welcome race fans TO krazyaboutracing.com  we are now in our 20th year of covering motor sports on the "world wide web"

"we may not have all the whistles and bells like the other  motor sports web sites have however we have the best coverage of the sport period"

 

click the series logo above for the latest news and race coverage   or the department below we update the site on a daily basis ..

(home)   (LOCAL TRACK racing) (previous racing) (site news) (driver & team press releases)   (LOCAL TRACK NEWS)  (previous  news) (MEET the staff)  (newsletter)  (web site info)   (HALL OF FAME)  (upcoming events)  (RACING INSIDER)   (track pass)  (the old'n days)   (multimedia)  (ONE ON ONE interviews)   (ANNUAL AWARDS)                                          (the peeled eye)  (contact us)   

 

 

 

Saintéloc Racing sends Audi Sport to victory lane at Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS

> Niederhauser/Haase/Winkelhock take hard-earned Brickyard triumph 
> Late drama sees victory slip away from AF Corse and Team WRT 
> Result: Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS

Saintéloc Racing emerged on top following a wild finish to the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS to give Audi Sport a commanding advantage at the top of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli manufacturers' standings.

After being defeated by Ferrari at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa the German marque struck back in perfect fashion at the Brickyard thanks to its #25 crew of Patric Niederhauser, Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock. The win extends Audi's IGTC record to eight, four more than its nearest rival, while Haase remains the series' most successful driver with five victories.

Though never far from the lead battle, the #25 Audi was not the clear favourite for this race. The car hit the front during the third hour with the experienced Winkelhock at the wheel but was soon shuffled back to second when Antonio Fuoco made a forceful move for the lead in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari.

Indeed, the Italian marque appeared the best placed to secure victory for much of Sunday's contest, leading the early stages from pole with its #51 crew of Pier Guidi/Ledogar/Nielsen before the #71 of Fuoco/Ilott/Rovera took up the baton at the head of the field during the middle phase.

Shortly after losing the lead the #25 Audi was delayed further by a drive-through penalty for a pit infringement. At this point the race had been green for almost three hours, but the calm early stages gave way to a frantic second half in which several safety car periods shuffled the order and allowed for a variety of strategic options.

Several cars remained in play as the race moved towards the deciding two hours. AF Corse’s #71 Ferrari appeared the strongest prospect after its #51 488 GT3 had lost significant time to a stop-go penalty following a collision with the GT4 class leader. Lamborghini was making good progress thanks to K-PAX Racing's #3 crew, while Audi and Mercedes-AMG both had two potential winners.

The latter led the field to the green flag with 90 minutes left on the clock, Raffaele Marciello having cycled to the front thanks to a clean run from the #89 AKKA ASP effort. But once racing resumed the Italian was quickly under pressure from Niederhauser, who got a run when Marciello dipped a wheel on to the grass between Turns 6 and 7. The pair went side by side, allowing Callum Ilott to pounce in the #71 Ferrari and sensationally snatch the lead.

Niederhauser followed the Briton through and spent the next 30 minutes glued to the rear of the leading 488 GT3. As the race ticked into its final hour these two cars looked set to battle for victory, with Marciello and the #32 Team WRT Audi of Dries Vanthoor disputing the final podium spot several seconds back.

Saintéloc was the first of the lead pair to make its final stop, bringing Niederhauser to pit road with 50 minutes remaining. At the same time Ilott was lapping a GT4 runner on the outside of Turn 1, only to misjudge his move and make contact with both the car and the wall. The outcome was catastrophic for the Italian squad: less than an hour from the finish, the #71 car was eliminated on the spot.

By stopping under safety car conditions Vanthoor was able to assume the lead, while Jules Gounon moved into second at the wheel of the #99 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG. But the French driver's race was ruined within moments of the green flag when he was hit at Turn 1 by the lapped #37 Team WRT Audi, after which he made heavy contact with the #58 McLaren.

Vanthoor held a four-second advantage over Niederhauser following the next safety car, but in yet another twist Team WRT was handed a drive-through for failing to follow Race Control's instructions. Amid this ever-shifting competitive order, the #25 Saintéloc R8 returned to the lead for the first time since the third hour.

There would be no change this time, however, with Niederhauser pulling 11.9 seconds clear of Marciello by the time he took the chequered flag. The win represents a second major international triumph for the Saintéloc squad, adding to its overall victory at Spa in 2017. On that occasion, too, long-serving Audi Sport racers Haase and Winkelhock were part of the crew. The latter was not there to celebrate with his team today, however, having departed IMS early to attend the birth of his child. It was therefore left to Haase and star-of-the-race Niederhauser to mark their triumph by kissing the yard of bricks.

Runner-up spot was a remarkable outcome for AKKA ASP given that the team did not receive its car until Saturday morning due to a shipping delay. Indeed, the result was a fitting reward for the efforts of Marciello, Dani Juncadella and Timur Boguslavskiy. The final spot on the podium went to the K-PAX Racing Lamborghini, which overcame a pace deficit with a near perfect race performance from Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper.

There was, initially, double delight for Saintéloc as its #26 crew of Aurélien Panis, Lucas Légeret and Nicolas Baert clinched the Silver Cup win in fourth overall. However, a 53s post-race penalty in lieu of a drive-through for entering a closed pitlane dropped the car to seventh overall and behind class rivals Compass Racing who looked to have been denied Silver glory in the final hour when Pier Guidi sent Matt McMurry spinning out of third overall.

Saintéloc’s loss was also AF Corse’s gain, the #51 car ultimately being classified fourth overall ahead of WRT’s similarly penalised R8. The amended result, allied to AF Corse's Am entry finishing ninth amongst IGTC's nominees, means Ferrari must finish first and fourth at Kyalami 9 Hour to have any chance of denying Audi the title.

Compass’ Honda was also the first non-IGTC entry home in sixth overall, while Saintéloc and Racers Edge completed the amended Silver podium and overall top-eight.

Victory in the Pro-Am class went to SunEnergy1 Racing and its #75 Mercedes-AMG of Kenny Habul, Martin Konrad and Mikaël Grenier, while Pro-Am Challenge contender inception racing saw the chequered flag despite a tough day for its McLaren. The #36 BimmerWorld BMW crew of Bill Auberlen, Chandler Hull and James Clay won the GT4 class, matching the result they took at Indy 12 months ago.

Audi's advantage at the top of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli manufacturers' standings has increased to 36 points over Ferrari with 43 left to score at the season-closing Kyalami 9 Hour on December 2-4.

 

 

 

pictures from race day for the 8 hours at indianapolis

 

 

     

 

 

saturday october 16th

 

Ruud, Boehm, Williams Win 2021 Finale At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

  • Ruud takes tenth win of season in TCX
  • Boehm wins in TC; Powell claims championship
  • Williams sweeps TCA weekend; Bacon holds title belt
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - The season finale of TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing Schools was one to remember as champions were named in both the TC and TCA classes. Jacob Ruud, who won for the tenth time in the TCX division on Saturday, claimed the class title during the previous round at Sebring International Raceway. "It just feels fantastic. The season we have had is amazing, but unexpected,” said Ruud, “The team has given me an incredible car this year, all season long."

As the field completed a hectic first lap, Friday’s TC winner and Race 2 pole-sitter Mike LaMarra went wide at Turn 6, giving the class lead to Kevin Boehm and the #9 Honda, who needed to win to stay in contention for the Driver’s championship. 

Seven minutes into the race, Taylor Hagler and the new Hyundai Elantra TCA machine collided with the #2 Honda of Colin Harrison at Turn 1, bringing out the first safety car of the day and seeing both cars retire. The race went back to green flag running with 27 minutes left on the clock with Jacob Ruud and the #81 BMW leading in TCX, Boehm out front in TC, and Caleb Bacon in the #18 Hyundai on top of TCA.

A second safety car would be called with 23 minutes on the clock after PJ Groenke and the #25 Toyota spun at Turn 11 and could not continue. The 40 minute contest would restart with 16 minutes remaining with the top 3 in TCA - Bacon, Luke Rumberg, and Race 1 winner Clay Williams, running nose to tail for the remainder of the event.

With 5 minutes left, the Williams-driven Mini would slip past Rumberg for second position in TCA, then chase down Bacon for the class lead. The Mini would take the top position two laps later and cruise to the #62’s second win of the weekend. “I’ll never forget this win,” said Williams, “I really had to fight back. I fell back a little at the start, but was able to save my tires and get both Hyundais at the end!”

Second place would be enough for Bacon to provisionally claim the TCA Driver’s championship. Forbush Performance are the Team’s champions with Hyundai claiming the top spot in the Manufacturer’s title fight. “I didn’t care about winning the race today so I didn't fight the Mini too hard, I just wanted to get the championship,” said Bacon, “I don’t even know what to do right now!”

Boehm would go on to win the TC class, but come up just short in the championship standings to Eric Powell and the #92 Skip Barber Racing School Honda. Skip Barber provisionally claim the Team’s championship with Honda provisional title holders in the Manufacturer’s championship. “It’s really the team work we’ve had here. The crew is volunteering their time, so this season has been really memorable. This has been an incredible season," said Boehm.

Classic BMW provisionally win the TCX Team’s title and BMW the Manufacturer’s.

_____

Follow all the action at tcamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @touringcaramerica
Twitter: @tc_america
 
Official Series Hashtag: #TCAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

Pier Guidi maintains stellar form to give AF Corse Ferrari pole at Indianapolis

> Niederhauser (Audi Sport Team Sainteloc) and Gounon (Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing) run Italian ace close
> Provisional result: Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS Pole Shootout

 

Ferrari will lead the field to the green flag at tomorrow's Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS after Alessandro Pier Guidi gave AF Corse pole position at the Brickyard.

The TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa winner, newly crowned Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion and current Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli points leader topped a close-fought session in which the first four cars were split by just a tenth of a second.

Of the 15 drivers vying for top spot, Jules Gounon was the first to put up a representative lap in the #99 Craft Bamboo Mercedes-AMG, but the factory ace was quickly toppled by Silver Cup standout Marvin Dienst in the similar AMG GT3 from Winward Racing.

As the session reached its half-way mark the Audi runners began to flex their muscles as first Patric Niederhauser (#25 Saintéloc Racing) and then Dries Vanthoor (#32 Team WRT) moved to the head of the order.

Ferrari was not the obvious favourite for pole, but after his heroics at Spa nothing seems beyond the pairing of Pier Guidi and a 488 GT3. With six minutes remaining the Italian went purple in the second and third sectors en route to a 1m33.456s, by far the quickest lap up to this point.

And try as they might, no one could beat it. Niederhauser was closest, but the Swiss ace came up 0.058s shy of the #51 Ferrari to secure the consolation of a front-row spot for Saintéloc. Gounon also gave it his all, only for the Frenchman to post a time 0.001s slower than Niederhauser’s.

Antonio Fuoco put the #71 Ferrari fourth, completing a near-perfect day for AF Corse. There was a brief moment of drama when Pier Guidi spun in front of his teammate during the closing minutes, but both escaped unscathed. Without doubt, this was Ferrari's day at IMS.

Vanthoor and fellow Team WRT driver Mattia Drudi will share row three tomorrow, the latter at the wheel of the Belgian squad's #37 Audi. The impressive Dienst took seventh and earned Silver Cup pole in the process, while also beating Raffaele Marciello (#89 AKKA ASP, Mercedes-AMG) after a surprisingly subdued session for the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa pole-sitter.

The best of the Pro-Am runners was also a Mercedes. SunEnergy1 was the only class contender among the fastest 15 where Mikael Grenier finished 10th in the car he shares with Kenny Habul and Martin Konrad. Their nearest rival, the #70 inception racing McLaren, will start seven places back after missing the Shootout by three tenths. 

The session proved to be a struggle for Lamborghini. The best of the K-PAX Racing entries was only 11th, with qualifying expert Mirko Bortolotti almost a second adrift of the pace and the sister #6 machine 14th in the hands of fellow factory ace Marco Mapelli. 

The culmination of a busy day at IMS, the Pole Shootout consisted of the fastest 15 runners from the earlier Qualifying session. Each driver contested one of three 15-minute segments, with the average time determining the order. Positions 16 and back were locked in at this point, including IGTC-entered cars from inception racing (17th), GMG Racing (19th), TR3 Racing (23rd) and EBM Giga Racing (26th).

The event's lone Am Cup entrant will start 25th overall. Mark Kvamme, Jean-Claude Saada and Conrad Grunewald will share the #61 AF Corse Ferrari. 

Further back, Smooge Racing secured GT4 pole with its Toyota Supra. The #68 machine finished Q1 and Q2 second in class with John Geesbreght and then Kevin Conway at the wheel before Jack Hawksworth put the result beyond doubt by posting the best GT4 lap of all in Q3.

Tomorrow's Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS marks the second round of this year's Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli and the second edition of the long-distance event. The field will cross the yard of bricks to take the green flag at 10:00 EDT (-4 GMT), with live coverage available to watch for free on GT World’s global YouTube stream.

Iribe, Luck, Sabo and Newell Win Final GT America Race. Bell Captures Career-first Championship Title.

  • Iribe Punctuates Return With Another Flag-to-Flag performance
  • Luck Enters Final Race as Champion-elect in SRO3, SRO3 Masters; Sabo Wins GT2 Class
  • Newell Wins Battle, Bell Takes the War in Career-first Championship Title
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

 

Indianapolis, Ind. - Brendan Iribe (#70 inception racing McLaren) closed out the inaugural GT America Powered by AWS season with a dominant weekend sweep coming out of an extended break from the series. The Race 2 pole-sitter grabbed the checkered flag on the final race some 30-seconds before the nearest competitor. In the Masters class, Charlie Luck (#45 Wright Motorsports Porsche) took the checkered and with it put an exclamation point on his SRO3 and SRO3 Masters class Championship Title wins. GT4 competitor Grey Newell (#25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin) took home his first career win by leading the class, but it was Jason Bell who, in taking second place, secured the points needed to take home his first Championship title after points-leader Sean Quinlan (#119 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW) suffered a mechanical issue during the formation lap and was unable to return.

The formation lap before the green saw Quinlan slow around the track, ultimately pulling into the pits to diagnose what was possibly a quick-fix problem. However, the laps kept increasing with the BMW still in the pits and it became clear that the championship contention was fast eroding, and that Bell simply had to surpass the 70-percent point to get the points. On the track, the usual green flag shuffle offered no improvements across the grid but set up the pressure points for future battles to occur. It would be one of the few times that Memo Gidley (#101 TKO Motorsports Bentley) was able to put door-to-door pressure on Iribe as the McLaren driver slid into his groove and worked on increasing the gap.

In the GT4 class, Newell and Robb Holland (#99 Rotek Racing Ford) engaged in a battle for second-place behind class pole-sitter Bell, with Newell coming up victorious in the end. The three stayed in that order for some time, with only GT3 and GT2 cars coming up through the trio to pack together in-class traffic and the #39 car of Chris Cagnazzi retiring from the race.

Around the halfway point, Iribe's lead had grown to a considerable size, with the space between Gidley and Luck widening as well. Sabo's GT2 entry had cleared all the GT4 traffic and was starting to collect some of the SRO3 outliers. In GT4, Newell's persistence paid off as he made the pass for first-in-class, gambling on a weaker defensive position from Bell. That left Alex Welch (#76 ROTR Motorsport Audi) in a solid third with Scott Noble (#49 NOLASPORT Porsche), Holland, Thomas Surgent (#26 Prive Motorsports / Topp Racing McLaren) and Chris Gumprecht (#79 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG) behind and itching for position. As Holland, Surgent and Gumprecht traded places in a three-way turn-by-turn battle, Gumprecht eventually spun out without appearing to have contact with anyone. Gumprecht recovered, but had the field pass him before he got back to speed.

As the clock ticked down toward the white flag and approached the three minute mark, the points battle between Holland and Surgent for sixth place in class took a turn when the two connected and spun out. Both eventually recovered to finish the race, but a DTP converted into a time penalty saw the two ultimately at the back of the finishing grid.

At the drop of the checkered flag, Bell's second place finish in the GT4 class, combined with Quinlan's failure to secure any points, gave Bell the window needed to earn him his first career Championship title. 

Results are provisional until posted final. With the inaugural season of the GT America powered by AWS in the books, champions and competitors are invited to celebrate their successes and experiences at the SRO America championship banquets, to be held at the PRI Show in Indianapolis in December. Stay tuned for details.

_____

Follow all the action at gtamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook: @srogtamerica
Instagram: @gt_america
Twitter: @gt_america_

Official Series Hashtag: #GTAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

 

 

 

saturday pictures from indianapolis you never know what you will see or who you might run into

 

 

 

 

friday october 15th

the on again and off again rain showers did not stop the action today at the indianapolis motor speedway thr day was filled with plenty of practice and three races involving all the classes

Iribe, Luck, Sabo, Bell Take Home Top Honors in First Race at The Brickyard

  • Iribe, McLaren Return from Absence with Full-throttle Effort
  • Luck Claims Second Overall in Masters Class Win
  • Bell Runs Flag-to-flag Dominating Run
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - After a double Full Course Yellow condition from the start of the race, inception racing's Brendan Iribe ran a flag-to-flag master class and has won the penultimate GT America race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His win comes after an extended period away from GT America competition and has him top the SRO3 Overall field for the race as well as setting the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap for another P1 start for Race 2 on Saturday.

Charlie Luck (#45 Wright Motorsports Porsche) captured the Masters class win with his second overall finish, while Elias Sabo (#8 GMG Racing Audi) took home the GT2 honors.

Jason Bell (#2 GMG Racing Aston Martin) duplicated the flag-to-flag win and set himself up for a white-hot season finale on Saturday to determine the inaugural class Championship.

With both the #91 (Rearden Racing Lamborghini) car of Jeff Burton and the #101 (TKO Motorsports Bentley) of Memo Gidley starting at the back of the grid for circumstances regarding equipment issues, the Qualifying field became further unsettled as the race started under FCY conditions due to a No Start call from the officials. Upon the restart, a number of cars captured a few positions in the opening lap shuffle including; Kyle Washington (#32 GMG Racing Porsche) who was up three spots into third overall, Grey Newell (#25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin) who was also up three spots into podium poisition for the GT4 class; Gidley who cleared twelve GT4 traffic positions to get closer to the SRO3 field followed not-far-behind by Burton, who recaptured nine spots; and Jason Harward (#88 Zelus Motorsports Lamborghini) who started at the tail end of the grid in the last row with Burton.

Before the end of the first lap, the #60 Dexter Racing Ginetta 56 of Matt Rivard found itself in the gravel pits and in need of tow, creating the second Full Course Yellow before completion of a full lap under green conditions. After the second start and with 10 minutes clicked off the clock, Iribe began to work on growing the lead while Luck and Washington battled for the second overall position. Slightly further back, Gidley had cleared even more traffic and slotted into the fifth overall spot and into working on in-class competitors, including Andy Wilzoch (#460 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche) who was in fourth and, behind non-class traffic, Harward charging from the back of the pack to the eighth overall spot and sixth in-class.

In GT4, Jason Bell had managed to pass points leader and class pole-sitter Sean Quinlan (#119 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW), as did P5 class-qualifier Gray Newell (#25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin) who now found himself slotted into second place in GT4. GT2 competitor Elias Sabo (#8 GMG Racing Audi) also found himself clear of most other GT4 traffic with sights set on the SRO3 pack after clearing the GT4 frontrunners.

Toward the middle and further ends of the field, the competitors began to settle in strategic battles and cat-and-mouse games for points-positioning. By the halfway point of the race, the entire SRO3 field had compressed while the GT4 contigent sat unbroken from pole-sitter Bell to Rivard, who again had another off-track excursion that alllowed him to continue but fail to improve beyond the back of the pack. In SRO3, Gidley had worked his way up to a third overall with Harward in fifth and continuing his assault for a podium position. Burton, too, had come up as far as eight-place overall and seemed intent on climbing further in the second half.

At the same time, Bell and Newell maintained comfortable gaps to the each other and the next nearest in-class competitor, Quinlan, who was in third place in front of a battling Thomas Surgent (#26 Prive Motorsports/Topp Racing McLaren) and Scott Noble (#49 NOLASPORT Porsche) vying for fourth and a chance at the class podium.

At around 17-minutes remaining, Gidley's Bentley suddenly appeared uncharacteristically slow and well off racing pace, allowing both Harward and eventually Wilzoch to slide by and prepare to set up Washington for the third-place positioning. Gidley brought the car in for some extra security in holding down the hood, but his return to the race ultimately negated the monstrous drive he made running from the back row of a 20-car field all the way up to fourth place, setting him all the way back into eighteenth overall after the pit stop. Still up into the Top eight after capturing nine positions from the qualifying grid was CJ Moses (#58 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG), who bookended the SRO3 and GT2 competitor fields.

With just under ten minutes remaining in the field, Surgent had an off-track excursion that ended with the #26 McLaren retiring from the competition and returning to pit lane, opening up the position to Noble without causing a full field pause in action. No one was able to close down the gaps large enough to be a threat to the long-running order, so the GT4 podium was ultimately known well before the checkered dropped; Bell up front for the win, Newell adding a second place podium to his growing collection, and Quinlan settling in for third.

At the three-minute mark, Harward turned up the heat and went into a relentless attack on Washington for the overall third-place position. Corner after corner the two volleyed offensive and defensive moves but it was apparent that Harward didn't have the tire life yet to make the aggressive move needed to pass for the last podium spot, settling into fourth without a hardware award but armed with a 16-position gain from a stellar driving performance.

Results are provisional until posted Final. Champions will be crowned and determined on Saturday when the green flag drops for the final time this season at 12:05 pm EDT for 40-minutes of champion-making driving at The Brickyard. Watch it live on the GTWorld YouTube channel, catch the audio simulcast on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 392 (or 992 on the web app) and follow along on live timing and scoring at gtamerica.us

_____

Follow all the action at gtamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook: @srogtamerica
Instagram: @gt_america
Twitter: @gt_america_

Official Series Hashtag: #GTAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

 

Ruud, LaMarra, Williams Claim TC America Round 13 Victories At Indy

  • Champion-elect Ruud takes 9th TCX victory of 2021
  • LaMarra gets first TC win of season
  • Williams takes career first TCA win
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - Jacob Ruud and the #81 Classic BMW claimed a dominant, wet to dry Round 13 win, 39 seconds ahead of his closest TCX-class rival. “This has been a fantastic season and Fast Track Racing has given me an incredible car the whole time,” continued Ruud, “It’s been a dream to say the least.”

The race started with some argey-bargey at Turn 1 in the TC class between the #60 Mini of Derek Jones and #78 Hyundai of Jeff Ricca causing the first and only safety car of the race to be called, forcing Jones to fall to 11th place in class and the Hyundai to retire.

The race would get back to green with 31 of the 40 minutes remaining. TC would see the #9 DXDT Honda of Kevin Boehm storm to the lead, up four positions on the restart, with the pole-sitting #88 Hyundai of Nicholas Barbato running wide at Turn 2, falling to fourth in class. 

Jose Blanco, who started second in the #99 Honda Civic Si, would take over the TCA class lead for a short time as Luke Rumberg’s #33 Hyundai dragged past the Honda on the front straight to claim the top position.

Three laps later the #62 Mini of Clay Williams would catch and pass the #99 for second in class with the #2 Honda of Colin Harrison and #61 Mini of Cristian Perocarpi stalking for third. Williams would continue his run in TCA and quickly catch Rumberg for the class lead at turn 6 with 13 minutes on the clock. Ten minutes later Perocarpi would get past Rumberg for second in TCA.

Back up in TC pole-sitting Barbota would climb back to second position in class, a mere one-tenth of a second behind Boehm in first. Mike LaMarra and the #31 Honda would quietly stalk both and sneak past Barbota for second, then power past Boehm for the lead as the field ran to the white flag.

As the checkered flag flew Ruud would win in TCX with Steve Streimer second and Olivia Askew third.

TC would see Mike LaMarra victorious with Kevin Boehm and Nicholas Barbato second and third. “It’s fantastic. This is the second time I’ve won here and it feels great. I took a gamble by starting on slicks, but it paid off and I couldn’t be happier!” said LaMarra.

Clay Williams would claim the TCA victory with teammate Cristian Perocarpi and Luke Rumberg rounding out the podium. “I’ll never forget this drive, it’s really amazing,” said Williams, “I couldn’t be happier for the team and I’m ready to kiss the bricks!”

The TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School season finale will take place on Saturday, October 16th at 3:20pm EDT. Follow along with live timing and scoring at tcamerica.us/live and live-stream on the GTWorld YouTube channel, or catch the audio simulcast on SiriusXM Satellite Radio on Ch. 392 (992 on the web app)

_____

Follow all the action at tcamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @touringcaramerica
Twitter: @tc_america
 
Official Series Hashtag: #TCAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

 

friday pictures from indianapolis

 

Conquest Racing West Mercedes Sweeps Weekend At IMS, WR Racing Win Pro-Am, Smooge Racing Toyota Claim Am Victory

  • Conquest Racing West close out season with four-straight Silver class victories
  • WR Racing take Pro-Am win
  • Smooge Racing take ninth Am win of 2021
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - The Conquest Racing West Mercedes-AMG of Colin Mullan and Michai Stephens would take their fourth straight Silver-class victory to close out the 2021 Pirelli GT4 America season for Round 14 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “It’s a dream come true and a bit of an emotional moment - a true pleasure to do this with the team,” said Stephens. “It’s a testament to the work the team has put in this season. A huge thank you to Mercedes-AMG and to the many that helped get this program rolling,” said Mullan.

Fifteen minutes into the sixty-minute contest would see the first incident of the day with the #34 BMW of Bill Auberlen tap the #119 BMW of Tom Dyer into a spin at Turn 6 as the pair battled for third position overall and in Pro-Am. Andrew Davis and the #2 Aston Martin would inherit third position with Spencer Pumpelly and the #66 TRG LaSalle Solutions Porsche fourth.

Pumpelly’s time in fourth position would not last long however as the #15 Aston Martin of Kenton Koch would power past the Porsche at Turn 2, up a whopping 21 positions from the start.

As the pit window opened for mandatory driver changes, Koch would catch Davis and get past the #2 Aston Martin for third overall with an outside move at Turn 1, now up 23 positions on the day.

With the driver changes complete the #59 Aston Martin, now with Paul Terry behind the wheel, would lead overall and in Pro-Am with Michai Stephens and the #35 Mercedes-AMG leading the way in Silver. The #68 Smooge Racing Toyota of Kevin Conway would sit first in Am.

With 19 minutes remaining, the #47 NOLASPORT Porsche, Pro-Am champions elect, would pass the #52 BMW of Tom Capizzi for third in class, fourth overall.

Chandler Hull, now driving the #94 BimmerWorld BMW, would get past the #72 Mercedes-AMG of Kenny Murillo for second in the Silver division, fifth overall as the clock ticked past the 15 minute mark. Five minutes later Murillo would battle back as the two managed traffic and would overtake Hull to reclaim second place with 10 minutes remaining. At the same time the #47 Porsche of Matt Travis would get past Putt’s #15 Aston Martin for second in Pro-Am. 

The #062 Dexter Racing Aston Martin would find himself on the back of Hull’s BMW as the two would tussle for the final Silver podium position, which the Aston Martin would ultimately claim.

Back at the top the #35 Mercedes-AMG would run down the #59 Aston Martin for the overall lead with a pass at Turn 8 with 2 minutes remaining. As the checkered flag flew, the #72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG would finish second in Silver with the #062 Dexter Racing Aston Martin third.

WR Racing’s #59 Aston Martin would win in Pro-Am followed by the #47 NOLASPORT Porsche and #15 BSport Racing Aston Martin. “The team gave us a great car all year and this guy can really drive, so we’re happy!” said winner Paul Terry. “It’s all about teamwork and I’m happy to take this victory back home!” said Hasse-Clot.

Smooge Racing and the #68 Toyota would win the Am class in dominant fashion ahead of the #98 Random Vandals Racing BMW and #888 Zelus Motorsports Aston Martin.

_____

Follow all the action at gt4-america.com and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @gt4america
Twitter: @gt4america
 
Official Series Hashtag: #GT4America
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

thursday october 14th

Conquest Racing West (Mercedes-AMG) Take First Race at Indianapolis Finale Double-header

  • Stephens/Mullan Recover Early Position Loss to Win Overall, Silver Honors
  • Champions-elect NOLASPORT (Pro-Am) and Smooge (Am) Add Additional Hardware to their Championship-winning Seasons
  • PROVISIONAL RESULTS - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - Conquest Racing West (#35 Mercedes-AMG GT4) drivers Michai Stephens and Colin Mullan won the penultimate GT4 America race of the season, taking the checkered flag first overall and for the Silver class. Champions-elect NOLASPORT (#47 Porsche) saw drivers Matt Travis and Jason Hart add hardware to their championship-winning cache this year, while Smooge Racing's Kevin Conway and John Geesbreght accom[plaished a similar feat in the Am class competition.

The race started with the field shuffling almost immediately after the first few turns, with James Clay (#36) grabbing three positions and front-row sitter Michai Stephens (#35) dropping as far back as fifth place but regaining a position to sit fourth overall. An incident involving Jason Bell (#2 GMG Racing Aston Martin), Chris Gumprecht (#79 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG) and Paul Sparta (#98 Random Vandals Racing BMW) saw Gumprecht end off-track, reporting no steering ability, and sent the Full Course Yellow flag flying. At the return to the green flag, Kris Wilson (#16 Capstone Motorsports Mercedes-AMG) was served with a Drive-Through Penalty for causing a collision while Gray Newell (#24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin) and Tim Barber (#22 CCR Racing/Team TFB BMW) jockeyed for the overall fifth spot, swapping positions before Barber settled into the fifth spot.

Up front, the Manufacturer positioning battle continued to heat up as Clay fended off the onslaught from Kenny Murillo (#72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG) for the second overall position as pole-sitter Grahovec (#11 Classic BMW BMW) methodically increased his lead lap-by-lap. Further dings against the BMW charge to the Manufacturer's title were hindered by efforts from Warren Dexter (#062 Dexter Racing Aston Martin) against Barber in the fifth overall position, and the retiring of the #98 Random Vandals Bimmer involved in the previous FCY collision. Still, the three-way battle for second-place saw the #72 and #35 Mercedes-AMG cars with their sights set on the Clay's BMW.

At the opening of the pit window, it was the #47 Porsche of Matt Travis that was first to make the driver change and have the strategies unfold. Just before the close, it was the race leader and CrowdStrike Fast Lap award winner Stevan McAleer in the #11 Classic BMW that took the required pit stop last. Back out and in the rhythm, the field saw the #11 Classic BMW lead dwindle from a charging #35, now driven by Colin Mullan, and a relatively poor pit stop time. The #72 Murillo Car, driven by Christian Szymczak, sat third overall with Pro-Am Class leader Jason Hart behind him in the #47 Porsche. Further back in the pack, Geesbreght held on to the first place position in the Am class, and the battles commenced.

With a little under 15 minutes left in the race, Mullan continued to chip away at Grahovec's lead, while Szymczak held fast Hart worked to stay in front of the Pro-Am class. After non-stop pressure, Mullan was finally able to capture the lead with just under 11 minutes left in the race after which he never looked back. Murillo, too, was able to get by a short time later and the three held the positions until the checkered.

Pirelli GT4 America drivers complete the regular season with a Friday finale fight. The green flag drops at 2:35 pm EDT and is sure to be an exciting close to a season of hard racing. Fans can watch the race for free on the GTWorld YouTube channel, catch the audio simulcast on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 392 (992 on the web app) and follow along on the remaining championship battles with live timing and scoring available at gt4-america.com/live

__

 

 

 

 

TC America In Season Home Stretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

  • Ruud, Classic BMW, BMW Motorsports Take Champion-elect Victory Laps
  • TC, TCA Championships Still On the Line
  • TC America Entry List - PDF Link
  • Event Schedule - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - TC America powered by the Skip Barber Racing School concludes its 2021 season at the corner of 16th and Georgetown at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 30 cars across the TCX, TC, and TCA classes are entered with championships on the line in two of the three.

The lone title that isn't up for grabs is the inaugural TCX crown which was clinched by Wisconsin's Jacob Ruud. The #81 Classic BMW driver headlines a four car entry in TCX which also features BMW M2 CS (Cup) cars from KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering (#5), Hard Motorsport (#30), and a pair from Classic BMW for drivers Roy Block, Steve Streimer, Ruud, and Olivia Askew (#3), respectively.

The TC points battle is a three horse race between Skip Barber Racing School's Eric Powell, Auto Technic's Austen Smith, and DXDT Racing's Kevin Boehm.

Powell leads the championship by 29.5 points with 50 total points available in the two remaining races. The driver of the No. 92 Honda Civic Si has won four races on the year, but Smith won the last two at Sebring in his No. 51 BMW M240iR to claw back into the championship frame after a disastrous weekend at Watkins Glen.

Three points behind Smith is the reigning TCA champion Boehm who had a win and a second in TCA competition at Indianapolis last year to clinch the crown.

Just outside the championship conversation is GenRacer owner/driver Jeff Ricca in the No. 78 Hyundai Veloster N TC. Ricca holds fourth in the standings with a win and multiple podiums to his name this year and will be supported by his teammate Nicholas Barbato who is making his series debut in the team's No. 88 entry.

Elsewhere in the TC field is TechSport Racing's Rob Hines who is fifth in points after a pair of podiums at Sebring in his Nissan 370Z.

Derek Jones is back at the wheel of the TC-spec MINI JCW PRO TC from LAP Motorsports, based in nearby Brownsburg, Indiana, which also will be fielding entries for Cristian Perocarpi and Clayton Williams in TCA.

Joining Powell from the Skip Barber Racing School team is Ken Fukuda who debuted at Watkins Glen, while fellow Honda Civic operation LA Honda World has a pair of entries for Indianapolis with drivers Frank Szczesniak and Mike LaMarra while BMW operation DRS & Garagistic will field Matthew Ibrahim and Kris Valdez.

The TCA championship battle is also coming down to the wire with Forbush Performance driver Caleb Bacon holding on to a narrow five and a half point lead over Skip Barber Racing School's Carter Fartuch, while Bacon's Forbush teammate Luke Rumburg is also in the mix just 13.5 points adrift.

Forbush and Rumburg are the only two Hyundai Veloster Turbo TCA drivers in the TCA class field, while Fartuch will have the support of teammates Colin Harrrison and Mike Stillwagon in Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si machines. However, the Hyundai brigade will be bolstered by a new entry from Bryan Herta Autosport.

BHA has entered a new Hyundai Elantra N Line car for Fanatec GT World Challenge America frontrunner Taylor Hagler who has previous experience racing touring cars for the team.
Joining Fartuch from the Honda camp are entries for Mario Biundo, Jose Blanco, and Sally McNulty from LA Honda World, VGMC Racing, and Team Sally Racing, respectively.

Completing the TCA field are a pair of Toyota 86 entries from TechSport Racing for TRD development driver Jesse Love, a recent winner in ARCA competition at Indiana's Salem Speedway, and former TCB champion PJ Groenke.

The final TC America weekend of the season gets underway with practice on Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Race 1 is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET on Friday, while the season concludes with Race 2 at 3:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.
 

_____

Follow all the action at tcamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @touringcaramerica
Twitter: @tc_america
 
Official Series Hashtag: #TCAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

GT America Championship Bids Come Down to the Wire at The Brickyard

  • Twenty-one Cars Take the Field at the Renowned Indianapolis Circuit
  • Drivers, Teams and Manufacturers Aim to Close Season as Champions
  • Entry List - PDF Link
  • Event Schedule - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - The action-packed return to single-driver sprint races in GT cars has proven a resounding success for SRO America, and nowhere is that more evident than in the inaugural GT America Powered by AWS season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where all of the championship titles remain undecided entering the final double-header race weekend October 14th to 16th.

The famed Brickyard needs no introduction, and the global presence of top GT drivers from around the world for the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli round only adds to the racing spectacle surrounding the GT America finale. The 2.58-mile length of hallowed racing grounds will host the final to 40-minute races to decide which drivers, teams and manufacturers will leave the weekend with the history-making first championship trophies of the series.

Who Will Be Crowned the Ultimate SRO3 Driver?

The battle for the first SRO3 Driver’s Champion title is still wide open with two contenders hot on the heels of the points leader and showing a thirst for the hardware. #45 Wright Motorsports Porsche driver Charlie Luck will defend his points lead from the hard-charging Lamborghinis of both Jeff Burton (#191 Rearden Racing) and Jason Harward (#88 Zelus Motorsports). Luck’s defense also needs to hold if he’s to stave off Burton from taking the SRO3 Master’s class honors.

Fan and paddock favorite Memo Gidley is back to close his late-season entry and will run the sole Bentley-badged machine, the #101 TK Motorsports Bentley Continental GT3 machine. Likewise, Brendan Iribe’s return to GT America single-driver racing will go down in the #70 inception racing machine, the only McLaren in the field. In the GT2 class, GMG Racing’s Elias Sabo will once again helm the #2 Audi R8 LMS GT2 to close out the season and prepare for the next.

DXDT Racing’s card is full once again as both George Kurtz (#04) and CJ Moses (#58) return to the competition, each piloting the only two Mercedes-AMG GT3 machinery in the GT America grid this weekend.

Finally, the Porsche contingent, locked in a battle with Lamborghini for the Manufacturer’s Championship title, will be represented by the #32 GMG Racing Porsche of Kyle Washington and the #460 Flying Lizard Motorsports entry driven by Andy Wilzoch.

GT4 Final Fight

The contentious GT4 field has seen tremendous growth in advancing driver skill and experience nowhere is that more evident than in the field at Indy. #119 Stephen Cameron Racing’s Sean Quinlan, current points leader in the class, has seen his points lead dwindle throughout the season as #2 GMG Racing driver Jason Bell continues to show consistently-improving pace and the ability to repeat race-winning performances. Watch for the two to keep the GT4 Drivers’ Championship interesting down to the wire.

#76 ROTR Motorsport driver Alex Welch is expected to take to the grid in the sole GT4 Audi, while #25 Heart of Racing driver and two-time podium winner Grey Newell and late-season entry #888 Zelus Motorsports Sean Whalen will drive the two Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4 examples on the grid.

Robb Holland’s #99 Rotek Racing Ford Mustang GT4 has served him well all season, earning him a third-place points standing that’s just two points shy of contention for the Drivers’ championship title. Look to him to make championship contention difficult on his quest for the top step of the podium.

Single entries from Ginetta (#60 Dexter Racing Ginetta 56) and McLaren (#26 Prive Motorsports/Topp Racing McLaren 570S GT4) will be driven by Thomas Surgent and Matt Rivard, respectively.

Teammates and brothers-in-manufacturer-arms Chris Cagnazzi and Christopher Gumprecht will pilot the #39 and #79 Mercedes-AMG GT4 entries from RENNtech Motorsports. Both have put in the full season of work and have shown that they, too, can easily contend for the weekend’s podium positions.

Finally, late season entry Scott Noble will close out the single-driver sprint season in the #49 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CS MR.

How Will It End?

Champions will be crowned starting with the first Official Practice session scheduled for Thursday, October 14th at 9:15 am EDT, with the second session later that afternoon at 3:30 pm EDT. The last Qualifying session goes green at 10:50 am EDT before the grid takes the green flag for the first race at 4:55 pm EDT, and the final race gets underway on Saturday at 12:05 pm EDT.

Take part in the Downtown Speedway Parade, get your favorite driver’s autograph, and watch history unfold in real time; General Admission tickets starting as low as $10 are still available for the race weekend - get yours at bit.ly/indy8hour. Can’t make it out in person? Catch both races streaming live on the GTWorld YouTube channel; listen to the audio simulcast on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 392 (992 on the web app); and catch the CBS Sports Network programming of the weekend when it premieres on October 27th at 8:00 pm EDT; check your local listings for channel information.

_____

Follow all the action at gtamerica.us and across social channels
Facebook: @srogtamerica
Instagram: @gt_america
Twitter: @gt_america_

Official Series Hashtag: #GTAmerica
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

Final Pirelli GT4 America Champions to be Crowned in Indianapolis

  • Fifty-six Drivers Close out Pirelli GT4 America Season in Indy
  • Three-way Battle for Manufacturer Championship Title
  • Year-end Podium Positions in Contention
  • Entry List - PDF Link
  • Event Schedule - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - Twenty-eight cars are set to take part in the season finale of the 2021 Pirelli GT4 America season at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 14th to 16th, highlighted by the three class championship entries that each clinched their titles in the previous round at Sebring.

After near misses in each of the past two seasons, NOLASPORT's Jason Hart and Matt Travis locked down the Pro-Am championship with a pair of victories at Sebring in their No. 47 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 CLUBSPORT MR. The pair join the Am lineups of David and Russell Walker and Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen from the New Orleans-based Porsche prep shop.

Other Porsche entries include the return of TRG with a pair of entries for Derek DeBoer and Spencer Pumpelly in Pro-Am and Dr. Jim Rappaport and Todd Hetherington in Am. It marks the return to Pirelli GT4 America for TRG after DeBoer and Pumpelly missed the last round, while Rappaport and Hetherington are making their first starts since Road America in August.

Silver class champions-elect Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak aim to add to their five class wins in the final two races of the season at IMS in the No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4.

They are joined by fellow Mercedes-runners Conquest Racing West and drivers Michai Stephens and Colin Mullan who have emerged as Silver class contenders since the program debuted at Road America in August. The pairing swept the weekend at Sebring winning both races overall and securing the duo's first wins of the season in the process.

Elsewhere on the entry list, Am class entrant Capstone Motorsports is back with its Mercedes-AMG and full-season driver Kris Wilson, while both John Allen and Jon Barry are entered as prospective co-drivers for the Indy weekend. Barry stood in for Allen at Sebring and scored a class podium in his professional racing debut in Race 1 of the weekend.

The final entries from the Mercedes-AMG camp are the No. 79 and No. 39 for RENNtech Motorsports with Christopher Gumprecht slated to once again share driving duties with Kyle Marcelli and Chris Cagnazzi entered alongside Joe Rubbo in the team's Pro-Am and Am entries, respectively.

After wrapping up the Am class title at Sebring, Smooge Racing aims to complete its season-long streak of winning at least one of the two Pirelli GT4 America races each race weekend alive when series rookies John Geesbreght and Kevin Conway head to The Brickyard in their No. 68 Toyota GR Supra GT4.

The championship-winning pairing will be pulling double duty at Indy with Lexus factory driver and former IndyCar ace Jack Hawksworth set to join them for the Indianapolis 8 Hour race on Sunday.

Forbush Performance and drivers Damon Surzyshyn and Matt Forbush are also entered in an Am class Supra for the pair of Pirelli GT4 America races.

BMW is well represented with no less than eight BMW M4 GT4s on the entry list. Classic BMW's Silver entry returns with race winners Toby Grahovec and Stevan McAleer. They are set to settle second in the Silver championship with CCR Racing/Team TFB and drivers Tim Barber and Cole Ciraulo who hold the advantage over Grahovec and McAleer by 13 points going into the final two races.

The Pro-Am lineups of Bill Auberlen and James Walker Jr. and James Clay and Nick Galante aim to close out the season on a high note for BimmerWorld Racing but will face a stiff challenge from the Auto Technic Racing pairing of John Capestro-Dubets and Tom Capizzi who have scored four podiums in the last six races.

Completing the BMW lineup is the Silver pairing of Chandler Hull and Jon Miller from BimmerWorld, the Am duo of Paul Sparta and Al Carter for Random Vandals Racing, and Stephen Cameron Racing's Sean Quinlan partnering with Tom Dyer.

Aston Martin once again has a sizable representation on the entry list including Jason Bell and Andrew Davis for GMG Racing, Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch for BSPort Racing, Paul Terry and Owen Trinkler for WR Racing, and Ian James and Gray Newell in the Pro-Am class.

A Silver class Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 for brothers Ryan and Warren Dexter for Dexter Racing and two Am class entries of Paul Kiebler and Mikel Miller for Automatic Racing and Sean Whalen and Tigh Isaac for Zelus Motorsports completes Aston's allotment in the field, while Marco Polo Motorsports and drivers Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug are entered in a lone KTM X-BOW GT4.

The final weekend of the 2021 Pirelli GT4 America season gets underway with testing and practice on Wednesday, October 13th with Race 1 scheduled for Thursday at 5pm E.T. and the season finale on Friday at 2:35pm E.T.

_____

Follow all the action at gt4-america.com and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @gt4america
Twitter: @gt4america
 
Official Series Hashtag: #GT4America
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

GT World Challenge America Finale Set for Indianapolis Motor Speedway

  • Forty-two Drivers Set to Close Out GT World Challenge America Season
  • Championships, Year-End Podium Finishes Still in Play
  • Race-within-a-race Earns Double Points, Transitions into Indianapolis 8 Hour Enduro
  • GTWCA Entry List - PDF Link
  • Event Schedule - PDF Link

Indianapolis, Ind. - A record-setting number of contenders from all over the globe are expected to converge upon The Brickyard as the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli championships make their North American stop in Indianapolis, Indiana, on October 15th to 17th.

This year will mark the fifth consecutive year that the IGTC series has competed on North American soil. The mid-October event also sees the record-number of entrants for this leg of the worldwide series, up nine entries from the previous record set at Laguna Seca in 2018. Additionally, the venue serves as the special final leg of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS championships where at least one championship and all the year-end podium positions still remain up for grabs.

The Race within a Race 

Many of the season’s championships were decided at the last GT World Challenge America event in Sebring, where co-drivers Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper swept the weekend to capture the Pro Drivers’ Championship and helped bring the Pro Team Championship for K-PAX Racing and the Manufacturer’s Championship for Lamborghini along for the ride. Still, the battle for the Drivers’ second and third places rages on with K-PAX teammates Lewis and Venturini, as well as Turner co-drivers Dinan and Foley and Winward principal Russell Ward all able to take home year-end hardware. Similarly, the final 3-hour stint at Indianapolis will also decide which Pro Team championship hardware goes to Turner Motorsport and which one goes to Winward Racing.

The effort from Jan Heylen and Fred Poordad in central Florida secured the Pro-Am Drivers’ Championship for them and put them in a good position to defend the Pro-Am Team Championship title, where both DXDT Racing and Racers Edge Motorsports are within reach of taking the top spot. And, while Conrad Grunewald and Jean-Claude Saada captured the Am Drivers’ and Team Championships after Watkins Glen, the remaining TR3 Racing driver pairs of John Megure, Bill Sweedler, Charlie Scardina and Onofrio Triarsi have to lay claim to the second and third year-end podium spots.

GT3 Overall

As the “race within the race”, the GT World Challenge America finale still sees top contenders lining up on the grid. K-PAX Racing’s #3 (Andrea Caldarelli and Corey Lewis) and #6 (Corey Lewis and Giovanni Venturini) cars are scheduled to complete the GTWCA field and earn the final points for their GTWCA championship titles, as are Winward Racing’s Russell Ward and Philip Ellis (#33 Mercedes-AMG GT3) and Turner Motorsport’s Michael Dinan and Robby Foley (#96 BMW F13 M6 GT3). All of the driver pairings will run the first three hours of the 8-hour enduro to secure the final GTWCA points of the season before taking on their third drivers for the remainder of the Indy 8 Hour; Mirko Botolotti for the #3 K-PAX car, Marco Mapelli for the #6 K-PAX entry, Marvin Dienst for the #33 Winward Mercedes-AMG, and 2020 Indianapolis 8 Hour Champion Connor De Phillippi in the #96 Turner Entry. 

GT3 Pro-Am

In the highly-contested Pro-Am division, we see the return of the #04 DXDT Racing pair of George Kurtz and Colin Braun running along with teammates Erin Vogel and Michael Cooper in the #19 Mercedes-AMG and team principal David Askew and Ryan Dalziel riding out in the #63 entry; their three-pronged approach is sure to give Pro-Am Team points leader Wright Motorsports and their Drivers’ Champions-elect Fred Poordad and Jan Heylen (#20) a run for their money to secure the championship. Also in that fight, GT3 Academy alumni Racers Edge Motorsports, whose weekend team of anchor driver Taylor Hagler and Dakota Dickerson will fight the uphill battle for the Pro-Am Team championship points that are still within reach.

Ian Lacy Racing drivers Frank Gannett and Drew Staveley will suit up to contest the #12 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 in their quest for year-end standings, as will returning entrants inception racing in the #70 McLaren 720S GT3 with co-drivers Brendan Iribe and Ollie Millroy behind the wheel.

Compass Racing’s starting driver line-up gets a shake-up for the race-within-a-race weekend as the #77 Acura NSX GT3 sees usual driver Matt McMurry paired with series newcomer Ashton Harrison.

Adding to Lamborghini’s Manufacturer Championship final points tally are #88 Zelus Motorsports (Jason Harward and Madison Snow) and #91 Rearden Racing (Jeff Burton and Vesko Kozarov); both teams have run exhaustive, full-season dual series bids in the Lamborghini and are the two teams not expected to continue past the three-hour mark for the remainder of the race. Instead, additional drivers expected to jump in for hours four through eight of the enduro include: #04 Ben Keating, #12 Ian Lacy, #19 Thomas Merrill, #20 Max Root, #63 Scott Smithson, #70 Kevin Madsen, #77 Mario Farnbacher, and #93 Jacob Abel.

GT3 Am

The Am class championships have been settled, but the bragging rights and the chance to enter into the Indianapolis 8 Hour extravaganza have called the champions and the competitors to the grid for one last go this year; #10 TR3 Racing’s Bill Sweedler and John Megrue will run the 180-minute sprint section of the race before welcoming third-driver Giacomo Altoe, while champions-elect AF Corse will see the #61 Ferrari piloted by the Jean-Claude Saada and Conrad Grunewald for the opening stint before adding Mark Kvamme for the Indy 8 Hour.

Catch All the Action from Anywhere

The weekend action begins on Friday with a paid test session at 9:20 am EDT, followed by the first official Free Practice at 11:20 am EDT. The evening closes with an all out extravaganza welcoming the field to Indianapolis with the Downtown Speedway Parade starting at 5:30 pm EDT.

Pre-qualifying begins on Saturday at 8:30 am EDT, followed by the separate Driver Qualifying Sessions Saturday afternoon starting at 2:00 pm EDT, and finally the Pole Shootout at 4:20 pm EDT before Sunday’s 8-hour affair that goes green at 10:00 am EDT, with the final GT World Challenge America checkered flag dropping at 1:00 pm EDT. Catch all the live timing and scoring at gt-world-challenge-america.com/live and live-stream all Qualifying sessions as well as the entire GTWCA and Indy 8 Hour races at GTWorld’s YouTube channel, or catch the Indy 8 Hour in two-parts on CBS Sports Network, with coverage for the opening leg of the race starting at 12:00 pm EDT and the last 2.5-hours premiering at 4:00 pm EDT.

_____

Follow all the action at gt-world-challenge-america.com and across social channels
Facebook & Instagram: @gtworldchallengeamerica
Twitter: @gtworldcham
 
Official Series Hashtag: #GTWorldChAm
Event Hashtag: #INDY8H

 

 

Timetable

Thursday, 14 October
SessionLocal TimeGMT
Paid Test Session 114:0013:00
Friday, 15 October
SessionLocal TimeGMT
Bronze Test09:2008:20
Free Practice11:2010:20
Saturday, 16 October
SessionLocal TimeGMT
Pre Qualifying08:3007:30
Qualifying 114:0013:00
Qualifying 214:2213:22
Qualifying 314:4513:45
Pole Shootout (Top-20)16:2015:20
Sunday, 17 October
SessionLocal TimeGMT
Main Race10:0009:00

 

 

 

 

 
 
    https://gallery.mailchimp.com/a4270f635bf4cc53c9204e08d/images/6ea8487f-0dd6-47bb-8a1e-a6a0e7668b28.png      Image result for impact racing

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a22407_12bfef20121a47efa29e3ca31bf32d99.jpg/v1/fill/w_195,h_108,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/a22407_12bfef20121a47efa29e3ca31bf32d99.jpg\  

  American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association member

  National Motorsports Press association member

©2002-2022 MOTOR SPORTS GARAGE PRODUCTIONS,  All Rights Reserved

ALL LOGOS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY

ALL PICTURES ARE PROPERTY OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY

NO PART OF THE SITE CAN BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF MOTORSPORTSGARAGE PRODUCTIONS

This site is dedicated to my dad " Hoot" who introduced me to the great sport of auto racing............. rest in peace  DAD

larry criss....................A true race fan LIKE AN UNCLE TO ME

   gary lee.................auto racing broadcast legend and personnel friend

charlie patterson ............my old friend that supported me when mo one else did

 Carroll Horton .......................................life long friend and indy car owner

Judy Morris.................... a true race fan

todd shafer..............."a rock n roller" with a love for racing!

FOLLOW US on