Friday’s on-track activities began under clear blue skies and sun, but by the afternoon, heavy rain returned to Road America and washed out significant portion’s of practices for SRO America series.
Our notebook from Friday focuses on catching up on stories outside of the main GT World Challenge America series. If you missed it, do check out our notebook from today’s State of the Series address.
Geesbreght steps away from racing
Earlier this week, John Geesbreght announced that he will be stepping out of the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 – and also stepping away from racing itself at just 21 years old.
The 2021 GT4 America Am class champion has been replaced by past IMSA GTD and Rolex 24 Hours class winner Corey Lewis, sharing the cockpit with reigning GR Cup North America Champion Tyler Gonzalez.
“It has been an incredible journey. I have come to the realisation that my heart and passions lie outside of racing,” Geesbreght wrote.
‘I am so thankful for every guy and girl that has made Smooge Racing and my racing career possible. A special thank you to my coach and friend Kevin Conway for believing in me, always pushing me to be the best I can be and to go after your dreams. In addition, a big thank you to everyone at Toyota Racing for the support, coaching, and the opportunities you gave me.
“I’m very excited about the next chapter of my life outside of the race car.”
It’s a very difficult decision for him to make, but it is on his terms, and DSC would like to wish John the very best in his next life endeavour.
Lewis fastest in GT4 America practice
Geesbreght’s replacement Corey Lewis spent little time getting up to speed in his place however, taking the #68 Toyota to the top of the time sheets in GT4 America Practice 1. Lewis’ best time was a 2:17.156.
It was the only practice session for the series on Friday – Practice 2 would be abandoned due to heavy rain and darkness.
Zac Anderson was second-fastest in the #51 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4, leading his BMW stablemates Kenton Koch (#97 Random Vandals Racing) and Tyler McQuarrie (#82 BimmerWorld). Michael Cooper rounded out the top five in the #9 Blackdog Speed Shop Nissan Z NISMO GT4, hoping to have a good result in the Chicago-area team’s home race.
Silver class championship leader Eric Filgueiras was sixth-fastest in the #28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, and Am points leader Kris Wilson was 12th in the #98 Random Vandals BMW.
Another notable absence from the grid this weekend is Hanley Motorsports’ #999 Toyota GR Supra, normally driven by Daniel Hanley and Parker Thompson – who were fifth in the Silver class standings heading out of VIR.
Chouest Povoledo Racing moves forward with backup car
In the Chouest Povoledo Racing garage, mechanics were already hard at work preparing the team’s “backup car” for the weekend.
This chassis was meant to be used for Ross Chouest’s campaign in GT America, only now, it will also be the team’s GT World Challenge America car for the remainder of the weekend.
Closed-circuit cameras could not capture the accident as it unfolded, but reportedly Chouest clipped the wet grass off to the right as he approached turn five, which sent his car into the concrete barrier. He was not seriously injured.
Rothberg quickest in both GT America practices
In GT America, Justin Rothberg led both practice sessions in his #29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. Rothberg’s best time across both sessions was a 2:08.125 in Practice 2, just 0.053 seconds ahead of the #14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 of James Sofronas.
SRO3 class championship leader Johnny O’Connell didn’t run on Friday due to clutch trouble on the #3 SKI Autosport Audi but the team is confident about getting the car ready for Saturday’s Qualifying and Race 1.
Farhan Siddiqi’s #95 FastMD Racing with Remstar Audi R8 LMS GT4 led its class in Practice 1, while in Practice 2 under much better conditions, the #7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Curt Swearingin led the way. Championship leader Isaac Sherman brought out a red flag in Practice 2 when his car suffered a mechanical problem.
Toyota’s future from Japan – in America today!
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s North American and Japanese divisions struck a deal to bring two young Japanese drivers, Yuki Sano and Kazuhisa Urabe, to GR Cup North America this weekend – getting both drivers acclimated to racing abroad.
Sano and Urabe are members of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge (TGR-DC) training programme for young Japanese racing drivers. Most recently, Ritomo Miyata progressed through the TGR-DC system to take part in the TGR-DC ‘WEC Challenge’, and now races in the European Le Mans Series and Formula 2.
Sano, 18, will drive for BSi Racing in the #35 car. Sano is in his second year racing in the FIA F4 Japanese Championship and won the opening round of the 2024 season at Fuji Speedway. He’s currently sixth in the standings, the highest of all Toyota-affiliated drivers.
Urabe, 19, will drive the #36 Precision Racing LA car. Unlike Sano, Urabe already has prior sports car racing experience, mainly driving GT4 cars in SRO Japan Cup, Super Taikyu, and the Inter Proto Series. Taking part in his third season in Japanese F4, Urabe won last year at Sportsland Sugo.
Joining them on a two-week excursion to America is their driving coach Tatsuya Kataoka, the three-time SUPER GT and reigning Super Taikyu GT3 champion. Urabe and Sano arrived through Charlotte and tested there prior to their arrival in Elkhart Lake.
While it’s only a one-off deal, Toyota is very keen on both young drivers – one of them may just be the next driver up for a WEC opportunity in the near future!
Images © SRO Motorsports America, Smooge Racing, RJ O’Connell / DSC
