Tag: GT4 America

The Pirelli GT4 America field concluded Saturday’s SRO Motorsports America program with Race 1 taking place as the sun began to set over the California hills. Forty cars took to the hilly course to compete in an hour-long race, during which anything could have happened across all three classes.

The race was a true nail-bitter, with multiple cars that could have claimed the overall win and class wins. All bets were off when the green flag waved, as some drivers were keen to get their elbows out. A few cautions punctuated the race, but in the end, the PRO-AM No. 47 NOLASPORT entry of Matt Travis and Jason Hart prevailed overall, with the No. 34 Conquest Racing / JMF Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Jesse Webb and Michai Stephens claiming the Silver Class win and third position overall. Conquest Racing’s sister car, the No. 35 Mercedes-AMG GT4, won the highest honors in the Am Class.

Silver class
The Silver class stole the show, kickstarted by young talent Jesse Webb speeding into the distance in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. The polesitter wasted no time pulling a gap to the cars behind. However, a yellow flag early in the session momentarily halted his progress.

As the green flag waved once again with 48 minutes remaining in the race, Webb pulled a significant gap and went on to set his fastest lap of the race just moments later.

A long caution plagued the Pirelli GT4 America field, with the race resuming with 25 minutes left on the clock. Pit stop strategies were going to be of the utmost importance, and some gambles really paid off. Most of the field elected to come down pit lane one lap after the restart, but race leader Jesse Webb stayed on track, opting for a different strategy. Though not in the same class, this decision benefitted the PRO-AM No. 47 NOLASPORT machine, which claimed the overall and PRO-AM class wins.

It was a tight field at the end of the race, but ultimately, Conquest Racing’s Jesse Webb and Michai Stephens came home with the win in the Silver class, followed by the No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch and the No. 19 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport of Francis Selldorff and Andrew Davis. The No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 received a late penalty for a short pit stop, which knocked them down the ranks and resulted in them missing out on third place on the podium.

“It’s an absolutely joyful experience, you couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season for us,” expressed Canadian driver Jesse Webb after claiming his maiden GT4 America win. “It’s awesome having Michai (Stephens) as a teammate. We’ll enjoy the moment now, but we’ll keep our heads down and push on for tomorrow.”

Michai Stephens echoed his teammate’s thoughts; “we have our sights set on the best possible result we can achieve this season. We have all the tools in the making right here. This is a beautiful way to start off the season. We obviously also have to give credit to John Farrow, Eric Bachelart, Ian Willis, Richard, and everyone else on the team. We really appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

PRO-AM class
The theme of the race in the PRO-AM class was “argy bargy” as drivers in the field were quick to fight tooth and nail for every opportunity. This approach came at the detriment of Carter Fartuch, who suffered a right-rear puncture early in the session in his No. 37 Skip Barber Racing School Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4. The No. 069 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Todd Coleman also did not walk away unscathed, his race ending as the result of a broken suspension.

After the long caution that took out the No. 428 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and the No. 54 Black Swan Racing McLaren Artura GT4, the drivers put their foot down to race to the checkered flag. NOLASPORT had a stellar strategy, with the No. 47 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 coming out from their pit stops in first place overall. The clear track ahead allowed them to power through to the finish line, albeit with a few dramatic final laps with traffic interference.

“This win is fantastic — we’re happy to be back, and to win the first race of the season is huge,” said Matt Travis. “It’s going to be a very competitive and exciting season. Shake n’ bake!”

“I’m really happy to be here with Matt Travis, NOLASPORT and Porsche,” said Jason Hart. “We’re off to a great start and we’re going to do our best to keep it going.”

With a significant gap to the leaders ahead, Kay van Berlo in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport was never able to catch them before the checkered flag, though he made significant gains during the last stage of the race and brought home a second place finish for the team. His efforts earned him the CrowdStrike Fast Lap of the race award.

Rounding off the podium was the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 co-driven by Canadian Aaron Povoledo and Ross Chouest, who stayed out of trouble and drove a stellar race.

AM class
Conquest Racing wins two of the three classes thanks to a perfect race by Custodio Toledo and Paulo Carcasci in the No. 35 Mercedes-AMG GT4. The Brazilian pairing drove a relatively quiet and unassuming race, allowing them to perfectly pass the competition and drive home to victory.

“I’m very thankful for Custodio, he gave me the opportunity to return to racing after a 30-year retirement and it feels fantastic,” said Carcasci. “The team did a great job, we have a fantastic car from Mercedes. The whole crew works so hard, you have no idea just how much work they put in behind the scenes. It’s not just one key moment that brought us here, it was a lot of effort over a long period of time that brought us this win.”

Toledo shared Carcasci’s sentiment: “We’ve been working so hard for this. Paulo and I started this project a year and a half ago and it’s just amazing to get our first win here in GT4 America. I want to thank the entire Conquest Racing team, they did an amazing job and gave us a great car. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Nicholas Shanny and Terry Borcheller brought the action in the AM class, earning the second place in their No.20 Carrus Callas Raceteam Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4, ahead of the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 of British driver Charlie Postins and American James Clay.

Race 2 in Pirelli GT4 America will take place at 10:55am PT.

RESULTS

Major talents will be coming from far and wide to compete in the opening round of the Pirelli GT4 America Championship and battle it out under the California sun at Sonoma Raceway next weekend. With top-tier drivers in 43 cars across all categories, the on-track action is bound to be thrilling all season long.

The drivers competing in the Silver, Pro-Am and Am classes will have two opportunities to claim wins and pick up some very important points to kick off the season during the GT Sonoma protected by CrowdStrike weekend. Race 1 kicks off on April 1 at 4:5pm PT with the second 60-minute contest held on April 2 at 10:55am PT.

Silver
The Silver class was defined by dominance in 2022, with RS1 wrapping up an astonishing near-perfect season with 11 wins. However, with the Silver champions moving up to Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, the competition is once again left wide open, with plenty of drivers having their eyes on the prize and ready to pounce. While the Silver class has never been one for predictability, the absence of the previous champions has elevated this sentiment to a whole new level.

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Runner-up from last season Michai Stephens will be eager to get back into the title fight once again, this time alongside his new Canadian teammate Jesse Webb. They will be fielding the No. 34 Conquest Racing / JMF Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4. Conquest Racing was able to challenge for two wins and 10 podiums, building up a healthy gap to those behind, but the pairing’s priority this year will be to secure the top spot.

Only time will tell whether they can expand on their prior success, but one thing’s for sure, the rest of the teams will be working hard to rise to the occasion and go for glory. A pair of Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports will take on the Silver class; the first being the No. 19 ACI Motorsports machine commanded by Andrew Davis and Francis Selldorff, and the No. 96 OGH/Valkyrie Velocity co-driven by Chris Walsh and Dominic Starkweather.

Toyota will be well represented by the No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 and the No. 74 COPELAND MOTORSPORTS. Kevin Conway and John Geesbreght will be sharing the Smooge Racing machine, while Tyler Maxson and Tyler Gonzalez will command the No. 74 challenger. Lastly, Random Vandals Racing brings the new BMW M4 GT4 with a talented line-up featuring Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm.

PRO-AM
Last year’s PRO-AM championship battle was one of the most competitive and exciting season-long battles, with numerous teams in the hunt for the top spot. The No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport will be back in action in hopes of reclaiming the title, with its driver lineup to be announced at a later date.

Flying Lizard Motorsports was also in hot pursuit and is looking to pick up right where it left off, with the No. 8 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 being driven by Andy Lee and Elias Sabo once more. They were plagued by poor luck at the beginning of the 2022 season but gradually turned it around and consistently stood on the podium, in addition to securing a win during the season’s final round. If they can use that momentum to propel them into success straight away at Sonoma, they will certainly be ones to watch for the remainder of the year. Also in PRO-AM, Aston Martin brings Chouest Povoledo Racing, Archangel Motorsports, and van der Steur Racing to fight for the championship.

With the all-new BMW M4 GT4 ready to race, Rooster Hall Racing brings former TC champion Johan Schwartz paired with TC America front-runner Colin Garett. Keeping in theme with new cars, the McLaren Artura GT4 will make its American debut at the hands of Tim Pappas and Jeroen Bleekemolen and Black Swan Racing.

Mercedes-AMG, Nissan and Toyota all feature one PRO-AM entry. Series newcomers Peter Atwater and Luca Mars will field the Mercedes-AMG GT4 for JTR Motorsports Engineering. Former Pirelli World Challenge standout Bryan Heitkotter debuts the all-new Nissan Z GT4 with Tyler Stone for TechSport Racing. With Skip Barber making the step-up to GT4 with Carter Fartuch and Matt Forbush in the GR Supra GT4.

The Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS has four entries in the PRO-AM class. The Porsche ranked supreme in the 2022 championship but it’s the dawn of a new season and the Aston Martin Vantage AMR proved to be highly competitive on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Porsche welcomes returning and new teams to take on PRO-AM with ACI Motorsports, NOLASPORT, OGH/Valkyrie Velocity, and SP Motorsports all fielding entries this season.

Seven manufacturers in total take on the PRO-AM class alone in Pirelli GT4 America competition and each brings a nuanced title contention reason to track. With 17 teams in class, everyone will be waiting in anticipation to see who will emerge victorious and whether audiences and drivers alike can expect another nail-biting season ahead.

AM 
The AM class title will be under threat as the pairing of Charlie Postins and James Clay make their return to the track. The 2023 AM champions will attempt to defend their title with the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4. The duo added seven wins to their tally last year, combined with another five podiums, totaling 262 points by the end of the season. Despite BimmerWorld’s display of dominance, the AM class gave viewers a lot of variety, with eight different winners over the course of 14 races.

The No. 18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport was the car to beat last season in the Silver class, but it is still to be determined whether the team can challenge for the AM championship now that it features a brand-new driver lineup with the likes of Roland Krainz and Austin Krainz. The defining power of the Porsche could keep them atop of the charts but there are many contenders ready to sideline the father, son co-drivers.

A total of 20 entrants and 17 teams make up the AM class. Aston Martin features three entries – two for Heart of Racing with Gray Newell and Ian James in the No. 24 with Hannah Grisham and Rianna O’Meara-Hunt in the No. 25. They’re joined by TR3 Racing, returning with an Aston Martin for the new season.

Four entries have selected to run the 2022 championship-winning BMW M4 GT4 however with Auto Technic Racing, BimmerWorld, Random Vandals Racing, and STR38 Motorsports. With Mercedes-AMG fielding two entries via Conquest Racing and RENNtech Motorsports. Nissan’s second entry comes in the form of the AM class with Eric Powell and Colin Harrison moving up from the TC ranks to compete for TechSport Racing.

The Porsche718 Cayman GT4 RS is once again the best represented with eight entries in the AM Class. GMG Racing fields former GT4 America Champion James Sofronas with Kyle Washington. With ACI Motorsports, NOLASPORT, OGH/Valkyrie and Zotz Racing/CCDP Racing wielding the popular platform for 2023.

Two Toyota GR Supra GT4’s will be on the grid with Carrus Callas Raceteam and Smooge Racing.

As six manufacturers in total will vie for titles in 2023 it’s anyone’s game. Especially with multiple championship-winning teams running in the AM class, seven teams in total have won a championship with SRO Motorsports America within the last year.

The competition is tight, and spectators in attendance at Sonoma can rest assured that the season opener will treat them to a thrilling display of wheel-to-wheel action. When it comes to the Am field, it’s always best to expect the unexpected.

 

Valkyrie Velocity, the racing platform based in the Team Hardpoint facility at VIR, and OGH Motorsports will race under the OGH/Valkyrie Velocity banner with a three-car effort in SRO’s Pirelli GT4 America throughout the 2023 season.

The effort is the first announced by Valkyrie Velocity and bolsters the strengths of the race platform with OGH Motorsports’ hospitality and partner programs to compete in three different classes of the Pirelli GT4 America championship in Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports, holding true to the Porsche legacy established under team owner and driver Rob Ferriol.

OGH/Valkyrie Velocity will field the No. 96 wear blue/Beacon Building Products Porsche Cayman with Chris Walsh and Dominic Starkweather behind the wheel in the Silver class, Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen will pilot the No. 97 OGH/Valkyrie Porsche Cayman in Am, and Ferriol and Will Owen in the No. 95 GridRival/Valkyrie Porsche Cayman.

“From day one, our focus has been on becoming a leader both on and off the track,” Ferriol said. “Showcasing how the sport we love can be more than just cars racing on pavement. It is a sport where young careers are born, old childhood dreams are realized, and behind it all, a preeminent opportunity for corporate and nonprofit partners to tell their stories to an ever-growing community of fans, partners, and competitors. This Pirelli GT4 America program in collaboration with OGH Motorsports gives us a perfect opportunity to demonstrate that philosophy.”

The 14-race championship begins at Sonoma Raceway, March 30 through April 1, with a doubleheader weekend. All Pirelli GT4 America races stream live on the series website at GT4-America.com or on the SRO Motorsports Group official YouTube channel, GTWorld.