With mixed conditions providing a challenge for TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School’s race one at VIRginia International Raceway, Celso Neto secured his first victory of the season with a composed drive in the TCX class in the No. 22 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S. In TC and TCA, Jeff Ricca and Alex Garcia added to their growing number of victories in their respective No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC and No. 14 Skip Barber Racing Honda Civic Si FE1.
TCX
It was a difficult start to the race for pole sitter Chris Walsh as he experienced an issue in his No. 104 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M2 CS (Cup), which dropped him to the back of the field. Neto was promoted to first overall in the No. 22 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S, but Walsh had begun his comeback drive and was driving hard through the field.
Walsh made steady progress to reduce the gap to the frontrunner, but a late stage safety car in the final five minutes of the race ultimately brought his charge to a halt.
Neto went on to take the checkered flag and earned his first victory of the season in the process after completing a strong and confident drive. Walsh made a valiant effort to come back through traffic to secure second place, with the podium completed by Cooper Broll in third place in the No. 19 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S.
“When I saw that Chris had an issue, the plan was to save as much of my tires as possible because I knew I needed it in the event that I had to defend,” explained Neto. “I didn’t overdrive the car, and the other traffic played into our hands as well. I want to thank the whole Skip Barber Racing team, all the sponsors, and everyone who supports me. I really appreciate it. I’d also like to dedicate this win to my dad for his birthday today, this is for him and everything he does for me. Thank you everyone for all the support. It’s been amazing!”
TC
Ricca moved up to first in class in his No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC ahead of TC pole sitter Cristian Perocarpi in the No. 37 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW TC Pro, but the two remained neck and neck throughout the entirety of the race with no room for error.
The two were separated by less than half a second lap after lap, with Perocarpi eagerly waiting for an opportunity to overtake. However, the battle came to a close as a full course caution emerged.
Ricca went on to clinch his fifth victory of the season, with Perocarpi following closely behind in second. The top three was rounded off by Ruben Iglesias Jr. in third in the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC.
“I was looking in my mirrors the entire time,” Ricca said. “I was on the edge and my adrenaline was rising, but I was also trying to remain as calm as possible. I’d like to thank the crew that stayed up late last night working on all our cars, as well as Hyundai USA and Hyundai Korea.”
TCA
Garcia saw an early opportunity to strike in his No. 14 Skip Barber Racing Honda Civic Si FE1, engaging in a thrilling battle with PJ Groenke in the No. 62 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW for several laps before moving ahead into the lead and pulling a gap.
With just under ten minutes remaining in the race, Groenke made an unforeseen trip down pit lane and ultimately had to retire from the race as a result of a mechanical failure.
Garcia went on to secure his third victory of the season, saying that, “I had a couple of mechanical failures in earlier sessions this week, so I wasn’t expecting too much. I knew PJ Groenke had some good pace here, so I was just keeping my head down trying to find the pace that we know we have. I have a great team, great teammates, and I have good experiences here from last year, so I just kept my head down and focused on what was in front of me.”
The TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School will return Sunday, July 21st for race two at 9:50 a.m. ET.