- Debuting Duo of Yves Baltas and Trenton Estep Secure Overall and Silver Class Honors in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS in Saturday Race
- Brothers Michael and Alex Garcia Renew 2026 Am-Class Championship Pursuit in The No. 21 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS With a Friday Race Win and Saturday P2 Finish
- Muzaffar Gafurov and Ross Poole Continue to Build Momentum in the No. 10 ACI Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 Evo With a Fourth-Place Finish on Friday
The debuting driving duo of Yves Baltas and Trenton Estep secured the first overall win of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America season for ACI Motorsports Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS.
Full Season ACI Motorsports coach and driver Baltas was joined for the first time by Estep who debuted with ACI Motorsports and in the Pirelli GT4 America racing series this weekend on the 2.38-mile Alabama road course. Rebounding from a hit by a top Silver class competitor in Friday's opening sprint, starting driver Baltas and race closer Estep ran in the lead pack throughout Saturday's race.
Estep took the point when the leading duo tangled just in front of him less than two laps from the finish and slipped the No. 7 into the overall and Silver class leads and an eventual 2.119 seconds margin of victory. The win was the first in GT4 competition for both Estep and Baltas who will also co-drive in next month's season-ending Pirelli GT4 America doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The initial 2026 overall Pirelli GT4 win followed a similar outright and Silver class victory for the familiar No. 7 Cayman last year at Barber with co-drivers Riley Dickinson and ACI Motorsports champion driver and team owner Curt Swearingin.
Saturday's victory was also the second of two Porsche Cayman GT4 wins for ACI Motorsports at Barber this weekend. Brothers Alex and Michael Garcia shifted to a replacement No. 21 ACI Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport after their No. 21 ACI Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 Evo was heavily damaged last month at Road America.
Getting off to a fast start, the Garcias scored the Am-class victory in Friday's opening race and backed it up with a second place class finish that moved them back into championship contention. With only next month's season-ending doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway left on the schedule, the Garcias are third in the Am division standings just 14 points out of first place.
The pair of victories made up for disappointing weekends for both the No. 7 team and the Garcia brothers at Road America where the Pro-Am pairing of Damir Hot and Ryan Yardley in the No. 25 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport recorded the weekend's best finish of third, the duo's first podium showing since a P3 result in the three-hour race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) last April. Unfortunately, the Barber event proved to be more challenging with Hot and Yardley persevering to a weekend-best ninth-place Pro-Am finish on Saturday.
The lone BMW entry for ACI at Barber was the still-new program for Muzaffar Gafurov and Ross Poole who competed at Barber in just their second race weekend in the No. 10 ACI Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 Evo. After a promising Am-class debut at Road America, Gafurov and Ross stepped up for their best class result to date with a fourth-place finish in Friday's first 60-minute race.
Next up for ACI Motorsports in SRO America competition is the 2026 season-ending weekend of competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), October 8 -11.
Curt Swearingin, ACI Motorsports Team Principal: "The No. 7 car was incredible. Trenton and Yves both did their jobs and the car was good for both of them. It’s always tough in the heat with the Porsche, but they managed the car, got through the race and we came away with another overall win. We got the overall at Barber last year, and to get another one with the No. 7 again this year is a really happy result for us. The Garcias struggled a little bit in the No. 21 - they’re not used to driving the Porsche in the heat - but a win and P2 are still strong results. One of their competitors in the points didn't have a good day so that will keep the Garcias right there in the championship hunt. Muzafar and Ross are really taking to their BMW and had two great races, including fourth on Friday. They are making quick progress in the new car. Damir had good laps in testing and practice, his pace was super strong this weekend, but it just didn’t come together for him and Ryan in the races. Somebody hit him in the rear and spun him in the first race and we worked on the car Friday night, put it back together, and got him ready to go again Saturday. Then, pulling out on the way to the grid, we got a puncture, so we had to throw another tire on it. That didn’t help our chances of moving forward, and they struggled through the race for a hard-earned top-10 finish. We’re just going to keep moving forward to the next one in Indianapolis and hopefully have some good days there too."
Trenton Estep, Driver - No. 7 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport: "I got a call from Yves on the way to Indy for IMSA and he said there was a potential opportunity if I wanted to come and drive. I was very fortunate to get that call and very excited for the opportunity. This is very special. This chance came together at the last minute, and I wasn't expecting to be here, but I'm very fortunate nonetheless. Thanks to the guys at ACI, especially Yves, for having faith in me. They gave me a really warm atmosphere to come into and be successful. Yves killed it in his first stint and gave us everything we needed to go to the front. A yellow definitely helped us with track position and let us cool the tires down a bit so we could fight for something at the end. I'm excited for the future."
Yves Baltas, Driver - No. 7 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport: "This one definitely makes up for Road America. We've been a bit unlucky this year, but with Trenton coming in, it was a good team effort and we got the result. It should be fun having Trenton as a teammate. It's sad that Jimmy won't be there, but I'm very excited to get in the car for the next race. We have a good setup, and the team works hard, for sure. We're very excited we won in a 10 out of 10 weekend."
Alex Garcia, Driver - No. 21 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport: "We had a great car, great teammates and a lot of good data here so we just rolled into a good week. The only real factor was learning the car, which we did relatively quickly. We're pretty happy, to say the least. Putting Road America behind me is pretty easy. It was a pretty catastrophic weekend, so I wanted to forget it and move forward, and we did. We have a great team and a great support system, which helped us move on, look to the future, and not dwell on the past and the crash."
Michael Garcia, Driver - No. 21 ACI Motorsports Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport: "Six or seven years ago I had a 987 Cayman, and that's as close as I've been to one. I haven't had a lot of time in it, and it's a very different car by all accounts. It's different from the brake pedal, the size of the car and the engine, naturally aspirated versus turbo. It was a big difference. With the Cayman, you really have to direct it and tell it where to go, grab it by the scruff of the neck, if you will. The BMW is more like 'I'm suggesting you turn this way,' and the smoother you drive it, the more it gives back. With this one, you really have to be on the ragged edge to get the most out of it. Getting our lap times down was a struggle in the first and second test sessions. I think we pulled it together for qualifying. We're still perfecting our race pace."
Muzaffar Gafurov, Driver - No. 10 ACI Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 Evo: "We're getting more comfortable in the car, and it feels like this is finally a car we can actually bring a fight in. It's nice from the standpoint of tire longevity; it really shines among the other cars in the second stint. It's just an easier car for an amateur driver to drive. We're super excited to see what we have ahead, and we're looking forward to building on this. I did a Chin Track Day here about two years ago in my GT3 RS and had fun, and then I did some sim work. But coming into this, I had a back injury, so I couldn't really prepare. I was on the verge of not coming to this event, but I decided to give it a try. The BMW ergonomics are great and you're so comfortable in the car. Not once did it bother me. It's an amazing platform. Traffic was interesting. It was nice that I had some pace in my stint. I was able to catch up and pass some of the guys, I was faster than the guy who took P3, but unfortunately I just couldn't get around him. Not enough racecraft yet. We're just getting started, but hopefully we can build on this and learn from it."
About ACI Motorsports: ACI Motorsports is a professional Porsche racing team and motorsports preparation shop headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with additional operations at Road Atlanta in Georgia. The team actively competes in several prestigious racing series, including Porsche Carrera Cup North America, SRO Pirelli GT4, GT America Powered by AWS and more. Additional information can be found at www.acimotorsports.com.