The Pirelli GT4 America championship is preparing for a brand new challenge as the series heads to Austin, Texas for the upcoming round of the season. Their time in the Lone Star State will be exceptionally special and thrilling, as competitors will take part in an inaugural three-hour race on Saturday, May 18th, in lieu of the regular double sprint race format.
The previous races held in Sebring saw major shake ups in the championship standings across all three Silver, Pro-Am, and Am classes, with new leaders and winners rising above the rest to further add to the intensity and excitement of the championship title fight.
Circuit of The Americas is set to welcome all motorsports enthusiasts, offering an immersive open paddock ambiance with unrivaled access, autograph sessions, a Car Corral, and a pre-race grid walk ahead of Sunday’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS feature race. Moreover, the prestigious GT1 Sports Club is coming to town, showcasing a dazzling array of the globe's most remarkable motorsport machinery.
Silver Class
In Sebring, the Silver class was dominated by Eric Filgueiras and John Capestro-Dubets as the teammates co-drove their No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to double victories, elevating them to first place in the championship standings.
Kenton Koch and Kevin Boehm in the No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 and Zac Anderson and Colin Garrett in the No. 51 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 are currently tied for second place after each team added another podium finish to their tally.
John Geesbreght and Tyler Gonzalez sit in third in the No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO, just a few points ahead of Toyota counterparts Daniel Hanley and Parker Thompson in the No. 999 Hanley Motorsports Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO. Meanwhile, Michai Stephens and Jonathan Neudorf showed impressive speed in the No. 23 TechSport Racing Nissan Z NISMO GT4 and will remain ones to watch heading into the next round.
The Silver class will be completed by Demi Chalkias and Jake Cowden in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 as the Canadian lineup prepares for a southern showdown.
Pro-Am Class
A historic moment unfolded in the Pro-Am class in the previous round as Max Root and Tony Gaples co-drove their No. 9 Blackdog Speed Shop Nissan Z NISMO GT4 to victory in Race 2, which signified the first-ever win for Nissan in global SRO competition. The win brought them closer to the front of the championship fight, as the pair sits in third, just one point behind Roman De Angelis and Gray Newell in the No. 24 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
The frontrunners in the Pro-Am class are Curt Swearingin and Kay Van Berlo, who took home a win and a second-place finish in Sebring in their No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, giving them an 18-point lead heading into Austin.
Johan Schwartz and Dan Dyszelski also secured a podium finish in the No. 635 RySpec Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 and are set to return for more action in COTA.
Michael Auriemma and Matheus Leist in the No. 89 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 hold the fourth position in the standings, just seven points ahead of James Walker Jr. and Tyler McQuarrie in the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4. Just behind them are Eric Powell and Colin Harrison in No. 22 TechSport Racing Nissan Z NISMO GT4.
Flying Lizard Motorsports will once again be fielding two entries, with Todd Parriott and Tom Dyer in the No. 13 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, and Damir Hot and Rodrigo Baptista commanding the No. 5 Nissan Z NISMO GT4.
Alex Vogel and Matt Bell will be back on track with the No. 43 P1 Groupe Mercedes-AMG GT4, with Harry Cheung and Ryan Eversley returning to the grid with the No. 07 Precision Racing LA Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO.
Heart of Racing Team’s Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier, who previously competed in the Am class in the No. 26 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, have moved to the Pro-Am class for the upcoming event, with Matt Million and Troy Lindstrom doing the same in the No. 53 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82, joined as well by RS1’s Austin and Roland Krainz in the No. 18 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Am Class
Consistency has been key for Paul Sparta and Kris Wilson in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4, as they earned three-consecutive second-place finishes before going on to take the top step of the podium in Race 2 at Sebring, propelling them to the top of the Am class standings.
James Clay and Charlie Postins continue their campaign in the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4, with the next three teams behind them in the championship standings only separated by one point apiece, with Robb Holland and Jaden Lander in the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport sitting just ahead of Nicholas Shanny and Terry Borcheller in the No. 20 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 G82. and Anthony Geraci and Elivan Goulart in the No. 72 KRUGSPEED Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO.
The field is further completed by Sean Gibbons and Sam Owen in the No. 17 OGH Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, as well as the two NOLASPORT entries of David Peterman and Lee Carpentier in the No. 52 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and Steve Schneider and Seth Thomas in the No. 60 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Finally, a few new entries are joining the mix in Texas, with Kevin Conway and Isabella Robusto teaming up to co-drive the No. 55 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO, as well as Judson Holt and Denny Stripling set to take to the track in the No. 188 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82, and finally Marc and Tyler Sharinn shall be sharing the No. 16 Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT4 America field is set to take to the track during Practice 1 on Friday, May 17th. Click here for the full schedule of the GT4 America weekend.
If you can’t make it to COTA, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTCOTA.