The opening day of track action from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta gives us a lot to talk about going into Saturday's Petit Le Mans, the season finale for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Here's the news you can use.
Sports car racing, is my passion and I have been dedicated to it for well over two decades. A great quote from Steve McQueen in his 1971 movie, when he starred as Gulf Porsche driver Michael Delaney, comes to mind. "Racing is life. Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting." - Steve McQueen From the movie, "Le Mans" - 1971
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Thursday WeatherTech Championship News from Road Atlanta
Michelin Pilot Challenge Headlines Headed for the Season Finale at Road Atlanta
Headlines from Michelin Pilot Challenge competition heading for the season finale at Road Atlanta. We start, sadly, with an obituary. Former Michelin Pilot Challenge racer, Ramin Avdolvahabi has passed away, at age 58 after battling cancer.
Aghakhani, Mars Clinch Titles in Race 1 at Road Atlanta
Championships sealed up in both LMP3, GSX ahead of Friday's season finale...
VP Sports Car Challenge: Road Atlanta, Race 1
Hello, everybody, and welcome, to the penultimate race of the 2024 season in the IMSA VP Racing Fuels Sports Car Challenge. Today is the next to last event and tomorrow is the season finale, here at the twisting, climbing, diving layout that is the fabled Road Atlanta in the red clay hills of northern Georgia, just outside of the bustling metropolis of Atlanta, or Hot 'Lanta, as it is known, sometimes. Championships are on the line in both the LMP3 and GSX classes this afternoon, and tomorrow morning. VP Racing Sports Car Challenge from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, with fabulous weather. We are praying for those in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas, who are riding out the storm through the recent hurricanes.
Road Atlanta is a rollercoaster of a circuit. 12 turns, 2.54 miles. Turn one is the fastest turn on the track, uphill to turn three and up again through the esses into turns six and seven. Turn seven I think is the most critical corner on the track because it leads you onto the backstretch before heavy braking into turn ten. Passing will be a great opportunity, or rather I should say, the backstretch provides great passing opportunities. We have the LMP3 cars and the GSX (GT4) cars here, ready to race. Brian Till and Jeremy Shaw are here to call the action, on this perfect afternoon. Again, our thoughts are with the people affected by the hurricanes. Performance Tech Motorsports are not here, nor is KMW TMR based in Sarasota, Florida.
We have a couple new LMP3 cars here this weekend, coming over from LMP3 racing in Europe and I think, the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Two cars are here from Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports. Both of them are Duqueine chassis. Car #30 for Valentino Catalano and car #31 for Markus Pommer. Two young German drivers. Catalano starts shotgun on the field. Miguel Villagomez is sitting on the grid, and the Ecuadorian driver is having trouble finding the fire in the hole to get his #23 Escuderia ABRO Ligier JS P320 Nissan started.
The team ran a historic race with their LMP3 car here at Road Atlanta weeks ago. He will have to start shotgun on the field as the pit crew tries assisting him with the jump battery and it is started. We'll have a full field. Also, at the back in the GSX field is the new #9 Kingpin Racing Toyota Supra GT4 EVO in the hands of local driver out of Atlanta, Tyler Hoffman. He had a strong run in Free Practice and in qualifying. The team touched the car after qualifying and in doing so he was disqualified from qualifying and put at the tail end of the field.
More troubles on the grid for the #72 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 in the hands of Frank DePew, the driver out of Richmond, Virginia. His Aston Martin came to a halt, and he pulled off the racing surface. I wonder what the trouble is for the zebra car. DePew is also entered in tomorrow's feature race here at Road Atlanta, the finale for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. OK. Patrick Wilmot is on the outside of the front row while Luca Mars who scored his fourth VP Challenge pole of 2024 and in LMP3 the front row sees championship leader Steven Aghakhani starting next to his rival, Jagger Jones. Jones is the pole man.
They come down the hill towards the start/finish line and are ready to bring the action! That start was ugly! What happened there? Jones and Aghakhani nearly coming together as the field spreads out. The championship will belong to Steven Aghakhani. Aghakhani refuses to think he has won the title, though. He is focused on racing these two races this weekend and getting through them before he acknowledges and celebrates a championship. Frank DePew joins the race and so everyting looks OK although he will be half a lap down at the tail end of the field.
700 points remain on offer. Aghakhani swept the doubleheader at the start of the year at Daytona International Speedway back in January. Race Control tells us the start is under review as Jagger Jones is in the lead ahead of Steven Aghakhani. Duqueine vs. Ligier. The Ligier comes to life earlier in the races and now with the evo packages, the advantage has gone away. These cars have been evenly matched all year. In only one race, Jones did not score maximum points. These cars are evenly matched as we see Miguel Villagomez flying down through turn 12, chasing Markus Pommer, the rookie to VP Sports Car Challenge.
Pommer and teammate Valentino Catalano in the sister car for the Gebhardt team are teammates in Prototype Cup Germany which runs LMP3 cars and is sanctioned by the Dutch Creventic organization. They are champions in 2024 in Germany and are now racing in IMSA. But they are racing against each other, as Luca Mars leads GSX. The Mustang has been the class of the GSX field, all year. The Motorsports In Action McLaren is not in the races here at Road Atlanta this weekend. Jesse Lazare and the team are not here. They planned to have Jesse Lazare and Michael de Quesada driving in Michelin Pilot Challenge too. But being based in Florida, Michael de Quesada had to be home to try and make sure of the safety of his family and property due to the hurricanes.
Luca Mars leading GSX with Patrick Wilmot in second place aboard the #88 Split Decision Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82), sponsored by The Genie Company, who make garage doors and garage door openers. There is also a great scrap afoot for fourth place with Scott Blind in the highlighter yellow colored Aston Martin, car #45, the Ruckus Racing car for the driver out of Fenton, Missouri, and he is being hotly pursued by Mark Brummond from Charlotte, North Carolina, in the #25 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82).
Miguel Villagomez has had to take a drive through penalty for improper start procedure and does so as we speak. I think the team got flustered when the car wouldn't fire up and now, he will really have to motor and is praying for a Full Course Yellow to get right back in the fight. Scott Blind still has Mark Brummond right on his six in the GSX battle for fourth spot and for the Bronze driver championship. Brummond to the inside in turn ten under braking and he does the job flying down the hill. Bronze drivers have more experience in life, it is age related. Meanwhile, Tyler Hoffman in the Toyota Supra is chasing Patrick Wilmot, still. Hoffman going for second place.
The Kingpin Racing Toyota Supra is moving up, and fast. Blind leads the Bronze drivers' championship in GSX. Brummond not a contender. Angus Rogers not here, again, because of trying to survive the hurricane and make sure he and his family and friends will be OK. Patrick Wilmot and Split Decision Motorsports have done very well this season, for this small, family run team out of Tennessee. Tyler Hoffman is a regular in Lamborghini Super Trofeo in IMSA. Both Mark Brummond and Scott Blind are now falling into the clutches of Sean Quinlan aboard the #19 Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4.
This is a similar car to the one driven by current GSX leader Luca Mars. Quinlan fourth in the Bronze class championship. Under the bridge, diving through turn ten, Tyler Hoffman is determined to make his move on Patrick Wilmot for second spot in GSX! Wilmot wants to have a car to put back on the trailer at the end of the weekend while Hoffman is showing he can run for a podium. The Toyota has good traction off turn ten through the chicane over the top of the hill and now down through the esses, both cars are very evenly matched.
The LMP3 cars, particularly Jones and Aghakhani are working their way through this GSX traffic with Quinlan in the Mustang and Blind in the Aston Martin right ahead. Prototypes working through the GSX field. Jagger Jones believes the first car through traffic has the advantage to take the lead and leaves his rival to carve his way through traffic. Sometimes people think the second car has the advantage and now, Tyler Hoffman is right on Patrick Wilmot's six and what we see now is the LMP3 cars moving in on the GSX cars.
Jagger Jones plays through the traffic perfectly and makes the pass cleanly through turns five and six and this stymies Aghakhani into turn seven. Easy to lose seconds at a time to traffic. Right now, we are focusing on the third-place battle in LMP3. Brian Thienes in the #77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320 Nissan, has his hands full fending off the challenge from Markus Pommer. Pommer an experienced LMP3 driver, learning Road Atlanta and learning how VP Sports Car Challenge works. He is embroiled in a battle with a driver he knows nothing about. Ten years ago, Pommer won the German Formula 3 championship, although he has also done a lot of his more recent racing in Asia it sounds like.
Before being in Formula 3, he was a go karting champion and racing in Formula BMW and Auto GP Formula 2000 cars. Since 2016, he has also driven GT cars. Pommer has lots of experience ad is picking up Road Atlanta very quickly. Pommer hesitated to try to pass the GSX cars. He is not as familair with the drivers in VP Challenge and with Road Atlanta. His focus is on tomorrow for race two, for the finale, to really push, and is still giving Brian Thienes everything he can handle. Meanwhile, in GSX, Mark Brummond has made his move on Scott Blind. Sean Quinlan sticking to both of them like glue.
Scott Blind down towards turn ten, is drawing a bead on Brummond heading for the braking zone. Not comfortable enough to make the pass yet. These are the same GT4 spec cars we see in Michelin Pilot Challenge. They are preparing for the Michelin Pilot race, the finale. Meanwhile, Miguel Villagomez in the #23 LMP3 car is doing all he knows to try passing Mark Brummond's BMW M4 GT4. Try making the pass in turn four and if you don't, well, you just need to be patient. No race car driver is particularly good at being patient.
"Making a pass down through the esses here at Road Atlanta is inviting danger and trouble." I quote the words of Jeremy Shaw, and he is absolutely right. The esses is one of the more treacherous parts of the circuit here at Road Atlanta because if you go off the road, you will go off, big style. Brian Thienes continues fighting with Markus Pommer. Pommer is fast, experienced, and has the pedigree. He is learning the whole time, learning the racetrack, learning the format of the championship, and learning about his competitors and what they are apt to do. Brian Thienes is a legend because he is a great character and is a driver in his early 60s who has the enthusiasm of a teenager. He remains fast after racing in the Formula Atlantic, nee Toyota Atlantic open wheel series, 20 plus years ago.
Tyler Hoffman, in turn ten, puts a move for second on Patrick Wilmot in GSX and he makes it stick! Hoffman up to second place in GSX through a battle in the braking zone! Can Wilmot fight back on Hoffman? This is a fantastic battle! They are side by side again! Wilmot passes Hoffman back into turn seven! Hoffman left the door open a crack and Wilmot filled the slot. Wilmot moves back in front and Hoffman has to give it up. This is still a fight as we approach the halfway mark in this race. Sean Quinlan has also passed Scott Blind as the LMP3 traffic works through.
Quinlan chasing Mark Brummond. Brummond just wants to be a better racer, and he is beginning to make a mark, no pun intended. Brummond has also raced in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. This is probably the smallest GSX field we have seen in VP Challenge all year in 2024, but it has been some of the best racing! Wilmot continuing to hold on over Hoffman. Down the straightaway, some argy bargy, some bump and run between Markus Pommer and Brian Thienes! Wow! That was a close shave! Thienses undaunted, and nobody flinching in the GSX battle for second either.
Wilmot telling Hoffman in no uncertain terms, that he has to work to pass. We are exactly halfway through the race. Steven Aghakhani, second overall and in LMP3, goes through and was briefly in between the two GSX (GT4) cars. Aghakhani's race craft, maturity level etc. has really stepped up. He has managed the championship and is managing traffic. Brian Thienes has gapped Markus Pommer and Pommer is now falling into the clutches of his teammate, Valentino Catalano as well, look. Catalano did not make a qualifying attempt but he is beginning to move.
Maybe Pommer wants Catalano to play follow the leader, but honestly, Catalano is not giving an inch and is flashing the lights to his teammate! Again, they shared a car in LMP3 in Prototype Cup Germany. Both of them have closed up on Brian Thienes. Catalano has made up ground. His best lap in the race is a 1:18.4 while Pommer ran a 1:19.3. This is a three-car battle for third. Meanwhile, Jagger Jones leads the motor race over Steven Aghakhani to the tune of almost eight seconds. Valentino Catalano received a scholarship from the ADAC GT Masters series in Europe. They run a German championship for GT3 production cars, sanctioned by the ADAC, the German auto club, the equivalent of what AAA is here in the U.S.
Wow! Thienes and Pommer, three abreast splitting the difference on Tyler Hoffmann in the GSX Toyota Supra! Oh my! Pommer takes advantage and Catalano passes by Patrick Wilmot's BMW. This is superb! Markus Pommer has made good his escape. Choose your line. Catalano hesitated just a moment. Catalano almost makes contact with Thienes through turn six! Brian Thienes is going backwards, protecting the left side of the road. Thienes moves across to protect the line but can't quite do it. The pace seems to be fading away from Brian Thienes. Maybe the handling is going away on the car. The LMP3 cars are very nearly bulletproof at least withtheir powerplants, the 5.6 liter Nissan V8 engines.
Oh dear. Frank DePew has spun again in the #72 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin. I think that is his second or third spin in this race with just 16 and a half minutes to go. DePew has damage to the front suspension or the steering rack. This will bring out a Full Course Yellow which is going to set us up for a shootout in the last ten to 12 minutes. In this replay, accelerating hard out of turn seven, he spun off the slowest corner on the course and spun onto the painted curbs. Traction Control is great, but it doesn't always help a driver from spinning, and he clattered the wall and something broke. Again, a steering arm, probably.
DePew has had a difficult season, but his pace is improving. One more race to go in VP Challenge and he will be sharing and Aston Martin with Robin Liddell, the Scotsman, in the Michelin Pilot Challenge finale, tomorrow. Contact with the tire wall was on the drivers' side of the car. The safety workers went ot the right side of the car which leads me to guess that the drivers' door is broken and not operational due to the contact, and so, Frank DePew clambered out of the car under his own steam but on the passenger side.
Patrick Wilmot has his own cheering section with large cardboard cutouts of his face. No, it is not The Fatheads, from a children's cartoon entitled "Rocko's Modern Life". It is "The Pat Heads"! Hardy har har! I don't know if I want a picture of me, my face, blown up, around the racetrack. That would be just too weird. I think Patrick Wilmot led the effort to have "the Pat Heads" around the track. That's a hoot! Wilmot has had a fabulous battle all race with Tyler Hoffman. The fans are enjoying this race on a Thursday afternoon. For Jagger Jones, Stephen Aghakhani, for Patrick Wilmot and Tyler Hoffman, is the yellow a good thing?
This is going to give drivers a chance to cool off their Michelin tires, but your competition will close up. You want the competition as far away as it can be! For Stephen Aghakhani, he will be hoping that Jagger Jones has worn the goody out of his Michelin tires so that he can have a decisive advantage on the restart. The FastMD with Remstar Duqueine has been fast all race. Aghakhani will have a good opportunity. He has won the title and now wants a race win to finish off the year in the best possible way. Jagger Jones did not want to see this yellow.
Jagger Jones also set the fastest lap of the motor race at 1:17.9. He is 3/4 of a second away from his lap record set last year at Road Atlanta, in 2023. Steven Aghakhani is going to have his hands full with the two Gebhardt team drivers right behind him. I think this is indeed the same Gebhardt team that ran a Group C2 car in Europe in the old, World Sports Car Championship, the predecessor of today's FIA World Endurance Championship, back in the 1980s. The Gebhardt boys, both Pommer and Catalano are coming alive. Aghakhani is probably more worried about Markus Pommer and Valentino Catalano, than he is about Jagger Jones, at this stage.
Aghakhani has the GSX leading Ford Mustang for KohR Motorsports ahead of him, Luca Mars at the controls. Brian Thienes is not out of the fight either because he runs right behind the two Gebhardt cars. He is going to be glued to Catalano and Pommer when we go back to green. Aghakhani, the championship is his. He has that locked up in his pocket. But he wants at least one race win here at Road Atlanta. As we go back to green, he will do what he must, to get it. Pommer passes Mars. Did Catalano make it through? Down through the esses, Catalano has cleared Mars and the Gebhardt teammates will be in hot pursuit.
Are they going to fight amongst themselves, or are they going to really push? Just over five minutes of this race remaining. We are used to seeing many Ligier LMP3's at the top in VP Challenge but now, the Duqueine is coming to the fore. Jagger Jones rocketing away on restarts and leads Aghakhani by 1.1 seconds. Can Pommer and Catalano close the gap? Catalano wants a podium and wants to pass his teammate to be able to do it. Pommer is not put off by his teammate flashing the lights. Valentino Catalano is using the headlight flasher button.
Gebhardt ran the Momo sponsored Group C and GTP cars for years both in IMSA and again, in the World Sports Car Championship sanctioned by the FIA. A lot of experience on that team. Gebhardt ran their own cars in the '80s. Jagger Jones is now 1.4 seconds clear of Stephen Aghakhani with just a couple of laps remaining. What will dinner be like for the Gebhardt team tonight with the teammates racing hard? Gebhardt likes to race. Will they be in IMSA and VP Challenge next year in 2025 after winning titles in Germany? We'll see. Two more Duqueine chassis' competing and of course, Jagger Jones has the other Duqueine for FastMD Racing with Remstar.
Jones uncorks the fastest lap of the race! Last year he had a mechanical issue later in one of the two races. He ran out of fuel, in truth. White flag next time by. There will be one lap remaining. Aghakhani had a 700-point lead when Jagger Jones showed up at St. Petersburg. Since that time, he has been undefeated save for a technical infraction at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park back in July. The vast majority of the crew members at FastMD Racing is between 20 and 22 years old. They too, are young, getting the job done for Jagger Jones. Jones won in Canada that weekend. Meanwhile, Pommer and Catalano are still scrapping and this is the final lap of the race.
Catalano right on Pommer's six! Catalano looks inside, nothing doing. Jagger Jones wins another race! Eight wins in nine races in 2024! Another win for FastMD Racing with Remstar. Aghakhani not throwing it away. He wants good finishes and smart races. One straightaway to go for Luca Mars from outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He leads by seven and a half seconds over second place Patrick Wilmot. Luca Mars wins GSX in race one at Road Atlanta. Three poles, six victories, and a GSX championship! This is another Florida based team.
Oh my. A ten second post-race time penalty has been assessed to Jagger Jones, but I think he will keep the victory. In this replay, the startt was scruffy as many cars were out of line. So this changes things! Jones gets a penalty! Aghakhani wins!
Overall/LMP3: #6 Stephen Aghakhani MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320 Nissan
GSX: #59 Luca Mars KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4
...And then, there was one. One more race to be run for IMSA VP Sports Car Challenge at Road Atlanta, tomorrow, to determine the champions. We'll see you tomorrow for that one. For now, from Road Atlanta, bye bye.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
IMSA WeatherTech Championship News Heading for the Petit Le Mans (Your Wednesday Road Atlanta update)
All the news you can use from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship heading for the season finale, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. This is likely the first update of several, throughout the weekend.
DXDT Racing Joins IMSA with Corvette Z06 in 2025!
From Formula Jonah. DXDT Racing confirms that they will join the IMSA grid next year competing in the GT field with a Corvette Z06 GT3.R! This will be the 4th Chevy Corvette on the grid, and it will be using the number 36. Find out all the details on this news as DXDT Racing joins the WeatherTech Championship grid in 2025!
It All Comes Down to This! | Petit Le Mans IMSA Race Preview
From Off in the Esses. This is everything you need to know ahead of IMSA's season finale at Road Atlanta!
IMSA Official Website News Heading for the Petit Le Mans
We are gearing up for the finale of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. Here are some pre-race stories to look at from the official IMSA website. Plenty more still to come.
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
DOUBLE STINT: Indy 8H Recap; News Roundup & More (10-15-24)
Davey Euwema joins Jonathan Grace for this week's episode of Double Stint...
Indianapolis 8 Hours recap, incoming.
https://sportscar365.com/podcasts/double-stint-indy-8h-recap-news-roundup-more-2/
Monday, October 14, 2024
Indianapolis 8 Hours Race Recap & Post-Race News
The race recap and post-race news after the finale of both the SRO GT World Challenge America and SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge campaigns in 2024, the Indianapolis 8 Hours at "The Brickyard", Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Sunday Indianapolis Motor Speedway Race Broadcasts
Race broadcasts of the Sunday season finales for GT America, TC America, and Pirelli GT4 America at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on SRO GTWorld on YouTube. Ryan Myrehn, and Calvin Fish call the action from the broadcast booth, with Amanda Busick, as always, reporting from the pit lane.
RENNtech Wins Race 2; JCD, Filgueiras Take Silver Title
Leist, Auriemma win at The Brickyard, as GT4 America class champions crowned...
https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt4-america/renntech-wins-race-2-filgueiras-jcd-claim-silver-title/
Pirelli GT4 America: Indianapolis, Race 2
OK, everyone. This is it. The final big race of the weekend, the final big race of the 2024 SRO America season. This is the last chance to put it all on the line for a victory before the offseason beckons. One more hour of flat out racing for the GT4 cars in Pirelli GT4 America, here at "The Brickyard", Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is about to begin. It is time to wrap up a dramatic 2024 Pirelli GT4 America season. The Pro-Am title has been settled. But in Silver and Am, it is going to be a winner takes all situation in the next hour. Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish calling the action. On Friday, the Pro-Am title was clinched. The Pro class points leaders are separated by four markers while the Am class battle is only a seven-point spread.
GT4 America going from strength to strength. If you have a favorite manufacturer, they are here. These cars can go side by side and the straightaways require the horsepower. Hello to Amanda Busick reporting from the pit lane for this morning's finale who is standing by with one of the Am class contenders, Robb Holland. Gorgeous weather again this morning. Holland thinks he will win the title because his car has been great all weekend. Robb Holland sharing with Jaden Lander and the sister car from Rotek Racing, the sister Porsche Cayman in the hands of Myles Roe and Isaac Sherman. They are on pole in class. They want to cruise to the finish. He is as cool as a cucumber with everything at stake. A veteran racer who has driven at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, and in the World Touring Car Championship and British Touring Car Championship.
Yesterday, in race one, it was a good day to be a Toyota Supra driver. Smooge Racing took the honors yesterday with Tyler Gonzalez and Corey Lewis and thus, they are at the top of the shop for this race, for the finale. The Supra's look incredible competitive. They could easily sweep the weekend. Corey Lewis came on with Smooge Racing midway through the season deputizing for John Geesbreght. Jesse Webb is now back at JMF Motorsports in their Mercedes-AMG GT4 alongside his co-driver from 2023, Michai Stephens. Many of these drivers in Pirelli GT4 America, also compete in Fanatec GT World Challenge in the GT3 cars.
Watch for Eric Filgueiras going for his third title in three years, and what would be his second one in the GT4 category. He won a GT3 title in 2023 in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Filgueiras, and co-driver John Capestro-Dubets, are battling against the #97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm. Paul Sparta, due to injury, has missed the end of the season and will test over the offseason. Michael Kanisczak has been a great relief driver and has stepped up his game for the Random Vandals team, filling in for Paul Sparta.
30 cars will start this race. It should be a fun race. Race one yesterday was clean and maybe today's will be, too. OK. The safety car pulls to the pit lane. Toyota Supra vs. Mercedes on the front row. On row two, a McLaren Artura and a Porsche Cayman. BMW M4 GT4 and a Porsche in row three. Row four is all BMW. To the acceleration zone they come. Flagman Tom Hansing has the green flag at the ready. We go green for the final time in Pirelli GT4 America! A great jump there, look, for Corey Lewis while a good chunk of this field is lagging behind.
It is four and five wide as the field fans out big style in the back half of the pack! Corey Lewis leading and now the #102 McLaren of the Italian, Dario Capitanio slots into second place. It is three abreast for the scrap for seventh, eighth, and ninth spot, as Kenton Koch is poking his nose in as well. Eric Filgueiras, the championship leader in the Silver division is also right in this hornet's nest. That is the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman. The field of 30 cars made it through turn one. At the end of Hulman Boulevard, will they make it to turn seven? Yes. Eric Filgueiras now makes his move on Josh Green. Green at the wheel of the #94 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 sharing that car with Sam Craven.
Kenton Koch moves from fifth to third on lap one. This is incredibly close between the top two in the Silver class. Eric Filgueiras must keep his nose clean and fight hard. Filgueiras and John Capestro-Dubets lead by a mere four points over Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm in the main Random Vandals BMW. So, it is mano e mano between RS1 and Random Vandals for the title. Green trying to grab a place back from Filgueiras and does so. Not for class position but for the overall. Paul Sparta probably sent a note to Josh Green saying, "mate, whenever you are around the #28, give them fits. Give them a hard time. Don't let them off easy. Just don't play dirty."
Tight quarters, cut and thrust in the midfield. The cars make downforce but not so much that they can't run close together as Corey Lewis and Smooge Racing lead. Charlie Postins has made it to the lead of the Am class passing Jaden Lander. Lander though, he might still be in a spot where he can win the title in the Am division. Kenton Koch chasing Dario Capitanio. The race start is under review by the stewards as we speak. Jesse Webb has now flown Plummet Airways from second on the grid down to tenth. He is in recovery mode. I wonder if he had an acceleration issue as Eric Filgueiras is being chased by the pure sports car racing rookie, Myles Rowe.
Myles Rowe is right behind Eric Filgueiras. Rowe can showcase his talent and how quickly he can adapt in a GT4 car just the same as Alex Palou did in the 8 Hours yesterday switching from an IndyCar to GT3. Rowe ran in Indy Next, the development series on the IndyCar ladder. Kenton Koch pressuring Dario Capitanio for second spot. Koch closing in on being a class leader but is fighting an out of class car. Don't puncture a tire or damage the bodywork. The BMW has the legs on the McLaren down the front straightaway.
Koch now in hot pursuit of Corey Lewis. Paul Sparta, the Random Vandals team boss is looking on. Sparta says that there's positive but nervous energy within the team. Heads down and getting right to work. Move forward. Stay on the road. Be smart. Race to win. Eric Filgueiras and Josh Green are running liner stern and carving their way through the field. Myles Rowe, the rookie, he wants a bite of the cherry in his scrap with Eric Filgueiras. Excuse me. Green is ahead of Filgueiras and then comes Myles Rowe next in the serial. Rowe wants to show his talent but must be aware of the scenarios around him that Eric Filgueiras in a different class is in the midst of a championship fight.
Rodrigo Baptista, the Brazilian, has the #5 Flying Lizard Motorsports Nissan Z NISMO GT4 off in the grass, sharing that car with Canadian Damir Hot. He is hemorrhaging places hand over fist, fighting with Ryan Eversley sharing with Terry Borcheller. That is the #07 Precision Racing L.A. Toyota Supra. Eversley backed by team boss Mario Biundo. Josh Green, former Road to Indy open wheel racer who simply ran out of budget, and then, tested with Random Vandals earlier in the summer, finding his talent. Second in class with 11 minutes of racing elapsed.
Eric Filgueiras must make hay while the sun shines. Kris Wilson is now right behind Jaden Lander insofar as class position. No decision yet made on the race start. There was a warning issued to Myles Rowe for blocking. John Capestro-Dubets sitting with Tom Kopchinski, racer, and proprietor of Community Beer Works, the sponsor of RS1. Zac Anderson and Colin Garrett are very competitive so far with Anderson running fifth overall and fourth in the Silver class. Points in the Silver division right now are very close with just two separating Random Vandals Racing BMW and RS1 Porsche. Nothing is done and dusted yet.
A tiebreaker would be for most wins in the 2024 season between the two teams. This is going to be a nailbiter for both teams. Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm cannot fully control their own destiny. It depends on where JCD and Eric Filgueiras finish. 25, 18, 15, and two point drops from that point on. We have been racing for almost 1/4 of the way. A calm race, no argy bargy thus far. Josh Green is really giving the pressure to Zac Anderson currently. Green from upstate New York. He has a heap of experience. He was runner up in the 2019 Formula 1600 championship graduating to Formula 2000 in 2020.
He ran a couple seasons in Formula 2000 before going to Indy Pro 2000 and made a handful, of starts, six, in Indy Next in 2023 before the funding fell through. In the Am class, Charlie Postins leads with Jaden Lander dropping to second and Kris Wilson in third place. Wilson must run ahead of the #099 Porsche and make up ground. Matt Million passes Charlie Postins, not in the same class. Postins and James Clay have won the last two Am class titles, but it has been a rough season in 2024 for them, winning just a handful of races this year. If they won in class today it would be a massive morale boost going into 2025.
We are eight minutes away from the opening of the pit window for pit stops to occur including only driver changes of course. No tire changes in Pirelli GT4 America except for what we saw in the three-hour enduro at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, last spring. 108 seconds is the maximum pit stop delta time as we have a car spun off to the inside! That looks to be the #7 Porsche Cayman! That is the Curt Swearingin and Kay van Berlo entry for ACI Motorsports! Steam billowing from under the bonnet of the Porsche.
They had no worries about the results because the title is wrapped up but it is bad news nonetheless. Corey Lewis is going to be in a pickle with the compression and more damage. Lee Carpentier has right front damage with more smoke pouring off the right front corner for the #52 Nolasport Porsche Cayman he is sharing with David Peterman. A radiator puncture for car #7. Game over. We have the safety car on the circuit with a shade over 40 minutes left on the board. This eliminates any gaps. No action taken by the stewards RE: the race start.
The cleanup of the accident will eat into the pit window opening. Massive commitment there, in this replay, from Swearingin, plowing into David Peterman. He came into the corner with unabated speed, so I wonder if there was a mechanical problem, heaven forbid, a stuck throttle. We are now under safety car conditions. This reminds us of the race at Barber Motorsports Park where half the field passed the safety car and half the field got trapped. John Capestro-Dubets is suited and booted and ready to go. He is a little nervous but is going to give it everything.
His injury last year put him on the sidelines but now he is really going for it. Kevin Boehm will be in the #97 Random Vandals BMW. Filgueiras and JCD have the tiebreaker for wins in 2024. JCD was hurt and he ended up missing races at Road America last year. Teammate Zac Anderson raced solo on a couple occasions. John Capestro-Dubets had a late call up to join RS1 in this year's championship. Lee Carpentier, very frustrated with being out of this race. The pit window will open very soon. It should open in the next lap or two. Everyone needs a bite of the apple, so, the safety car ought to slow down a wee bit.
We could see a copy and paste from what we saw at Barber Motorsports Park a couple weekends ago. The pace behind the safety car, and the timing, will be the determining factor on these pit stops. Or are we going back to green? We are going green, but you can still dive for the pit lane. Corey Lewis, the leader, is in control of the field. Pits are open and it looks like half the field chooses to come in and half the field chooses to stay out. Dario Capitanio moves to the lead of the race in the #102 TPC Racing McLaren Artura GT4 he's sharing with American Alan Grossberg.
Green flag. How will this come out in the wash? Green looking to the inside of Capitanio and to the inside of second place man Danny Dyszelski in the #77 VPX Motorsports Porsche Cayman. Dyszelski, the American driver, sharing that car with Canadian Cayden Goodridge. No dice on that move. Myles Rowe in fourth and looking feisty. RS1 in the lane for the driver change to John Capestro-Dubets. The Random Vandals BMW is in and so is the Smooge Racing Toyota Supra. Corey Lewis turning it over to Tyler Gonzalez.
Now, Eric Filgueiras' job is done. John Capestro-Dubets will bring it home. Kris Wilson now aboard the #98 Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4. This is going to be a squeaker in the second half of the race. Gonzalez splits both Boehm and Filgueiras. Colin Garrett jumps in front and separates the leaders. Here comes the field! Holy Schnikes! This is going to be unreal! Battles raging on the road while half of the field is blending in from the pit lane! A real mixed candy dish but don't spill the candy on the floor! You spill it, you clean it up.
Kevin Boehm has a great getaway, but he enters the hornet's nest right in the middle of it and this could turn into a game of dodge 'em cars. He is also a lap down. Kevin Boehm gets with the program and is underway. The Supra gets stymied in the pack and he can gap John Capestro-Dubets now at the wheel of the #28 RS1 Porsche. Kevin Boehm is the meat in the sandwich and there's contact as he has a clatter with one of the other Porsche Cayman's in the field! Deary me! Boehm, one of the title fighters, is dropping like a stone and that contact will be under scrutiny from Race Control as he tags the #18 Pro-Am class RS1 Porsche Cayman of Austin and Roland Krainz!
Boehm was in no man's land between cars, between Austin Krainz on one side and Myles Rowe on the other. JCD goes through passing Boehm in the #97 and if they continue to run this way, RS1 will be the champions. In this replay, I think we can see what happened, with the overlap of the cars out of pit lane and back onto the track. Boehm had no place else to go when the two Porsche's pinched him. He was the cream filling in the middle of the chocolate wafer cookies there. Boehm and Random Vandals Racing are now on the back foot having to play catch up.
We have seen drama in other final SRO America races this morning and GT4 America could be the same way. The pit lane minimum stop time is longer than a lap time here at Indianapolis. Both Silver contenders pitted and in the Am class there's split strategy. Uh oh. Kevin Boehm has damage to the #92 Random Vandals Racing BMW! There's a right front puncture, or possible suspension damage to that automobile. Oh man! The championship has gone up in smoke for Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch! Four years in a row, Boehm has come up short in the GT4 championship fight after winning multiple touring car titles in SRO competition here in the states.
2024 will not be his year. In replay, he tried to turn and the suspension broke in the chicane. Problems, too for Tyler Gonzalez with smoke emanating from the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota Supra! Yesterday's winner is also in trouble, and we could see Tyler Gonzalez and Corey Lewis headed for the house early! Blimey! Can you believe it?! Gonzalez scampers into the pits. Gonzalez has a flat left rear tire, and the left rear suspension looks to be broken. That Toyota Supra is crabbing as he enters the pit lane. The Am class battle was split. Random Vandals pitted. Rotek Racing stayed out.
Now, Rotek Racing are in the lane as we speak. No. This is the sister #098 car. Myles Rowe has finished his stint and hand the car to Isaac Sherman to take it to the finish this morning. Gonzalez, all by his lonesome, in the sweeper in turn 12. He was jolly lucky to not hit anything or be hit by anyone. Now, this means there will be no weekend sweep for Smooge Racing here at Indianapolis and we will have a new race winner half an hour as this second and final race of the weekend and the championship finale for 2024 in Pirelli GT4 America is half over.
Boehm has limped to the pit lane. He and Kenton Koch are out of the race. Game over. The pit crew cannot believe this is happenng to them! One of the cooling hoses for the brakes has been split and there's right front suspension damage as well. Broken suspension on the Random Vandals BMW. Kenton Koch understandably speechless. Their championship effort is over. They got divebombed and sandwiched between two out of class cars. He feels terrible for the team at Random Vandals and the whole team has been firing on all cylinders.
Kevin Boehm says that he has to look at the incident and says he saw two cars going for position, one driving well, and the other, driving like he forgot other cars were on track. Boehm is understandably gutted for the team. Kevin Boehm's second season in Pirelli GT4 America. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The Am class title is still in the balance. Robb Holland racing with Michael Kanisczak. Here are the Am class standings as we have passed the halfway mark and have just over 27 minutes to go.
Congratulations to our winners, and champions in Pirelli GT4 America, here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and in the 2024 season. Pirelli GT4 America season 2024 is in the bag. We'll see you next year, for more racing action, in 2025. For now, from the fabled yard of bricks in Speedway, Indiana, so long, everybody, and take care.
TC America: Indianapolis, Race 2
It is time now for the season finale of the 2024 SRO TC America touring car championship, here at "The Brickyard", Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has come to this. 40 minutes more of racing, before we put a bow on the season. We are at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, opening in 1909, with the road course opening 91 years later, in 2000. This is the end of an era as after today's race, the TCA class will be relegated to the history books and there will be a single, merged class for next year in 2025 with TCX and TC spec cars racing together in one format. Everyone looking to send off this current class structure in style with all three championships decided. We have Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth, and in pit lane, deputizing for Amanda Busick, is D.J. Clark.
We had a lot of mechanical trouble for the Mini JCW cars in race one on Friday. Both classes of the Mini's had a myriad of punctures in race one and have made adjustments to compensate. We have a 14 turn, 2.439-mile layout here at Indianapolis, dominated by the two long straightaways. Survive the first couple of corners here this morning. Race one was a thriller in TCX between Celso Neto and Chris Walsh! That was bananas! That was probably the best race of the year! Hopefully they can cut and paste that performance into race two here this morning. The new Acura Integra really hit it's stride but the BMW M2 CS (Cup) is out of homologation after this race is done today.
Watch the black #23 BMW in this race in the hands of Cameron Steller, who, (pardon the pun) had a "stellar" race debut on Friday. Stellar is only 16 years old but he showed some great race craft over race one on Friday. Maybe he can catch the leaders. In the TC class, Jeff Ricca finally earned his first championship at Barber Motorsports Park and Hyundai, on Friday, swept the podium at Indianapolis with eight wins in 2024 hoping to make it nine. This is the last race of the year. The championships were decided in race two at Barber Motorsports Park. Winning at this spectacular, historic race track, is the goal.
Our mate Ryan Myrehn's dad, Bruce, is looking to have a great performance in the Mini in the TCA class. He was joking about it being his first professional pit stop. It is his last guaranteed start of the year, and he could be back in 2025, but we shall see. Again, Celso Neto is on a hot streak. P.J. Groenke, the champion in TCA on pole for the signoff of the TCA class. We are getting set for a start, for one last time in 2024 with the safety car lights off. The field in the hands of Brazilian Celso Neto, now a Florida native.
As always, the TCX cars start first followed by the TC and TCA fields. Celso Neto approaches the VP Acceleration Zone. Green flag! Away we go! Celso Neto assumes the lead and we see a three-wide battle for second, third, and fourth place. Cooper Broll on the outside, with Cameron Steller on the inside. TCX champion for 2024, Chris Walsh, the meat in the sandwich. The TC class gets a start now and we see a TCA battle between Bruce Myrehn, Alain Lauziere, and Alex Garcia. Meanwhile, Cristian Perocarpi had a very short race one on Friday with mechanical woes.
He is already making up places hand over fist making a bold move on the Hyundai of Ron Zaras. The Mini's have pace and Perocarpi wants a win at his home track living just west of Indianapolis. Side by side, Scott Thomson under pressure from Vin Anatra. Mini vs. Hyundai. Thomson doing double duty having raced in Mustang Challenge in the one make championship sanctioned by IMSA. Chris Walsh recovering after Celso Neto got around him at the beginning of the race as Cameron Steller begins moving forward.
Steller is driving the #23 BMW M2 CS (Cup) for Fast Track Racing and Eagle's Canyon. Other drivers to keep an eye on will be contenders such as Cooper Broll and Aaron Kaplan. Broll aboard the #19 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra, teammate to Celso Neto, and Aaron Kaplan aboard the #18 Kaplan Racing Systems BMW M2. The tires are taking a wee while to come up to temperature. Neto needs to manage his tires although he is comfortable at the top of the shop currently. Cristian Perocarpi wants third and snags it away from Connor Attrell in turn 12 which has subtlety with the camber of the road as he is now racing after Sally McNulty. McNulty in the #780 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC for Ricca Autosport.
Here comes Cristian Perocarpi with a tuned up Mini. Hyundai vs. Mini, down the straightaway at Hulman Boulevard, but Perocarpi and McNulty come together and McNulty spins off the road and onto the grass! McNulty slides into the tire barriers! Oh dear! What a setback for McNulty. She really had a good run going this morning. Perocarpi couldn't avoid clattering into her. Connor Attrell has made the pass after that fracas. That is very tough for the stewards insofar as incident responsibility as we see damage to the Mini of Perocarpi on the right front corner.
He has a tire rub, with telltale smoke. Perocarpi not afraid to be aggressive. The incident is under review by the stewards. Jeff Ricca leads in class by five seconds over the battle we are watching between Attrell, Perocarpi, and Ron Zaras. Vin Anatra and Ron Zaras are also business partners in a motorsports related venture. At the front, Neto is comfortable with Walsh giving chase. At LAP Motorsports and Mini JCW, the bodywork is rubbing but no suspension concerns. The trouble will be in the radiator. Perocarpi is losing pace. He might be in more trouble than we thought. No fluid leaking but his performance level is dropping.
Hyundai 1-2-3 in class. Hyundai of course have announced an LMDh program under the Genesis brand in a couple of years. Hyundai has been in TCR, TCA, and TC. They have done it quietly and understanding the marketing value of motor racing. Jeff Ricca has been building touring cars on behalf of Hyundai in the U.S. and has raced all over the world going to Korea to race in domestic series. Perocarpi has had a penalty issued for his coming together with Sally McNulty. He is losing pace. The penalty is easier to digest, and he will serve it, dropping him well down the order.
Celso Neto is building his lead in TCX and has Cameron Steller in third and within striking distance of the champion, Chris Walsh. Walsh has driven very well all season. Celso Neto has upped the game in the second half of the year. Walsh on the defensive against Steller who is feeling it right now. Well, well, well. Neto might be able to push the bye bye button if these two chaps are embroiled in their fight, Steller and Walsh, working their way past the TCA Mini of Andy Sellers. Sellers aboard the #65 car, 19th and last in the order.
Hit your marks and don't do shallow entries in the corner because that will ruin your lap time. Walsh and Steller separated by just a hundredth of a second. Everyone is sensibly dropping their pace having set it well. Cooper Broll is two seconds down on this battle but is hanging tough and could reel in the two BMW's ahead, Walsh and Steller. Aaron Kaplan has been outshone by Cooper Broll throughout this weekend. P.J. Groenke, the TCA champion elect is leading the class after winning the 2017 TCB championship.
We don't know what P.J.'s future will be. He wants to win at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He leads Alex Garcia in the Skip Barber Racing Honda #14, by 5.6 seconds. Groenke has not yet won at Indianapolis and wants to win at "The Brickyard". Alex Garcia will run three races in succession. We will see him in Pirelli GT4 America with his brother Michael Garcia in a Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin GT4 and then he will race in the final event, the Toyota GR Cup series second race. Alain Lauziere, the veteran of Canadian Touring Cars, is behind.
Garcia points Celso Neto by with the turn signal which shows how production-based these cars are. Well known drivers now in GT competition in several areas have come through the touring car ranks in SRO such as Michael Cooper, Samantha Tan, and many others. Squeeze the performance out of these cars, roll speed through the corners. Get the lap time out of the car efficiently. Soon we will be halfway home in the final race of 2024. A puff of smoke from the right front of Chris Walsh's car. Cameron Steller keeping the pace well.
Ricca is firmly in control of the TC class. We have an update on Chris Walsh and Carrus Callas Raceteam are a tad worried, but they believe the Acura will fade and they are saving their stuff before they go for it to get to the front in the second half of the race this morning. Meanwhile, ye olde plot doth thicken between the Mini's! Bruce Myrehn passes Alain Lauziere. Ryan's dad moves to third spot. OK. Myrehn has the final podium place. Lauziere tries the inside again. Side by side for the teammates and late, but perfect. Myrehn's Mini, dancing, as he leaves the braking to the last moment. Lauziere closing in.
Jeff Ricca clears these two. Over the curbs nicely through turn ten. Get the power down, free the car up, don't run wide. Alain Lauziere, a savvy veteran, racing Mini's in Canada, and the United States, both. Just over 16 minutes to go in the season. Bruce Myrehn is being consistent not making any mistakes. Another braking duel into turn seven with Lauziere passing again scrapping with Bruce Myrehn. A great battle for the final step on the podium. Myrehn's alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, has their engineering school and their Formula SAE car here at Indianapolis this weekend. Bruce Myrehn using the draft making a later inside move than Lauziere.
There isn't anything to choose between the two Mini's. He has done multiple ten-hour club level endurance races at the speedway and it is his third year racing at Indianapolis. There is an art to letting faster cars come through without losing lap time. Cristian Perocarpi lets the team cars play through and now, Lauziere is making his move but now, Bruce Myrehn is pressing Alain Lauziere, and the battle remains door to door into turn one again. Deepp on the brakes. This is fabulous racing! Don't get out in the gray. he has the inside in turn five.
Lauziere through the shortcut and now Ron Zaras tries stealing a spot. This is for third and fourth in the TCA class. Drivers puhsing with all they have in the final 12 minutes of the race with the tires going away. Bruce Myrehn is being helped by longtime friend and mentor Dan Fargo when Bruce and Ryan went Spec Miata racing a decade ago. Lauziere moves past Bruce Myrehn. He has more speed compared to Bruce at this moment but there is not uch to choose between them. Celso Neto leads Chris Walsh and a big slide! Who woll take the shortcut? I think Lauziere tries it.
The battle continues. Ten and a half minutes remaining in the 2024 season. Traffic ahead. Neto remains in the overall lead. Slide job for Lauziere, drifting! The key to get out of it in a front wheel drive car is mashing the gas pedal. This is so much fun! For the drivers, and for us watching. These cars have traditional 5 speed, H pattern gearboxes and the Mini team is working with the drivers on short shifting. This is the best battle on the road. Alain Lauziere goes wide. Nepotism has nothing to do with why we are watching this scrap.
Cristian Perocarpi in the pit lane with the team removing the right front wheel. Oh dear. Celso Neto drops a wheel. We saw Laurin Heinrich almost lose it in the 8 Hour yesterday in the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche. Jeff Ricca, meanwhile, is dominating the TC class. Ricca looking for win number nine in 2024. The curb goes away when you aren't done with the braking zone. You turn in right at the end and load up the right rear in the dust. That's the trouble. Ricca has caught Chris DeFreitas in one of the Acura Integra's. He is a doctor in Miami, Florida, and a racing driver. He stumbled into this later in life but loves it.
He is driving with the Racer's Edge Acura team, the same team that races the NSX GT3 in Fanatec GT World Challenge America. Four holes of the Brickyard Crossing golf course are within the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When Roger Penske bought the speedway, he took the grounds crew from the golf course and asked them to also look at the grass around the speedway. Now. Walsh is still scrapping with Steller! They pass both Bruce Myrehn and Alex Garcia as Jeff Ricca is in the pit lane after leading in the TC class! Oh my! Only five minutes remaining in the race! Connor Attrell, the Canadian, who like Lauziere, has experience in the Canadian Touring Car Championship, leads at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The bonnet goes up on Ricca's car! This has to be frustrating. This is the chassis that caught fire at Barber and the underside of the bonnet is still singed. The car had something pop off of it underneath. It is Jeff Ricca's birthday, and this is not what he wanted as a "gift". We could still see a Hyundai 1-2-3 sweep of the podium. Ron Zaras and Vin Anatra have released a lifestyle brand based on driving. Drivers' Era. Check it out. P.J. Groenke is now a champion with all his sponsors and he is a great personality, too. He is full of joy and loves racing. He makes a little go a long way.
White flag next time by for Celso Neto who has had a quiet race this Sunday compared to the door-to-door scrapping with Chris Walsh on Friday. White flag for the Brazilian. One lap to go. He will sweep at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! What will Celso Neto do in the future? He graduated to TCX this year. The Acura now is within the window of the BMW and that was hairy! Neto almost clattered into P.J. Groenke! Both have dodged a major bullet! Through the final turns, Celso Neto wins race two and sweeps the weekend at Indianapolis! Two for two at "The Brickyard"! P.J. Groenke wins Indianapolis! Connor Attrell is going to win in the TC class!
Overall/TCX: #22 Celso Neto Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S
TC: #75 Connor Attrell Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC
TCA: #62 P.J. Groenke Mini JCW Team Mini JCW
P.J. Groenke wins a second title! He wins the final TCA class race ever and has won at every track on the schedule! Congratulations! Connor Attrell wins his first race in TC competition. Cue the dance music for the results. Celso Neto wins in TCX and overall, by four seconds. Let the celebration begin for Celso Neto! P.J. Groenke is so happy! He is absolutely elated! Be careful! He says "I love Indy! Thank you! We're number one! I can't wait to kiss the bricks!" Celso Neto too, is very happy with his win on a super dirty track after the eight-hour enduro for the GT3 cars yesterday. He is thankful to his team, his sponsors and more.
He is excited for the future. For Connor Attrell, representing his team and Hyundai, and a podium lockout, winning at Indianapolis with Ricca Autosport! Another great victory for Connor Attrell! P.J. Groenke is so happy! It doesn't et any better than this, winning at Indy for the season. He is incredibly thankful for his sponsors, SRO TC America, and he is the final TCA champion! Congratulations, P.J. Groenke! Well done! What a season it was for SRO TC America. Excited for 2025! We'll see you then. Enjoy the offseason everyone. Bye bye.
Rothberg Wins Season Finale; O'Connell Claims Championship
Johnny O'Connell claims GT America title with second place finish in Race 2...
https://sportscar365.com/sro/gt-america/rothberg-wins-season-finale-oconnell-claims-championship/
GT America: Indianapolis, Race 2
Well, well. A good Sunday morning to everyone as we once again prepare to worship upon the altar of speed, at "the cathedral", Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Speedway, Indiana. Here we are for day two of the action, after a thriller of an Indianapolis 8 Hour, last night! We saw a wild and fantastic GT America race one from Indianapolis on Friday. Now, it is time for the finale. For one final time in 2024, it is time to go racing in GT America powered by AWS. We say hello and good morning, once again, to our pals Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth, and Amanda Busick in the pit lane, ready to tell the story of the finale of the SRO GT America season.
We have a fabulous grid of GT3, GT2, and GT4 cars. Now, remember something before we get started. The GT4 title was signed, sealed, and delivered, by Isaac Sherman a while ago, when he wrapped up the whole deal and locked it up in his pocket at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, in September. Any one of three drivers can claim the SRO3 title. Justin Rothberg is the pole man for today's race. He has the longest shot of the three title contenders who are going for that championship trophy today. Jason Daskalos in third and Johnny O'Connell in sixth are his rivals who want to snatch the title opportunity away from Rothberg. It is going to be another exciting episode of the Jason, Justin, and Johnny Show today, ladies and gentlemen.
Bear with us. We are going to be setting the calculator and the computer keyboard on fire here in the next 40 minutes. OK. Johnny O'Connell failed to score fastest lap in race one on Friday, but he did score a big points swing to Jason Daskalos, and he sits merely six points behind the Mercedes driver. Now, typically, in one of these races, the Audi R8 LMS GT3. These are short, sharp races. O'Connell knows he must finish ahead of Jason Daskalos. For Daskalos, trying to earn a title in this series has been a Sisyphean task, rolling the boulder up the hill only for that darn boulder to roll right back down. He has been so close before but this could be the breakthrough year.
Of course we have this fabled venue, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it is such a special place, opening in 1909 with the road course debuting for Formula 1 in 2000. It is a calm, warm morning, as the GT3 and GT4 cars' engines come to life. Justin Rothberg just has to run his own race, according to his father. Rothberg said, "I know what I am doing", echoing the famed quote during a race said by the Formula 1 legend, Kimi Raikkonen. Rothberg was elated to be a champion in Fanatec GT World Challenge America in his class. Now he has to refocus and get back into another race.
The first order of business for everyone, on this chilly morning at Indianapolis, is to get temperature into the Pirelli tires because GT America does not use tire warmers. Before we get started, let's have a brief Captain Cook at the points table scenario among the contenders.