Triarsi Competizione completed the weekend sweep of GT America in the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. But in Race 2 on Sunday morning, it was tech repair firm CEO and young gentleman racer Justin Wetherill who got the better of his team mate Onofrio Triarsi, and picked up the victory in his red and black #37 Ferrari 488 GT3.
Race 2 started with the two Triarsi Ferraris on the front row as usual. Race 1 winner Triarsi had secured Race 2 pole by setting the fastest lap yesterday evening, and as he led the field down the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge into the first corner, he was looking good to secure a complete sweep of the weekend halfway through the race.
Wetherill withstood pressure from Jason Daskalos’ #27 Daskalos Motorsports Audi R8 LMS Ultra in the first half of the race, as the two continued their spirited battle from Race 1. Eventually, Wetherill was able to break away. Sadly for Daskalos, his chances of a podium were shot down when he clipped the concrete barrier to his left while trying to overtake Chris Cagnazzi’s #39 Cameron Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4.
With less than 18 minutes left in the 40 minute sprint, Wetherill took advantage of his team mate getting caught up in traffic, slipped past Triarsi under braking, and grabbed the lead for the first time.
Triarsi didn’t disappear from the fight, pushing his team mate all the way to the very end of the race. But despite Triarsi pushing all the way to the final lap, Wetherill held on by 0.342 seconds to take his first GT America premier class win of 2022.
Already a Pro-Am class winner in the top GT World Challenge America series, Wetherill explained that his first GT America sprint victory was “just about being consistent over time” after the race.
“Fortunately, we were at a little bit of a gap and it allowed me to push a little bit harder,” he said, reflecting on his Race 2 victory. “We came here dreaming of a one-two finish, and for this to happen two days in a row is incredible. The cars are great, the team is great, it’s been an incredible blessing.”
Triarsi finished second and recorded the fastest lap of the race, a near-perfect weekend for the GT World Challenge America Am Cup points leader in his GT America series debut.
From eighth on the grid, German veteran Mirco Shultis wheeled his fan-favourite #70 MISHUmotors Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R to third place in the overall classification. It’s Schultis’ first SRO3 class podium of the season, after four fourth-place finishes in the first nine races.
SRO3 championship leader George Kurtz finished fourth again in the #04 CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, while Daskalos wheeled his damaged first-gen Audi to fifth place.
On the weekend, Kurtz only lost one point in his championship lead over Daskalos across the two races this weekend – and with six races to go, Kurtz now effectively has one hand on the championship trophy. He has a 52 point advantage over Daskalos in second, with Wetherill third, 75 points back.
The two DXDT Racing Mercedes finished sixth and seventh, with the #08 of Scott Smithson ahead of the #63 of team owner David Askew. Kyle Washington was eighth in the #032 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R. Sadly for fans of the #88 Zelus Motorsports “Bullnicorn” Lamborghini Huracan GT3, Jason Harward never made it off the dummy grid, and was a non-starter.
Robb Holland became the eighth different GT4 class winner in 2022 yesterday, and today, he completed a clean sweep of the weekend in his blue #99 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with a Race 2 victory.
Holland led from wire-to-wire, and had enough of a margin in hand to hold off a hard-charging Chris Cagnazzi for the class win by 1.5 seconds. In the intense heat and humidity of a summer day in America’s mid-south, the long time SPEED World Challenge and ex-BTCC driver kept his cool.
Holland’s victory also moved him to third in the GT4 drivers’ championship, just 32 points behind Jason Bell, who re-took the championship lead with a third place finish in his #2 GMG Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Bell regained the points lead after immediate championship drama for title rival Ross Chouest, who was hooked and spun around by Cagnazzi just one corner into the race – sending the black and red #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Vantage GT4 into the wall. Chouest was okay, and he was able to bring the car back to the pits – but his first retirement of the season was a big blow to his title pursuit.
Bell, who trailed Chouest by three points after Race 1 yesterday, now leads again by 12 points.
Edgar Lau (#124 ARG/Rotek Racing Ford Mustang GT4) capped off a solid weekend in fourth, and young Adam Adelson (#120 Premier Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR) held his nerve in a late duel with the ageless Andy Pilgrim (#3 Regal Motorsports/Bartone Bros Cayman MR) for fifth place.
GT America returns along with the rest of the SRO America umbrella in just two weeks time, at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Images © SRO Motorsports Group America
