If you are familiar with SRO America, Saturday is the busiest day of the weekend. This weekend, the Saturday card features four races. In between are practices for GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. So let’s find out who won big at Barber on Saturday.
TC America
Race 2 of TC America belonged to Ricca Autosport Hyundai. Andre Castro started on pole and led Justin Gravett into Turn 1. Friday winner Matan Rosenburg leapfrogged Brayden Arthur at the start into third at Turn 2. That is how the top four would stay for the duration of the 35-minute race.
There were some tense moments behind them. Friday runner-up Logan Anderson was pushed off track at the exit of Turn 5 on Lap 1. He fell down the order and could only capture eighth. The fourth Ricca Autosport Hyundai of Eric Kunz also fell on hard luck spinning at pit entrance after his left tires caught the grass at Turn 14 on Lap 4. Kunz rejoined and would go on to finish seventh.
A crucial fourth win of the season for Castro puts him back in the championship lead. Moreover, a Ricca Hyundai podium sweep marks a fifteen point swing in Castro’s favor. Therefore, Castro leads Arthur by eight points with the Indianapolis doubleheader awaiting to crown a champion.
GT America
A bittersweet Saturday for Memo Gidley – Photo Courtesy: Andrew Miterko
If you were expecting another story hearing about Memo Gidley dominance in GT America, I have news for you. The points leader and pole sitter wouldn’t see the green flag as his SKI Autosport Audi would crawl to a stop at Turn 13 on the formation lap. Joel Cortes in his RS1 Porsche inherited the pole and would lead the field off the start.
This was the worst weekend for Tony Davis to have a bad qualifying. Starting at the back, he would work his way through the field to keep his slim title hopes alive. The HP-Tech Motorsport Ferrari did make progress, but would only get to fourth. Despite not starting the race, fourth for Davis clinched the SRO3 driver’s championship for Gidley with three races to spare.
Meanwhile, Cortes went unchallenged at the front of the field to take the win in Race 1. Cortez becomes only the third winner of the season in GT America. Ross Chouest finishes second despite early challenges from Scott Blind, who would stay in third until the flag. Christian Pipas and David Lecko took victory unopposed in Invitational and Cup respectively. Finally, Craig Lumsden scored the win in GT4.
Sunday’s Race 2 is scheduled for 9:25am local time.
Pirelli GT4 America
The No. 7 Porsche GT4 of ACI Motorsports – Photo Courtesy: Fred Hardy
Race 2 of GT4 America started calmly. Michael Cooper in the Pro-Am class Blackdog McLaren started on pole and led away at the start. Cooper would maintain the lead until the mandatory pit stop where he would hand over to Tony Gaples. Outside of some close quarter battles throughout the field, racing was good and clean.
Then Things Went Bonkers
The chaos began when race control issued a drive-thru to the No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota Supra for speeding entering the pit lane on the pit stop. Westin Workman served the penalty and at the time looked like a big blow to their championship hopes. But minutes later came a reprieve when Karl Forman and Roland Krainz collided at Turn 14. While Forman quickly recovered and continued, Krainz suffered damage and stopped to let cars go by him as he seeked an opening to get cross the track to pit in. Race control saw this as a dangerous situation and deployed the Full Course Yellow with twenty minutes remaining.
After the restart, trouble hit the Silver class championship leaders. Spencer Pumpelly came to a stop at Turn 8. He did get the No. 028 RS1 Porsche going again, but not until after the field went past. It was reported the car lost power before restarting the car. When the car got back going again, the pace did not return.
Checkers wasn’t the End
After being sent in the gravel trap in Race 1, Allen Patten charged through the field. The Dome Motorsports Mercedes was challenging for the overall race win and hounding the back of Gaples in the closing stages. Exiting turn 14 coming to start the final lap, Patten got into the back of the McLaren, sending Gaples around. Trenton Estep in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche drove through for the lead and held on to take the win for he and Yves Baltes. ACI becomes the first team outside of RAFA and RS1 to score victory in Silver this season.
Staying with Silver, Workman and Tyler Gonzalez managed to gain valuable points with their third-place finish. With RS1’s late race troubles, the RAFA duo head to Indianapolis with an outside chance of the championship, 35 points behind Pumpelly and Luca Mars.
In Pro-Am, Patten and Dome were first across the line. But a post-race time penalty for incident responsibility knocked them down to ninth. Sam Craven, Kenton Koch and Random Vandals inherit the weekend sweep. The spin for the Blackdog McLaren sent the No. 33 back to seventh in class at the finish. Subsequently, Craven’s lead over Cooper and Gaples is now 41 points going to Indy.
Finally, Am was shaken up in a major way. With six minutes remaining, James Walker’s Bimmerworld BMW lost power for the second straight day. This was more devastating as it was from the lead. The power failure led to Frankie Muniz making the winning move and fending off Michael Garcia at the exit of Turn 5. For Muniz and Tyler Stone, their third win in four races gives them the championship lead by one point over Walker and James Clay. The Garcia brothers are also in contention, 14 points behind.
Toyota GR Cup North America
Rounding out a busy Saturday card was Race 1 of Toyota GR Cup North America. Points leader Spike Kohlbecker obliterated the field in qualifying, winning the pole by six tenths. Second in the championship Jeremy Fletcher started alongside him in second. At the start and into Turn 1, Kohlbecker would lead the field away and Fletcher going into second.
Behind them was an early moment of drama for Will Robusto. Robusto made contact with both Garrett Manes and Ethan Ayers, sending the No. 2 GR86 back to twentieth. Manes and Ayers would both receive post-race time penalties for the incidents. Robusto would stay in the gas and charge the field back to fifth at the end.
Meanwhile, Kohlbecker and Fletcher went out and set the pace early leaving the rest of the field in their wake to the tune of nine seconds. However, that advantage was erased with ten minutes remaining. A collision between Alcyr Araujo and Carter Wilson would leave Araujo stranded in the gravel trap at Turn 5 leading to a full course yellow intervention.
Once all was cleared, there was enough time for a two-lap dash to the finish. While Kohlbecker pulled away, his teammate Parker Delong passed Fletcher at Turn 1 on the start of the final lap to take second place and valuable championship points. Kohlbecker’s sixth win of the season now has him 23 points clear of Fletcher.
Race 2 is Sunday at 10:25am local time.
GT World Challenge America
Practice 2
GMG Racing picked up right where they left off leading Saturday’s Free Practice 2. Tom Sargeant once again registered the fastest lap with a 1:20.529. Riley Dickinson put the No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche second quickest with a 1:20.719 lap. Rounding out the top 3 was a great lap from Scott Andrews in the HP-Tech Motorsport Ferrari. The Australian clocked a lap of 1:20.932.
The best of the Pro class entries was only sixth with Mikael Grenier lapping a 1:21.336 in the JMF Motorsports Mercedes. Oswaldo Negri’s 1:22.019 put the Am class AF Corse USA Ferrari in fourteenth overall.
Practice 3
Tom Sargeant proceeded to sweep the practice sessions. The No. 32 GMG Porsche topped the thirty-minute final free practice early Saturday afternoon. The Australian posted a lap of 1:21.408. Loek Hartog puts the Pro-Am class first and second with a 1:22.065 in the No. 88 Kellymoss Porsche. AF Corse USA was fastest in Pro with Frederik Schandorff third quickest at a 1:22.203. Aaron Telitz placed the Archangel Motorsports No. 69 McLaren in fourth with Daniel Morad rounding out the top five with the TR3 Mercedes. The Am class AF Corse Ferrari was fifteenth quickest with a 1:23.375, courtesy of Oswaldo Negri.
SRO America/GTWC America Barber: Preview | Friday Notebook | SATURDAY | Qualifying | Sunday Notebook | Race
Headline Photo: A busy pit lane on Saturday morning at Barber – Photo Courtesy: Fabian Lagunas/SRO Motorsports Group
