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.
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