Tag: Sonoma Raceway

The GT America Powered by AWS field returned to the track early Sunday morning for Race Two in the GT Sonoma protected by CrowdStrike weekend at Sonoma Raceway. The 40-minute race was marked by dominance and drama, serving up performances across the field that were nothing short of enthralling and jaw-dropping.

Pole sitter Adam Adelson lost no time in his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii) as the green flag waved. The rookie pulled away from the field and never looked back until the checked flag, crossing the finish line to claim his first victory in the series. Drama punctuated the GT4 Class, but Jon Brenam ultimately prevailed in his No. 77 TR3 Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 after pulling off a remarkable comeback drive.

SRO3 Class

Yesterday’s second-place finisher, Adam Adelson, lined up first on the grid followed by the No.04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 of George Kurtz and Race One winner Memo Gidley in his No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. The trio treated the crowds to an intense showdown yesterday, and spectators could expect more of the same from them today.

In the opening laps, Kurtz challenged Adelson for first place as Jason Daskalos in the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 was pressuring Gidley for a spot in the Top 3. Race One winner Gidley was able to brilliantly defend his position, scoring the fastest lap of the race. While constantly looking in his mirrors, Gidley didn’t neglect the battle upfront as he was closing in on Kurtz.

The No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Anthony Bartone came in hot into the mix as the ex-GT4 driver made his way from fifth to second place in an impressive manner. The crowd was treated to thrilling on-track battles between Bartone, Jason Daskalos and Kurtz. Bartone made a spectacular overtake on Gidley for third place with 20 minutes to go, and closed the gap on Kurtz to 0.6 tenths in the last stage of the race. End of race shuffling saw the No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG make the final pass for second where the car would remain with the race ending under caution.

Adelson crossed the line in first place, but got moved to last classified finisher due to a technical infraction. Anthony Bartone thus claimed his first win, followed by George Kurtz and Race-One winner Memo Gidley rounding off the podium.

GT4 Class

Robb Holland, who was victorious in Saturday’s outing, started Race Two on pole position in his No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. He had a great start off the line and sped over the rolling hills at Sonoma as a battle for second began to shape up behind him.

Ross Chouest, despite his best efforts in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, quickly came under pressure from Todd Coleman approaching rapidly in the No. 69 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Coleman went for the move and made it stick with 32 minutes remaining, and set his sights on Holland up ahead.

However, the fruits of their labors would both go unrewarded as the two collided, resulting in Coleman clipping Holland’s front tire, dropping him far down the running order. From there, the new leader was able to pull a 2-second gap to Jason Bell who was charging ahead in his No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Coleman was ultimately handed a drive-through penalty, which he served with 15 minutes left on the clock. This incident had massive repercussions on the outcome of the race, with both frontrunners taken out of contention, leaving the winning opportunity wide open and up for grabs.

Meanwhile, Jon Branam in the No. 77 TR3 Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 was flying through the field after starting the race in last, blasting past Bell into the lead, with Elias Sabo hot in pursuit in third place on board the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. The drama only continued to heat up as Bell unexpectedly crashed into the barriers, bringing out a full course caution with 6 minutes remaining in the race.

The race ended behind the safety car, with Branam safely cruising into victory, followed by Sabo and Chouest. It was a sheer display of dominance across the board in the GT4 class for Aston Martin, with the top five finishers all from the same manufacturer.

“I was just trying to keep it clean and bring home the car in one piece,” explained race winner Jon Branam. “We managed to stay out of trouble and keep out of everyone’s way. This was a last minute switch, Paul Keibler had a family emergency, and our thoughts and prayers are with him. I can’t say enough about this TR3 Racing team, I’ve been friends with Greg Romanelli for 10 years and we know each other very well, and to have the opportunity to drive for him is a dream come true.”

UP NEXT: The GT America field will be back in action at NOLA Motorsports Park April 28th to the 30th.

RESULTS

The GT America Powered by AWS took to the grid Saturday afternoon for the first of two races at Sonoma Raceway. As always, the drivers split into the SRO3 and GT4 classes gave quite a show in the GT America season opener during the GT Sonoma protected by Crowdstrike weekend.

The 2.52-mile road course, featuring 12 turns with 160 ft of total elevation change, welcomed 21 drivers across all classes. The No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Memo Gidley claimed top honors in the SRO3 class, with Robb Holland in the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport winning in GT4.

SRO3
Adam Adelson started on pole in his first-ever SRO race on board the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii), which is no small feat, especially for a GT3 newcomer. However, it was Gidley that got the better start as the green flag waved, with the driver of the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 managing to squeeze past into the lead. From there, it became a game of cat and mouse between the leaders, with the gap growing and diminishing over the course of the 40-minute race. At times, it appeared as though Gidley was untouchable, only for Adelson to put in a storming lap and inch closer again.

With 25 minutes remaining in the race, George Kurtz began to put the pressure on. Sitting in third in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before he was ready to pounce and make a move for second. Adelson, on the other hand, was not ready to let that happen, and set the fastest lap on the race at the 23-minute mark.

Gidley began to pull a significant gap, but tire degradation and traffic would soon come into play and shake things up. As the clock ticked down, Adelson made up some ground on the Mercedes-AMG GT3. In the final laps, the pair were nearly driving bumper to bumper as they weaved through traffic around tight corners, and although the other surrounding cars could have played a main role in the outcome of this race, the TKO Motorsports driver remained cool and composed, charging his way to the checkered flag, never letting the win out of his sights.

“This is unbelievably special,” said Gidley. “TKO Motorsports and David Traitel did an excellent job at putting this program together and have been instrumental in helping me live my dream and race in my prime. It feels good to bring home the win, especially as this is the first race that my 2-year-old daughter has been able to attend. This is where I come from, and it’s simply unreal to be in victory lane in front of local fan and friends at my home track. Thank you very much to the team!”

Gidley will be starting in second position on the grid for Sunday’s Race 2.

Adelson’s first SRO race ended on a high note with a second-place finish. George Kurtz, the 2022 GT America champion, rounded off the podium in third.

GT4
The GT4 drivers put on a show of their own during the 40-minute race. Polesitter Robb Holland commanded his No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to the win and never looked back.

The action was taking place behind him for the second and third places on the podium. Although the No. 69 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Todd Coleman lost no time in trying to chase down Holland, pressure came from behind with the likes of Jason Bell and Ross Chouest.

The No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Bell gained important ground in the opening stage of the race, passing the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, then eventually getting within reach of Coleman.

Coleman soon came under threat from Chouest, who eventually took third place away from him with 10 minutes remaining on the clock. As the front of the GT4 field settled with a few minutes left in the race, the No. 253 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Rob Walker was under the constant pressure of Gray Newell in his No. 25 The Hearth of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and Nicholas Shanny in his No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4. Eventually, Walker had to capitulate, with Newell and Shanny making a late pass for sixth and seventh places.

In the end, Holland’s perfect race was translated into a solid win, with Jason Bell and Ross Chouest completing the podium.

Race 2 is set for Sunday, April 2, at 8:55am PT.

RESULTS