Tag: Memo Gidley

While Race 1 for in the GT America powered by AWS field at Virginia International Raceway was marked by numerous yellow flags, Race 2 told a different tale, with the 40-minute event going nearly completely uninterrupted as drivers ran wheel-to-wheel lap after lap. Race 1 winners Memo Gidley and Robb Holland made it a double as they stepped up to the top spot for the second time this weekend.

SRO3 
The field kept it clean as they set off for Race 2, with Memo Gidley maintaining the lead in his No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. Gidley focused on the clear road ahead, gradually building a gap to those chasing him. Anthony Bartone and Jason Daskalos were keeping each other honest, with their No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 running just a few seconds behind.

Gidley’s gap dwindled away as the safety car was deployed shortly before the halfway mark, bringing the field back together as they prepared to go green again. With 20 minutes left on the clock, Gidley had another excellent start, while Bartone dropped back after a brief off course excursion, promoting Daskalos up to second while Johnny O’Connell moved his No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8-LMS up into third.

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Adam Adelson was making moves in his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R in the final minutes of the race, making a late charge on Bartone and sweeping past him to settle into fourth. Meanwhile, George Kurtz was sitting just behind the action in sixth, waiting patiently in his No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 for his time to strike, with the opportune moment happening just one lap later.

Memo Gidley secured a second consecutive win and CrowdStrike fastest lap, marking his fourth-weekend sweep of the season thus far. Daskalos took home second place, with O’Connell occupying the final spot on the podium.

GT4 and GT2
Robb Holland had a smooth getaway in his No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, keeping the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Ross Chouest at bay throughout the opening laps. However, the fight raged on behind as drivers did not hesitate to get their elbows out early.

The No. 009 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport made some brief contact as Tim Savage and Chris Alliegro fought for position, with Jason Bell’s No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 getting pinched while running on the inside line.

As the trio continued to go wheel to wheel throughout each corner, Bell and Savage had a close call as Alliegro ran off track before lightly touching the tire barrier, just narrowly missing clipping either car in the process. This brought out a safety car with just over 25 minutes remaining.

Savage spun off track shortly after the race resumed and was able to rejoin quickly, but lost valuable track positions in the process. Bell’s restart was equally as difficult, as some contact between himself and Paul Kiebler in the No. 77 TR3 Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 nullified their progress.

Robb Holland went on to claim the win for the second time this weekend, followed by Ross Chouest earning another second-place finish, with Tony Gaples having a very solid run in his No. 5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R to bring it home in third.

CJ Moses drove a smart race in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2, keeping out of trouble and challenging for the overall Top 10.

Up next for SRO is the CrowdStrike 24 hours of Spa, taking place from June 29 to July 2. The GT America powered by AWS field will be back in August in support of IndyCar at the Music City Grand Prix of Nashville before a visit to Road America.

RESULTS

Race 1 at Virginia International Raceway was a challenging 40-minute event for the GT America powered by AWS field, as the race was punctuated by a number of yellow flags. Championship leader Memo Gidley kept it clean and brought home the win and fastest lap leading into tomorrow’s race. Robb Holland also added another win to his racing resume this season in the GT4 class.

SRO3 
As the green flag waved, Adam Adelson put the pedal to the metal and began working on building a gap in his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii) as Memo Gidley was giving it his all to hunt him down on board his No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3.

A safety car came out a little over three minutes into the race to retrieve the stranded No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jason Daskalos. The yellow flags halted the battles and brought the field back together before restarting for a brief moment, but yellow flags were brought out once more shortly thereafter.

Polesitter Adam Adelson saw his race cut short before the field could go green again, as he suffered a mechanical issue, promoting championship leader Gidley into first place, with Anthony Bartone sitting directly behind in the No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and was ready to pounce at the first opportunity.

The majority of the race was spent under yellow, but as the action resumed once again with seven minutes remaining on the clock, it was a mad-dash to the finish. George Kurtz was sitting in fifth in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, with the No. 096 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 of Vincent Barletta directly in his sights, pulling off the overtake in swift fashion.

Double yellow flags were waved for the final time as the safety car was brought out again with four minutes remaining, subsequently following after Bartone ran wide and made contact with the tire barriers. As a result of the late-stage incident, the race came to a close under yellows. Memo Gidley took home the win and secured the fastest lap, setting him up in pole position for Race Two tomorrow. Todd Treffert was runner-up in the No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, with George Kurtz making it an all-Mercedes podium.

GT4 and GT2 
There was action around every corner as Robb Holland and Gray Newell immediately began to duel it out for the lead in their No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. It wasn’t long before Jason Bell and Ross Chouest started catching up and inserting themselves into the mix as well, positioned side by side in the No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.

Elias Sabo was sent spinning on the restart, which put the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 into the barriers, bringing out another safety car as a result of the contact. The race went green again at the halfway mark, but did not stay that way for long, as the pole sitters in the GT4 and GT2 classes were sent spinning a couple of corners later, with Newell unable to continue, and CJ Moses picking up race-ending damage in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2.

Holland went on to claim the win, followed by Ross Chouest in second place, and Jason Bell completed the podium in third.

The series will be back on track for Race 2 tomorrow at 8:45am ET. Fans can follow progression with Griiip Live, live timing. The studio makes it easy to follow class battles, lap times, and pit strategy for the five SRO America series. Stream the races live on the YouTube page, GT World.

RESULTS