After arriving by way of Chicago on Thursday morning, I made my way up to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, home of historic Road America.
But before exploring “America’s National Park of Speed,” on Thursday evening I had the chance to take in the sights and sounds of the GT Parade and Welcome Party at nearby Siebken’s Resort, a favourite destination of the drivers and the fans.
If there were any worries that the local residents had already enjoyed their fill of sports car racing with the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in town just two weeks ago, the crowd on hand that enjoyed the parade and resort festivities suggests that there’s still a very healthy appetite for more!
There was a particular interest around local heroes RealTime Racing, who invited as many people as possible to sign the bonnet of their Acura NSX GT3. And deservedly so!
RealTime’s shop is just thirty minutes down the road in the town of Saukville, and the last time they raced at Road America, they won overall with a Pro-Am lineup – the last time that had happened against a field with Pro class cars until Watkins Glen.
The most encouraging thing about the strong turnout for Thursday’s festivities, however, is the prospect that the SRO America group series can return to being more spectator-oriented events.
It’s something that SRO Motorsports Group America President, Greg Gill, expressed when we spoke with him at Sonoma Raceway earlier this year, and that sentiment of wanting to race in front of larger crowds was echoed by the drivers and team leaders that I spoke with on Thursday.
Let’s hope then, that the buzz and the interest from the parade can carry over into a strong crowd for Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday morning it was off to Road America, to take in the sights and sounds of this magnificent circuit in person for the first time, and to get an idea of what the buzz is around the paddock.
The skies were sunny and beautiful when the morning began, only to darken with rain clouds just a few hours later, in time for first practice for the flagship Fanatec GT World Challenge America series.
In GT World Challenge America, the championships in one class are provisionally set to be awarded this weekend.
It has not been made official just yet, but Triarsi Competizione and drivers Onofrio Triarsi and Charlie Scardina have effectively wrapped up the GT World Challenge America Am class Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships for 2022.
Their main competition from the first half of the season, the #61 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GT3 (Jean-Claude Saada/Conrad Grunewald), has not raced since a heavy crash in Race 1 at VIRginia International Raceway wrote off their car. Saada and Grunewald are a scratch from the final entry list this weekend, and will not take part in GT World Challenge America at Road America.
With a 100 point lead and six Am Cup victories this weekend, all that the #23 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari of Triarsi Jnr and Scardina has to do is finish Race 1 on Saturday to officially clinch the titles.
But even if they somehow suffer a catastrophic double retirement this weekend, there are just three races left and 100 points on offer after Road America.
One look at the maths involved confirms that, this race is now settled.
TR3 Racing have helped get Utah’s Jeff Burton and his pro co-driver Corey Lewis back on track after a brutal weekend at Watkins Glen in July. The Florida-based team have re-wrapped their Lamborghini Huracan GT3 into a new red, Burton Lumber-sponsored livery.
Burton and Lewis will run in GT World Challenge America’s Pro-Am class as they had with Zelus Motorsports, while Burton will also do double-duty in GT America.
Previously, TR3 had campaigned with Ziad Ghandour, Michele Beretta (at Sonoma), and Giacomo Altoe (at NOLA and VIR).
As for Zelus, Jason Harward is here in his #88 Lamborghini “Bullnicorn,” but he will only take part in GT America this weekend, one of three scratches from the GT World Challenge America entry list.
Sean Whalen will continue to drive his #888 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 in GT America GT4, and GT4 America (with co-driver Matt Guiver).
The other GT World Challenge America scratch from the weekend is the #38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 (Samantha Tan/Nick Wittmer), which wasn’t a huge surprise as Tan herself indicated that crash damage from VIR and a shortage of spare parts may have left them unable to take part in this weekend’s race.
https://twitter.com/STR_Samantha/status/1560155349239271424
In lieu of competing at Road America this weekend, Tan is at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California.
As for Triarsi Competizione’s Pro-Am GTWC entry driven by Justin Wetherill and Ryan Dalziel, they will be using their “spare car” this weekend, the silver and white #37 Ferrari 488 GT3 – instead of their usual red and black #13 car. This is typically the chassis that Wetherill drives exclusively in GT America.
A new addition to the GTWC field this weekend is GMG Racing’s #032 Porsche 911 GT3-R driven by James Sofronas and Kyle Washington, a new Am Cup entry.
IMSA fans might recall that Sofronas and Washington drove this exact car – in its same Ukrainian livery that they ran with at Long Beach.
In the same shot, you’ll see the American-flag liveried Porsche that Washington will race with in GT America SRO3 class.
GMG Racing are also bringing a late Pro-Am entry to the GT4 America series this weekend – led by Nurburgring 24h and Bathurst 1000 winner, and Le Mans Series LMP1 champion Alexandre Premat!
Premat, who’d been running in Michelin Pilot Challenge with RS1 earlier this season, will hop into the #71 Wilde Irish Gin-sponsored Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with co-driver Jay Logan.
Logan will also run in GT America this weekend in the GT4 class.
This is the BMW M4 GT4 of G2Racing/GSpeed, a new entry for this season built around 16-year-old Oklahoma driver Grayson Farischon, who is making his step up from karting into GT4 America.
He’ll be one of two 16-year-old drivers taking part in the series we follow, as Seth Lucas resumes his GT America campaign off the back of a weekend sweep at Watkins Glen with Hattori Motorsports.
Farischon will be joined in GT4 America by Mike Skeen, a regular of the IMSA GTD class with Korthoff Motorsports, and who previously raced in GT4 America with ARG/Rotek Racing at VIR.
Perhaps the most important developing story of all though is that, there is growing momentum for an SRO America-promoted version of K4GP!
Random Vandals Racing already have their own Mitsubishi Minicab truck at every race, and now NOLASPORT have purchased their own Mitsubishi kei truck.
Where to Watch
GT World Challenge America Qualifying – Saturday, 8:55 AM CDT
GT America Race 1 – Saturday, 12:10 PM CDT
GT World Challenge America Race 1 – Saturday, 2:00 PM CDT
GT4 America Race 1 – Saturday, 4:00 PM CDT
GT America Race 2 – Sunday, 8:55 AM CDT
GT4 America Race 2 – Sunday, 11:05 AM CDT
GT World Challenge America Race 2 – Sunday, 1:00 PM CDT
