- RS1 wins in the Silver Class for the seventh time this season
- Second win of the season for Auto Technic Racing in Pro-Am
- Fourth Am win in a row for BimmerWorld BMW
- Provisional Results
Watkins Glen, New York - A few drops of rain threatened the Pirelli GT4 America 60-minute race at Watkins Glen International. Thankfully, Mother Nature was merciful and let the competitors finish their event without a hitch.
Silver
The #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, which won Race 1 yesterday, delivered yet another dominant performance in Sunday’s race. This is the seventh victory this season for the team and its drivers, American Eric Filgueiras and Scotsman Stevan McAleer, extending their championship lead.
Although some of the Pro-Am class competitors were strong early on, the #18 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport ran a perfect race to take the overall lead with 10 minutes remaining in the 60-minute event.
The fight for second place in the Silver class animated the end of the race between the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 (Kevin Conway / John Geesbrecht) and the #34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 (Gavin Sanders / Michai Stephens). Rookie Gavin Sanders tried his best to overtake Kevin Conway, but ended up finishing 0.4 seconds behind the Toyota. #112 Dexter Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 (Dominic Starkweather / Ryan Dexter) rounded out the Top Four in the Silver class.
“It was a much better race than what we’ve had all year,” exclaimed Eric Filgueiras on Victory Lane. “Steven did a fantastic job with his stint, as he always does. RS1 gave us a really great car. I wanted to be P1 overall but I wanted to be aware and courteous to those guys who are competing in their class too, so I didn’t want to take too many risks on our end to not mess those guys up. We’re really proud; what could be better!”
“I was very careful around the other cars because they’re racing for a different class, but I had a lot of fun with some of the guys out there,” echoed Stevan McAleer. “There’s a lot of big names at the front of the field. I knew if I could keep the car in one piece and give it to Eric, then he should be able to sneak his way by. Two wins this weekend, it’s been a big points day for us, and we’re really happy.”
Pro-Am
There was a lot of action once again in the Pro-Am class, with a lot of lead changes.
After an uneventful start, a first caution flag came out after a three-car contact between the #88, the #888 and the #319. All three cars had to retire.
Aaron Telitz scored the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap in his #69 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4, laying down an impressive time of 1:55.692. However, his hopes of victory were crushed when he lost a wheel on his Toyota on Lap 8. This incident led to the second full course caution of the race.
Once the race resumed, drivers were more eager than ever to claim the top step of the podium, making the second half of the race extremely exciting. Once everyone made their mandatory pit stops for driver changes, two Aston Martin Vantage cars led, under threat from the #52 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Tom Capizzi. Capizzi eventually took the lead and went on to win by a slim 1.529 second margin over the #124 ARG/Rotex Racing Ford Mustang GT4 (Billy Johnson / Edgar Lau).
The Mustang was the star of the last lap thanks to Edgar Lau and his race craft. Lau passed two competitors to claim the hotly contested second place in the class, and third overall. The #8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 (Elias Sabo / Andy Lee) rounded out the podium, ahead of the #15 BSPort Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 (Bryan Putt / Kenton Koch), which lost positions just before the finish despite battling for the win for much of the race.
“I didn’t sleep; I’m not sure if that works,” stated Tom Capizzi. “Race 1 ended poorly for us, but we just shook it all off, got out there, and we just dialed in all of our points. As Charlie called it all race long, driver changes make a huge difference. I’m elated; I didn’t know what to expect today. I love it!”
Am
Two races, two wins! The BimmerWorld team completed a perfect weekend by taking their second win in the Am class on Sunday. Their #36 BMW M4 GT4 driven by James Clay and Charlie Postins won by a much slimmer margin than yesterday, just 0.535 seconds!
James Clay said; “More than anything, it’s momentum. The BimmerWorld guys delivered an awesome car. This is four wins in a row for us, and I think when you can bring the car back clean, and you’re on a roll with performance, it’s just easier to continue that way. That’s what we’ll do.”
“It was both our qualifying results that set us up for this,” explained Charlie Postins. “I’d just like to say that it was awesome to race today. In both races this weekend, we’ve had full stints most of the time. It was a really competitive race, so that was awesome and I’m looking forward to Road America. I can’t wait to go and race there.”
The #72 KRUGSPEED Toyota GR Supra GT4 (Anthony Geraci / Jaden Lander), and the #53 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (Rob Walker / Alex Filsinger) completed the podium.
The Pirelli GT4 America series will resume its season at Road America on August 19-21.