GT America’s first race at Road America started behind the safety car as the heavy rain came down around the circuit. The green flag running finally got underway with 27 minutes remaining as the downpour gradually subsided.
It was a fierce battle for the lead from start to finish in the SRO3 class, with Justin Rothberg emerging as the overall winner. In GT4, Curt Swearingin climbed on to the top step of the podium, scoring his third win of the season.
SRO3
Rothberg started from pole position in his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, navigating his way through the wet conditions while simultaneously trying to establish a gap to the competitors behind.
Numerous drivers, including James Sofronas in the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 and Kyle Washington in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R, came down pit lane to serve a drive-through penalty just before reaching the halfway mark of the 40-minute race. As a result, Jason Daskalos moved up to second in his No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Johnny O’Connell following in third in the No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3, attempting to close the gap to Rothberg ahead.
As rain made way to the sun in the final minutes of the race, Daskalos closed in on Rothberg, challenging the young talent for the overall win. Rothberg could not afford to make any mistakes as Daskalos was on his rear-bumper in the closing minutes.
It was a dramatic final lap as Daskalos and Rothberg went nose-to-tail, but in the end it was Rothberg who ultimately prevailed to take the checkered flag, with Daskalos just behind in second place, and O’Connell on the third step of the podium.
“The braking zones and grip were changing every single lap,” said Rothberg after the race. “You couldn’t really have a memory bank. I was kind of just the test dummy going into every corner, but I pulled it together and kept it on the track. I’m very happy with the win!”
GT4
Despite the rain, it appeared as though it was going to be smooth sailing for Isaac Sherman in the No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, who comfortably led ahead of the rest of the field for the majority of the race.
Swearingin, who also started on the front row, had to serve a drive through penalty in his No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, allowing Gray Newell to gain a position in his No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. However, Swearingin was determined to make up lost ground, recovering up to third and closing in on Newell.
With less than 10 minutes remaining in the race, drama unfolded for Isaac Sherman, who was plagued by a puncture, promoting Newell to first place, Swearingin to second and Todd Parriott in the No. 31 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 to third.
Just when it all looked to be decided, Swearingin caught up to Newell and pulled off a daring overtake on the last lap of the race before powering down the track to snatch the win in thrilling fashion. Newell had to settle for second, with Parriott claiming his first podium finish of the year.
“It was fun,” Swearingin said at the podium celebrations. “We like the weather, we like the rain. The car is good under these conditions and we had decent pace. So it was a good day.”
The GT America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Race 2 on Sunday, August 18th at 8:45 a.m. CT.