on the bounce and are looking to go for number eight today.
The Indianapolis 8 Hours will be bonkers. In the Am class we have one of the gorgeous Ferrari 296 GT3's here, car #163 for AF Corse being driven by American Jay Schreibman and Brazilian sports car racing veteran Oswaldo Negri Jr. A picturesque setting and a gorgeous Sunday for the final sprint race of the 2024 season. Hello again, to Ryan Myrehn, and our mates Calvin Fish and Amanda Busick who will be bringing us all the action on SRO GTWorld on YouTube this afternoon. Race one yesterday was great and we should have another one. Sunny, breezy, about 80 degrees ambient temperature, and a gorgeous setting. The championship fight is hot and heavy.
You know, a championship was wrapped up for the British GT Championship under SRO sanction at Donington Park in the English midlands. Now, if you don't want to know what happened and are watching the broadcast, cover your ears or push the fast forward button on your browser. Yours truly will have video coverage of the race coming up very soon, when I have time to put a post together on it. So, look for that, early next week. Donington Park is a great circuit and one of the best races, if you have access to it on their app or on a video player, go check out the Formula 1 1993 European Grand Prix that ran at Donington Park. That had to be one of, if not the greatest drive by the late, great World Champion Ayrton Senna. Trust me, you will love what you see. That is motor racing history, folks.
No wet weather here at Barber Motorsports Park although we had wet weather earlier in the week during Free Practice. We will now hear London Koi perform The Star-Spangled Banner for pre-race festivities before we get underway. Wow! If you are tuned into the broadcast and that performance of the Star-Spangled Banner didn't give you goosebumps, well... check your pulse. London Koi has a great voice, and check out those very cool star-spangled sunglasses, too! We also acknowledge the presenters of our nations' colors, the flag bearers, the color guard from the University of Alabama ROTC.
We had a thrilling race one yesterday to put Saturday into perspective and we saw DXDT Corvette get seven wins in a row. Can they go for eight today? We'll see. Elliott Skeer has not been to Barber in a decade but he knows the track and is ready to go. There was also some racing at Phillip Island in GT World Challenge Australia. We are going to have video of that for you, too. Believe me. There's a ton of sports car racing going on and SRO is a big, big part of that, globally. There was also GT World Challenge Europe Sprint in France at Magny Cours. We will have a full video recap of the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup later in the year after the season ends.
GT World Challenge Asia at Okayama in Japan, we will have the video of that for you, too. Again, stay tuned. Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley made a leap in the championship yesterday before the big race, the finale, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After being spun, Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley finished third and the Turner Motorsports and ST Racing BMWs are sharing the front row. There is a rivalry between these two teams. Watch for Tom Sargent in the Porsche and Ricardo Agostini in the Ferrari as well.
Four Pro-Am cars at the top of the shop in the first two rows and then the first of the Pro cars is in fifth place, Kenton Koch and Conor Daly in the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3 starting ahead of the #63 DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Alec Udell and Tommy Milner, who have won seven consecutive races. They are going for eight today and very much could play a factor for the win because they have been executing every weekend on track. The Corvette is not the best horse for this course, however, it seems DXDT have found the magic with the car and they could very well be contenders today.
They are only 20 points out. The heat is on the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche team and they need a podium today to pad their lead headed for the jewel in the crown at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month. Adam's Beverages marketing manager Danielle Chamone gives the command, "drivers, start your engines." Two formation laps and then we go racing. The crowd loves this track, the drivers, the teams, love it. In 2003, George Barber put this place together and it has built a legendary reputation. The track itself is great. In recent years, IndyCar has raced here. Zach Veach and Conor Daly have both raced IndyCars here.
One car will not start, Aaron Povoledo and Ross Chouest damaged the #50 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT America race earlier this morning, in race two of that series. So, they will not take part in the GTWC America race that we are just about ready to get underway, and no, they will not be racing in the intermingled field at Indianapolis for the 8 Hours which has part of the field from GT World Challenge America and the other part from the SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge. Excuse me. I'm sorry. They will be at Indianapolis for the 8 Hours. My apologies. Four Pro-Am cars on the first two rows. What will the pace be? How will it develop?
OK. The safety car has accelerated away from the field. Robby Foley is controlling the field as we look for a green flag. Here they come. The green is out and away we go! Robby Foley leads and it is a clean start and now Kenton Koch is vying to make it a BMW 1-2-3, side by side, look, with the Porsche of Aussie Tom Sargent! Ricardo Agostini drops a place in the Ferrari and into turn five it is three deep between the Porsche, the Corvette, and the Acura! This is going to get ugly! Skeer and Milner squeeze each other, the top two protagonists in the championship! My heavens! Zach Veach and Tom Sargent are both flying Plummet Airways down the order.
Still side by side into the Museum corner. Settle down. Settle down. Elliott Skeer sliding that Porsche all over the place right in front of Zach Veach! Milner and Sargent all over each other into the turn 14 sweeper! Lap one done and dusted. So far it is a BMW 1-2-3. Robby Foley followed by Neil Verhagen and Kenton Koch. Three BMW M4 GT3's from three different teams. Turner Motorsports, ST Racing, and Random Vandals Racing. Agostini and Milner complete the top five. Bryan Sellers and Bryson Morris in the sister #64 Corvette. That car used to be #08 but is now #64 because of the heritage of #63 and #64 being used on Corvette race cars for the last quartet century especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
BMW running 1-2-3. Then it is Ricardo Agostini in the Ferrari and Tommy Milner in the Corvette. Now, speaking of Ferrari's, caboose on the field, is the only Am class entry, the #163 car of Oswaldo Negri Jr. in this AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 sharing with Jay Schreibman. He qualified tenth and has great pace, but he is dropping off the pace. I wonder if he went off the road. Right now, we are watching BMW on BMW here, look, as Neil Verhagen is fending off the challenge of Kenton Koch. Robby Foley has taken off and is motoring away.
A great opportunity for Kenton Koch showing his speed against two factory BMW drivers. Madison Snow subbed for Conor Daly at Road America with Conor Daly having IndyCar commitments, but Random Vandals had a fraught weekend at Road America that they've put behind them, I am sure. Negri's troubles are more than just going off the road as he trundles to the pit lane with clutch problems. We saw clutch troubles in race one yesterday for the #92 Montreal Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3R of Kyle Marcelli and Jean Fredric Laberge in race one yesterday. Robby Foley uncorks fastest lap of the race and has 1.7 seconds over Neil Verhagen.
AF Corse working on the car and that won't be a quick fix. The midfield is a hornet's nest right now as Elliott Skeer has moved up to seventh and he has his target acquired, Tommy Milner in the Corvette. Milner managed the Saturday race yesterday and had enough in the bag to win. We are very early on in the going but as they run, headed for the Indianapolis 8 Hours, if the #120 Porsche were to finish on the podium it would be a 15-point lead for them. This is the second-place fight in the Pro class. Elliott Skeer chasing Tommy Milner. Ricardo Agostini uncorks fastest lap of the race thus far at 1:22.46, a tenth quicker than Robby Foley in the race lead.
Elliott Skeer is very impressive and has the Porsche on the ragged edge. Bryan Sellers is ninth overall and fifth in Pro-Am in the #64 sister DXDT Corvette sharing with Bryson Morris. Ricardo Agostini sets the fastest lap at 1:22.460. Agostini, 30 years old, ad in his second year with AF Corse, probing Kenton Koch. He was able to test a Ferrari Formula 1 car after being Rookie of the Year in 2012 in Italian Formula 3 in the open wheel cars. He did so at Vallelunga in Italy and is now a top GT3 driver globally. He ran a full season in Lamborghini Super Trofeo with Trent Hindman in 2017. Trent Hindman of course, is in this race, driving the #85 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3R with Jake Pedersen.
Tom Sargent is regrouping and coming back to the fore. At the top of the shop, Robby Foley leads by 2.4 seconds and resets fastest lap of the motor race at 1:22.314. Drive the car on the limit. Keep an eye on the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jeff Burton sharing the car with Philip Ellis, in 14th place now, but of course that team is running on an alternate strategy. His job is to stay in striking distance and then let Philip Ellis cook in the second half, turning on the burner, pouring on the steam. Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey are doing the same thing, Choksey starting the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3.
Skeer and Adelson and then Milner and Udell, they have been the two top cars in GT World Challenge America all season. DXDT and Pratt & Miller have really been able to have the reliability, consistency, and pace, to get the job done. The consistency for the #120 Porsche team means they are still leading the championship. In race one yesterday they were off the podium and just not a factor. Maybe it is Balance of Performance for the Porsche, but Tom Sargent ran well. Maybe Wright Motorsports found something overnight for the performance of their car. Again, we have a 2.3-mile circuit layout here at Barber Motorsports Park. The track has 17 corners, and 80 feet of elevation change on a single lap.
Passing here at Barber is not easy. Turn five is the best, most legitimate passing spot. Traffic plays a role and there isn't much high terminal speed. The corners keep coming at you. It flows with a lot of rhythm and some high apex speeds. It loads up the left front Pirelli tire. Use an asymetrical setup on the car with more weight on the right front corner to make the car turn. That is what you want. It is the polar opposite of where we will be at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the eight hours which has a road course infield part that is flat as a pancake and of course the banked turns on the oval. At the end of the backstretch, you need balance on the car.
The Ferrari's have a higher ride height and that can be troublesome here at Barber and at Indianapolis, too. AF Corse is having a fraught race, and loads of trouble, as we said. Jay Schreibman, in his baritone voice, tells us that the clutch was slipping, and it could be broken. The team wants to do a full season in 2025. At the Indianapolis 8 Hours the team will be back with a bonus. Jay Schreibman and Oswaldo Negri Jr. will be joined by the one and the only, the Flying Finn, Toni Vilander. In 2025, there could be more Ferrari's in GT World Challenge America. We'll see.
Toni Vilander was a champion in overall and SprintX in GT World Challenge which of course is now GT World Challenge America. Skeer is keeping Milner honest as we see the Corvette hugging the chicanes beautifully. That is a good handling race car. Corvette and the Porsche 911 are icons. Team boss David Askew at DXDT worked a lot to be the GM representative team in SRO America. They have two Pro-Am class sweeps. Race two at Road America and race one yesterday here at Barber. Zach Veach is running well with Luca Mars co-driving. Veach has an affiliation with McLaren's IndyCar team and does the simulator work prepping for the Nashville Superspeedway oval finale for the IndyCars next weekend.
Of course, Kyle Washington, Tom Sargent's co-driver, is in fine form. He put a move on Johnny O'Connell in the second race for GT America this morning that was bonkers! Washington was very sick before the race yesterday. Gosh! I had no clue. Being sick and trying to drive a race car, a terrible situation. As for Zach Veach, he and Luca Mars went on an extensive track walk on Thursday. Veach has raced here in IndyCar. Veach said you are always on the edge of the knife in IndyCar but less so in a sports car. He comes from a racing family. His dad was a champion tractor puller. A tractor pull is eye opening, kind of like drag racing.
The BMWs are scrapping. Neil Verhagen has Kenton Koch right on his six trying to unlock the door to a pass. Aaron Povoledo was advertising his pace and Kenton Koch is doing the same. Kenton Koch is no longer a secret. He can drive a GT4 car or a GT3. It doesn't matter. Plus, he is likable, smart, and savvy. Same deal with Kyle Marcelli. Whatever you throw him in, he goes fast. He is a Pro-Am champion in 2021 and a two-time defending champion in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America in 2022 and 2023. A Canadian team with two Canadian drivers.
Here comes the #8 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 making a switch in platform with Andy Lee and Elias Sabo. They are learning about the car and the team and drivers are comfortable with the BMW M4 GT3 but they need testing so they can unlock the potential. Andy Lee, a Colorado native and here comes Trent Hindman, who like Robby Foley, is from New Jersey. This is a gorgeous race car. Jake Pedersen, responsible for the design on the car, an artist, musician, and racing driver. Trent Hindman has also been successful in both GT3 and GT4 cars alike. Now, he is a mentor as well as a driver.
Varun Choksey is in a home race here at Barber Motorsports Park even though he hails from Georgia and specifically, Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Varun Choksey started in open wheel cars, finishing 12th in points in the 2020 U.S. Formula 4 championship and fourth in 2021 with five podiums. Then he changed to single make Porsche racing, with Wright Motorsports, and after Porsche Carrera Cup North America, he has ended up here with BMW, ST Racing and SRO America. Both Varun Choksey and Jeff Burton, on the alternate strategy, are looking for a yellow.
Burton has been very consistent and only a second and a half off the leader, Robby Foley in the Turner Motorsports BMW. Foley is maximizing the pace. The BMW M4 GT3 is a well-rounded race car. We always see the Mercedes-AMG as being a car that is well-rounded for every any track, but the BMW is doing the same with a new Evo version coming next year with improvements for drivability and tire wear. We've seen Jens Klingman as the BMW M4 GT3 Evo test driver. That car will be available for customers in 2025. Turner Motorsports overtook Schnitzer Motorsports with the most BMW race starts in history.
Half an hour of racing in the bag. One hour to go. Things are starting to tighten up between Verhagen, Koch, and Agostini. Tom Sargent hanging back there. These cars are in different classes between Pro-Am and Pro I believe. Pit stops coming in about 15-20 minutes. Maybe closer than that, honestly. Verhagen, Agostini, Sargent, and Koch are the drivers we are looking at in the camera shot and of course this is an intermingling of the Pro and Pro-Am classes based on driver ratings. We have just passed the half hour mark and we should see pit stops in 15-20 minutes as we said.
Justin Rothberg is chilling out, waiting for his stint. 40 minutes left on the board you can't afford to make a stop later than that. Fastest laps, everyone in the 1:22 range. BMW, Ferrari, Porsche. Justin Rothberg has been in three races this weekend and has been in incidents not of his own doing. Koch working all angles maneuvering the BMW through these corners on a new track as the track evolves, the fuel load burns off, and the tire performances drop off a peak. For the BMW it is a twin turbo, 3-liter V6, front engine. The Ferrari 296 GT3 is a 3-liter twin turbo V6, the Corvette is a mid-engine 5.5 -liter V8 and the Porsche is a 4.2 liter flat six I believe.
The manufacturers and powerplants, it is a real melting pot as we watch Elliott Skeer hooking the Porsche into the turns. Ricardo Agostini is closing on Kenton Koch allowing Neil Verhagen to motor ahead. Pit stop time, coming soon. Seven straight victories for the Pro class DXDT Corvette as we hear from Alec Udell. Udell says it could be the biggest challenge yet on this hot Sunday. Passing is tough, the corners are tight, the cars are close. Tommy Milner is doing a great job. At the beginning of the race, seven victories in a row, if they make it eight today, they'll have worked for it.
Right now, they are fighting a bunch of other contenders. Philip Ellis will get into the #91 Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 very soon. We are seeing Jeff Burton having a career weekend this weekend at Barber. The different finishes in several races have been very consistent and have not finished lower than fourth since Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, back in May. The alternate strategy has been very successful. Jeff Burton has had a few podiums until now because he has four podium finishes in 2024, and a win. It gives us something to keep an eye on throughout these races.
A solid race for Neil Verhagen. They have not put a foot wrong even though they don't have the outright pace of the fellow BMW of Turner Motorsports, the Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg car. ST Racing had a fraught race with two drive through penalties yesterday. ST Racing also had a fabulous first half of the year up until Road America, I think. They gambled and finished fifth. They were seventh yesterday in race one after two drivTe through penalties. Tom Sargent in the Porsche, the GMG Racing #32 car, hanging tought with this pack which includes Ricardo Agostini, Kenton Koch, and Neil Verhagen, ahead.
The pit window is now with a 74 second minimum stop time and Zach Veach has finished his stint. So, the Racer's Edge Acura NSX GT3, car #93 is in the lane. Veach will turn the car over to Luca Mars to take it to the finish. Trent Hindman is in as well turning the #85 RS1 Porsche over to Jake Pedersen. Regulator Racing Mercedes are in, Philip Ellis will hand off to Jeff Burton. Racer's Edge, fuel, tires, and driver change, done and they are down and away.
It is good to be waiting a few extra seconds in the box before you are released. Ellis has been on a tear. A class winner in IMSA endurance races at the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen in the WeatherTech Championship, and then, he won in class too, at the 24 Hours of Spa in SRO competition, which is a race encompassing both GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge. Random Vandals BMW M4 GT3 in the pit lane. Kenton Koch finishes his stint and hands over to Conor Daly.
I think the #63 Corvette of Tommy Milner is in, with Tommy Milner handing off to Alec Udell and likewise, the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 is in with Varun Choksey handing off to Bill Auberlen. Again, this is the final year we will see tire warmers in SRO GT World Challenge America. Next year, they are not allowed, and drivers will get used to going out on stone cold Pirelli P Zeros pretty quickly. Some of the strategy is going to change taking the punch out of the undercut, pun intended, a boxing pun. Pit lane minimum time is 74 seconds. Conor Daly was slightly slower on the stop compared to Alec Udell.
So, Alec Udell is closing on Conor Daly. These two teams finished in the opposite order yesterday. DXDT vs. Random Vandals and DXDT Corvette are looking for their eighth straight win in 2024. Adam Adelson and Jake Pedersen have found one another on the road. It is Elliott Skeer. Skeer hasn't pitted yet. He is cutting lap times with Tommy Milner out of the way. What can Elliott Skeer do? Look for the overcut. Fast driver, clean air, fresh tires? Not yet. Bill Auberlen's pit stop is under review, just under the one second threshold where they will take a miniscule penalty. Auberlen is pushing hard.
ST Racing on an alternate strategy just like Regulator Racing. Philip Ellis is charging right now. In the Pro class in SRO America, you need to run one Silver graded driver which isn't the case in the other SRO championships in Europe, Asia, and Australia, I don't think. Halfway home. 45 minutes down. 45 minutes to go. Wright Motorsports run the risk of a Full Course Yellow having them flying Plummet Airways, but they are confident about a net gain on worn Pirelli P Zero tires. Skeer has the pace, and he is pushing hard. "It's hammer time" as the greatest Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton, is always told.
A spin or a safety car can be very problematic. Especially if it is released almost immediately. It can arrest your speed when you least expect it. On the road, the first car that made a pit stop is Conor Daly in ninth spot, the #99 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT3. Alec Udell is faster and now, Justin Rothberg is in the pit lane to hand over to Robby Foley. Verhagen, Agostini, Sargent, and Skeer, all of them remain on track for an additional lap. This is going to be fascinating. We will have some spice thrown into the kettle here in a wee while. 1:22.8 for Elliott Skeer, less than 2/10ths off his best lap! Holy smokes!
Foley in the car, new tires and fuel. The Indianapolis 8 Hours will be fascinating. It is the longest race of the year. Additional entries are coming from throughout the world because of the tie-in with Intercontinental GT Challenge. Any points cushion you can go into the race with, will be a benefit. DXDT in and out. The gap between Conor Daly and Elliott Skeer is 65 seconds. Adam Adelson now in the #120 Porsche. Actually, Skeer is handing off to Adam Adelson. Wright Motorsports, one of the best team in the business, fuel in the tank, and new Pirelli P Zero tires.
Elliott Skeer did a fabulous job. Wright Motorsports almost won the 2023 Pro-Am championship. They are the points leaders in the Pro class since the first weekend of racing at Sonoma, California, in April. It is a land rush into the lane so the others took the advantage and how will everything shake out? Justin Rothberg trying to get up to speed. Samantha Tan, Custodio Toledo, Kyle Washington, all of these drivers will take their repective cars to the finish. ST Racing waiting on fuel, down off the air jacks, and Tan is away.
Justin Rothberg is right here, into turn two and Samantha Tan chops Rothberg's nose off. These two came to blows yesterday and these are the top two in the Pro-Am championship. Rothberg running around the outside. Rothberg has the traction and takes the lead. The Pro class cars are coming fast with Conor Daly and Alec Udell. Push it, push it. OK. OK. I'll push it! Custodio Toledo ahead of Adam Adelson, in different classes. Can Udell go for eight wins in a row?
Custodio Toledo in a different class but he is in a fight of his own. Adelson is ahead of Luca Mars in the Racer's Edge Acura. Rothberg has track position over Samantha Tan and now, Alec Udell has a head of steam on Conor Daly who is defending for all he's worth! This is for the Pro class lead. He has to deal with the traffic and somehow keep Alec Udell in the Corvette behind him. Daly has very little experience in a GT3 car. He is still a greenhorn in these GT3 cars.
Two cars ahead of Daly are in their own fight. Short stop post-race time penalty for the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3, tenth overall and fifth in Pro. Daly to the inside of Tan and Udell follows him through. Samantha Tan on the outside line and has to give it up. Daly read that the right way and Samantha Tan was generous in knowing discretion was the better part of valor. Udell has caught Daly. Down through Museum corner. That's the awesome museum with the classic race cars and motorcycles we talked about.
OK. Rothberg, Daly, Udell, the top three. Rothberg is going to force the door open here, barging through on Tan and then on Rothberg! Man, oh man! Did you see that? Daly passes Rothberg and Udell has a head of steam and gets past Rothberg, too! He knew he had to pull the pin and now, Samantha Tan is chasing Rothberg! Mama Mia! Daly, Udell, Rothberg, Tan. Samantha Tan has the fire in her belly here. Daly is romping away from the Corvette! He has pushed the bye bye button! Blimey O'Reilly!
Samantha Tan is hunting down the other BMW of Rothberg, the Turner Motorsports car. Rothberg has the track position and does not make mistakes. We have seen that steely determination from Rothberg in GT America and here in Fanatec GT World Challenge America, too. Meanwhile, Kyle Washington in the #32 GMG Racing Porsche makes the pass on Custodio Toledo, the Brazilian, now at the wheel of the #88 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. He moves up to third in the Pro-Am class chasing after Luca Mars in the #93 Acura NSX GT3. Watch out now for Bryson Morris in the #64 DXDT Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R too.
Philip Ellis is charging too, passing the #8 Flying Lizard BMW of Elias Sabo. Ellis is trying Sabo and Sabo slams the door in his face. Tan and Rothberg still scrapping. Hard to send it through turn one at 100 miles an hour plunging down the hill and cresting back up the hill. Rothberg struggling for grip. The black and turquoise BMW squirming, wriggling all over the road! The handling is going away! Half an hour to go and a wee bit more. Think of the battles he has had in GT America when we have talked about those races and the phenomenal battles he's had with the likes of Johnny O'Connell and Jason Daskalos.
Rothberg is battle tested even as a GT3 rookie because of the extra seat time driving against the veterans, the legends of our sport. Justin Rothberg thought 2024 would just be a learning year and he was not even contemplating a championship. But now, he has run many races, and he is a contender in both GT America and Fanatec GT World Challenge America alike. Robby Foley, talking Justin through this, hit your marks, don't make mistakes. Recognize where your rival is. There's 14 points in it for the championship going into the finale at Indianapolis.
Adam Adelson is also charging, and Conor Daly is keeping Alec Udell at bay. The problem for Justin Rothberg is that his BMW's handling is giving up. He cannot carve the corner and just sort of washes into the turn before getting back to power, transitioning from brake to throttle. Samantha Tan easily looking in his face, asking, is that all you've got? You need to bring some more power! Philip Ellis in 11th overall passing by Jake Pedersen. But keep the old eyeballs on Bryson Morris. He is motoring, and he is faster now than Philip Ellis! Imagine that! Morris is only 15 seconds behind Samantha Tan and running a second a lap faster!
What? What did I say about bringing more power? I... I... I'm speechless, now. I am stumped. The Corvette's are showing an extra turn of speed just as we predicted. Blimey! Samantha Tan knows she is faster than Rothberg and this will give her incentive to go for it. She has the through of diving through the last turn, turn 17. Adelson has caught the battling BMW's in the top two in Pro-Am. Hold the phone. Elias Sabo has spun off the road. Will we have a Full Course Yellow? He is in the grass. There is no gravel trap where he is.
Robby Foley coaching Justin Rothberg and is proud of his improvement as they are clawing back their points deficit after bad races for the team at VIR in July. 25 minutes of racing remaining. Fingers crossed. Full Course Yellow. We are under Full Course Yellow and the safety car. Elias Sabo is stuck in the mud. This is manna from heaven for Bryson Morris, Philip Ellis, and Bill Auberlen. They can get track position back and the gaps will close up. We are going to have a barnburner to the checkered flag. Be ready for the restart. Prepare and clean the Pirelli P Zero tires.
Bryson Morris will have a window of opportunity to get onto the Pro-Am podium. Morris and Sellers are looking for a good finish and another class win. Sellers' family is here to watch, his wife Jamie, son Liam, and daughter, Mila. Bryan Sellers has had success in IMSA and is now having it on the SRO side. Ellis is now up to 11th place and this ought to be a quick yellow. This will be fun to watch. Elias Sabo looks like he hit something with his BMW. The left front corner on the car looks to be askew. Game over for Elias Sabo and Andy Lee.
For Conor Daly this would be a special result as he is figuring out his motorsports future. Screech! We hear the tires lock up and the car sliding. Maybe something broke. Kenton Koch won in Pirelli GT4 America and could double up today with Conor Daly. Kenton Koch says Conor Daly knows what he is doing and with the tires there can be a lot of pick up. It is difficult to clean the tires, but Koch has faith in his co-driver. They had bad luck with the second GT4 car on their team. Conor Daly is a football fan. Kenton Koch is not. Maybe Conor can make him one. Connor De Philippi will be the third driver in the car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
20 minutes to go. Alec Udell and Tommy Milner looking for an eighth straight win in 2024. Green flag! Auberlen, Mars, Adelson, squirming all over the track and now, Mars is fighting with Adelson and here comes Auberlen on Luca Mars and they touch! Mars is off in the weeds but keeps his foot in it! Samantha Tan dropping back and Justin Rothberg has a gap for the Pro-Am lead. Mars passes Tan and Philip Ellis goes around Bryson Morris for eighth overall and third in class. Pedersen in the RS1 Porsche with damage on the right front corner goes right up over the curbs! This isn't what Neil Verhagen and Samantha Tan needed.
That's a tight squeeze with Auberlen mving in the final turn. Adelson to the outside and Auberlen to the inside, making the pass. Bill Auberlen now on the attack for ST Racing, a former driver for Turner Motorsports. Philip Ellis hounding Luca Mars. Ellis needs to pass three cars to get to Justin Rothberg as Samantha Tan has her hands full with Bryson Morris and Auberlen runs wide in the dirt and here comes Adelson and Ellis passes Mars! Ellis needs to clear the traffic. Auberlen just barely got back online from his grass tracking moment!
17 minutes to go. Ellis hounding Adelson and chasing Rothberg who lets Auberlen go. Ellis passes Adelson. Ellis is flying, looking for the second win of the year for Regulator Racing. Adelson and Skeer trying to hang onto the points lead over Udell and Milner who are second on the road. Ellis, harrying Rothberg for the lead! He passes on the inside of Rothberg! Rothberg never saw him coming! Bryson Morris in the Corvette closing on Samantha Tan. Rothberg and Foley need the points gap heading to Indianapolis next month. Auberlen up on the wheel. 15 mnutes to go.
ST Racing have unlocked the pace of the BMWs as Adam Adelson is falling into the clutches of Luca Mars. Porsche vs. Acura. Here's the top nine. This is the full rundown of the contenders.
No comments:
Post a Comment