James Sofronas drove flawlessly at Street America to clinch his first GT America powered by AWS win of the season within the SRO3 class, whereas Isaac Sherman returned to victory lane as soon as once more within the GT4 class, additional extending his championship factors benefit.
SRO3
Sofronas began from pole place within the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 and was in full management of the race, however he nonetheless had his fingers full as Justin Rothberg was throughout his rear bumper, searching for any alternative to overhaul in his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.
The 2 had been neck and neck lap after lap, with Sofronas executing sensible defensive driving to maintain his challenger at bay. On the midway mark, Rothberg launched an assault however ran extensive within the course of, giving the chief slightly little bit of respiratory room.
Just a few laps later, Rothberg had regrouped and closed the hole as soon as extra, however GT4 class visitors got here into play, leading to Sofronas dropping a wheel off-track to be able to maneuver previous as they ran three-wide.
Rothberg tried with all his may, however Sofronas was completely poised, main from begin to end as he went on to take the checkered flag, claiming his first win of the season within the course of. Rothberg needed to accept second, however the sturdy factors haul from his weekend at Street America has introduced him into championship title competition. Johnny O’Connell had a easy and untroubled race, finishing the rostrum in third, however retaining the general championship lead.
“I’ve been coming right here since ’94, so this feels actually good,” stated James Sofronas after the race. “We’ve had the tempo, earned poles, led laps, and truthfully, this yr has been robust. However the crew has achieved an unimaginable job, and that’s what actually issues. To get the win at this time—particularly with Rothberg coming at me like a freight practice—means so much.
“The Audi in sector two is superb, so I simply needed to maintain him off via the Kink and pray he didn’t get too good of a run. Hats off to him; he drove nice, however the GMG guys did an excellent job. We had been achieved by 7 p.m. final night time, and Kyle handled about 40 of us to dinner, which is the place I noticed Ryan and advised him, ‘I’m due. I must make this occur.’ After that, it was head down, full focus.
“The GMG, Audi, Kyle, and all the fellows—Mobil 1 has supported us since ’94. My son is racing in GR Cup now, and I get emotional occupied with it as a result of I would like him to observe in my footsteps however be even higher. I don’t have a few years left in racing, so I must get these wins below my belt. This one is for my spouse and my children.”
GT4
Motion unfolded within the GT4 class as Gray Newell spun out on the primary lap, falling down the working order after initially beginning in second place. The driving force of the No. 25 Coronary heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 spent the rest of the race clawing his approach again up the sphere.
In the meantime, Sherman was unstoppable within the No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Proper from the opening lap, he didn’t lose any time shifting from fourth to second place, earlier than shifting focus and placing strain on Curt Swearingin, who was within the lead whereas commanding the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
The 2 drivers went wheel to wheel, providing a nail-biting present to all of the spectators sitting trackside. Sherman was in a position to seize the lead from Swearingin, which later translated into one other victory, with the ACI Motorsports Porsche bringing house second place.
Newell put his head down, slowly making his approach again in the direction of the sharp finish of the sphere. He had a exceptional battle with Nicholas Shanny within the No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 and Farhan Siddiqi within the No. 95 FAST MD Racing with Remstar Audi R8 LMS GT4. The drivers went three-wide for a number of corners, every wanting to overtake the opposite. Ultimately Newell acquired the most effective of them, and Siddiqi was pressured down pit lane attributable to a problem.
The final battle to win was in opposition to Todd Parriott, who was sitting third at school. The Coronary heart of Racing Staff driver and the No. 31 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 driver went nostril to tail with solely six minutes remaining within the race. Newell finally prevailed and claimed the final spot on the rostrum.
The GT America Powered by AWS discipline will probably be again on observe at Barber Motorsports Park from September sixth to eighth.
