Random Vandals Racing took a double victory in Race 2 of Pirelli GT4 America at Sonoma Raceway: The overall and Silver class win went to the #97 BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch, while the Pro-Am victory went to the #94 of Sam Craven and Josh Green.
Boehm took the lead with five minutes to go after catching the #68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 of Gresham Wagner, who’d inherited the lead that his co-driver Tyler Gonzalez seized at the 20-minute mark of the race, capitalising on a mistake from his Toyota stablemate Parker Thompson at turn two.
NOLASPORT’s Matheus Leist started on the pole in the #23 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, and the wet track to start the race should have suited the Cayman – but the Brazilian sunk down the order not long into his opening stint, giving up the lead to Thompson and tumbling down the order.
The race turned at the 25-minute mark after a collision between Fast Track Racing’s Stuart McAleer and BimmerWorld’s Charlie Postins sent the #36 BMW of Postins into the wall at the approach of Turn 11. His damaged, stranded car required a Full Course Yellow intervention right at the point where teams were preparing to make pit stops and driver changes.
By this stage, the track was now dry enough for slick tyres. Wagner and Boehm emerged in first and second, while the #94 BMW of Green made quick work of the #69 JTR Motorsports Engineering Toyota – now in the hands of Anthony McIntosh – to take third place overall and the Pro-Am lead.
McIntosh would suffer a right-front puncture with eight minutes to go, ruining his and Thompson’s podium hopes.
Boehm tucked inside of Wagner at the turn 7 ‘Chute’, took the lead late, and drove away to win the race by 6.2 seconds, while Green cruised to a Pro-Am win and third place overall.
The #4 JMF Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT3 ‘EVO’ of Mike David Ortmann and Braydon Arthur finished fourth overall and completed the Silver class podium, ahead of the #77 VPX Motorsports Porsche (Alex Ellis/Danny Dyszelski), the #3 JMF Aston Martin (Jesse Webb/Jonathan Neudorf), and the #52 Auto Technic Racing BMW of Race 1 winners Colin Garrett and Zac Anderson.
In Pro-Am, the #7 ACI Motorsports Porsche of Curt Swearingin and Riley Dickinson was second in class, and eighth overall, just ahead of the #53 Auto Technic BMW (Matt Million/Tyler Stone) in ninth.
Under some controversy, the Am class win and a weekend sweep went to the #72 RAFA Racing Toyota of Anthony Geraci and Kenny Schmied, even after a 30-second post-race penalty for shortcutting the course from turn one to the exit of turn six.
Geraci had to take the shortcut after contact between him, the #37 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Eddie Killeen, and the #07 Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin of Michael Garcia. Both Geraci and Killeen went off course, though Geraci drove straight through an access road while Killeen stopped. The #37 was deemed to be responsible for the initial incident.
The #72 Toyota was as high as third place overall before the penalty was applied – and completed the race with the Dome Mercedes’ bodywork sticking out of the passenger side door.
Michael and his brother Alex Garcia finished second in the Am class in their pre-Evo Aston Martin, while third place in class went to the #98 Random Vandals BMW (Paul Sparta/Michael Kanisczak) – ensuring that all three Random Vandals cars made it onto the podium in their respective classes.
The #188 Fast Track Racing BMW (Judson Holt/Dave Ogburn) was running third in class before Holt spun off at the Carousel (turn six) and gave the position to Sparta.
Images © Fred Hardy / SRO Motorsports America
