Saturday, September 7, 2024

Pirelli GT4 America: Barber Motorsports Park, Race 1

The final race on Saturday here at Barber Motorsports Park is upon us, race one of the weekend for Pirelli GT4 America.  Four races remain in the season and the stretch run kicks off here at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.  This is the series debut for Pirelli GT4 America at Barber Motorsports Park.  Most if not all of the drivers in this championship have never competed on this circuit before.  So, it is a step into the unknown.  Yesterday there was some rain.  Everyone qualified and this race will be fascinating as the cars are on their formation laps.  Corey Lewis is back in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4, on the pole, sharing with Tyler Gonzalez.  

Young Toyota development driver star Brent Crews was supposed to race this weekend.  But he got sick and cannot start the race.  Canadian driver Alex Ellis is making his debut in Pirelli GT4 America.  We will talk more about him.  Ellis is driving the #77 VPX Motorsports Porsche Cayman alongside Danny Dyszelski.  Plus, we have some old, familiar faces, returning to the championship for one race weekend.  Yes, NOLASPORT are back with their old reliable #47 Porsche Cayman and it is the venerable duo of Matt Travis and Jason Hart sharing the driving chores.  It has been a long, long time since we've heard from these two.

Robb Holland has the pole for the Am class.  Look out as well for former TC touring car class polesitter Michael Kanisczak making his Pirelli GT4 America debut at the wheel of the #98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 sharing with Kris Wilson.  Another debutant is in the sister car for Random Vandals Racing, car #94, another BMW M4 GT4.  This is Sam Craven sharing with Josh Green.  Tyler Stone driving one of the other AutoTechnic Racing BMW's he has done a lot of work out here at Barber Motorsports Park with his business, Stone & Sons Electrical Company.  We could call Tyler Stone "the racing electrician."  

We have a jam packed 28 car field.  Returning champions are here like Matt Travis and Corey Lewis, and many established star drivers we know and love in Pirelli GT4 America such as Roman De Angelis, Matt Bell, Eric Filgueiras, Robb Holland, and Colin Garrett.  The championship battles are beginning to simmer nicely, thank you.  This is a deep field, and everyone has to hustle to be in full two by two, Noah's Ark formation before we get started.  Corey Lewis and Roman De Angelis, the Canadian, across the front row.  Toyota Supra vs. Aston Martin Vantage.  Green flag!  Go!  Lewis leads into turn one and now De Angelis wants a piece of this through the Alabama Rollercoaster.

De Angelis, for the first time, running the new Evo version of the GT4 spec Aston Martin for the first time ever.  One of the BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4's runs wide and gathers it up back onto the tarmac.  De Angelis leading over Corey Lewis, but we can see the battle is raging already for third between two of the Porsche Cayman's.  It is Eric Filgueiras vs. Canadian racer Alex Ellis in his first Pirelli GT4 America start.  How does Filgueiras deal with the pressure?  This is Ellis' first start in professional competition since way back in 2010.  He ran an Indy Lights (now Indy Next) race way back then, at Sonoma Raceway.

Ellis has been the team boss for the VPX team north of the border up in Canada and now, he has a shot to drive again and show everyone what he is made of.  Kevin Boehm on the back foot in the #92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 falling into the clutches of the #43 P1 Groupe Mercedes-AMG GT4 shared by Alex Vogel and Matt Bell.  Boehm did not qualify well this morning.  Bell is actually fighting with the #26 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenmeier.

Fabulous battles all the way through the field now.  De Angelis leads by half a second over Corey Lewis, Eric Filgueiras and Alex Ellis.  Grisham passes Bell who has a fight on his hands, door to door with Colin Garrett.  Cars in different classes based on driver experience and all cars are GT4 spec automobiles with a wide variety of manufacturers, body styles, and engine configurations.  Lots of dust being kicked up on this well-manicured circuit.  Kevin Boehm for Random Vandals shares this car with Kenton Koch who scored a podium in the recently completed Fanatec GT World Challenge America race he drove in with Conor Daly.

Hannah Grisham up to seventh overall and fifth in class.  Colin Garrett finding Matt Bell a tough nut to crack.  Matt Travis has his hands full in the NOLASport Porsche Cayman with Kevin Boehm.  Porsche Cayman vs. BMW M4 GT4.  Currently, Matt Travis is second in the Pro-Am class.  Boehm is in the championship fight in the Silver class and must make hay while the sun shines if he wants to stay in it with just three races left in 2024, the second race here at Barber tomorrow and the two races supporting the Indianapolis 8 Hours at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month.  Corey Lewis continues keeping Roman De Angelis honest at the top of the shop.

The new Aston Martin has been run in North America by another team in a different championship, but now, this is the first time for the Evo GT4 Aston Martin in SRO America.  Roman De Angelis and the Heart of Racing, he has some seat time in the new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar.  Fifth through ninth has a great scrap happening right now with Matt Travis, Kevin Boehm, Hannah Grisham, Matt Bell, and Colin Garrett.  Completing the top ten is the Danish driver Johan Schwartz at the wheel of the #23 TechSport Racing Nissan Z NISMO GT4 he shares with Canadian Jonathan Neudorf.

Eric Filgueiras running right behind Corey Lewis, and this is in the Silver class I believe.  In Free Practice yesterday, RS1 had an engine go bang for the #18 Porsche Cayman and had to change a motor overnight before the race here this afternoon.  Lots of anxiety in that camp, as championship leaders, they have had such trouble.  One of their transporters with three race cars inside was stolen.  Hopefully there is a lead on the whereabouts of the transporter.  Austin and Roland Krainz, the father and son team who also race a car for RS1, they had one of their cars stolen so today and tomorrow they are in a backup car to their original backup car.

Sometimes it pays to have two spares.  Filgueiras does not need this unknown driver behind him in the form of Alex Ellis.  How hard will Alex Ellis push?  Filgueiras is not sure.  Alex Ellis is from St. Catherine's, Ontario, Canada.  It is hard to deal with a new driver coming into the picture.  Ellis is 30 years old and was a promising open wheel prospect.  He first raced in the Canadian Formula 1200 series in 2008, and then went on to race Formula BMW America in 2009, finishing sixth in the championship, then went to a Jim Russell Racing School championship.   

From there e went into a shootout at the Jim Russell School, Alex Ellis did, and he was racing against the likes of Greg Liefooghe and Nick Galante.  He got a one-off Indy Lights start with Sam Schmidt Motorsport at Sonoma Raceway in 2010, had mechanical problems and we have not heard of his since, except for his sports car racing in Canada and getting a degree from the University of Ottawa in civil engineering.  He is teamed up with a great young driver named Danny Dyszelski.  Dyszelski and Ellis will be ones to watch this weekend.  Robb Holland leading the Am class teamed up with Jaden Lander.  Kris Wilson can hang onto the Am championship lead.  

Paul Sparta, his co-driver, was hurt at Road America and is out of action for the remainder of the 2024 season due to injury.  Jaden Lander and Robb Holland got their third victory in a row at Road America.  Paul Sparta had two wins and five podiums.  Right now, Kris Wilson has a slim three-point lead at 177 points over Robb Holland and Jaden Lander on174 points and Paul Sparta (again, on the sidelines for the rest of the year), is 15 points behind on 162 points.  

Michael Kanisczak is the solid sub for Paul Spata.  Kris Wilson has the speed and the experience.  Michael Kanisczak has his Pro-Am teammate Sam Craven ahead of him.  Sam Craven has driven a BMW M4 GT4 before but not on racing slick tires.  He has raced in the WRL championship, and they require a DOT tire, a street tire approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.   He did no testing but jumped in and has been on the pace.  After racing on a street tire, any car will feel better on a racing slick, but it is a question of finding the limits.

Charlie Postins, second in Am running well with James Clay.  They are going for the hat trick of championships in the Am class, but it will be a tall drink of water, 56 points out with just three races to go after this one is complete this afternoon.  They are the two-time defending champions in Am but if there's bad luck to be found, it has been hard for them to find any good luck.  The races they've had this year, it has been like the superstition of walking under a ladder.  Postins though, currently, he is turning on the heat for the lead in the Am class and raising Robb Holland's temperature, getting the driver of the blue Porsche to be a wee bit worried.  

Right behind Charlie Postins is his teammate, in a different class, James Walker Jr., in the other BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 #82 that he shares with Tyler McQuarrie.  Wow.  We are beginning to have to calculate all these points scenarios and permutations.  Myself and our mate on the broadcast Calvin Fish are both experiencing the same problem with the steam coming out of our ears like an overflowed or busted radiator as we try to juggle the calculations and permutations this weekend and then going into the finale doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  

Roman De Angelis leading the way in the Evo spec GT4 Aston Martin.  Gray Newell says "it is an interesting challenge because the new car is different than I thought it would be.  It is good to try and adjust to it.  I am still finding my footing.  I am running the old car in the other series so flip flopping between the two is a bit of a challenge to adjust to their nuances.  But, it has been good so far.  I am getting interviewed so I am doing something right."  The new car is 50 kilograms heavier than the old car meaning the data points are all different between GT4 America and GT America.

Newell is the Am driver, so he has the heavy lifting to do.  Drivers notice that if you are a member of the motor racing press who is going to interview them, things are absolutely peachy, or, they are completely in the basement.  So, it's either wine and roses or it's misery.  Robb Holland leading a freight train, a queue of BMW's snarling up behind him being led by Charlie Postins.  I should stay there are Porsche's and BMW's in the queu with a lone Toyota Supra.  This pack includes Robb Holland, Charlie Postins, Michael Kanisczak, Lace Bergstein, Nick Shanny, and David Peterman.

You also have James Walker Jr. and Sam Craven wadded up in this hornet's nest.  This is wild, 11th-15th place.  Shake them up, toss them o the track and go for it.  It is a mixed candy dish.  Several different flavors.  Postins is absolutely monstering Robb Holland and Holland withstands the pressure using his many years of racing experience and expertise.  Postins is poised and he is turning it on.  Walker Jr., Craven and Kanisczak are just as determined to have a bite of the cherry here.  

Craven is not going to play anymore and makes his move into Charlotte's Web.  Craven goes wide skittering over the dust.  Craven does not send it into turn eight, instead Waker Jr. noses ahead a wee bit.  Museum Corner is interesting because you have a great view to watch the race, but in the museum you will have your eyes glued to the displays of the fabulous cars and motorcycles from throughout history, so, it's harder to watch the races from inside the museum.  

Barber Motorsport Park has been a hotbed for road racing in Alabama which a lot of people think of as NASCAR country, honestly.  There's a road racing and sports car tradition in the south, particularly in Alabama, Louisiana with NOLA Motorsports Park and certainly tracks in Florida.  Daytona, Sebring, St. Petersburg, those places come to mind.  Some argy bargy, hip and shoulder, trading paint between Charlie Postins and Robb Holland.  That won't rattle Robb Holland.  Holland raced in the British Touring Car Championship during one of it's halcyon eras, so he knows what to do if a bloke gives him the chrome horn.

This race is flying by, and we could be seeing pit stops in the near future.  Roman De Angelis leads Corey Lewis by 1.7 seconds.  We are nearly 1/3rd of the way through the race.  Find more real estate to work with as Matt Travis passes Hannah Grisham who goes off the road!  She's loose, and that Aston Martin is all over the shop, look.  She couldn't turn the car but had a outstanding save.  That could have been a tank slapper!  Matt Travis, a former champion in Pirelli GT4 America, will turn the car over to Jason Hart, two old teammates, reunited.  

Matt Travis raced in GT4 European Series for SRO under the sanction of the Rafa Racing Club.  Those are races I have been meaning to get to but have not had the time.  Maybe we will hear more about the GT4 European Series before the end of the season.  Now they've checked Barber Motorsports Park off the bucket list.  We've missed them.  Great to have in the SRO paddock.  He is known for quotes from racing movies.  Kris Wilson is trying to fill that void, too.  Always joking around and having a fun time.  Matt Travis was at the driver's parade at the 24 Hours of Spa, wearing a cutoff sleeved tuxedo tee shirt and drinking a beer, probably a Stella Artois.  

Meanwhile, Charlie Postins is applying the pressure to Robb Holland.  We're within, oh, a few minutes of pit stop time and driver changes.  If you come in early and there is a Full Course Yellow, you and your team could end up in the pound seats.  Matt Bell should stay out a while and Colin Garrett should hand off to Zac Anderson.  It is a short lap here at Barber Motorsports Park.  Johann Schwartz in the Nissan is coming back to this pack.  Charlie Postins wants by Robb Holland, has to give it up, but he continues forcing the issue!  Postins clears Robb Holland!  Wow!  That was a fabulous piece of driving and a great pass!

Holland wants to tell him "Not now, sunbeam" and Postins slams the door in Holland's face, as Johann Schwartz is now entering the frame.  No.  He's exiting.  Something is wrong with that Techsport Nissan Z NISMO GT4.  A whole conga line of cars streams past poor old Johann Schwartz who is suffering with emchanical problems.  The pit stop window is just about to open. Johann Schwartz, the Danish driver, grinds to a halt and we could see a Full Course Yellow.  He's not in a safe haven and is definitely within the line of fire.  This is very dangerous.

Safety Car deployed.  Safety Car deployed.  Oh, blazes!  Schwartz is backing up with traffic coming by.  Johann, you've got to be kidding me, mate!  I think he's just trying to park evenly on the grass.  Jonathan Neudorf will not race today.  Game over for Techsport Nissan.  Roman De Angelis' gap is shrinking and will come to naught.  Same story for poor old Matt Bell on the alternate strategy in ninth place.  A couple drivers in the pits ready to go.  Kenton Koch is one of them, who was up on the podium in the Fanatec GT World Challenge race just before this one got going.  Kenton Koch and his co-driver Conor Daly very nearly beat the now seven-time consecutive race winning DXDT Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Tommy Milner and Alec Udell.

Cars are heading for the pit lane as we hear from a dejected Jonathan Neudorf.  Johann Schwartz got a low fuel pressure alarm and the fuel pump went kaput.  OK.  These pit stops are driver change only.  Execute cleanly with a packed field.  Roman De Angelis sprung out of the Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin like getting shot out of a cannon!  Wow!  Sam Craven getting out of one of the Random Vandals BMW's handing over to Josh Green.  Matt Bell stays out and we see some positional changes as the RS1 Porsche Cayman passes the Smooge Racing Toyota Supra.      

Some drivers are aware they need to be in the pit lane with 25 minutes left on the board to not exceed the maximum of 35-minute drive time in this 60-minute motor race.  RS1 did a great jo.  Matt Bell and Alex Vogel might be on the back foot.  No one is underneath the 1:19 minimum stop time, however.  Halfway home as we are still under the safety car.  Welcome back to Matt Travis.  Matt Travis and Jason Hart have done over 100 pro races.  The facility at Barber and to see all their friends.  None of us can race forever.  Travis says that with modern medical advances until he is 200 or 300 years old.

Great to have Matt Travis back and Jason Hart is in the car now, third in Pro-Am as we reshuffle the deck to play another hand for the second half of this motor race.  Better to take your medicine now under yellow, but that won't work because the safety car is just about set to dive back into the pit lane before we unleash the hounds once again.  Matt Bell leads the motor race with Gray Newell second, and now, here comes both John Capestro-Dubets and Tyler Gonzalez to give the two leaders a king-sized ice cream headache!  Three deep at the crest of the hill.  Oh!  Gently, boys!  

Zac Anderson to the outside plunging down the Alabama Rollercoaster, he's on the move, baby!  Kenton Koch in the shadows, and poor old Tyler Gonzalez is very much the meat in a BMW sandwich.  John Capestro-Dubets in the car started by Eric Filgueiras moves inside and takes the lead away from Matt Bell.  Bell is not going quietly into the night and won't roll over to have his tummy scratched.  There's fight in the old dog yet.  JCD and Filgueiras looking for win number six on the season and have a lead over Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm.  They are sixth on the road and have tons of work to do in the final 27 minutes if they want to make it to the front.

Gray Newell is the de facto Pro-Am class leader and Zac Anderson sends it around Matt Bell!  Egad!  That was stunning!  Bell dives for the pit lane making good his escape.  They need to pit.  Teammates side by side and it's an Alabama land rush behind them!  Greenmeier works past Gray Newell, Danny Dyszelski slots up the inside and Newell is off and on.  James Clay and Jaden Lander pushing hard with Kris Wilson on his tail.  Jason Hart leading Pro-Am and James Clay passes teammate Tyler McQuarrie.  Jaden Lander and Kris Wilson in the scrum as well.

Watch the Brazilian Mattheus Leist in the red Mercedes-AMG GT4, the #89 RENNtech Motorsports red car.  He has open wheel experience here at Barber Motorsports Park, sharing with Michael Auriemma.  That red Mercedes has pace because Mattheus Leist has pole for race two tomorrow.  Leist ducks to the inside of Wilson who had no clue he was coming and the two make it through the corner without coming together!  That was close!  Phew!  I was sure that would be a massive crash!  Gray Newell has flown Plummet Airways back to eight spot under pressure.  Best lap times in the 1:29 range.

John Capestro-Dubets leads in the RS1 Porsche but Zach Anderson is up on the wheel bigtime.  They've run down John Capestro-Dubets.  Kenton Koch at the back of the train behind Anderson and Gonzalez.  Koch has to move forward to close in on JCD and Eric Filgueiras and Mattheus Leist passes Kris Wilson and chases down Gray Newell.  James Clay leads the Am class over Kris Wilson and Jaden Lander.  So now, at the top of the shop, the lead is under 4/10ths of a second between JCD, John Capestro-Dubets, and Zach Anderson.

Leist sees a gap and goes for it!  Yikes!  James Clay tries setting a pass up on Gray Newell, Leist sees an open door and needs no second invitation.  Mattheus Leist earned a victory earlier this season and Wilson goes in deep and ping pongs into Mattheus Leist!  Clay and Wilson in the Am class, scrapping, and they make contact!  Deep on the brakes and that was just not on.  Too much for the front tires to handle, the ABS kicks in and you just go straight.  Now, he is in no man's land, trapped behind Jaden Lander.  The car is fine.  He copped a massive whack there.  

At the sharp end, Zac Anderson is giving John Capestro-Dubets all he can handle and now, Tyler Gonzalez is looking for an opening to try and pounce.  2/3rds of this race is complete.  Into the final third.  Gonzalez pulling alongside going for race wins.  The points as they run in Silver, Filgueiras and Capestro Dubets lead with 223 points.  Koch and Boehm are second on 182 points, and in third it is Zac Anderson and Colin Garrett on 166 points.  A spread of just 57 points.  All of these drivers in the top four in the championship.  Koch looks inside Gonzalez, manages it but can't get past.

BMW vs. Toyota.  Gonzalez locking up, clobbering the curbs.  Wilson is off the road.  Maybe something went wrong mechanically on the car with contact, and he has suspension damage.  We have the second safety car scramble of the day.  Full Course Yellow.  Kris Wilson must have more damage or went off the road or something.  Suspension damage will put them out of the race on the official results sheet.  I think he had a separate incident.  There was major crumpling in the left front corner.  2,3 miles around the circuit with lots of elevation change.  An asymmetric setup a lot like Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.  

Most overall positions gained sees Rodrigo Baptista gaining eight spots since the start of the race, seven apiece for Mattheus Leist, Michael Cooper, and Austin Krainz, and six places gained by Tyler McQuarrie.  Rodrigo Baptista has not raced here before and the only time he was here before was being invited by Porsche with four other up and coming prospects in 2017.  He was driving a Porsche Cayman with Flyng Lizard at the time.  He raced well with the Bentley in GT3 competition with the K-PAX team.  15 minutes now remaining in the race this afternoon.

Paul Sparta and Kris Wilson looked like a lock to bring home the title but at Road America everything went pear shaped.  Random Vandals are again in the basement today here at Barber Motorsports Park.  Maybe they can bounce back tomorrow.  We see Georgina the mannequin hanging from the bridge ad she became dislodged in the IndyCar race here at Barber Motorsports Park.  Georgina in a mannequin.  The artwork around Barber Motorsports Park is eclectic and eccentric.  Mannequins, giant spiders, ants, yetis.  Still behind the safety car with less than 14 minutes of racing remaining.

Kevin Boehm had Georgina confused for a real person when she fell off her perch under Full Course Yellow and had a scare before he knew it was a mannequin and not a real human.  The BMW has been slow on the straightaway for Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm.  They weren't getting faster but everyone else was losing time with now just 12 minutes to go.  At Random Vandals Racing, you can't not say it isis ambitious.  The GT4 team expanding from two ot three cars and a first podium for the GT3 team.  We remain under safety car conditions.

Kris Wilson has finally gotten out of the car and is walking under his own steam.  Curious to know what happened because he very rarely makes mistakes.  This has cut into the second half of the race in a big way.  Watch out for Zac Anderson who wants to make amends for Road America last time out with less than ten minutes to go.  Major damage to the left front corner of the #98 Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4.  The safety car lights are off.  Less than nine minutes to settle this one this afternoon.  

The top seven drivers are John Capestro-Dubets, Zac Anderson, Tyler Gonzalez, Kenton Koch, Jason Hart, Hannah Greenmeier, and Danny Dyszelski.  Green flag!  Away we go again!  JCD leads and now, Anderson right on his tail!  This opens the door for Anderson and Gonzalez has a head of steam and here comes Kenton Koch!  Anderson to the lead.  John Capestro-Dubets side by side with the Supra of Gonzalez.  Kenton Koch wants to get by Tyler Gonzalez and he did.  JCD is in trouble and Kenton Koch pounces and moves to the inside!

Capestro-Dubets goes wide and now Koch is through tot second.  JCD is in a nightmare scenario because now he is banging wheels with Tyler Gonzalez!  The championship leader dropping like a rock.  Hannah Greenmeier will now take a shot at JCD down to fourth in class as Tyler McQuarrie passes Jason Hart.  Mattheus Leist is in the fight.  Greenmeier around JCD!  John Capestro-Dubets passes Hanna Greenmeier back.  In Pro-Am Hart and Travis are doing a one-off race.  Every position so important.  McQuarrie and James Walker Jr. in the fight for the title have taken the lead in Pro-Am.  Hart has dropped to third spot.

Could Michael Auriemma and Mattheus Leist win their second race of the year?  Five minutes to go.  Zac Anderson leads Kenton Koch by just a second and a half.  Auto Technic vs. Random Vandals.  Tyler Gonzalez in third followed by John Capestro-Dubets and Hannah Greenmeier.  Leist is piling the pressure on Tyler McQuarrie!  Can he withstand the pressure?  Mattheus Leist trying to resuscitate his career.  McQuarrie is absolutely flying right now stuck behind an out of class car.  That is Hannah Greenmeier.  Leist to the inside cutting and pasting and McQuarrie squeezes him.  

Leist won't back out of it but the BMW is too strong.  Jason Hart is there to pick up the scraps if things end in tears between Leist and McQuarrie.  Hart wants by Leist.  Anderson, Koch, Gonzalez, John Capestro-Dubets.  Kenton Koch uncorks fastest lap of the race with the gap at the front just 1.2 seconds with three minutes to go.  McQuarrie can't stall with the traffic ahead.  McQuarrie is stymied and Leist spins McQuarrie out!  McQuarrie rejoins but loses time and places.  Jason Hart is going to pick up the pieces and could be in the catbird seat with Kay van Berlo with a head of steam.

van Berlo all over Dyszelski who is in a Silver class car that is sandwiched between the top two Pro-Am cars.  Some say this track doesn't race well with sports cars.  Yeah, right.  Incident under review between Leist and McQuarrie.  Kenton Koch has caught Zach Anderson.  These two have a history.  Could this be an all-out brawl?  We'll see.  Kenton Koch was runner up in GT World Challenge America, and he wants a win.  Anderson brilliantly negotiates the braking zone in Charlott'es Web for the final time.

Hannah Greenmeier off the road in one of the two Heart of Racing Aston Martin's.  The focus is on the two BMWs at the front.  Koch nudges Anderson.  No love lost between these two drivers.  They respected each other until the incident at Road America and now, they are bitter rivals, sworn enemies.  Mattheus Leist slapped with a drive through penalty for incident responsibility by the stewards.  That promotes Jason Hart to the Pro-Am lead.  Kenton Koch closes in under the rear wing of Zac Anderson.  Anderson leaves the door open and slams it directly in Koch's face!  Anderson and Auto Technic Racing take the victory in race one at Barber Motorsports Park in Pirelli GT4 America!

On the road, Michael Auriemma and Mattheus Leist are ahead but they will cop a post-race time penalty meaning that Matt Travis and Jason Hart win the Pro-Am class in a one-off appearance!  They've been Pirelli GT4 America champions before.  James Clay and Charlie Postins will be back in victory lane in the Am class!

Overall/Silver: #51 Garrett/Anderson    AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82

             Pro-Am: #47 Travis/Hart          NOLASport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport

             Am: #36 Clay/Postins                BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82

Zac Anderson will be very happy.  Ill will in the background, Tyler McQuarrie tags Mattheus Leist.  He is not happy with the Brazilian.  The stewards will not look kindly at that.  I understand the frustration, but close racing has been a part of GT4 since the class's inception globally.  Hope to bring you more GT4 racing from Europe at some point.  Cue the dance music for the results.  Now for the victory lane celebrations.  

Wow.  What a race.  The amount of tire clag around the track was unreal.  We have another race in Pirelli GT4 America tomorrow here at Barber Motorsports Park.  Charlie Postins and James Clay are happy to bring home a true victory and not just having it handed to them.  We'll see you then, tomorrow morning, for race two.  

   


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