A podium and a late protest mix up the AMR powered action from VIR at the weekend
Monday, July 22, 2024
The Flying Lizard Motorsport team were again at hand at the circuit to support their three customer drivers competing within both the GT America and GT World Challenge America Series in both AMR Vantage GT3 and GT4’s but it was via the unsatisfactory performances of their #08 Vantage GT3 car of Elias Sabo and Andy Lee within the GT World Challenge Series that the team felt compelled to act.
Citing that ugly phrase again of Balance of Performance, the team issued a statement saying that they felt that their Vantage GT3 was otherwise being impaired in its performance via inconsistencies within the SRO governing bodies BOP process. Despite having sought further clarification, both in the USA and in Europe, the team felt that they had no other option but to withdraw their #48 car for the weekend’s second race on Sunday having finished P9 overall after a rain affected race 1.
Whilst we are certainly advocating that we have any idea what exactly was going on there at VIR, but something certainly was globally as the four AMR Vantage GT3 crews competing within the sister GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Series at Hockenheim had their BoP reportedly adjusted before EACH of their two races at the weekend. Either way, this kind of action is bad for the sport as a whole!
Within the GT America Series, there was a short lived and well-earned hooray for the #2 Flying Lizard AMR Vantage GT3 of Jason Bell who, having also stepped up to GT3 level having retaken the GT America GT4 crown again last season, finally stepped upon the SRO3 podium at the weekend. Despite much of the opening race being controlled by the Safety Car in the deluge that hit the circuit just as the cars were forming on the grid, Bell did what was needed (as well as lucking in with other cars misfortunes) to claim his and the cars first SRO America podium finish in that class/series.
That was sadly the highlight of the five AMR entries within that series over the two races as once the track had dried, all five then struggled for pace finishing no higher than P4 in class having competed so closely in the preceding rounds.
It was the same for the four AMR Vantage GT4 crews racing within the GT4 America Series as P5 for the Gray Newell/Roman De Angelis combo in Pro-Am was the best that any could do as even the newly reclassified #26 Silver Heart of Racing entry of Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier struggled within race one for a P6 in class finish with a further DNF after contact in race 2.
Hopefully, these issues can be resolved to the satisfaction of all concerned ahead of their next round from Road America in late August.
Photo credits – Teams / series / social media
