Indianapolis Motor Speedway was treated to an action-packed event as the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing competitors took over the road course for race one on late Friday afternoon.
Celso Neto, Jeff Ricca, and Alex Garcia were the first winners of the weekend in their respective TCX, TC, and TCA classes, emerging victorious in the 40-minute showdown.
TCX
The battles among the TCX drivers heated up from the moment the green flag waved. On the opening lap, Chris Walsh made a late lunge into Turn 1, moving his No. 104 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M2 CS (Cup) into the lead over Neto. However, the driver of the No. 22 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S wasn’t going down without a fight, and reclaimed the position later on the same lap.
Within the first ten minutes of the race, Cameron Steller pulled off a bold move, slotting his No. 23 Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) into the final podium position ahead of Aaron Kaplan in the No. 18 Kaplan Racing Systems BMW M2 CS (Cup).
Walsh tried to chase down Neto with all his might, and out-of-class traffic came into play to bring the fight even closer. The action reached a boiling point in the final laps, as Neto ran off-track momentarily, allowing Walsh to sweep by. However, they continued to exchange positions back and forth, rubbing wheels in the process as they clamored for first.
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There was little to no room for error as the two kept each other honest in each and every corner, but in the end, it was Neto who prevailed, claiming his fifth win of the year and earning the privilege of kissing the bricks at Indianapolis.
“It was a really tough race, both physically and mentally,” Neto said. “Chris Walsh, as we all know, is an ace driver this year, and he put a lot of pressure on me. The track conditions were completely different from qualifying—it was much hotter—so we had to adapt. But I had my team, my radio, and my shelf, each one performing from Brazil, which really helped me this round. Jacob, my engineer, and the whole team were really happy with the car and Honda Racing HRC. I couldn’t ask for more!”
TC
Ricca went unchallenged as he led from green to checkered in the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC, putting on another dominant performance and further showcasing his championship winning caliber.
There was early heartbreak for hometown hero Cristian Perocarpi, as his No. 37 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW TC Pro had to make a trip down pit lane before ultimately retiring from the race.
It was a strong day for the Ricca Autosport fleet in general as they swept the podium, with Connor Attrell finishing as the runner-up in the No. 75 car, while Ron Zaras rounded off the podium in third place in the No. 77 entry. This marked the first podium appearances for both drivers.
“It’s priceless to have a 1-2-3 Hyundai finish,” Ricca said. “This is incredible because it’s the first time in SRO history that Hyundai has swept the podium. Coming into the weekend, we thought we’d be at a disadvantage due to the temperatures, but Mother Nature was on our side and brought the heat we needed.
“It was an amazing drive. I’m so grateful to everyone at Hyundai USA and Korea for making this happen. This is just the icing on the cake for the championship. My wife and I put our heart and soul into this—this is our business. To see all our hard work pay off with a podium sweep is something truly special. Sharing this moment with my team is just awesome.”
TCA
PJ Groenke wasted no time building up a sizable lead over the rest of the TCA class competitors. With a clear path ahead of him, he was able to focus on moving forward in his No. 62 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW. However, tragedy struck just before the halfway mark, with an issue with his front left tire grinding his charge to a halt.
Garcia was therefore promoted to the front of the TCA class with his No. 14 Skip Barber Racing Honda Civic Si FE1, and went on to claim his fifth victory of the season. The podium was further completed by Groenke as he was able to recover to second, with Alain Lauziere bringing it home in third in the No. 64 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW.
“The fact that I’m doing triple duty this weekend—driving in the GR Cup, GT4, and TC America—means all the seat time on the track really pays off,” Garcia said. “It’s about keeping your head down, taking it one turn at a time, and focusing on your own race. You never know what can happen; it’s not over until the checkered flag.”
The TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School will return Sunday, October 6th for race two at 9:35 a.m. ET.