Last of the day, but certainly not least, the Pirelli GT4 America field took to the grid to close out Saturday’s action-packed running with their first race of the weekend. The 60-minute event provided side by side, wheel to wheel battles for the entirety of the race, with drivers racing their hearts out and putting it all on the line across all classes. BMW was the manufacturer of the day, taking home the wins in the Silver, PRO-AM, and AM classes.
Silver Class
The Silver Class got their elbows out from the moment the green flag waved, with Zac Anderson and Kevin Boehm even taking their No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 and No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 off-roading for a brief moment, but kept their machines under control. It wasn’t long before they were bumper to bumper, waiting for one or the other to falter first and succumb to the pressure.
Jesse Webb was held up by some PRO-AM and AM Class cars, but was running a solid race as he sat third in class and fourth overall in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 shortly before the pit window opened.
A traffic-filled pit lane added to the intensity of the driver changes, although the running order remained the same at the end of the swaps for the time being, before Michai Stephens went off track, tumbling down the leaderboard before eventually returning to the track.
As JCD Dubets and Kenton Koch took over from their teammates, the gap between the two teams dwindled, putting their offensive and defensive driving skills to the test. While their machines got a little dirty as they rode the fine line between the track and the grass, the two racers kept their driving clean.
Koch was relentless, but Dubets would not concede, forcing the Random Vandals Racing to use every ounce of power in his arsenal to pull off the move for the top spot, which he finally completed with just over 10 minutes remaining. While Dubets gave it his all to reclaim the lead, Koch was able to hold on to the very end, crossing the finish line first just mere inches separating the two. Chandler Hull made it an all-BMW podium as he secured third in the No. 88 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4, an impressive feat after starting the race from pit lane.
PRO-AM Class
James Walker Jr. had a strong and clean start in his No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4, running first in class and third overall. With the overall and Silver class battle raging on ahead of him, and two other cars separating him from the next-closest PRO-AM competitor, James held a comfortable buffer for the class lead.
Johan Schwartz opted to jump into the pits almost immediately after the pit window opened to hand over his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to teammate Colin Garrett. However, it was Tyler McQuarrie and Jason Hart who exited pit lane with the advantage, as McQuarrie retained the lead for BimmerWorld, and Hart moved the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport up into second position, dropping Garrett down to third by the halfway mark.
McQuarrie solidified the win, adding another great result to the team’s strong performances this weekend, with Hart and Garrett completing the podium.
AM Class
Charlie Postins started first in class, but he certainly had overall positions in mind as well as he muscled past Silver and PRO-AM class competitors around the opening turns in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW G82 M4 GT4. As he handed over the reins of his speedy beast to teammate James Clay, their advantage only grew as he set sail and focused on the road ahead.
Satakal Khalsa and Rob Walker kept it cool, calm, and collected, but their No. 253 Auto Technic Racing BMW G82 M4 GT4 soon came under threat as Chris Allen was charging forward in the second half of the race in his No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4.
Allen soon swept into second place, with the No. 253 beginning to fall behind, which allowed the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing of Paul Sparta and Al Carter to move up into the final podium position in the closing stage of the race.
LET’S GO
The series will be back on track for Race Two at 10:55 a.m ET. Fans can follow progression with Griiip Live, live timing. The studio makes it easy to follow class battles, lap times, and pit strategy for the five SRO America series. Stream the races live on the YouTube page, GT World or join the conversation on Twitch with Daniel Gilligan.