Road Atlanta – Syndication Server

Annunziata wins again in TA2 at Road Atlanta SpeedTour

Thomas Annunziata continued his strong start to the 2025 season, earning his second-straight CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series victory in the Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour at Road Atlanta. Annunziata started on the pole and led from flag to flag in his No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry, spearheading a podium-sweeping 1-2-3 finish for Nitro Motorsports and leading a 1-2 finish for the new Toyota Camry.

After setting a new track record and winning the pole in qualifying, Annunziata took the green flag and pulled ahead to an immediate lead. Behind him, second-place starter Julian DaCosta (No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) and third-place starter Tyler Gonzalez (No. 10 Mobil 1/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) were side-by-side, drag racing through the esses before Gonzalez took over second place in Turn 7. The field was slowed by the conclusion of the first lap for a car in the wall, with racing resuming on lap five.

Annunziata led Gonzalez, DaCosta, three-time champion Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) and Boris Said Jr. (No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) across the line on the restart, and he and Gonzalez began to distance themselves from the rest of the top five. The two battled each other until lap 10, when the safety car was deployed for a caution period to clean up several on-track incidents, including one involving fifth-place Said Jr. and seventh-place Mike Skeen (No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet), which allowed Sam Corry (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) to enter the top five.

The green flag waved once again on lap 15 and Gonzalez fought hard on Annunziata’s tail. On lap 17, Matos put two wheels off the racing surface, allowing Corry to pass him for the fourth position. By lap 20, Annunziata began to open up a lead over Gonzalez, gapping him by 1.5s. A long green-flag run ensued, and when racing was slowed on lap 30, Annunziata had a nearly four-second advantage over his teammate.

The restart on lap 33 was excellent for Gonzalez, but the double yellow was displayed on lap 34 for a car stuck in Turn 10. Gonzalez was able to do it again when racing resumed on lap 37, hanging tightly on Annunziata’s rear bumper. The following lap, he looked poised to challenge for the lead, but Gonzalez made his first mistake of the race, putting two wheels off the track and slightly slowing his progress. With two laps remaining, Gonzalez was unable make the pass, and Annunziata took the checkered flag. Annunziata was followed by Nitro Motorsports teammates Gonzalez, DaCosta, and Corry, with Silver Hare Racing’s Matos crossing the finish line fifth.

After the race, a post-race penalty for avoidable contact was assessed to Sam Corry, relegating him to the 14th position. With Matos promoted to fourth, Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) became the final car to finish in the top five.

“The race was good from start to finish,” said Annunziata on the podium. “I was a little worried there in the beginning. I didn’t have the greatest short-run pace, and I thought Gonzalez was going to have something for me there. We started to eke it out, and I felt really good. I mean, it’s an amazing way to introduce Toyota to the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, which is super, super cool. Thank you to everyone at Nitro Motorsports, Michael Brallier, Ronnie Otto, and Nick Tucker for giving me such an amazing opportunity and allowing me to drive these racecars. It’s the first time we’ve ever had a Nitro Motorsports 1-2-3 finish, which is super cool. That’s all down to having such a talented group of people behind us and talented drivers such as Tyler Gonzalez and Julian DaCosta. Congrats to them as well. Gonzalez kept me honest there at the end. I thought I was going to potentially lose it there. That was scary; I didn’t like that. Thank you to Chipoys and everyone here at Road Atlanta.”

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Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) started the Pro/Am Challenge race first in class, but got held up on the first lap, allowing Keith Prociuk (Keith Prociuk, No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang) to take the lead, which he held for much of the event. Both Prociuk and Boes were hit by another competitor in the field late in the event, leading to a swap in position on lap 29, and fourth-place starter Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang) overcame an early spin to fight his way back to the front of the class. In the final laps, the three competitors were running close together and swapping spots, while battling it out to the checkered flag. Prociuk ultimately crossed the finish line first, followed by Odrick and Boes.

After the race, a post-race penalty for avoidable contact was assessed to Odrick, relegating him fourth in class. Cale Phillips in the No. 99 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang was awarded the final podium spot.

“That was a fantastic race,” said Prociuk. “All three of us have been fast all weekend long, so I knew it’d be between the three of us. Barry [Boes] just got me in qualifying by 0.2s, but on the start, I think he just kind of got held up, so I got him on lap one. It was a hard race, all race long. Great racing with Jared [Odrick], really clean, really hard. I really appreciate it. Same thing with you, Barry. Thanks to HP Tuners. Thanks to Mike Cope, Travis Cope, Thomas Merrill; you guys are absolutely fantastic, I really appreciate it. I hope we can keep this up. Thanks, Trans Am, and thanks to all the officials and safety workers that keep us safe out there.”

An encore presentation of Sunday’s race will air Sunday night on SPEED SPORT 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series will next hit the track at Sonoma Raceway, April 24-27, for the Sonoma SpeedTour in combination with the Western Championship.

Annunziata rockets to another record Road Atlanta TA2 pole

Thomas Annunziata broke the track qualifying record with a time of 1m22.369s in his No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series at Road Atlanta. “The new Toyota …

“The new Toyota Camry is fast; it’s definitely interesting,” said Annunziata after setting his record-breaking time. “The aero and the way the car reacts to the racetrack is definitely a little bit different. I couldn’t get on top of that for a while, but we put it all together when it mattered, so I’m thankful for that. Thank you to Nitro Motorsports and everyone who works so hard on these cars. I wouldn’t be here without them. Honestly, my driving sucked the whole weekend, and I had to put it together there at the end, and I did, so I’m thankful.”

Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) was the fastest of the Pro/Am Challenge contenders with a time of 1m23.959s.

The race will be contested Sunday at 1:50 p.m. ET. It will be streamed live on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, with coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. ET, and broadcast live on SPEED SPORT 1, with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. An encore presentation will air on SPEED SPORT 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more information on where you can watch SPEED SPORT 1, click here.

Super-sub Brabham wins attrition-filled TA race at Road Atlanta

Matthew Brabham was called to action by Chris Dyson to race the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour, and the Australian driver was up to the task. After starting second, Brabham had incredible speed and avoided the issues that plagued Brent Crews, Paul Menard and others to take the checkered flag in the TA class for the first time since 2023.

After setting a new track record in yesterday’s qualifying session, Brent Crews saw the green flag wave in his No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro and took control of the race from the first corner. Third-place starter Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro) followed Crews, sliding past Brabham and securing the second position. However, it only took a few laps for Brabham to reel Andretti back in, and on lap seven, the two were drag racing through the turns, with Brabham taking over the runner-up spot on lap eight.

While those two battled, Crews stretched his legs in the lead, pulling out to more than a 4s advantage over second place. Fourth-place Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) began to creep up on Andretti, who lost some speed due to an ignition box issue, and Menard took over third place on lap 13. Just one lap later, Crews, who was maintaining a commanding lead, suddenly slowed and pulled to a stop at the exit of pit road with a transmission issue. Racing remained green, and Brabham claimed the lead for the first time.

Brabham’s lead was massive as Menard battled his handling and Andretti worked out his mechanical issues, but as the laps clicked by, Menard began to close the imposing 10s gap. However, that gap would disappear when the double yellow was displayed on lap 29 as Humaid Masaood (No. 21 allgram Ford Mustang) spun on the track and Keith Grant (No. 7 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) got caught in the kitty litter, requiring a tow.

Racing resumed on lap 35, and Menard was right on Brabham’s tail with great pace. However, two laps later, Menard experienced a major lockup and skidded off the racing surface and into the gravel, slowing the racing action. Without enough time for cleanup, the race came to its conclusion under yellow conditions. Brabham crossed the finish line for the victory, followed by Andretti and David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang), who advanced from a sixth-place starting spot as others faced attrition. Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) crossed the finish line fourth, and Masaood salvaged a top-five finish. Menard was relegated to sixth in class, while Crews was scored last.

“Oh, it’s incredible; it’s such a great series to be a part of,” said Brabham on the podium. “The cars are some of the most fun I’ve ever driven in my life. To race them side by side―I mean, when Adam [Andretti] and I had that race in the beginning, we were side by side for two or three corners, and then he still got ahead of me, and then we did it again. To race these things is just so much fun. I’m here and the CD Racing crew is here because of Chris Dyson. Obviously, he would have much rather have been in the car this weekend, but I’m always happy to replace him whenever he feels the need to call me up. The answer will always be yes. It’s always a big honor. Dyson Racing, this racetrack, Trans Am, there’s so much history involved. We’ve got Brabham and Andretti up here. It’s pretty special; it gives you a little bit of goosebumps. Thank you so much to everyone that makes this possible: the series, everyone involved. Big congrats to the race team, GYM WEED. It’s so good to be here in the GYM WEED Winners Circle.”

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The XGT class race finished the same way it started, with Paul Tracy leading the way from start to finish in his No. 10 Race Cars For You/Innovation IRC GT. Teammates Danny Lowry (No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4) and Billy Griffin (No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3) ran nose to tail in second and third the entire day, while Kaylee Bryson struggled in her No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette, requiring a trip to pit road mid-race. Tracy earned his second victory of the season and finished fifth overall due to his car’s high speed and the attrition in the TA class, while Lowry and Griffin claimed podium results, finishing second and third, respectively.

“That was a good race,” said Tracy. “I’ve got to thank the guys from IRC and Race Cars For You. They’re a small little team with some guys just helping. They gave me an opportunity to come out here and run with these guys and have a good time. The race went exactly the way we needed it to go. We were going to need a yellow, because this car’s got a pretty small fuel tank. I was getting pretty low on fuel when the yellow came out. I don’t think we would have made it if it had gone green all the way. I’m lucky that yellow came out towards the end. Overall, the car is phenomenal and it handles great. It’s the little car that can. I’ve just got to thank these guys at Trans Am and SVRA for these events they put on. All these grassroots racers are out here having a good time.”

Joshua Carlson dominated in the SGT class for the second race in a row, leading from green flag to checkers in his No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang. Second-place starter Patrick Utt (No. 49 RaceQuip/Driven Racing Oil Chevrolet Camaro) held the runner-up position for a majority of the race, but was challenged by 2022 SGT champion Milton Grant (No. 55 Sentry Self Storage/Springhill Suites Porsche 991.1), who took over second on lap 12. Unfortunately, Grant spun on lap 16, dropping him back to fourth in class behind his son, Carey Grant (No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche GT3 Cup). The elder Grant used his speed and experience to fight his way back to third in the remaining laps. When the checkered flag waved, it was Carlson with the win, followed by Utt, Milton Grant and Carey Grant.

“First I’d like to thank Enseva for all their unlimited support they gave me, and my parents for letting me race and go as fast as I do, because I’m sure it scares them a little bit sometimes,” said Carlson. “It was a good race; we did what we had to do to win it, and I’m just happy to be on the top side of the podium again. It’s also nice to see another TA2-style SGT car finish 1-2 with me and seeing Patrick [Utt] picking up a lot of pace from Sebring; it’s good to see him improving. I’m hoping that we can run even closer next time I see him. It was nice to see Milton [Grant] come back out and race with us again, and it was just a really nice day for racing. I’m happy to be here.”

Chris Coffey was once again the class of the field in the GT class, leading the race from start to finish in his No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4, despite a solid run by Jeff Lindstrom in the No. 41 Griffin Auto Care Ford Mustang. The 2024 GT champion secured his second victory of the season and 15th of his career.

“It was an absolutely incredible race; it was fun and we went from A to B with no problems,” Coffey said. “My car ran great. I’ve really got to thank my crew for that, Alex and Xavier. These guys really make this stuff easy on me. I also want to thank Colin Cohen. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. I’m sad to see he didn’t race this weekend, but he’s here in support and I can’t thank him enough. Thank you to my wife Morgan and my son Sam. My wife is by far the most important person in all of this racing, because she takes care of our son while I’m on the road. I want to thank Jeff [Lindstrom] here for some great racing all weekend, and thank you to all the other competitors for keeping your head screwed on straight while we were out there. I can’t wait for the next race at Sonoma.”

As the only competitor in the GT1 Challenge this weekend, Rob Dickey in the No. 64 Forty48 Competition Chevrolet Camaro was able to take the checkered flag in his Trans Am debut, fulfilling a personal dream to compete in the pro series.

“No one could have been more welcoming or helpful in all aspects,” said Dickey. “It was my first time racing the pro race and with this series, and everyone was absolutely phenomenal, helping me struggle through it. It was great. My goal was to come in, finish, be clean, not be in anybody’s way, have a good car, and keep it together. I have to thank the team out of Wisconsin, Forty48 Competition. They completely rebuilt the car after it was wrecked last year, putting an immense amount of time and effort into it. Aaron, my crew chief, received countless compliments on the wrap, which took many hours to complete. It was painful but so worth it in the end. The experience was phenomenal, and I have to thank my wife, Cheryl, for putting up with my lunacy of wanting to come out here and do this. It couldn’t have been a better experience. For all the guys sitting out there with old GT1 cars, cough up a couple bucks and come on out here. It really is the best place to run one of these cars. You can’t find a better group or a better-run series. Plus, you’re racing against some legit, crazy-fast drivers. If you want to come out and test yourself, see where you measure up, stop messing around and come out here to have these guys beat up on you.”

An encore presentation of Saturday’s race will air Saturday night on SPEED SPORT 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series will next hit the track at Sonoma Raceway, April 24-27, for the Sonoma SpeedTour in combination with the Western Championship.

Crews vaults to TA track record en route to Road Atlanta pole

Brent Crews set a new track record at Road Atlanta during the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Friday qualifying session, capturing the pole with a time of 1m16.683s. “It’s a great weekend so far,” said Crews. “I can’t thank everybody at …

Brent Crews set a new track record at Road Atlanta during the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Friday qualifying session, capturing the pole with a time of 1m16.683s.

“It’s a great weekend so far,” said Crews. “I can’t thank everybody at Toyota Racing and Nitro Motorsports enough. Thanks to everybody at Mobil 1 for getting me here. I’ve had a great car all weekend and I’ve been continuing to get this thing faster. It’s been fast all week. Nick Tucker’s been working really hard. We had a super-fast car at Sebring as well, but unfortunately, we broke down a couple times and I feel like that kind of cost us the win. But these past couple weeks, these guys have been working really hard at the shop to be able to get this thing fixed up and ready for the weekend. No issues so far this weekend, and we have a really fast racecar, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Paul Tracy (No. 10 Race Cars For You Innovation IRC GT) was quickest in XGT, while Joshua Carlson (No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang) topped SGT. Chris Coffey (No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4) was fastest in the GT class, and newcomer Rob Dickey (No. 64 Forty48 Competition Chevrolet Camaro) was the sole competitor in GT1 Challenge.

The TA/GT race will be contested Saturday at 12:50 p.m. ET. It will be streamed live on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, with coverage beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET, and broadcast live on SPEED SPORT 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET. An encore presentation will air on SPEED SPORT 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET. For more information on where you can watch SPEED SPORT 1, click here.

Acura Meyer Shank Racing returns to IMSA

If the fact that Honda Racing Corporation reunited with Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian to run its two-car Acura ARX-06 program wasn’t enough of a surprise, here comes the driver announcement. Presented by RACER’s Trackside Report is …

Presented by

RACER’s Trackside Report is presented by Mazda Motorsports. Mazda supports racing and racers at every level from regional track days all the way to the IMSA WeatherTech Championship. At Mazda, racing isn’t just what they do; it’s who they are. click to learn more about Mazda Motorsports and the Mazda MX-5 Cup.

Petit 2024: Instant classic and a beautiful swan song

The 2024 Motul Petit Le Mans reminded a lot of people why they love this style of racing so much. A 10-hour race that comes down to the final minutes in a way that no one expects perfectly embodies what makes the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar …

Saturday lacked, this year — at least in the top prototype class — the championship drama that’s become the norm, but that didn’t make the race any less crazy. Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr came in with enough of a margin that the chances of them losing the GTP championship was almost nil. Then again, when you think it’s in the bag, anything can happen at Petit Le Mans — just ask AO Racing.

Porsche Penske Motorsport as a team and Porsche as a manufacturer had the GTP championship wrapped up as soon as the two PPM 963s wet under the green flag, but that didn’t diminish the drama.

While caution periods and restarts ignite action and excitement, in this year’s Petit Le Mans it was the lack of yellows that heightened the show. Only five cautions for 1h22m of slowed pace kept the action going (last year’s race had a dozen). For an incredible four-and-a-half hours until the final yellow, the race ran under green. In that extended period of green running, there were clearly two strong contenders for the win, at least on outright pace – the No. 6 PPM 963 of Nick Tandy, Mathieu Jaminet and Kevin Estre, and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 driven by Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Brendon Hartley. In the final race of the partnership between WTRAndretti and Acura, it looked like they might finally get the win that’s eluded them for the last several years.

Adding to the plot was the fact that the No. 7 PPM 963 was on a different pit sequence. Had the race run to the end without another caution, they needed one full stop from the lead while the others would need a splash of fuel to make it to the end, especially since they needed to race each other flat-out. Would that have been enough to hand the win to champions-elect Cameron and Nasr, plus endurance addition Matt Campbell?

Pit cycles left us scratching our heads all day long. PPM may have been on strategy together here, but that didn’t last long. Richard Dole/Lumen

We didn’t get to find out. With just under an hour, a two-GTD-car crash left a stranded Mustang GT3 on the track at the exit of Turn 5 — a blind corner. Ricky Taylor couldn’t avoid it and ripped off a good chunk of the left side of the Acura. The heartbreak was palpable as the TV cameras showed Albuquerque trying to console his teammate.

It ended one act of the drama, but the next act was even wilder. The No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R was running its last race under Chip Ganassi Racing. The Cadillac operation is moving over to Wayne Taylor Racing, and CGR will be sitting at least the next year of sports car racing out. Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande have faced an uncertain future for much of the season. They wanted to go out on a high, but a sensor issue and multiple trips through the pits to resolve it left them a lap down. Even when they got the lap they lost back, the long period of caution-free racing made it difficult for them to make up any ground on the leaders.

Then came that final yellow, the 01 was back in the fight, and it set up a wild ride to the finish. Van der Zande stalked Tandy for 15m before he found his opening, and made a dramatic pass into Turn 1 to take the lead. Behind them, Philipp Eng in the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8 was attacking Tandy in the No. 7, but it got a little too physical as the BMW punted the Porsche, damaging the BMW and earning Eng a drive-through.

Cadillac was in the lead, and had the pace to stay there. You didn’t think that was the end of it, did you? No, with five minutes to go, the Cadillac, which had had only one headlight most of the evening, suddenly had none, and there was no way IMSA officials were going to allow it to keep circulating with no lights. Flashing the lights and fumbling with switches furiously inside the cockpit while trying to keep the Caddy on the track, van der Zande finally found the solution after several minutes of on-off-on-off.

So Chip Ganassi Racing had its beautiful swan song and rides off into the sunset with a Petit Le Mans victory. Bourdais and van der Zande end their long time as partners on a high. Oh, yeah … and Scott Dixon gets another PLM victory.

What a story. But that doesn’t even take into account the emotional roller coaster of the GTD PRO championship. Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing came into the race with a 104-point margin in the championship standings after taking pole on Friday. The extra five points earned in qualifying would prove crucial.

You want enduro drama? AO Racing brought it at Petit. But from a lap down, they also brought the fight — and it worked. Richard Dole/Lumen

The No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R, though, hit trouble early with a bad steering wheel electrical connection causing shifting issues which saw Julien Andlauer drop to the back of the field, and at one point stopped on track. The fix left Rexy six laps down in ninth position. Barring any retirements, ninth was the best they could do.

As far as the championship was concerned, that wasn’t a problem as long the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo finished third or worse. If it finished second, the title went to the team and driver Ross Gunn. Of course, HoR and drivers Gunn, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis were bouncing between second and third all race long. One moment the title was Heinrich’s, the next it was Gunn’s. It went on for hours.

In the final half-hour, Gunn was giving it all, reeling off his fastest laps of the day, half a second better than any other GTD PRO car did all race, but he couldn’t get the Aston Martin into second, and Heinrich, in his first season of IMSA racing, took the title by four points.

This type of thrilling back-and-forth is why fans and drivers love this style of racing, where wins and championships often come down to the final minutes of a 10-hour race or a 66-hour season. And – this is about to get personal – it’s why it’s so much fun to cover.

As a writer, I want to get the story to readers as quickly as possible, so there’s a certain satisfaction in being able to get a good bit of the report done before the checkered flag falls. How many times have I been able to do that with the WeatherTech Championship in the last three years? Exactly once. One time out of 36 races I’ve been certain enough about the outcome of the race to get a good chunk of the report written before the race was over. (If you’re curious, that race was Long Beach in 2022.)

IMSA racing is wild. It’s melodramatic. A race like this year’s Petit Le Mans was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. This race, like so many others, will go down as an instant classic. Fans and drivers – and yours truly – can’t wait for the next one.

Bring on Daytona.

Iron Lynx Lamborghini, Conquest Ferrari conquer Petit Le Mans

Amidst a GTD PRO championship emotional rollercoaster, a Petit Le Mans victory for the No. 19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 of Franck Perera, Jordan Pepper and Mirko Bortolotti was almost lost in the fray as they seemed to cruise …

All eyes were on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD PRO title fight, though, as an early problem for AO Racing put what seemed like a sure thing for the team and Laurin Heinrich in jeopardy.

The Iron Lynx Lamborghini quickly positioned itself as a contender for the race victory. Pepper only had to fend off an attack by Risi’s Daniel Serra in the No. 62 Ferrari 296 GT3 after the final restart to claim the victory, the first in IMSA competition for Pepper and the Iron Lynx team.

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“It’s been amazing. It’s been two tough seasons, tough years for us. I think we’ve been showing good potential, but we never managed to pull it off, never managed to get the result we got today,” said Bortolotti. “I think it’s a proud moment to be back on the top side of the podium in IMSA. It’s a great championship for us. We always enjoy being here. I think it was about time to have a result like this.”

While the Lamborghini was clearly strong over the long run, the fight with the Ferrari of Serra, Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi was tough at times.

“Just an intense, intense battle out there, all stints,” Pepper said. “I think there was a point where we were mixing it up with the GTD cars, and I got to the lead, which was quite good. We had a moment with Daniel. I think it was quite a critical, crucial moment where he got stuck behind a BMW on cold tires where we could regain the lead again. Then it was just head down, full attack, obviously.

“It seemed like they had the pace over us on one lap, but we seemed very strong over the distance, which I think made the difference today. What was really impressive was the guys behind the wall that made some good strategy calls,” he added.

The Risi squad did a lot of work to be in the championship fight. Minor contact early in Saturday’s qualifying session between the Risi Ferrari and the GTD-class No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 left a bit of debris on track. Both cars lost their two best times for causing a red flag, and the No. 62 started 23rd in the GT field.

Rexy’s teeth came out to play, but not in the way AO Racing wanted… Even so, overcoming an electrical issue didn’t stop them from taking a fan-favorite title. Jake Galstad/Lumen

As intriguing as the intra-Italian battle was, the drama of the GTD PRO championship fight overshadowed it. What seemed like it would be an easy run to the title for Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing was turned on its head when the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R had an electrical connection to the steering wheel go awry, which in turn caused a shifting problem. Several dramatic moments with the car that was co-driven by Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer eventually led to a lengthy pit stop to replace a cable. The No. 77 was suddenly six laps down and in ninth place.

Coming into the race with a 104-point margin to Ross Gunn and the Heart of Racing Team, the championship could now go either way. The No. 23 HoR Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo was running in the vicinity of second and third. Second place or better meant the championship would go to Gunn and HoR; Third or worse and the title was Heinrich’s. For hours, the championship went back and forth. After the final restart, Gunn was doing everything he could, including turning the race’s fastest lap, half a second better than any other GT car, as well as a whole lot of laps close that fast one.

In the end, though, Gunn fell less than 2s short of second place, a podium for him, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis the consolation prize.

“I know everyone was pushing for me and rooting for me because my name was there on the championship, but this is a car No. 23 effort,” said Gunn. “We came so close — four points is the difference of one or two qualifying positions, which is really nothing. A sad day to not win the championship, but the greatest thing that I take away from all of this is that we’ve improved so much over the last few years, and I’m so proud of that.”

For Heinrich, who has had a revolving door of co-drivers after a strong start to the season with Seb Priaulx, winning the championship in his first season of IMSA competition was a relief. It came down to scoring pole position on Saturday – the margin prior to that was 99 points, which was more than erased with the contenders’ respective finishing positions.

“What a year. In the end, it’s decided by four points,” noted Heinrich, whose only previous experience at Road Atlanta came in Porsche Carrera Cup. “If I think back throughout the season, what are four points? I mean, it’s all these small decisions to take in a qualifying or in a race.

“I can’t thank my team enough, and also my teammates. I’ve had plenty of teammates this year. First of all Seb Priaulx – he did most races with me. Exceptional driver and I got along with him really well. Also Michael Christensen, Julien Andlauer and Klaus Bachler were all from the Porsche family. I really appreciate their support, because in the end, they joined me, and they were not fighting for their own championship; they were just there to help the team and me win our championship, and I think it really speaks for them.”

Paul Miller Racing took the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title for Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow and Neil Verhagen.

Expect the unexpected at Petit, as always. Conquest Racing came out of nowhere. Jake Galstad/Lumen

Conquest Racing was a surprise winner in GTD. Albert Costa Balboa took advantage of a late caution to get the No. 34 Ferrari 296 into position to attack Loris Spinelli in the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan and earn victory for himself, Manny Franco and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. It was an impressive result for a team in its rookie year in IMSA GTD competition, especially given Franco’s limited experience that included only a little Ferrari Challenge racing before he stepped into GT3.

“I’ve only had three years of racing,” Franco noted. “For me, it’s an important sign. You can work your way up through smaller series here at IMSA. It means a lot for me, and it means a lot for everyone who was involved in the Ferrari Challenge program because they work a lot in improving us as drivers. Ferrari themselves are very supportive of me as I’ve continued on in my career here.

“To win here at Petit, I’ve been told already by many people that it’s a huge thing for me, it’s a huge thing for the Conquest Racing team and the guys here,” he added.

Conquest moved up steadily from its eighth-place starting position, but never really looked like a contender for victory until after final caution that came with less than an hour to go.

“To be honest, when I did the first stint, I was not expecting to win,” Costa said. “I was expecting to be maybe top five, top four. Maybe if there was a yellow, maybe in the top three. These guys always manage to move forward. They were overtaking [cars on track] all the time. We keep believing; the team [made] no mistakes, and at the end, yeah, the car was a rocket, and this, of course, makes your life a little bit easy.

“We had also to manage the tires because of degradation. In GTD it’s quite high. [In] the first stint I pushed a little bit too much. At the end I was struggling. [For the] two last stints, I didn’t push at the limit at the beginning to keep the tires safe. I think it also was one of the keys to get the win for us.”

Conquest took a 0.718s victory over defending winners Forte Racing with Spinelli, Misha Goikberg and Devlin DeFrancesco. The No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo, Parker Thompson and Aaron Telitz was third, like Risi battling back from the qualifying penalty.

Winward’s championship performance was all but a foregone conclusion. Jake Galstad/Lumen

Given the large points margin Winward Racing came into the race with, they took the GTD championship for Russell Ward and Philip Ellis. With Indy Dontje, Winward claimed the IMEC title as well.

“This is the end goal, right?” said Ward. “You come here, and you want to win races. You want to be competitive. All of us have eyes on the championship. You know, it’s just an incredible result for the team. A lot of long nights. It’s been difficult but exciting at the same time. It’s really good to be able to bring it home.”

RESULTS

CGR Cadillac brings disco to Petit victory, TDS one-ups Riley in LMP2

In a storybook ending for Chip Ganassi Racing, the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R of Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon came back from a miserable early race to win Petit Le Mans. With a dramatic dive to the inside of Nick Tandy in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 in Turn 1 with 15m left in the 10-hour race, van der Zande turned around what had looked like a hopeless day to win the last race before CGR exits the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the time being.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s just, it’s unbelievable,” said an emotional Bourdais after the victory. “You think you got it, you think you lost it, it comes back around. You never know what’s going on. Five minutes to the end, we think we won it, and then both lights go out. I don’t know … I’m speechless. I can’t be thankful enough for the opportunity to have driven that No. 01 for three years. It’s a bittersweet end, but there’s no better send off, and I’m so grateful.”

To add a bit of last-second drama, the Cadillac, which had run much of the evening with only one headlight, lost it’s headlights completely with under five minutes to go, which would have surely earned a mechanical black flag, but came back on shortly thereafter. They continued to go off intermittently, but were on enough to finish the race.

“There was a bit of disco going on, but I like discos,” laughed van der Zande. “This manual we get from Cadillac is a lot of buttons and a lot of options, so I started to press all kinds of buttons this way, and it was still not good enough. Then it stuck more and more and more, then they told me press the white button. So I pressed the white button, and it worked, so we got the lights back.”

Porsche Penske Motorsports finished second and third, the No. 6 963 finishing ahead of the No. 7. The third-place finish earned the No. 7 squad of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, aided by Matt Campbell in the long endurance races, the GTP championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Cadillac Racing closed the gap to the No. 6 team, but in the end fell short of breaking up the PPM one-two in the championship.

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“Big hats off to the team. I mean, it’s really as near to perfect, I think, as you can be,” said Cameron. “Really proud to have all the championships, one-two for both cars. Obviously disappointed for the No. 6 to miss out there, but absolutely so, so pleased to have number four for myself, and obviously outstanding for the group.”

What had been shaping up to be a fantastic race between the No. 6 Porsche and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06 – with the added intrigue of fuel strategy that could have brought the No. 7 PPM Porsche into the equation – was shattered, along with an astounding 4.5h of green flag running, with a three-car incident with just under an hour to go. A collision between the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Jan Heylen and the No. 55 Proton Competition Mustang GT3 of Corey Lewis in Turn 5 left the Mustang sitting on the track facing the wrong direction, with no lights, over the crest of a brow.

Several cars avoided the wrecked Mustang, but Ricky Taylor did not. Grazing the Mustang, Taylor removed a big chunk of the left side of the Acura, ending the team’s chance to win Petit Le Mans yet again. Taylor had taken the lead out of the previous pit stop, but slid off track on cold tires, handing the lead back to Tandy.

That set up a potential four-way fight to the finish between the No. 6 Porsche, the No. 01 Cadillac, the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8 and the No. 7 Porsche, but it proved to be Tandy vs. van der Zande fighting to the checker. The BMW in Philip Eng’s hands looked like it might have something to challenge for a podium, but contact with the No. 7 Porsche not only damaged and slowed the M Hybrid V8, but earned a drive-through penalty as well.

CGR’s Cadillac was looking to be out of the fight due to a sensor issue that caused a mechanical black flag. The team solved the problem, but the fix affected the power processing unit and left the No. 01 down on power and also left the car a lap down. The lap was retrieved, but the 4.5h period of green flag running kept them from making any progress. Only the final yellow, which the team expected, brought them back into the fight.

WHAT. A. PASS!@CadillacVSeries | @Rengervdz pic.twitter.com/cLKr6QytlI

— IMSA (@IMSA) October 13, 2024

Stalking Tandy, van der Zande finally found an opening. He had a better run out of Turn 12, and as Tandy shifted back to the left after passing a GT car, van der Zande dived to the inside heading into Turn 1. Tandy lost his run to the apex and the position.

“It was the only move I could make. I was behind Tandy for a while, and he was so fast on the straights. Every time they pulled a gap of like, I don’t know, six, seven car lengths, but in the corners we were very fast. We set up the car a lot for Turn 1 and Turn 3. That’s where I could really make up a lot of ground. The car was awesome there,” said van der Zande before praising Tandy.

“When I made the move on Nick, it’s always a two-way street. I think with professionals like him, you can do these kind of moves. At the same time, it’s risky. I think Scott told me I was locking wheels going in.”

The No. 01 crossed the line with van der Zande flashing the lights, 2.948s ahead of the No. 6. While all three drivers have won Petit Le Mans before, it was the first victory at Road Atlanta for Chip Ganassi Racing as it signs off in its run with Cadillac.

The eventual race-winning TDS ORECA landed itself in the right place at the right time ahead of the championship-winning car from Inter Europol. Jake Galstad/Lumen

TDS Racing with Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Hunter McElrea took the victory in LMP2 in dominating fashion to also claim the Endurance Cup. While polesitter Ben Keating led the early portion of the race, his run ended early. Keating, leading at the time, was passing the No. 20 High Class Racing ORECA LMP2 at Turn 6 and spun, possibly after contact. Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R was next on the scene and hit Keating’s No. 2 United Autosports ORECA. Both Keating’s car and the Corvette sustained heavy damage and were taken straight to the paddock. Keating would re-emerge later in the race, but a second crash took the No. 2 out of the race for good.

With McElrea and Jensen closing out the race, the No. 11 was unstoppable, putting gaps on the field at every turn. The final full-course caution brought Riley Motorsports into contact for the LMP2 lead and potentially the championship, but Jensen put the strength that the TDS ORECA had shown all day on full display as he fended off an attack by Felipe Fraga in the No. 74 right after the restart then ran away to a 17.097s victory over Fraga, Gar Robinson and Josh Burdon.

“This one was big because we also won the Endurance Cup, which is my first IMSA season championship,” said Thomas. “I was born in Atlanta, so coming home to Atlanta and winning Road Atlanta means a lot to me. I think that the traffic here for a Bronze is brutal, and it’s like a big puzzle. To me, it’s the most fun race of the year because of the traffic.”

Jensen running away removed any hope of the Riley team of Fraga and Robinson to claim the championship in their rookie year in LMP2. That instead fell to Nick Boulle and Tom Dillman for Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. It also gave Boulle the Jim Trueman Award.

After being two laps down, Era Motorsports hauled its way back into the fight as it often does for a third-place finish for the No. 18 and drivers Dwight Merriman, Ryan Dalziel and Connor Zilisch.

RESULTS

CGR Cadillac scores swan song Petit win over champion PPM 963s

In a storybook ending for Chip Ganassi Racing, the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R of Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon came back from a miserable early race to win Petit Le Mans. With a dramatic dive to the inside of Nick Tandy in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 in Turn 1 with 15m left in the 10-hour race, Renger van der Zande turned around what had looked like a hopeless day to win the last race before CGR exits the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the time being.

To add a bit of last-second drama, the Cadillac, which had run much of the evening with only one headlight, lost it’s headlights completely with under 5m to go. That would have surely earned a mechanical black flag, but the lights came back on shortly thereafter. They continued to go off intermittently, but were on enough to finish the race.

Porsche Penske Motorsports finished second and third, the No. 6 963 finishing ahead of the No. 7. The third-place finish earned the No. 7 squad of Dane Cameron and Felipe Nasr, aided by Matt Campbell in the endurance races, the GTP championship and the Michelin Endurance Cup. Cadillac Racing closed the gap to the No. 6 team, but in the end fell short of breaking up the PPM one-two in the championship.

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The No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA and drivers Steven Thomas, Mikkel Jensen and Hunter McElrea dominated LMP2 after the polesitting No. 2 United Autosports ORECA exited the fight in an early-race crash. TDS denying the Riley Motorsports squad their first victory, as the No. 74 of Gar Robinson, Felipe Fraga and Josh Burdon finished second, also preserved the championship lead for Nick Boulle, Tom Dillmann and Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports.

Jordan Pepper in the No. 19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 held off a charge by Daniel Serra in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 to take the GTD PRO victory for himself, Frank Perera and Mirko Bortolotti. The No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis finished third, which wasn’t enough to wrest the title from Laurin Heinrich and AO Racing.

The No. 77 AO Racing Porche 911 GT3R had a rough race, encountering an electrical issue that affected shifting. Fixing the problem put the car down six laps and Heinrich, with Michael Christensen and Julien Andlauer, finished 11th. Had Gunn been able to take second in the race, the championship would have been his. In the end, the points from Saturday’s qualifying where Heinrich scored pole made the difference.

Conquest Racing was a surprise winner in GTD, Albert Costa Balboa taking advantage of a late caution to get the No. 34 Ferrari 296 into position to attack Loris Spinelli in the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan and earn victory for himself, Manny Franco and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. Winward Racing took the championship with Russell Ward and Philip Ellis and, along with Indy Dontje, the Michelin Endurance Cup, with a ninth-place finish.

Full reports to follow

RESULTS

Acura assumes Petit lead as night falls around Road Atlanta

The first rule of Petit Le Mans is make to the night, and all but six cars have done so. Of the cars still going, 17 are on their respective lead laps – a lower number than might be expected, however the entire third quarter was caution-free, the …

The No. 10 WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 came on strong in the late afternoon, and Filipe Albuquerque set the car’s best lap of the day as the last vestiges of twilight faded from the sky. Albuquerque led at the three-quarter mark.

The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 is the closest pursuer, usually within 10s, despite having to serve a drive-through penalty for Nick Tandy making contact with the No. 47 Cetilar Ferrari 296. Mathieu Jaminet was wheeling the No. 6 with two-and-a-half hours to go.

The sister PPM Porsche with Matt Campbell at the wheel had a long pit stop to replace a fuel flow meter, and then fell off the lead lap immediately after another stop when he slid off Turn 3 on fresh, cold tires.

Both the No. 01 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R and the No. 40 WTRAndretti Acura made it onto the lead lap, but a puncture for the No. 40 dropped it back a lap again, leaving the No. 01 the third and last car on the lead lap.

The No. 7 Porsche is currently on a different pit stop sequence, going 14-15m longer than the rest of the contenders, which could certainly become a factor at the end.

Hunter McElrea had the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA in the lead of LMP2, which portends well for the team as it looks to take the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. McElrea was followed by Nicklas Nielsen in the No. 88 AF Corse entry and the No. 74 Riley Motorsports ORECA driven by Josh Burdon.

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The No. 52 Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports team of Nick Boulle, Tom Dillmann and Jakub Smiechowski is fourth, enough to claim the championship.

After an early brake problem, the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Z06 GT3.R was leading GTD PRO, but was due for a pit stop being off sequence from most of the field. Jordan Pepper was wheeling the No. 19 Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 in second, and that car is looking like a strong contender for the win. Daniel Serra was third in the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3.

In the GTD PRO championship picture, AO Racing is still in position to take the title unless Ross Gunn can haul himself up from the fourth place he was running with 2.5h to go and into second.

Winward Racing is in the middle of the GTD pack, but that will be more than enough to clinch the title. Defending PLM winners Forte Racing led the class with Loris Spinelli at the wheel of the No. 78 Lamborghini. Mikael Grenier, who was not feeling well earlier but came back refreshed after a visit to medical, was in pursuit in the No. 32 Korthoff Preston Motorsports Mercedes AMG, followed by Parker Thompson in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.

The only retirement during the third quarter was the No. 22 United Autosports ORECA LMP2 car, leaving the team packing up early after a miserable day.

HOUR 7 STANDINGS