Missed any of a busy Saturday at Road America? Here’s everything you need to know.
TC America
Once again, the rest of the field saw the back of Brayden Arthur’s Corolla Photo Courtesy: Andrew Miterko/SRO Motorsports Group
Brayden Arthur starts on pole for Saturday morning’s Race 2. However, his JMF Toyota Corolla would lose the lead in Turn 1 with Andre Castro holding firm to his outside. Castro would hold off Arthur through Turn 5 and maintain the lead. Castro’s lead was short lived as Arthur passed the Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra on the frontstretch to start Lap 2.
Arthur held the balance of the field from there in a clean, uneventful 35-minute affair. Past halfway, Michai Stephens suffered mechanical problems in his No. 3 Corolla, forcing him to the pits. He would return, but any chance of a podium was gone.
Arthur retakes the championship lead with his seventh win of the season, his third weekend sweep in five tries. Castro finished second to keep him seven points behind Arthur with four races to go. Justin Gravett rounds out the podium in third.
GTWC America Practice
The GT World Challenge America field had a clean second hour of practice Saturday morning. Matias Perez Companc turned the fastest time of the session with a 2:04.895 in his No. 12 AF Corse USA Ferrari. Tom Sargeant with a 2:04.916 was second fastest overall and best of the Pro-Am class. Colin Braun put the No. 017 Kellymoss Porsche in the top 3 with a 2:05.024. Benny Simonsen topped the Am class with a 2:06.224 in sixteenth position.
The third and final practice was held in wet conditions Saturday afternoon. Not a lot of teams decided to take part in the session, which produced some unusual and unreliable readings. Riley Dickinson in the No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche was quickest in the wet with a lap of 2:21.552. Jan Heylen for RS1 was second fastest, less than a tenth off the pace. Pro class points leaders JMF Motorsports have had a quiet weekend, not making the usual noise we are used to from them. In the rain-influenced session, the No. 34 was top of the Pro class third overall – a tenth and a half behind Dickinson. Finally, Benny Simonsen put the Am class AF Corse USA Ferrari fourth quickest overall with a 2:22.201 – further proof there’s little to read into from the wet running.
Pirelli GT4 America
A different look for the RS1 Porsche this weekend, still the same result Photo Courtesy: Fred Hardy/Echo & Origin Studio
Rain was in the forecast for Race 2 of GT4 America. The track was not the only thing dampened. Random Vandals Racing’s Sam Craven, who finished second and inherited sole possession of the points lead, had his car disqualified due to illegal parts fitted on his BMW. Therefore, his eighteen points from Friday are lost.
Friday winner Michael Cooper started from pole in his Blackdog Racing McLaren. Predictably, this was a race of high attrition. The pace car was called on three times for heavy accidents, two at Canada Corner.
During the pit stop, RS1 put Spencer Pumpelly out in the overall lead which he would keep for good. Pumpelly and Luca Mars now have won seven straight in Silver and leave Road America with a 63-point lead.
Despite losing the overall lead, Tony Gaples keeps the Blackdog McLaren out front for Pro-Am victory. Gaples and Cooper now have won four straight in Pro-Am and close within 17 points of leader Sam Craven. In Am, TechSport completes the weekend sweep with Frankie Muniz finishing off with a great drive in the wet to score victory for himself and Tyler Stone. The duo moves up to second in points, just 12 points off the lead.
McLaren Trophy America
Saturday’s Race 1 marks Round 6 (Miami Race 2 was cancelled) of the 2026 season. Sam Neser starts from pole in his Lightning McQueen livery from RWE Motorsport. Neser paced the field through the opening stages of the race while Jon Miller was on a mission. Starting eighteenth, he blitzed through the field to second by the pit stop. A full course yellow for Ken Gregg in the gravel at Turn 14 would split strategies. While some that pit before the yellow made the switch to slicks, those pitting under yellow would stay on the wets.
Because of the split strategies, Matt Bell found himself in the lead. However, the joy was short lived. The Brit would be assessed a penalty for improper pass around. He would be held in the pits for four minutes and forty-four seconds. Hence, the lead returned to the No. 74 RWE Motorsport Lightning McQueen Special with James Li at the wheel. Li would go unbothered to the checkered, winning by fourteen seconds for their first win of the season.
An excellent second place overall for Cooper Broll sees him take Am class honors, third this season for the Forte Racing driver. Finally, Spencer Schmidt and Alex Pollard take their second straight Pro-Am class win with a fifth place overall finish today.
GT America
Another familiar result at the front, as Memo Gidley wins again in his SKI Motorsports Audi to remain undefeated this season. This time, though, it was less than routine. In the mixed conditions it wasn’t as dominant as he usually makes it look. In fact, Tony Davis – making his GTWC America debut this weekend – pulled back the seven-plus-second deficit and got within two and a half seconds by the end. Davis also scored the fastest lap, which earns him pole for Sunday’s Race 2.
Performance of the day has to go to Lawrence Tomlinson putting his GT2 Ginetta third overall. Equally impressive was his last-lap pass on Scott Blind coming up the hill to the finish line, nipping Blind by two tenths. Also uncontested were David Lecko and Craig Lumsden, taking class victories in Cup and GT4 respectively.
Toyota GR Cup North America
Jeremy Fletcher needed to get back to winning ways and responded emphatically Saturday Photo Courtesy: Fred Hardy/Echo & Origin
The curtain call on a busy Saturday was Toyota GR Cup North America. The mixed conditions left everyone unsure of the right call. The race started under the safety car to get drivers accustomed to the conditions. Once loose, Jeremy Fletcher led the field away after polesitter Parker Delong mysteriously went off before the start of the race. Fletcher led early, but not for long. Malbec Ramos charged through the field from eleventh to the lead and pulled a six second lead on the field. But as the track dried, his wet weather tire gamble did not pay off.
Max Schweid gained the lead on Lap 7 and would hold the lead through a full course yellow, the first after those extra formation laps. But on the restart, Schweid met his match as Fletcher used the slipstream to gain the lead. Fletcher then held off Spike Kohlbecker and Will Robusto as debris from a collision involving Beltre Curtis slowed the field coming to the white flag.
Fletcher records a much-needed third win of the season to keep his championship hopes alive. Kohlbecker limits the damage in the points with a runner-up finish while Robusto, minus rear bumper thanks to a collision with Fletcher earlier in the race, rounds out the podium.
Featured Image: Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin in Free Practice 2 Photo Courtesy: Fabian Lagunas/SRO Motorsports Group
