GT America wins for SKI and CRP in Nashville
The SRO GT America series was back in action last weekend in the streets of Nashville, Tennessee in support of IndyCar. There, SKI Autosports and CRP Racing scored wins.
Johnny O’Connell took home his first win of the year in the SRO3 Class during Race 1 and Robb Holland made it three wins in a row on the streets of Nashville in GT4.
Due to rain the starting grid was set by the fastest lap times of Practice Two. This made Jason Daskalos in the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 the pole sitter in the SRO3 Class.
The drop of the green flag brought the drama with O’Connell in the #3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS lunging for the lead from third. He quickly overtook Mirco Schultis in the #70 MISHUMOTORS Corvette C7 GT3 R for second. Daskalos was busy building a five-second lead over the field when Alex Vogel in the #043 OnlyFans Racing with P1 Groupe by MRS Porsche 911 GT3 R ran into trouble. He safely made it to the run-off and continued the race.
Todd Treffert faced a similar fate in the #41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. He also found room in the runoff of a corner to keep damage out of the equation. Shortly after leader Daskalos came together with lap traffic. While attempting to continue he made contact with a wall, causing minor damage.
The damage didn’t stop Daskalos from catching back up to a second-place Memo Gidley in the #101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG. His misfortune did hand over the lead to O’Connell who went on to build an 11-second lead.
Gidley inherited second place when Schultis took to the runoff prior to the halfway point in the race. Daskalos and Gidley put on a nail-biting show for the fans through nightfall. Daskalos would best Gidley with 11 minutes remaining in the 40-minute battle. O’Connell went on to win followed by Daskalos and Gidley.
The GT4 Class had a more cut-and-dry race. Holland, who won both races in 2022, proved to be just as competitive, claiming a light-to-flag win in his Rotek Racing Porsche Cayman from pole.
Race 2 at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix saw CRP’s Jason Daskalos in the SRO3 Class and Robb Holland in the GT4 Class walked away winners to close out the Nashville weekend.
Jason Daskalos in the #27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 turned a damage-inflicted third-place finish in Race One to a clean win in Race Two on the 2.1-mile, 11-turn course. Meanwhile in the GT4 Class Robb Holland in the #099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport made it four in a row. Holland won back-to-back races in 2022 and paired the streak with back-to-back wins this year.
The SRO3 Class was straightforward. From start to finish the top three never changed positions, though each may have taken a look at advancing on track. Following Daskalos across the start-finish line was Race One winner Johnny O’Connell in the #2 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS.
Memo Gidley in the #101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 walked into the weekend a points leader but he paired his Race One second-place finish with a third-place finish in Race Two to hand the lead over to Daskalos. Mirco Schultis was one of the fastest on track; he and his #70 MISHUMOTORS Corvette C7 GT3 R started and finished fourth.
Alex Vogel in the #043 OnlyFans Racing with P1 Groupe by MRS Porsche 911 GT3 R advanced from seventh to fifth for the finish.
Holland had the GT4 Class under control for the duration of the race however this time he had more of a challenge, with Ross Chouest in the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin AMR GT4 keeping him honest.
GT America powered by AWS rejoins the fuller SRO Motorsports America paddock at Road America on August 18th-20th.
RACE 1 RESULTS >>> | RACE 2 RESULTS >>>
British Endurance calendar released
The Britich Endurance Championship’s 2024 calendar is out. The teams will visit Donington Park, Oulton Park, Silverstone and Snetterton between late March and mid October.
They’re here! Our provisional dates for the 2024 season 👏🏼
It’s set to be an exciting season and we would love for you to be a part of it all 🏁
Any enquiries please email claire@britcar-endurance.com pic.twitter.com/BNX1wKlwx0
— The British Endurance Championship (@BECRacing) August 7, 2023
Isotta hits trouble during Monza test
Isotta Fraschini hit trouble during testing at Monza over the weekend, its Tipo 6 LMH Competizione sufering an engine bay fire after a lubricant leak. This cut the team’s test short by a day after completing 98 laps (550 kilometres) of running. The car was taken back to the workshop for checks and repairs.
During the test Marco Bonanomi and Jean-Karl Vernay shared the wheel, and during a run on soft tyres managed a 1:35.622, which would have put the car fourth on the grid for the 6 Hours of Monza last month.
“From my point of view, a very positive test because we made good progress in understanding the car, both from the mechanical point of view and the various systems cooperation,” said Bonaomi.
“I’m happy also because I managed to do more laps than in Vallelunga, even if I’m still not 100% yet with my hand and wrist (which he injured in a while behind the wheel, not with Isotta). I felt better in the car, a good thing.”
World Challenge Asia Okayama entry released
Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS stages its penultimate event of the season on August 18th to 20th at Okayama, which also hosts the Fanatec Japan Cup title decider and SRO Motorsports Group’s first-ever standalone Asian GT4 races.
Eight entries will contest the latter’s two 60-minute ‘GT4 Japan’ races, which also count towards the class’ 2023 Overall and Japan Cup classifications, while 31 GT3 cars are confirmed for the Fanatec GT Asia/Japan Cup main event.
GT4 Japan’s eight entries – which comprise five manufacturers – the largest number ever assembled by SRO for an event in Asia where the class is less well established.
Benjamin Franassovici, Championship General Manager: “The response to our standalone GT4 races and where the experiment might lead us next year has been really encouraging. We originally said numbers didn’t matter at Okayama, which is a test case for GT4’s potential in Japan. But on this evidence there is clearly appetite for a GT4 sprint series.
“Other entries were close to materialising – for instance, K-Tunes’ Supra was scheduled to compete before its accident at Suzuka – and I’ve had positive discussions with prospective teams ahead of next season when we are aiming to double Okayama’s entry. That’s an ambitious target but also one I believe to be attainable.
“GT4’s success partly depends on 2024’s wider Fanatec Japan Cup format. That’s something we’ll further discuss with teams at Okayama.”
Images courtesy of Isotta and SKI Autosports
