No. 6 K-PAX Racing Lamborghini wins after Giovanni Venturini's final lap pass...
Thursday, May 6, 2021
GT World Challenge America: Circuit of the Americas, Race 2
Another day, another race for GT World Challenge America, at Circuit of the Americas, in Austin, Texas. Race two of the weekend is getting set for blastoff. It is all about today. The professional driver in the Pro-Am combinations will start the race, and in this 90 minute motor race, of course, there is a mandatory pit stop between the 40 and 50 minute mark. 45 minutes, being bang on the money for the halfway mark in the GT World Challenge America race today. The minimum pit stop delta is 77 seconds. Refueling and driver changes are obviously a part of that.
The same is true with tires.
Now, Inception Racing, these chaps are going to be ones to watch. This is the McLaren 720S GT3, car #70 for
American Brendon Iribe and Brit Ollie Milroy.
Yesterday, they did well and had lots of speed. Here we go.
They come through turn 20. Philip
Ellis in the Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT3, car #33, on pole. Giacomo Altoe in the #9 TR3 Racing
Lamborghini Huracan GT3 to his outside.
Green flag! It’s go time for race
two at Austin! Robby Foley once again,
is shot from a cannon at the start of the motor race! He is flying ‘round the outside, going to the
flank of the McLaren already!
Ellis leads the motor race with Giacomo Altoe in the
Lamborghini and Jan Heylen in the Porsche in hot pursuit. Uh oh!
Two cars off the road already!
Giacomo Altoe in the Lamborghini and Colin Braun in one of the
CrowdStrike DXDT Mercedes’. The Pirelli
P Zero tires are still cold, and Madison Snow is dropping down a shade. Ellis and Heylen 1-2. The Porsche is on song early in the
going. Giacomo Altoe and Colin Braun
both go deep into the braking zone. Robby
Foley in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 is scrapping with Michael Cooper
in the second of the CrowdStrike DXDT Mercedes entries.
That is the #19 entry he shares with Erin Vogel. Ellis defends for the lead on Jan Heylen. Two cagey drivers pressing each other. Heylen lunges to the inside in the stadium section and they are still wheel to wheel but Heylen has to know that discretion could become the better part of valor. They are both holding off the challenge from Ryan Dalziel in third spot. Dalziel aboard the third CrowdStrike DXDT Mercedes, the #63 car he shares with David Askew.
Poor old Andrea Caldarelli is down the order, and it’s three wide! Madison Snow, stuck in the middle. Just like the song says, “clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.” Foley coming back on the outside! These are not clowns. They are racing drivers. Well, clowns, only in certain circumstances, but let’s not go there. Foley can out accelerate the Lamborghini’s up the hill into turn one. Vesko Kozarov and Drew Staveley, in the meantime, have their own battle. Staveley sharing with Frank Gannett in the #12 Ian Lacy Racing Aston Martin. Vesko Kozarov, at the wheel of the #91 Rearden Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
It’s still three wide with some fender clattering at turn
one! Jeepers creepers! Are these blokes out for blood today, or
what? Andrea Caldarelli will have to
settle in and ride for a wee while. He’s
not used to being the cork in the bottle, nor is he used to just rumbling
around in mid pack. Caldarelli pokes the
nose inside on Foley who is quick in sector one while the Lamborghini has the
edge in sector two. Caldarelli moves
past Kozarov in the identical Lamborghini, and Kozarov just grazes Foley’s
BMW. We can see Ollie Milroy also in
this scrum.
Speaking of scrums, the battle for the lead is still on the intense heat level. This action is hot! Philip Ellis is trying to get the best of Jan Heylen for the lead of this motor race. He goes inside, swinging wide. Be careful of track limits there, Phil! He has the lead. Heylen is not ready to give it up. Ryan Dalziel is moving in and he and Colin Braun are both in the top five for DXDT. Altoe and Braun are fourth and fifth and Caldarelli is pushing, but he’s got something wrong with the car. K-PAX Racing has said they may have a power issue with both cars and can’t put their finger on what it is.
Caldarelli sharing the #3 K-PAX Lamborghini with Jordan
Pepper and of course, there is the sister car, the #6 which is in the hands of
Corey Lewis, the American driver, and another rapid Italian, Giovanni
Venturini. Caldarelli is dropping like a
stone. Corey Lewis though, is pushing,
pushing, pushing. Corey Lewis is looming
large, climbing up 130 feet of elevation and diving back down. Flowing corners and elevation changes are a
mega challenge here at COTA. Jan Heylen
in the Porsche, squaring off the corner.
Ellis defends.
But Phil Ellis can only throw the block, once. Per the rules, you are permitted to make one
move on your opponent. No weaving all
over the road. That is bad sportsmanship
and will be noted by the stewards.
Oh! What did I just say? Ellis is mad.
He slams into Heylen’s Porsche!
You cannot move back in retaliation after you have committed. Ellis shuts off Heylen into turn 12 and
maintains the lead. A battle for third
ensues as well. Altoe, the Italian in
the Lamborghini is pressurizing the Scotsman, Ryan Dalziel, in the
Mercedes. Ellis might be able to gap the
rest of the field.
Jordan Pepper is not happy.
He says, “to be honest, I don’t know what is going on. Many guys in the midfield are racing like
it’s the last lap of the race on the first lap, disrespecting track limits, and
overtaking off the track. Plus, we are
struggling in a straight line with speed.
It’s early days still.” Pepper
and Caldarelli have won every race so far in 2021, dominating the series. But Andrea Caldarelli is languishing now, in
12th spot behind Matt McMurry.
McMurry starting the #77 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 that he is sharing
Mexican driver Rodrigo Sales.
You must make hay while the sun shines. Dalziel is moving in. Giacomo Altoe is pushing Dalziel into this
scrap as we see Ellis putting daylight between himself and Jan Heylen in the Porsche. Ryan Dalziel is pressing Jan Heylen, two of
the most experienced drivers in this field.
Colin Braun is in the fight and so is Corey Lewis, as we have been
racing now for merely ten minutes. It is
not over by any means. Phew! Finally, we can catch out breath! Egad!
This race has been unbelievable.
Settle down, lads. Manage the
tires. Are the pressures up? How are the grip levels?
Problems for a couple tail enders. Vesko Kozarov is in the pit lane early in the #91 Rearden Racing Lamborghini and so is the #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3. Jacob Abel at the wheel of it, sharing the car this weekend with Taylor Hagler. Dakota Dickerson of course is the other driver who rotates to share the car with Hagler depending on rounds of the championship. It is Jacob Abel’s turn, here in Texas. Jacob Abel is having his first chance to race. The car is in the lane, and there is trouble on the right rear. Is it suspension or a wheel speed sensor?
Racer’s Edge has won championships in GT3 and they have young drivers from the GT3 Academy. By coaching, they have other drivers working with them, drivers like Ryan Eversley, and even Ricky Taylor, who is a prototype driver for Acura in another sports car championship, assisting these young drivers with how to improve in their chosen profession. Philip Ellis gets loose and goes sideways. This has brought Jan Heylen right up to and on his six.
Pieces of bodywork are in the corners. We have seen argy bargy at turn 11 and that might be where the debris is. Heylen, weaving and darting, pressurizing Philip Ellis. Heylen is keeping Ellis honest. He is messing with Ellis’ rhythm. Ellis went sideways over a sausage curb and had his hands full. Jan Heylen turned 41 years old yesterday, on Saturday. He is a plug and play driver, leading the championship with Fred Poordad who drove with Max Root in this series, last year. Heylen goes to the inside and here comes Ellis again. He is observant and proactive.
Heylen is going to try moving back by barely on the racing surface, out on the paint. Is there dust and debris? Ellis tries the move and can’t make it. Here comes Ryan Dalziel. If these chaps take each other out, Giacomo Altoe can pounce. Heylen, Ellis, Dalziel, Altoe. Wow. A great bunch of drivers who know how to race hard and fair. But it is early doors yet. Now, we must check in on the Andrea Caldarelli story with power loss for the K-PAX Lamborghini. Last time by, Caldarelli uncorked the fastest lap of the motor race. 2:08.4. The leaders are lapping at 2:08.6.
Caldarelli is 2/10ths faster than anyone else on the road. He has moved past Ollie Milroy in the Inception Motorsports McLaren, for tenth spot. Maybe whatever has ailed the Lamborghini has now been remedied? Caldarelli has been within two or three kilometers per hour of the rest of the field. Pushing early on, he ended up on the back foot for a wee while. Robby Foley is the target of Andrea Caldarelli who will hand over to Jordan Pepper who we saw the interview with. The South African is quick.
Michael Cooper and Madison Snow in Pro Am are racing each other with Robby Foley next up, in a Pro class GT3 car. That is the BMW. K-PAX Racing wants to make the right calls when pit stop time comes and it won’t be long. Andrea Caldarelli is still pushing hard. Jordan Pepper had a cut tire in qualifying but nipped pole before the session ended. Caldarelli has cleared Ollie Milory. There’s a long way to go. K-PAX has great people on their team who can really make things work on the strategy. After a fraught race in the opener at Sonoma Raceway, Turner Motorsports are coming back here in Texas. They’ve tested and are really working on how the tire can be adapted to the BMW M6. The Pirelli P Zero tire.
Robby Foley has a lot of experience in the BMW M6 in other championships while Michael Dinan has moved into GT3 after winning 17 races last year in a McLaren in GT4 competition. His psyche has had to change. The pressure is higher. The competition level has stepped up tenfold. Top speeds see Robby Foley fastest at 160 miles an hour and the Lamborghini at 157 miles an hour. 157-160 miles an hour. A brake line needed to be replaced on the Racer’s Edge Acura and they also needed to change a tire in addition.
Fred Poordad is watching intently, how Jan Heylen is doing. Watching a teammate race is harder than being in the car. The car ahead was blocking. Poordad is confident, the defending Am champion, now a Pro Am level driver. Giacomo Altoe is so close, but he is content to stay where he is. He will finish his stint and hand the car to Ziad Ghandour. We have seen Altoe racing in Europe, but he is a new face to American audiences. Does he go for it right from the green? Or does he sit back, play the long game, and wait for his opportunity?
Altoe raced torung cars and was racing TCR touring cars in TCR Europe Trophy in 2017. But his star began shining when he entered the Lamborghini Super Trofeo one-make championship. Altoe was drafted in as a junior driver for Lamborghini and is now a factory Lamborghini driver. Robby Foley is being monstered by Andrea Caldarelli who makes the pass. Foley does not have enough steam to push just yet. Racing in the wet has brought out the best in the BMW. Racing in the dry, it has been more difficult. But they do have the speed at least in sector one. Sector three with the twisting corners, are harder for the BMW to negotiate. Soon, Brendon Iribe will take over the Inception McLaren, car #70, from Ollie Milroy. They were impressive in the wet yesterday, taking the win in the Pro-Am division.
Giacomo Altoe is pouring it on going after Ryan Dalziel. Andrea Caldarelli and K-PAX Lamborghini are coming back to the fore, or so it seems. They are making inroads, showing lap time. Giacomo Altoe is a good driver. 20 years old, from Italy. We do not know him that well, in the United States, but he is making a name for himself today. He has raced with Lamborghini in GT World Challenge Europe. He is from a racing family, and lives near Venice in Italy. He shortcuts the track, trying to move in on Ryan Dalziel in this warm weather.
The torrential rain we have seen has wiped the track surface clean and today is bright, sunny, and hot. Ryan Dalziel is a busy man, racing in prototype competition here in the states and also racing in GT World Challenge both in the U.S. and in Europe. Meanwhile, Altoe wants to make a move on the Scotsman. Dalziel and Altoe are side by side and Altoe retains the spot, but Dalziel wants to do the crossover and can’t quite make it. The Italian is poised and now he has made the move and we’ve been racing now for 26 minutes.
Strike while the iron is hot. That is what you have to do. How hard you push and when, is a major conundrum. Andrea Caldarelli has moved up to eighth overall, passing Madison Snow. Meanwhile, Michael Cooper in the Mercedes, he has his hands full with Andrea Caldarelli in the Lamborghini. Cooper raced GT4 last year, but he has won the GT World Challenge America championship four times and did so with the Cadillac factory team several years ago, racing for GM. Cooper also raced for CRP Racing in the previous generation Mercedes AMG GT3.
Andrea Caldarelli though, is turning it on. The car has found it’s sweet spot and Caldarelli bish bash boshes his way to seventh overall. Andrea Caldarelli is still pushing. The issue, whatever they were dealing with, has disappeared. Now, Jan Heylen leads the motor race over Phil Ellis, with Giacomo Altoe third. With the Pro-Am cars, in ten minutes, the Pro Am drivers will do the driver change on their scheduled pit stops. Fred Poordad does not have the same experience or speed but has the determination.
Colin Braun is really pushing and chasing after teammate Ryan Dalziel. George Kurtz will be next into the car as we watch Corey Lewis in the sister #6 K-PAX Racing Lamborghini. Giovanni Venturini will be next into the car, a professional driver, racing against Am drivers. Corey Lewis has raced here at Circuit of the Americas before. He is the reigning champion in Lamborghini Super Trofeo with just under an hour to go. Giacomo Altoe has cleared Ryan Dalziel now and has opened a gap up on his competitor.
Heylen and Ellis are still 1-2. They are quicker and Ziad Ghandour is readying for his stint at TR3 Racing. Ziad Ghandour says Giacomo Altoe, his co-driver, is amazingly fast. He’s right. Having a great professional driver on your team is so incredibly beneficial to the amateur level driver. Data and instruction for how to drive the race car are such valuable tools. As they get more mileage, amateur drivers move into a comfort zone. Philip Ellis is closing up on Jan Heylen, bit by bit. This race is not over for the lead of the motor race. They might stretch it towards the back end of the pit window but have to be in the lane before the clock says 40 minutes on the board.
Ellis could stay with Heylen in a long, green flag run. Racer’s Edge has the #77 Acura NSX GT3 back on track after their woes with a brake line. But driver Jacob Abel is nine laps down. Sadly, it is game over for Rearden Racing. Vesko Kozarov is still listed in the pit lane with bodywork damage to the automobile. Ellis is moving in non Heylen. Porsche vs. Mercedes AMG. Mercedes has a huge global footprint, and they are racing in SRO endurance as well as DTM which has gone to a GT3 formula. Now, Michael Cooper is still fending off the challenge of Madison Snow.
We hear that the Rearden Lamborghini was damaged by hitting a curb. The car is back in the paddock, in the garage. Game over. Madison Snow clips a curb and is moving in on the Michael Cooper driven Mercedes Benz. Zelus Motorsports, the team running Madison Snow and co-driver Jason Harward, will be taking delivery of a new chassis, soon. In fact, it is the same car that is being run in this race by TR3 Racing. They will have a second chassis, and they have been using this same chassis for both GT World Challenge America and GT America as well.
Madison Snow is so knowledgeable with the Lamborghini. He is team leader and is also the engineer and the driver on the car. He is sixth in Pro Am and ninth overall, in car #88. The pit window is coming soon. What will Winward or K-PAX do to use the pit window and their all-pro drivers to their advantage? Anticipate the Pro-Am drivers keeping the professionals in the car as long as possible. K-PAX strategist Thomas Blam wll be hard at work. Russell Ward at Winward said that he is worthy of being a professional driver. Does the team have the opportunity, to let Russell Ward match Phil Ellis’ pace?
Andrea Caldarelli still has the fastest lap of the race, but I am not sure of the tiume. Now, Giacomo Altoe is looming large, coming fast, closing in on Phil Ellis and Jan Heylen. Will he have enough in the locker before the pit window opens? We shall see. Jan Heylen leads Phil Ellis. Giacomo Altoe, coming, and fast. Heylen leads the motor race. Heylen leads Pro Am. Ryan Dalziel, Colin Braun, Corey Lewis, Andrea Caldarelli. Pit window open. What will Andrea Caldarelli do?
Will he do the undercut and pit early? He will hand over to Jordan Pepper and put new tires on the car. Giovanni Venturini is a very quick driver. Here comes Lewis to the lane in Lambo #6. On a warm day, and with tire blankets, this will keep the tires hot on a relatively warm day. The tires are going to be ready to rumble immediately. The tires are set in the blankets 25 degrees below the maximum operating temperature. The temperatures are off set between each end of the car.
Now, Giacomo Altoe is really closing in on Philip Ellis as Jan Heylen continues to lead. Giovanni Venturini will get back on track and rejoin the scrap. Ryan Dalziel is closing up on Giacomo Altoe. When the clock hits 40 minutes, you will have to at least be in the lane to complete service. Here comes Andrea Caldarelli. Jordan Pepper will get into the #3 Lamborghini. Fuel and Pirelli P Zero tires. 77 seconds including service, is the pit time delta. Pepper is back on track. Pepper and Foley pitted at the same time.
Michael Dinan is now in the BMW. How will Dinan perform? His ability is obvious. Jan Heylen is using all the road through turn 19 and he is within track limits. All you need to do is be in the lane when the pit window closes. Can anyone give K-PAX Racing a run for their money? Will Jan Heylen and Wright Motorsport pit? Giacomo Altoe is absolutely glued to Phil Ellis. The Pirelli P Zero tires are right in their sweet spot. Heylen and everyone else, squeezing energy out of these tires before pitting. They are maximizing every bit of drive time for Altoe and Heylen, both.
Oh dear! Tire, or wheel trouble for the #77 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3! They did have this same trouble at Sonoma in the opening round of the championship. There goes the wheel. You’ve picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel. We see now, the #19 DXDT Mercedes in the lane. Erin Vogel takes over from Michael Cooper. She had a great battle with Taylor Hagler at Sonoma last time out. More pit callers as we speak. We have Madison Snow in the pit lane as well as Brendon Iribe in the McLaren for Inception Racing, car #70.
Conrad Grunewald brings the AF Corse Ferrari to the lane as well, the #61 car. I believe Jean-Claude Saada will take over that automobile. They are the lone Am class car in the race. They must pit now, the leaders. It will be a land rush into the lane. Jan Heylen and others are coming in. 2:08.8 for Jordan Pepper, a second quicker over Giovanni Venturini. Heylen is squirming all over the road, maximizing time on pit entry. Heylen and Wright Motorsports are in the lane, with Fred Poordad taking over. Poordad was anxious, but he is calm, and zoned in on keeping the team and the car in the lead of the motor race.
The car is released, and this is close for Winward and the Mercedes. George Kurtz is now in the DXDT Mercedes going past the TR3 Lamborghini, and we see trouble for Erin Vogel in the #19 Mercedes. What is wrong there? We’ll answer that in a minute. The car is stalled. Pepper at 2:08.46. Oh dear. The Mercedes is stalled in the lane, but the battle for the lead is on. Fred Poordad leading, Russell Ward pushing hard for the lead of the motor race.
Russell Ward was a class winner, in a GT3 Mercedes, at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the crown jewel event for another major North American sports car series. Russell Ward is going to have his hands full with Fred Poordad. Russell Ward has a bead drawn on the Porsche. Pressure time and wisely, Poordad gives the place to Russell Ward. Full Course Yellow on the speedway. What is happening? The field is going to close up because of this. How did it happen? Maybe it is for cleaning debris from the track and there is a loose wheel. A wheel sitting right in the middle of the road. But it will not be an issue.
We prepare now, for a restart. This is going to get spicy, and Jordan Pepper is now back in the game. The #6 team though, even though they support their teammates, Corey Lewis and Giovanni Venturini, they want a win. Venturini has not had the same pace as Pepper, but, he might just turn it on when we head back to green flag racing here. 35 minutes left on the board. Lots to play for both overall and in class. Maybe the Lamborghini’s can start moving up.
The Lamborghini’s could easily have an opportunity to pass Fred Poordad and Russell Ward, and get into the pound seats for having the lead of the motor race and the lead in the Pro class. It sounds like the TR3 Racing team and the Lamborghini of Giacomo Altoe have been snookered. Altoe was up at podium level. But Ziad Ghandour, having taken over, he can’t make hay while the sun shines yet. George Kurtz is also moving up in the #04 CrowdStrike Mercedes AMG GT3. They lost a place to their team car, car #63. That is the Askew/Dalziel entry.
Winward have been at the sharp end all day and to see the safety car, they must be gutted, because they know they must get back into the game and we have just over 30 minutes on the board before this race is done and dusted. 34 minutes and change to be precise. Jordan Pepper is going to pushing hard, getting up on the wheel. Timing and scoring has cycled and again, TR3 got snookered on the driver change to Ziad Ghandour. Maybe that is a strategy call and George Kurtz has also moved through on his out lap, or rather, on the out lap of the Lamborghini.
The boys at K-PAX are going to charge and poor old Russell Ward is going to have his hands full. How do you handle this? Pepper and Venturini are going to be coming after the rest of the field like hungry wolves chasing down a pack of deer or elk. This is going to be mega. In replay, we watch the Compass Racing #77 Acura’s incident that brought out the yellow when it lost a wheel off the right front. It ended up at the side of the road off the racing line.
The gaps and cushions have been altered and the K-PAX Lamborghini’s are back in the game as we said earlier on. They struggled mightily in qualifying. In the first half of the opening stint, Andrea Caldarelli plummeted like a stone. They’ve clawed their way back into the game, striking fear into their competition. Never give up. That’s what it is. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Caldarelli is only about a tenth or two off Philip Ellis and Jan Heylen. That is one lap pace in the first stint. We might be able to see what happened to the Lamborghini.
So, Andrea Caldarelli says the first lap was very intense, and he got hit by three or four cars and lost time and started well to recover. It is Caldarelli’s first race at Circuit of the Americas. Now, there is no mechanical difficulty to be worried about. Andrea Caldarelli just got swamped by the rest of the field early on. Half an hour to go. This is a sprint to the end. Russell Ward leads the race as they accelerate again. Look at Giovanni Venturini going after David Askew up the hill! Jeepers Jenny! He’s going to go for this one!
Venturini is now third. Pepper has to be patient, caught up behind David Askew and now, Venturini moves past Fred Poordad and is going after Russell Ward for the race lead. Russell Ward is going to get tested, big style. Fred Poordad stacks everyone up ahead as David Askew and George Kurtz are a couple drivers battling in the pack at the lower half of the top ten. Lamborghini vs. Mercedes as Kurtz is putting himself in position to follow Pepper. David Askew has been thrown into the hornet’s nest, to quote lead commentator Ryan Myrehn, and he has Michael Dinan right next to him now!
This is a massive scrap. Jordan Pepper absolutely screams past Fred Poordad in the Porsche. George Kurtz, too, makes a move and displays loads of speed moving ‘round Michael Dinan. Kurtz is a former GT4 champion in the series back when it was known as Pirelli World Challenge. George Kurtz, it has taken him a while to get his head around the beast that a GT3 car is, but he has indeed done so and now is one of the top names in the championship. Colin Braun has coached him, and he is also very comfortable with the evo version of the Mercedes AMG GT3.
K-PAX run second and third overall and in class. Deary me! David Askew in another of the DXDT Mercedes’ has spun! He will have to recover and does so. Russell Ward still leads Giovanni Venturini, Jordan Pepper, George Kurtz, and Fred Poordad. This motor race is getting tasty as we get towards the conclusion. Michael Dinan is also a man on a mission. Russell Ward is going to have to push, push, push, to fend off the raging bulls. Russell Ward, 2:10.4. Venturini, 2:09.9. Pepper, 2:09.1.
Russell Ward has run SRO America, has run in GT4, GT World Challenge Europe, and at the Rolex 24. The mindset of having the confidence factor is the biggest deal. Jordan Pepper, though, is the fastest bloke on the circuit now. Here he comes, and bish, bash, bosh, he moves past Giovanni Venturini. Pepper is a good enough driver, that his third lap out of the pit lane at Sonoma last time out, was within a second of his best he had turned there in the wine country of northern California, all weekend.
Pepper is phenomenal at passing. K-PAX, over the last number of years, has been a team that has found factory drivers who, even if they don’t stay with a certain brand, they might stick with the team, no matter what car platform they are running. At K-PAX, drivers like Alvaro Parente and Jordan Pepper both come to mind. Pepper is not a Lamborghini factory driver, but he could very well be being looked at by the folks in Bologna. He has been racing Bentley’s, but they are two different cars even if they are both built by VW.
Russell Ward leads Jordan Pepper, and he has surprised Giovanni Venturini, and took Venturini by surprise. Brendon Iribe, making his series debut is running well. Pepper is on a mission! He has Russell Ward in sight. OK. Boom. He stuck that pass like gum on a shoe. Bish, bash, bosh. He’s in the pocket and gains the lead of the motor race. Goodness me! That move was epic! Russell Ward wants t move back by Pepper, and here comes Giovanni Venturini. He smells blood and here he goes. Will it be a Lambo 1-2? Ward runs wide. Ward is going to fight, and Giovanni Venturini makes it work!
Ward is back to third place. What an incredible performance for Jordan Pepper. Wow. He has had great runs in many of the SRO endurance events like the Bathurst 12 Hours, the 24 Hours of Spa, and the Indianapolis 8 Hours. Pepper and Andrea Caldarelli are really running well. In the Pro Am division, it is a battle between Brendon Iribe and George Kurtz. Kurtz leads the class and it is actually a scrum between Iribe and Fred Poordad. Iribe and Ollie Milroy really showed their stuff, and they’ve had a new lease on life after the yellow.
Ditto for K-PAX. A good scrap between Poordad and Iribe nearing the front section of the lap, in the stadium section, through turn 15. 110 miles an hour through the apex. This section of the course is like the Indianapolis corner at Le Mans. The Zelus Lamborghini is closing fast, Jason Harward at the wheel of it. He is really pressing the mor experienced drivers and going to school as well, learning a ton. George Kurtz leads Pro Am, and Harward spins the Zelus Lamborghini! Ugh! The commentator’s curse, strikes again, look.
Jason Harward is back on the track without losing too much time as Jordan Pepper leads this motor race with just 18 or so minutes on the clock yet. The lead battle between Pepper and Venturini remains hot and heavy. Venturini is keeping Pepper in his sites. There should not be any real team orders this early in the season. By and large, K-PAX lets their boys race. Venturini must prove he has the faster race car compared to Pepper. Venturini’s car is handling better. These GT3 cars are dependent on aerodynamics. Russell Ward is staying in the picture.
Jason Harward is back on the track without losing too much time as Jordan Pepper leads this motor race with just 18 or so minutes on the clock yet. The lead battle between Pepper and Venturini remains hot and heavy. Venturini is keeping Pepper in his sites. There should not be any real team orders this early in the season. By and large, K-PAX lets their boys race. Venturini must prove he has the faster race car compared to Pepper. Venturini’s car is handling better. These GT3 cars are dependent on aerodynamics. Russell Ward is staying in the picture.
Ward, on the most recent lap, had the fastest time compared
to the Lamborghini’s. Fred Poordad
continues to lead Pro Am ahead of Brendon Iribe. Pepper has the pace and is pulling a gap on
Giovanni Venturini who got loose and has lost time. He is 8/10ths or so slower than he was on the
previous lap. Good battle for Pro Am in
second, third and fourth. George Kurtz
leads in the class while the scrap is really and truly for second position
between Brendon Iribe and Fred Poordad.
Mercedes vs. McLaren vs. Porsche.
George Kurtz was able to pick up to places. Colin Braun says Kurtz has elevated his game
as a driver. Kurtz has not been racing
well in race one of the weekend but in race two, he’s found something. They won race two at Sonoma and could do so
here. The gap is closing up as Giovanni
Venturini has set his personal best lap time, shaving 9/10ths of a second off
the gap to Jordan Pepper and he is right on Pepper’s six. The car has had power issues, Pepper’s
Lamborghini, and Russell Ward is lurking.
He made reference to contact at the beginning of the race, bouncing
‘round like a pinball.
The one and only Am class car is the Conrad Grunewald/J.C. Saada Ferrari for AF Corse, car #61. They knocked a wing off the car in qualifying but in the races, they have been doing well. Grunewald was a drifter in that form of motorsports, for a decade. Grunewald and Saada are campaigning the only Ferrari GT3 car in North America, this year, in the SRO. George Kurtz is very much comfortable with the car. He is 8.6 seconds behind Russell Ward. He does have Michael Dinan in the BMW closing, but not for class position and class honors.
Down to the nitty gritty now as Jordan Pepper leads Giovanni Venturini in an all Lamborghini show at the sharp end, by half a second. The repaired Rearden Racing Lamborghini is logging laps with Jeff Burton at the wheel. This is a test session for them as well. The intimidation factor is a big deal. It is like Ayrton Senna, Michael Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., lots of drivers in several types of racing, can strike fear into their competitors.
Pepper has really come on strong. He ran well at the California 8 Hours a few years back, but now, he is right on the money and cut his teeth last year in GT World Challenge Europe with K-PAX. Just over six minutes to go as Jordan Pepper’s lead has ballooned to two seconds. 2:09.8 while Giovanni Venturini has clocked a 2:11.1. Perhaps the track is getting greasy. We thought Jordan Pepper’s tire pressures were wrong, but no. The delta jumps up and goes back down again. Another K-PAX Lamborghini 1-2 is shaping up. They did not get it in the rain yesterday but had perfect races at Sonoma in March.
Pepper/Caldarelli, they will be formidable. Turner Motorsports and Winward Racing know they will have a long road to beat the K-PAX team. But they can still try. They can still give it everything they have. K-PAX were way down the order in eighth and ninth. If we’d not seen the yellow flag earlier, the Winward Mercedes would have been in the catbird seat. George Kurtz leads Michael Dinan in Pro Am. Nothing has changed. The Fred Poordad and Brendon Iribe battle is still close. Pepper seems to be fighting the car, for some reason.
The lap times are fluctuating so much which is really odd among professional drivers lap to lap. J.C. Saada is running well in Am. He and Conrad Grunewald met in Ferrari Challenge. David Empringham, the standout single seater and sports car driver, from Canada, is now a driver coach. Michael Dinan goes way outside track limits in turn 20. But there is no gain. All the stewards are former drivers and will be willing to look at it if there is no gain and it’s only a mistake. Venturini has made his move trying to reel in Pepper on the final lap. The Lamborghini’s for K-PAX are nose to tail.
K-PAX are a quality team and have been in the game for years racing with several brands. Volvo, Porsche, McLaren, Bentley, and now, Lamborghini. Venturini is ;looking to the inside and Pepper gives it to him! Say what? That was too easy, but Pepper is going to try. They are team mates. Could Jordan Pepper just let Giovanni Venturini drive by? Gracious. Jeepers Jenny! No dice for Pepper, and Giovanni Venturini wins it! They got the photo finish, but it is the green car over the black car. Wow! Wow! Wow!
George Kurtz wins Pro Am along with Colin Braun and DXDT
Racing. Did Pepper assume they were
going to hold station? Venturini just
went for it. Jean Claude Saada and
Conrad Grunewald win Am for AF Corse and Ferrari.
Overall/Pro: #6 Lewis/Venturini K-PAX Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3
Pro Am:
#04 Kurtz/Braun DXDT Racing Mercedes
AMG GT3
Am: #61
Grunewald/Saada AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3
What an incredible finish to race two of GT World Challenge America here at Circuit of the America's. Next up, is a race weekend at the picturesque and challenging Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, coming up, in the second weekend of June. Excited to bring that one to you as well. After today's smashing motor race, we are excited to find out what VIR has to offer. So long, for now, from Circuit of the Americas, everyone. Take care.
Travis, Hart Sweep COTA Weekend for Nolasport
Nolasport continues winning ways; sweeps weekend at COTA...
https://sportscar365.com/sro/sro-america/gt4-america/travis-hart-win-again-in-race-2-at-cota/
GT4 SprintX: Circuit of the Americas, Race 2
Race two is on deck at Circuit of the Americas for Pirelli GT4 America. After heavy rain Friday and Saturday, we see the sun on Sunday. What a difference a day makes! How refreshing! Pirelli GT4 America had a long delay and rain, rain, and more rain on Saturday. This will be a safer track today although we do have a shuffled lineup. Nolasport, with Jason Hart and Matt Travis, are here and ready to start, although Jason Hart has been on baby watch and he’s been checking flights and whatnot to try to get back to Dallas from Austin, should his wife have the baby. It would be his family’s third child. He must do at least 25 minutes of the race. Travis/Hart are leading the championship and have had three straight race win.
Kenton Koch in the Aston Martin is the man starting alongside the Nolasport Porsche. We are set for race two of the weekend in GT4 America here in Austin! 37 cars strong will start this motor race. Nolasport and Jason Hart on pole. Alongside, Kenton Koch in the BSport Racing Aston Martin. Row two sees Spencer Pumpelly in The Racer’s Group Porsche Cayman and Chandler Hull for Bimmerworld. Here we go! We have a 38-car field. The good news, as we get ready for a start, is Matt Dalton is racing today after his savage accident yesterday.
Green flag! Away we go! They fan out three, four, five wide. Funneling down into turn one, actually uphill. Four wde and plunging downhill as Aaron Povoledo in the RENNTech #89 Mercedes is moving up, and fast. Jeroen Bleekemolen is fourth in the Black Swan Racing Porsche Cayman. Probable issues for Spencer Pumpelly and the #66 Racer’s Group Porsche Cayman. He did not take his second spot on the grid, or, he has been shuffled back this early in the game in a race that has only just started and is slated to last for one hour.
Uh oh! We have a spinner! It looks like the BMW M4 GT4 of Chandler Hull. Oh dear, oh dear. We have another big accident right from the start here in Austin. Hull is not the only one caught up in this shunt. A big impact for Chandler Hull as the drivers hit the brakes to avoid the wreckage. There is another M4 BMW facing the wrong way up the road, look. Poor old Matt Dalton is caught up in yet another crash, and we can also see Guy Cosmo off the road someplace. Full Course Yellow, and calamity once again at the start of a GT4 race.
Chandler Hull got loose in front of the pack on the opening lap. The rest of the field was blinded. Cold tires indeed may have caused this, right out in the clag, and Chandler Hull got involved. Bill Auberlen, too, got turned around. One of our championship contenders, and Guy Cosmo in the second RENNTech Mercedes is all torn up as well. Chandler Hull sharing with Jon Miller. A fraught afternoon for Guy Cosmo and co-driver Chris Cagnazzi as well. Game over. A few drivers are marching through the field already. In Pro Am, Owen Trinkler has moved up ten places from 31st to 21st.
Trinkler at the wheel of the #29 Rearden Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 that he shares with Dmitri Novakov. Jeff Westphal moves up 11 places from 23rd to 12th aboard the #888, the sister Rearden Racing Audi. So, a good start for both cars on that team. Ryan Eversley, too, now running ninth. Eversley in the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 sharing that car with Joe Rubbo. In replay, we can see the cars fanning out and running up the hill. The star-spangled Porsche Cayman #17 has holed a radiator, water pouring out of it. This is the second car for The Racer’s Group, shared by Dr. James Rappaport and Todd Heatherington. Andy Lee has also been moving up, aboard the #8 Pro Am Audi R8 LMS GT4 for GMG Racing that he shares with Elias Sabo.
The radiator has exploded on that Porsche and we have an Aston Martin stopped on the side of the road. Is that Jason Bell and Andrew Davis? It could be. Spencer Pumpelly did not start from row two. They had started this race from the back of the grid as Guy Cosmo trundles to the pit lane with significant right front damage. So, it is without doubt game over as the wheels are not turning whatsoever on that #39 automobile, the Mercedes AMG GT4 for RENNTech Motorsports. Pro Am rated drivers hold the top five places at this moment. Jason Hart, Aaron Povoledo, Kenton Koch, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Greg Liefooghe, and the Norwegian, Mads Siljehaug in the KTM X-Bow.
Siljehaug is sixth. He shares that car for Marco Polo Motorsports with Nicolai Elghayanian. That is car #71 and of course it has a unique feature as it has a canopy on it instead of a pair of doors for ingress and egress. Mads and Nikolai are two top drivers. That KTM is a unique automobile. Speaking of unique, the Am class, with Al Carter, is leading, and Carter is driving for Random Vandals Racing at the wheel of their #98 BMW M4 GT4 he shares with Paul Sparta.
Russell Walker is next followed by Sam Owens. 17th, 18th, and 19th overall. Walker at the wheel of the #46 Nolasport Porsche Cayman. That is Russell and David Walker, and I believe they very well could be brothers. Sam Owens at the keyboard of another Nolasport Cayman. That is the #7 car for Nolasport with OGH that he shares with Sean Gibbons. Next up is the #43 car of Jeff Mosing. Mosing, sharing the #43 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman with Aurora Strauss and the car that is normally driven by Christina Nielsen. They are fourth in Am. Now, big damage for the Cagnazzi/Cosmo Mercedes. They will be in it for the long haul, except for the races at Watkins Glen as Chris Cagnazzi has prior commitments on that weekend.
Cagnazzi and Cosmo knew each other racing Ferrari Challenge. They knew each other enough that they could team as drivers as this is the first weekend of that program in 2021. The team had Guy Cosmo and Patrick Byrne racing together in 2019. Matt Dalton is at the end of the queue, and he had a huge hit yesterday, rolling the Aston Martin in a major way. The cars are crawling ‘round behind the safety car and the Aston Martin and others are moving slowly. The Aston Martin also raced in GT America, a race you will hear about later.
The Full Course Yellow for track cleanup continues here at Circuit of the Americas. Tim Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen have raced together for over a decade. In the wet, they were chasing the setup. In the dry, how can they compromise? They have a hybrid wet/dry setup on their Porsche Cayman today. Bleekemolen and Pappas are comfortable racing together. They probably have a certain ESP as friends out of the race car as well. Rapport with a co-driver is extremely important for success. The compromise they have made is softening the handling, softening the suspension. It has to be a stiffer, sharper setup in dry conditions.
We have had loads of damp and wet conditions. Sunny and warm weather is what we see now, during this motor race. A good notebook of past races here at COTA is a major help. The cars continue to crawl around the circuit. The tire temps are dropping in the Pirelli P Zero’s. Maybe the tires will be underinflated before the pit stop window opens in ten minutes. The window is ten minutes and will include the driver change. Yesterday, the first stint drivers and second stint drivers both had shorter stints. No tire changes during these GT4 America pit stop.
There is no rule that says don’t use a second set of tires. Two new sets out of four allotted for the race weekend including qualifying. New sticker tires during the pit stop window, that will be the way to go. The onus is on the teams to do a quick tire change. The strategy can give you an edge, but it can also turn your race pear shaped. So, be vigilant. In GT World Challenge America, there are live pit stops with refueling and tire changes of course. Jason Hart has more on his mind than winning the race as his wife gives birth to their third child.
They were prepared to sacrifice, even in a racing situation, because of their marriage. They have two daughters already and do not yet know the gender of the new baby. Jason Hart and Matt Travis have really gelled as a duo in racing. We see some debris on the road. The pit window means you keep your faster driver in longer or get them in as soon as possible. Another quick pairing is for BMW and that is the duo of Stevan McAleer and Toby Grahovec of course. Watch for the white, teal, and black Toyota Supra. Kevin Conway, sharing with John Geesbreght. Matt Dalton says that in the race yesterday when he crashed, he did not have enough tire temperature.
He was pulling up to the BMW to set up for the next turn, the car hopped, and when he got on the paint, the ABS grabbed but there was no traction. He saw the barrier and he knew it was not going to be pretty. In this race, he wants to stay away from a bump on the road and get back into it. Matt Dalton is in good shape and feeling good. His given name is Joe, but he goes by Matt to honor his grandpa. He and Patrick Gallagher are a solid duo. They are also racing in GT America, so, they have a second car to help the learning curve.
Older drivers who are businessmen, and have big accients, they are able to get right back into the game, and they know the risks of driving a race car. The advancements in safety in any kind of racing has been astonishing over the years. The drivers are generating brake and tire temperature as we get ready to restart this motor race. So, your top five is Jason Hart, Aaron Povoledo, Kenton Koch, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Greg Liefooghe, Mads Siljehaug, Brandon Davis, John Capestro-Dubets, Ryan Eversley, and Andy Lee.
Look out for Ian James in 11th and Jeff Westphal in 12th as well. They are turning it on as well. Aaron Povoledo in second will look to get a jump on the Nolasport Porsche. The safety car lights are off, and we will restart. What does Aaron Povoledo have left in the locker to use to try and go for it around Jason Hart? It is hard to say which car has the advantage. Povoledo in the Mercedes is a good one. The timing is important. It is hard to time the restart in a low-speed turn. Jason Hart leads the field back to green. Let’s go! We are under green and here come Povoledo, look, on the outside of Jason Hart!
Povoledo bish bash boshes his way to the lead of the motor race, outbraking the Porsche Cayman. Kenton Koch tries a move but decides discretion is surely the better part of valor. Side by side stuff, too for Jeroen Bleekemolen and Greg Liefooghe as well. So, the top five are right in it and Mads Siljehaug in the KTM, he too, is lurking, watching for any of the blokes in front of him to get crossed up and maybe he can pounce. The Mercedes has the power compared to the Porsche. Siljehaug is pulling a gap out on Brandon Davis. Kenton Koch wants it but can’t reach out for the opportunity yet.
The pit window ought to open now. Ah yes. It is. Early takers are not often an occurrence. Wow, wow, wow. Side by side between Bleekemolen and Liefooghe and Liefooghe goes by, as Bleekemolen gives up the fight for the time being, waiting and watching. Jeroen Bleekemolen is the shark, and Greg Liefooghe is the minnow. Meanwhile, Aaron Povoledo, he has bolted. Jason Hart is well behind the Mercedes driver, falling into the wheel tracks of the B Sport Racing Aston Martin, Kenton Koch at the controls. Mads Siljehaug is really going for it past Bleekemolen. Poor old Bleekemolen is getting swamped! Brandon Davis now, on the inside, in the Aston Martin, he’s wheel to wheel, look, with Bleekemolen, and he’s going to try and nab Siljehaug as well!
Up the hill they go into turn one, leaving the braking amazingly late. Who has the edge? Bleekemolen over the curbs, gets a wee bit tail happy. Liefooghe is right on Kenton Koch’s six. Blimey! Poor old Bleekemolen has been freight trained and is in a rut behind Liefooghe. Ryan Eversley in the Vincent van Gogh Starry Night liveried ST Racing BMW, he has his hands full with Andy Lee in the Audi! There are battles all over the shop here, look. Such quality drivers at the wheel when the pro drivers begin these races. This one is a cracker!
Liefooghe is on the charge! He must have eaten his Wheaties for breakfast this morning and has some extra boost. Side by side stuff, again, between Liefooghe and Koch. Koch isn’t going to roll over and play dead. This is spectacular! Do not go to the refrigerator now, ladies and gentlemen. You will miss some inspiring motor racing if you do. Liefooghe is trying. Kenton Koch has the preferred line into turn 15 and here comes Jason Hart! He is booking it as well! He has dropped from the lead as Povoledo leads the motor race. Poor old Kenton Koch had power steering woes yesterday and hopefully that has not reared its head again.
Things are going from bad to worse for Bleekemolen, and he is dropping like a stone. Did they miss the setup on that Porsche Cayman? What is the deal? Pit stop time for the #72 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4. Christian Szymczak was the starting driver, so he should hand the car to Kenny Murillo. These boys were on the outside of the front row yesterday while on the second lap, the gearbox packed up and it was game over. Meanwhile, RENNTech and Aaron Povoledo continue to lead. If you know aftermarket automotive parts, and Mercedes Benz, RENNTech, in south Florida, are a major part of that aftermarket and tuning business for Mercedes Benz.
Tomas Mejia has just pitted the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 from 24th place. Canadian Nick Wittmer is his co-driver today after Bryson Lew raced yesterday. So, a driver shuffle in that automobile. Mejia now at the controls. Bryson Lew and Tomas Mejia are some of the younger drivers in the championship. Meanwhile, John Capestro-Dubets moves past Brandon Davis. BMW vs. Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has really become a popular car for this series. Ben Anderson engineers cars for Dexter Racing who are running Aston Martin, and he will be in a car in the next SRO GT4 America event at Virginia International Raceway in mid-June. But, it won’t be an Aston. Instead, Anderson will drive a Ginetta.
We look forward to seeing that. #888 in the lane for service. That’s the Audi R8 LMS GT4 shared by Jeff
Westphal and Vesko Kozarov, the Rearden Racing entry. Westphal out, Kozarov in. This is a Silver rated class car. Westphal is a veteran GT endurance driver and
Kozarov is a strong driver too. Kozarov
originally from Bulgaria, but now living in the United States. This team races in GT4 and in GT3. So we will see them again later. Meanwhile, Kenton Koch for BSport Aston
Martin is second and he has Greg Liefooghe all over him. Mr. Liefooghe wants to make a race out of it.
Some of the setups have been compromised in the dry compared to the wet track we had in the rain on Saturday. Aaron Povoledo pits at 26 minutes on the clock and everyone else hits the lane now to squeak in a stop before the pit window closes. Ross Chouest, from New Orleans, Louisiana, will take over from Povoledo in the RENNTech Mercedes. The minimum pit stop delta is 82 seconds. You can use a one second joker but only once per weekend. The Kozarov/Westphal stop is way off the mark. They will be penalized with a drive through. Astonj Martin #59 in the lane as well. Same for the #18 Forbush Performance Toyota Supra.
#59 has Paul Terry getting into the car after Brandon Davis ends his stint. Cannot tell if it is Matt Forbush, or the Canadian, Damon Surzyshyn getting into the Supra. Ah. It is Surzyshyn taking over as Povoledo is back on track from the lead of the motor race. Nolasport looks good. Ross Chouest now at the wheel of the #89. Elias Sabo replaces Andy Lee. Sean Wuinlan leads Jason Hart, Brandon Putt, Vesko Kozarov, and Elias Sabo. Putt took over from Kenton Koch and has lost places. Sean Quinlan and Matt Travis race each other. Quinlan ahead of Hart.
The Nolasport team are ticking the boxes indeed. Pit lane has been busy. Matt Travis is now driving. Jason Hart can shift his focus to his family. So, Nolasport have gotten out of the starting blocks well in 2021. They want a championship. So, Sean Quinlan is your leader, Matt Travis second, Bryan Putt third, Vesko Kozarov, fourth, and Ross Chouest, fifth. Nikolai Elghanayan is next up at the wheel of the KTM X-Bow that he has taken over from Mads Siljehaug.
John Geesbreght has moved around Elias Sabo after taking over from Kevin Conway. A good crew at Smooge Racing. Tony Ave is the operator with Thomas Knapp as engineer. Knapp is a former driver turned engineer. Yikes! Kenny Murillo is almost biffed into a spin by Paul Terry! Jeepers Jenny! What was that all about? Elgahanayan is the shark, and he has two minnows he could swallow in one gulp here. He smells blood in the water. John Geesbreght meanwhile, is in the pit lane. This is unscheduled. Not a good deal for Smooge Racing. Not a good deal at all. It appears to be a drive through penalty.
Sean Quinlan leads and Matt Travis in second. In 2019, Steven Cameron Racing and Nolasport battled for a championship. Could that be the same in 2021? In tenth place, the Black Swan Racing Team as Jeroen Bleekemolen pitted the #54 Porsche Cayman, handing the car to Tim Pappas. There was no power from an overheating motor according to Bleekemolen. Yikes! That’s not good. The team checked the car, and no radiator debris, but a hot radiator indeed. Less than 20 minutes to go. Sean Quinlan leads. Greg Liefooghe was behind traffic and not drafting because the ambient temperatures are hot.
Maybe some teams have been caught out in the heat as Stevan McAleer is scrapping with Paul Terry. McAleer makes the move stick for sixth, and second in the Silver class. Kenny Murillo leads Silver right now in the Mercedes, car #72. Kenny Murillo is working with his dad and is a data engineer. His dad was a racer who changed to being a team boss. Murillo ran in Porsche Cup last year but knows how to drive a Mercedes. Murillo makes a move on Ross Chouest and there’s a little contact there. Nikolai Elghayanian is next in the KTM. KTM is going to race in the United States this year for Marco Polo Motorsports.
Matt Travis is now just half a second behind Sean Quinlan with less than 15 minutes to run. Travis is on the power into the stadium section. What risk will he take? He Is going for four straight wins. Be careful. Don’t throw the car off the road, but it is indeed go time. The BMW is going to have a tad more power and the Porsche might have the handling advantage. The Cayman is right in the tire tracks of the BMW M4. This is a stonking battle! Quinlan is not intimidated by Travis. The BMW just does not have the handling in the esses.
Side by side, too, between Kenny Murillo and Bryan Putt. Putt is going to give the spot to Murillo as he can finish on the podium in class. The classes are for drivers and their ratings. All these cars are GT4 automobiles. Pirelli GT4 America class manager, Jack Baldwin, he said that Nolasport is the best Cayman team in the country, and Baldwin, a former champion in sports car racing, he knows of what he speaks. Ross Chouest is moving in on Bryan Putt. Aaron Povoledo says Ross Chouest is running phenomenally right now with pace and that the Mercedes is a joy to drive because it handles extremely well.
Chouest is pressing Bryan Putt. Ross Chouest is not afraid of getting his elbows out and giving it the old welly. Chouest moves ‘round Putt in turn 12 for the final spot on the Pro Am podium. There is nothing in it between Quinlan and Travis. Travis has the pace through turn 19. Into 20, Quinlan has to close the door so he cannot give Travis a chance and here comes the orange and black Mercedes of Kenny Murillo as well. Murillo is going to be a factor. Travis has to light the afterburners, now.
Side by side stuff! Travis is being eaten up by Quinlan! Travis makes the move! Nolasport lead now. 149-150 miles an hour are the top speeds. Quinlan needs to press Travis and here comes Murllo! Through turn 11. Quinlan makes a mistake and loses time. Travis has escaped. Murillo all over Quinlan like a rash. Steve Cameron must tell Sean Quinlan to let Murillo go by. Quinlan can take advantage in theory, but he wants to keep second place.
Stevan McAleer passes Bryan Putt for fifth place. McAleer is behind Murillo. McAleer might not have enough juice, sharing with Toby Grahovec, to move in. Murillo Racing have really come back after their fraught race on Saturday. Christian Szymczak turning the car over to Kenny Murillo early, must have helped. McAleer wants by Chouest, but not for a class spot, and rather an overall place. Travis leads by a second at least. Chouest’s lap times are right in the ballpark with his competitors. He is really pushing. Bryan Putt is right behind these two. Putt and company have had a number of podium’s but they still need to win, as the Aston Martin is the best all around GT4 automobile in the class. So many cars can have speed on different track.
Sean Gibbons, sharing with Sam Owens, have had a good race today in the #7 Nolasport with OGH Porsche Cayman. Gibbons had a career season in 2020. White flag this time by as Kenny Murillo is making some inroads on this last lap. Can he win overall? Will he want the Silver class win? Probably the Silver. Matt Travis is still ahead as we see the Jason Bell driven GMG Aston Martin move over courteously. A lapped McLaren in the way. Not sure who it is exactly. Travis is being balked by this McLaren 570S GT4.
Travis must pass on the inside and be obvious with your intention to pass. No worries. Final lap of the motor race. Murillo is running out of time. Matt Travis and Jason Hart, they can sweep the races here at COTA. Travis is going to win over Murillo. Travis and Hart win it as Jason Hart will meet his new baby soon. Sean Gibbons in the other Nolasport Cayman is going to finish well and win Am. Wow. Great race. Nolasport are tough to beat at Circuit of the Americas.
Derek DeBoer and Spencer Pumpelly bring it home after being down the order all day. We have seen some drivers really finish well and we willcheck in on the class winners in just a moment. Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan are second in Pro Am, and next up is the duo of Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo. Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak share Silver honors followed by Toby Grahovec and Stevan McAleer. Ryan and Warren Dexter finish eighth overall and third in Silver. Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen win Am for Nolasport. CrowdStrike fastest lap goes to Aaron Povoledo.
So, here are your overall and class winners in Pirelli GT4
America race two at Circuit of the Americas.
Overall/Pro Am: #47 Hart/Travis Nolasport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
Silver:
#72 Murillo/Szymczak Murillo Racing
Mercedes AMG GT4
Am: #7 Gibbons/Owen Nolasport with OGH Porsche 718 Cayman GT4
Clubsport
Early doors in the season yet. But the next event is coming up in mid-June
at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. More awesome action yet to come in the 2021
Pirelli GT4 America championship. See
you at VIR.
TC America, Circuit of the Americas, Race 2
Time to kick off Sunday action for SRO America at Circuit of
the America’s. Let’s start with race two
for touring cars (TC America). After two
days of incessant rain, it is time to go racing in the sunshine. Thank goodness! Today’s conditions are totally different from
the downpour yesterday, with a rapidly drying track. TCX, TC, and TCA were playing nice together
yesterday. TCA cars have front wheel
drive. TCX cars have 70 more
horsepower. Jacob Ruud could whistle off
into the distance today. Jeff Ricca was
the TC class winner catching Eric Powell.
Ricca scored his second COTA win.
Caleb Bacon held off Derek Jones in TC.
Jose Blanco, open wheel racing exile, he will be one to watch around this massive 3.426 mile circuit. The length is long. The first corner is uphill. You can brake late and then wind down through the esses. Track limits are surely a factor. Don’t get an advantage, or too much of one. The last segment of the lap is very technical. Some have straightaway speed and other cars have a handling advantage. If you run the ideal racing line between turns 12 and 15, that will be a major deal. There is some puddling around for these 30 cars. Watch out for the painted lines with loaded tires. Lots of runoff area, but keep your eyes peeled.
Word is, more TCX machinery is set to join the grid later in the season in the SRO TC America division. BMW has many TCX cars. But cars from TCR with DSG gearboxes are allowed and more manufacturers will be kicking the tires. This class is blooming. How will the TCR cars with the DSG gearboxes compare to the BMW M2 ClubSport’s we are now seeing in this new category? Only time will tell. The TC America platform is being embraced around the world by the SRO as the cars line up in Noah’s Ark formation. First two by two start for the touring cars. Here we go, for a full 40-minute motor race as they trundle down the front straight.
Steve Streimer is poised. Jacob Ruud thinks, “hang on, we’re close. Not yet. Not yet.” Now! Green flag and they are away! Punch it! Green flag! Jacob Ruud controls the start up the hill through the haze for the first time. The TC cars are catching the TCX machines as Samantha Tan is beginning to move up, and it’s side by side stuff for the TC lead, getting feisty. Jeff Ricca and Eric Powell are battling and we should also watch Toby Grahovec and Kevin Boehm as well. Boehm just missed the podium yesterday. Jeff Ricca gets squeezed there by Joseph Federl I believe. Nope. It is Boehm moving past Ricca on cold tires.
Ricca is really motoring down the back straight as we watch the TCA cars taking their start as Derek Jones goes off and on in the Mini. Some brake lockup somewhere. Joe Federl did not have the grip with the Nissan 370Z in the rain although he won here at COTA a year ago in the first weekend of racing here and he is in his home race, an Austinite. Boehm, look, he has moved past Eric Powell. It’s Honda vs. Honda. Powell is moving ahead. Civic, Civic, and then Hyundai Genesis.
The Civic is built by Gradient Racing as a turnkey package and Gradient race in several different formulas of sports car competition. Jeff Ricca is a longtime Hyundai campaigner. Kevin Boehm has caught the TCX BMW of John Hennessy, the #50 Classic BMW entry. TCA cars are also battling and Derek Jones has bodywork flapping in the breeze. The TCA start is under review by the stewards. There is a TC spec Mini which is brand new. It is early doors in the development of that car. The TCA scrum is broken up a bit. Boehm, Powell, Ricca, Grahovec.
Grahovec went off the road in the wet yesterday. He was hopeful of a podium place. Mike LaMarra has moved by Austen Smith as well. That is one of the two LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R-TC cars. LaMarra at the wheel of #37 and #73 is in the hands of Frank Szczesniak. We have one of the Genracer cars in the lane for service. Kurt Washeim in the #88 Hyundai Veloster N TC for GenRacer is in pit lane for bodywork repairs and a tire rub. Caleb Bacon is chasing Carter Fartuch in TCA. Fartuch is charging, and fast.
We watch Derek Jones in the TCA Mini, car #61. Good run as well, look, from Mike Stillwagon, in TCA running right ahead of Derek Jones at this point. Stillwagon is Carter Fartuch’s teammate for Skip Barber Racing School in the two Honda Civic SI’s. Stillwagon in #2, and Fartuch in #16. Stillwagon ahead of Jones, finishing eighth in both races at the season opener at Sonoma Raceway in March. Meantime, Jacob Ruud is really motoring, pulling a lead out on the rest of the field. With a rear-wheel-drive car he couldn’t compete with the TCA and TC cars in the wet yesterday. He scored a class win and could win overall today. He is 9.3 seconds ahead of Samantha Tan.
He has started for a couple of BMW teams and is now reunited
with Classic BMW, a team he ran with back in 2017. He was bummed about not getting the overall
podium yesterday and is going for it today, no question. Samantha Tan as well is running well having
raced in Europe and the Middle East as well.
She has run in GT4 SprintX the past couple years. The TCX car, in terms of power, is in between
that of a TCR car and a GT4 car.
It could have been Lindsey Brewer. Joe Federl leads a train of cars with the Nissan 370Z chased by a couple BMW’s. The rear-wheel-drive Nissan did not work well in the wet. But Federl is a tad slower than Boehm and Powell. Federl has been caught in traffic. Powell and Boehm have moved past Hennessy in TCX. He separates Jeff Ricca from the top two in TC as Boehm and Powell are really running well. Kevin Boehm will be reeled in by Powell. Steve Streimer is another TCX car in this scrap. Toby Grahovec is fourth, three or so seconds in-arrears of Jeff Ricca.
We also watch second place TCA runner, Caleb Bacon, who won yesterday’s race. He notices gravel in turn 19 but is catching the Honda’s in sector one, running right behind Carter Fartuch. There was some gravel spilled on the road. 25 minutes left on the board. Bacon and team mate Luke Rumberg said they have the power but not the handling, and we can see a massive lockup by the #22 car. That’s Jesse Love in the TechSport Racing Toyota 86. He had a double win at Sonoma in the opening round. In replay, we see the three cars fighting and Jesse Love gets in a tad too hot.
Love is the reigning ARCA West stock car champion, and he has raced midgets in USAC and at the Chili Bowl. Love has been assigned to race in these road racing events because of NASCAR increasing their road racing footprint, and many of the track on the SRO schedule also are on the NASCAR schedule for 2021. NASCAR goes to Road America, Circuit of the Americas, and Watkins Glen, also on the SRO schedule. The NASCAR championship has six road course races, one of which has already been run.
Love is racing in SRO and ARCA. Hennessy runs sideways in the TCX BMW following the TCA Honda of Kevin Boehm with Steve Streimer in the mix in TCX. He ran TC at Sonoma. Streimer and Hennessy are really turning the wick up. TCX cars have 70 more horsepower as Hennessy misses the braking point somehow or other. Podium places in class at stake. Boehm is a tad stronger through the twisty bits even though the TCX BMW’s have more power. As the track dries out, the TCX cars will show their cards. Streimer from Washington State, Hennessy, from Pasadena, California, running in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, last year, in 2020. Hennessy is driving in a ragged way. Streimer has more experience in these touring cars than does Hennessy. Jacob Ruud leads Samantha Tan now by 17 and a half seconds. Samantha Tan has ten seconds or so to TC leader, Kevin Boehm.
Some drivers really hit their apices while others run a tad wider line into the corner. Yesterday in damp conditions, it was a lot tougher. Watch the bumps in turn ten. Meanwhile, Streimer is really applying the blowtorch to John Hennessy. Streimer has the run. Can he go side by side with Hennessy? He will try under braking. The trouble is that outbraking on the damp is hard due to lack of grip. Streimer is going to go for it through the esses. Get the power down, but it is hard to do. Check the mirrors. Will Streimer do the switcheroo?
What is your driving language? Are you using it to distract your rival? 17 minutes left on the board. Streimer tries the inside and decides discretion is the better part of valor while Kevin Boehm is happily whistling off into the distance. Boehm is somewhat in the clear. He is a four-time SCCA national champion. He won several races and the championship in 2020 after winning by 62 points, coming from SCCA Club Racing, and running at the annual SCCA Runoffs. He felt he had to succeed at the Runoffs before going pro.
Clay Williams in one of the other Mini’s is monstering Luke Rumburg at the moment. Rumburg has found a home with the Zignyl Hyundai team. Streimer is going to go for it on Hennessy, and some argy bargy, some hip and shoulder. Wow! Hennessy is not giving up. Watch the water offline under braking. Streimer is moving in on Tan as Williams has also moved past Rumburg. Clay Williams in the Mini is up another place. Williams in car #62 started caboose on the field, stone last, in 35th. He is fourth and just outside of the podium in TCA, chasing Mike Stillwagon.
Less than 13 minutes to go as Stillwagon is 15 seconds ahead of his rivals, drifting the car all over the road in this front wheel drive Honda. In the front wheel drive car, use the gas pedal to help if you are drifting off the road. There’s some bodywork damage to one of the Forbush Performance Hyundai’s. Caleb Bacon has a loose rocker panel on the left side of the automobile. He has been off the road somewhere. Hopefully, it will not work its way loose and damage a tire. TCA leader Carter Fartuch runs right behind. This is a fair fight. Carter Fartuch is the shark smelling blood in the water, definitely. Another of the TechSport Nissan 370Z’s has damage and is falling behind. That is the yellow car of Rob Hines, car #21. That whole front end is damaged on the 370Z and so is the rear corner. He was a Touring 2 champion in the SCCA way back in 1999, was Hines. An experienced club racer. Less than six minutes to go. Hopefully, Hines’ bodywork stays in place before this race is done and dusted. We also see a smaller team doing well, car #780 of Sally McNulty for Team Sally Racing, a Honda Civic Si.
McNulty comes from a drifting and time attack racing background. She is getting assistance from Victor Gonzalez. McNulty will tow the car, work on it, and drive it. She is a service advisor at an Audi dealership as a day job. Kevin Boehm is looking for a victory. He s not used to finishing off the podium. Jacob Ruud, meanwhile, is dominant. He is on a Sunday cruise, ahead by some 22 seconds over Samantha Tan. Fast lap is 2:26.1 by Jacob Ruud as Samantha Tan is reducing the delta and she is clocking in a 2:27.4. Caleb Bacon still leads despite his damaged race car. Fartuch and Stillwagon may finish on the podium. Bacon ran well at Sonoma and was tied for third in points before the races here at Circuit of the Americas. We have a lot of races to go around yet this season at some good tracks. White flag for Jacob Ruud. One lap to go. He is putting in lap times within a tenth of his best. Amazing. Oh dear. Mike LaMarra, from fifth in class in TC, has beached the Honda Civic Type R in the gravel trap!
Did he get tipped into a spin? We shall have to look at a replay, maybe. Jacob Ruud has stayed perfect in 2021. He will make it four wins in TCX. There’s mirror damage on the left side for LaMarra and he may end up with nil points after this motor race. Kevin Boehm, in the meantime, has a fair gap over Eric Powell as he is going around P.J. Groenke in another of the TechSport Toyota’s, the #25 Toyota 86 in the hands of the Canadian veteran.
Caleb Bacon continues to lead teammate Luke Rumburg. Meantime, Jacob Ruud is on his way to victory. He has had two wins at Sonoma and two wins at COTA! Caleb Bacon celebrates a well-earned race win as well. We will have the winners listing in just a moment. We keep an eye out too, for Kevin Boehm. He has won as well. His second win of 2021 in race two of the weekend at COTA, fourth overall. Tan and Streimer are next up followed by Boehm and Powell in TC. Hennessy wins TCX. 2:24.2 for Streimer at the end of the motor race? Whoa! How did he pull that rabbit out of the hat?
So, the winners are:
Overall/TCX: #81 Jacob Ruud Classic
BMW BMW M2 ClubSport Racing
TC: #9
Kevin Boehm DXDT
Racing Honda Civic Type R-TC
TCA: #18
Caleb Bacon Forbush Performance Hyundai
Veloster Turbo TCA
That is all she wrote for the touring cars in Austin,
Texas. Our next event will be at the
classic Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, in about five
weeks. Looking forward to that
event. For now, so long and take care,
everybody. But do not go away just
yet. Plenty more racing to come in
Austin. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Saturday racing action from SRO America at Sonoma
All the video replays of the races from Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on Saturday as we look forward to the Sunday action. Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish call the action from the broadcast booth, with Amanda Busick reporting from pit lane.
TC America Race 1
GT4 America COTA Race 1
GT America COTA Race 1
GT World Challenge America COTA Race 1
GT America Race 1
Sofronas Dominates Rain-Soaked Opening Race
Lamborghini 1-2 sweep in first GT America race of weekend at COTA...
https://sportscar365.com/sro/sro-america/gt-america/sofronas-dominates-rain-soaked-opening-race/
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