Saturday’s action wrapped up with an adrenaline-fueled 60-minute race as the Pirelli GT4 America field took to the track for their first race of the weekend. It was an action-packed event across all three classes, with drivers forced to contend with intense side by side battles while keeping their composure.
Pole sitters Conquest Racing emerged victorious in the Silver class, with the Heart of Racing Team claiming the win in PRO-AM as BimmerWorld returned to the top step once again in the AM class.
Silver Class
Pole sitter Jesse Webb had a great start as the race went green, speeding ahead in his No. 34 Conquest Racing / JMF Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 and immediately establishing a gap between himself and the No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Kevin Boehm.
Zac Anderson soon began his charge up the field in his No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 as he gradually closed in on Boehm just ahead. As the two fought tooth and nail for any extra advantage, this allowed Harry Gottsacker to close the gap and join the battle in his No. 88 STR38 Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. Anderson was able to muscle his way past Boehm just before the halfway mark of the race, which opened up an opportunity for Gottsacker to sweep by as well, relegating Boehm to fourth place.
Webb, Anderson, and Boehm came through pit lane to perform their mandatory driver changes with 32 minutes left on the clock, while Gottsacker opted to stay out on track for a little bit longer. As the pit stop cycle was completed, Chandler Hull managed to emerge in the lead by the finest of margins as he took over from Gottsacker, but Michai Stephens and Conquest were eager to reclaim the top spot.
A second full course caution emerged shortly after, packing up the field once again and putting Hull and Stephens bumper to bumper once it came time for the restart. As the race went green once more, Stephens launched down the main straight and pulled off the overtake on Hull with a sweeping move around the outside of the first corner. The move proved to be vital, as another full course caution emerged later in that same lap, with the race finishing under yellows.
Michai Stephens went on to claim the win, with Kenton Koch and Zac Anderson crossing the finish line in second and third position.
PRO-AM Class
An early incident between the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and the No. 80 Crucial Motorsports McLaren Artura GT4 brought out the yellow flags within the first 10 minutes of the race.
As for the rest of the running order, Johan Schwartz kept his lead on the start and the following restart, but the rest of the PRO-AM frontrunners were in hot pursuit as they chased down his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M4 GT4. The combination of numerous yellow flags throughout the race made it difficult for drivers to establish a gap between each other, with each restart presenting new opportunities to try to pull ahead.
However, there were major changes on the leaderboard as the final 15 minutes ticked away, with the No. 44 car of Colin Garrett and the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport of Jason Hart making contact on a restart, sending both cars spinning.
Roman DeAngelis capitalized on the chaos, moving his No. 24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 up into the class lead, with Kay van Berlo and Tyler McQuarrie sitting just behind in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4.
As the race ended under yellows, DeAngelis crossed the line to claim the PRO-AM class win, with van Berlo and McQuarrie following suit to complete the podium.
AM Class
Charlie Postins had an excellent start in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW G82 M4 GT4, expertly maintaining his lead throughout the opening phase of the race. With a healthy gap to his class competitors behind, Postins was able to stay on track a little bit longer before handing over the reins of his mighty machine to teammate James Clay.
The remaining AM Class field continued to shuffle around, keeping each other honest as they battled wheel to wheel throughout each corner.
Another full course caution was brought out in the closing 15 minutes of the race as the No. 26 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Rianna O'Meara-Hunt had an off track incident and made contact with the wall.
Charlie Postins and James Clay went on to add another win to their impressive tally this season, while Al Carter and Paul Sparta returned to the podium to take home second place with the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4. Jaden Lander and Anthony Geraci completed the podium in third in their No. 72 KRUGSPEED Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO.
LET’S GO
The series will be back on track for Race Two at 10:55 a.m CT. 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.