SRO America hits Road America this weekend
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Certainly, kicking off this week’s news with a punch was the confirmation yesterday that the #8 Flying Lizard crew of Elias Sabo and Andy Lee has swapped manufacturer allegiances from that of their Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 to that of the new BMW M4 GT3 in time for this round.
Publicly critical at the previous round from VIR of the race organisers balance of performance parameters placed upon the new AMR Vantage GT3 Evo (as well as other things) that has made 2024 a challenging season for Sabo, yesterday’s team press release confirmed that the BoP saga was indeed part of the reason for changing race car platforms.
“The beginning of the 2024 season has presented several unforeseen challenges,” said Sabo. “Despite our best efforts, certain circumstances beyond our control arose, which has led to my decision. For my personal development as a driver and to enhance the overall racing experience, I have decided that a change is necessary”.
This news now means that for this weekend at least, there are no Aston Martin’s competing within this series for the first time in a long time. Only time will tell whether this was the correct decision pathway to go for Sabo as his two Vantage GT3 are now listed for sale.
An AMR presence does however remain within the GT America Series as both Jason Bell (#2 Flying Lizard) and Tim Savage (#007 Prosport Competition) remain within their 2024 Evo and 2019 specification Vantage GT3’s respectively for their two forty-minute races of the weekend.
Like Sabo, both Bell and Savage have both (like other drivers stepping up from GT4 to GT3 this season) struggled to get to grips with their new cars but at least, perseverance has paid off for Bell having secured his first podium positions of the year at a rain affected VIR meeting last time out.
Then in GT4, both Gray Newell and Todd Parriott return within their #25 and #13 Heart of Racing and Flying Lizard AMR Vantage GT4’s respectively where Newell holds a comfortable third within the GT4 Drivers Championship table going into this round (could challenge for second by years end if the results go his way) and with Parriott holding fifth.
Finally, amongst the twenty-seven entries for the GT4 America Series races this weekend we again have the four AMR Vantage GT4 crews from the Heart of Racing, Flying Lizard and Skip Barber Racing teams.
Parriott is again joined by Tom Dyer within the #31 car whilst the father/son combo of Marc and Tyler Sharinn return to the #16 Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin having debuted together within the car at the elongated CoTA round earlier this year.
That leaves the Pro-Am class combo of Newell and Roman De Angelis back into the fray as they continue to chase down the so far dominant Swearingin/Van Berlo Porsche pairing (with plenty of championship points still available to recover the thirty eight point deficit whilst the all-female crew of Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeir continue to get used to their most recent silver class determination having already been contesting within the Am and Pro-Am classes this season up to the last round from VIR.
Sadly, no championship possibilities for them this season because of all this class swapping imposed upon then for the series but sometimes personal pride and a sense of achievement is worth more as the grid prepares for their two one-hour pit stop punctuated races this weekend.
After a drivers and car parade downtown on Thursday, all cars will hit the track for the first time on Friday before two races over both Saturday and Sunday.
Photo Credits – Teams / series / social media
