In the season finale for Pirelli GT4 America, Jason Hart and Matt Travis delivered big for the NOLASPORT crew, overcoming significant odds to capture the team’s third consecutive Pro-Am championship in the series.
Entering the doubleheader weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the pair were 19 points from the lead. Matt Travis kicked off the weekend quick, scoring the class pole position and starting on the front row for Race 1 – his 75th with the team and 100th of his professional career. While the No. 47 Porsche 718 Cayman RS Clubsport went on to finish runner-up, the championship-leading BMW was collected in a Lap 1 incident, resulting in zero points towards the title.
As a result, NOLASPORT clawed to within one point of the lead and whichever car finished best in Race 2 would become champions.
Starting well ahead of the BMW, the Porsche maintained a gap throughout the hour-long race, even withstanding contact from overzealous competitors, to finish fourth-in-class and win the Pro-Am title by a single point.
This is the third consecutive GT4 America championship for NOLASPORT. Hart has been part of all three winning efforts, while this is Travis’ second after scoring his first with the team in 2021 and taking a hiatus year in 2022.
In addition to the No. 47 Porsche, Indianapolis concluded the season for NOLASPORT’s other two Porsches in the Am class – the No. 83 of Nelson Calle and J.P. Martinez and the No. 52 of Lee Carpentier and David Peterman.
Calle and Martinez scored points in ten races this season, finishing on the podium in Sonoma in March and also recording a top-five this past weekend at Indy. The pair finished top-10 in the Am class point standings this season, and also showed the pace of their No. 83 Porsche outside of the races all season long in exceptional qualifying efforts.
The No. 52, meanwhile, completed its first season of competition for the pairing of Carpentier and Peterman, with the duo recording their best finish of eighth and even running as high as third at Road America.
NOLASPORT brings its momentum to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta this upcoming weekend for the season finale of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. After a near win at Indianapolis last month, Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson seek to cap off the season with another successful run in the No. 47 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. The Fox Factory 120 is scheduled for Friday, October 13 at 12:25 p.m. ET and will stream live on Peacock.
A replay of all Pirelli GT4 America rounds and NOLASPORT’s championship-winning efforts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available on the GT World YouTube channel.
For team news and updates throughout the season, follow NOLASPORT on Instagram and Facebook.
Quotes:
Jason Hart: “This year has presented us with some unique challenges. Winning the championship turns all of this moments into a good story with a happy ending. I am so thrilled to win this championship with Matt for many reasons, but mostly because he has decided not to race full-time in 2024. Thankfully, we will continue to race together and just do a couple of bucket list races, which will be mega fun.
“Additionally, this win for NOLASPORT puts them in rare air of producing a three-peat championship effort in the highly competitive Pro-Am class! With my entire heart, I thank Matt and NOLASPORT for their choice in me for this epic journey. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!”
Matt Travis: “When we put this season together, we joked that we were putting the band back together, and that’s what it has felt like all season. To win another championship with smart, capable, dedicated friends is super special. I still can’t believe it! Now, I’m going to go put on my tuxedo t-shirt that basically says, ‘I want to be formal, but I’m here to party, too.’ Shake and bake!”