That means that the GT World Challenge America, GT4 America and GT America Series all wrap up their season of racing with multiple Aston Martin Racing powered crews in contention within the two GT4 based/split series but this time with a much-reduced AMR presence than usual.

Starting with the GT World Challenge America Series, the #12 Ian Lacey prepared AMR Vantage GT3 of Drew Staveley and Frank Gannett have called it a day on their second season within the series with their Aston Martin are not running in the last event which joins together again with running of (this time) the penultimate round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

After a winter rebuild following an incident for Gannett at the tail end of last season, the challenges of 2023 have still been there for the Pro-Am line up and some consistent finishes will see them finish twelfth in the Championship.

Then we get to the GT America Series for Bronze rated drivers compete amongst a split grid of GT3 and GT4 race cars for the final time this season.

The #2 GMG Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of reigning champion Jason Bell arrives with a slender two-point lead after the previous round from Sebring two weeks ago but with another four drivers with a mathematical chance of winning by the end of Sunday.

Three recent podium finishes for Moisey Uretsky in his #55 API prepared Aston Martin brings him back into contention, just seventeen points behind Bell and with the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing AMR of Ross Chouest just one point behind him as well.

Recent performances seem to suggest that second placed Adam Adelson (Porsche) and Uretsky (third) are the ‘men of the hour’ after two DNF’s for Bell before he recovered with a P2 finish in the second race at Sebring to recover the Championship lead with just fifty more points being available.

Whilst Gray Newell returns with his #25 Heart of Racing AMR after sitting out Sebring because of his accident at Road America but we will not be seeing the #15 Bsport Racing AMR of Bryan Putt nor the #888 Zelus Motorsport AMR of Sean Whalen race again this season.

Finally, we have a similar circumstance within the GT4 America Series but with a sole Aston Martin of Elias Sabo and Andy Lee chasing down a thirty-one points deficit to the leading Nolasport Porsche crew of Scott Noble and Jason Hart with their 8# Flying Lizard prepared car.

Joining them in another reduced AMR present grid will be the #24 Heart of Racing car of Gray and Ian James, the #50 car of Chouest and Aaron Povoledo and the #55 API car of Uretsky and Justin Piscitell.

Similarly to the GT America Series, we will again not see the #2 GMG car of Bell and Andrew Davis as they concentrate solely on their GT America title defence, nor the #15 Bsport car of Putt and Kenton Koch nor the #888 car of Whalen and Matt Guiver.

Photo credits – Series / Teams

News from the circuit was that the #2 GMG Racing AMR of Jason Bell and Andrew Davis would not be running in GT4 America as they would be concentrating on the defence of their GT America GT4 title. This news was on top of the known absences from both the Heart of Racing and Zelus Motorsport with their two Vantage GT4’s.

During Saturdays one hour opener, the #55 API prepared AMR of Moisey Uretsky and Justin Piscitell however had obviously failed to notice the ‘gameplan’ as they again dominated the race – the same as Uretsky had done during the opening GT America round to claim their first season P1 double with their partially rebuilt car.

Completing a good day for the Aston Martin family was the Pro-Am podium lockout as the #8 Flying Lizard car of Sabo and Lee finished second, the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing car of Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo in third with the #15 Bsport Racing AMR in fourth to help reinforce their Championship credentials particularly after the earlier demise of the #120 Porsche with technical issues.

With two drivers came obviously two Qualifying sessions and Sundays finale would be the turn again of the Pro drivers to runs their races first with Lee pipping all to the post with a second row start in fourth overall, with Koch just another row behind in sixth. The Chouest Povoledo and API cars however, would not fare so well in race 2 with Piscitell and Povoledo never featuring beyond their starting positions of P9 and P10 respectively.

Race 2 would start five abreast down the start straight before the leaders funnelled out into a more coherent approach to the twisty section of the course whilst others behind came into contact. Fortunately staying green, the #15 had jumped the #8 car for position and would run out the course of their Pro’s race in that order to the end of their stint.

Pit stops over and Putt and Sabo continued the inter AMR battle that had been started for them earlier but neither had enough speed to trouble the #47 Nolasport Porsche ahead of them although both were importantly ahead of the #120 Premier Racing Porsche.

As the faster silver class cars ran their battles ahead, it was fairly stalemate within Pro-Am right until the final lap of the race when the #15 car of Putt evidently slowed and allowed Sabo to pass easily to steal away the #15 cars (up until then) rightful P2 in class position at the death. Only just managing the finishing line itself, the #15 car would drop down to fourth in class but massively for them, behind the #120 Porsche.

Without seeing these results confirmed by the series, it would appear that the #15 cars technical glitch at the races death may become costly enough to remove them from any further Pro-Am Class championship contention as the series reconvenes at Indianapolis for the final two races of the season in two weeks’ time.

For the #8 Flying Lizard car, their pair of P2 class finishes may well be enough to keep them into a three-way battle to the prize at IMS.

Photo credits – Teams / GT4 America

The man of the moment within Saturdays race opener would be the #55 API car with Moisey Uretsky aboard, after he suffered a significant accident during Free Practice which needed the team to work on it overnight to be ready for Qualifying and the later race.

Whatever they did to the car worked as Uretsky first claimed pole position before bringing his part bare carbon/part yellow liveried AMR home for another class win to unexpectedly bolster his chances within the Championship after the performances of those above him in the leader board.

Race results for Saturdays opener would be thrown into turmoil as multiple cars failed to finish the final lap with the #50 car of Ross Chouest amongst them as he would lose his apparent P4 finish on track to be eventually classified down in P11 whilst Bryan Putt would recover from his pit lane start (as his punishment for accident responsibility last time out at VIR) to finish fourth in class with the #2 car of Bell failing to finish after spinning off having just overtaken Elias Sabo for position with just three minutes of the race remaining.

Sundays race was equally as dominant at the head as Sabo and his #8 Flying Lizard AMR acquired class pole position through being fastest in race 1 to bring home a similar lights to flag win by the end of that forty-minute race.

Only experiencing pressure at the start with the weight of the pack bearing down on him for the opening corners, Sabo was soon able to distance himself from the chasing Aston Martins of Bell and Putt as the laps passed them all by. 

A small tyre rub for Bell was an early scare for him as he too made space between himself and the then chasing #120 Championship leading Porsche as Uretsky would spend the rest of the race behind him leaving Bell to consolidate his position going into the final round of the season next month.

A poor event again for Chouest as his demise in race one was followed with a lowly P9 finish as we await confirmation of these results from race organisers before we can determine the state of play ahead of Indianapolis.

Photo credits – Teams / GT America

Undoubtedly the street circuit layout dissuading several of the Gentleman driver only series entrants from travelling to Nashville, we do again see the #2 GMG Racing AMR of Jason Bell as well as the #25 Heart of Racing car of Gray Newell who took that bold choice to attend last year.

The GT3 based GT World Challenge America Series then headlines the race weekend with a collection of Pro, Pro-Am and Am classes with a sole AMR Vantage GT3 racing amongst them.

For GT America, this is their fourth round of the season having raced already at St Petersburg, Sonoma and most recently at VIR where three AMR drivers head the GT4 Drivers Championship going into this weekend. Last years GT4 Champion Jason Bell still heads the pack with his #2 GMG Racing prepared car with the latest AMR convertee in Moisey Uretsky now just a point behind with his #55 Accelerating Performance prepared car and with Ross Chouest eighteen point behind the leader in third with his #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing car. Similar points also prevail for these three drivers within the GT4 Teams Championship.

Last time out, the #15 Bsport Racing car of Bryan Putt skipped the series after a ‘trying’ couple of opening races but he is back for Watkins Glen as are the other six full season entrants including the #8 Flying Lizard car of Elias Sabo, the #888 Zelus Racing car of Sean Whalen and the #25 Heart of Racing car of Gray Newell in addition to those already listed.

Whilst Championship leader Bell secured a further two P3 finishes over the VIR weekend, Uretsky went some better by gaining pole position in each race, a P2 finish in race one and his first race win in race two.

This event will again be another totally open affair.

Then in GT4 America, all the above AMR runners are back again but with their respective Pro drivers for the two-hour long races that make up this series. Unlike GT America, the last time these guys raced wasn’t as successful with the #55 ending up severely damaged after contact with the tyre wall with the best finishes on offer from the #24 Heart of Racing duo of Newell and Ian James in P2 and the #08 Flying Lizard crew of Sabo and Andy Lee third in race 2.

Championship wise, the #15 Bsport Racing crew of Putt and Kenton Koch are the highest placed in P4 with the #24 Heart of Racing behind in P5, the #8 Flying Lizard crew behind them in P6 and the #2 GMG Racing crew of Bell and Andrew Davis holding P7 but a whopping 54 point behind the Porsche powered leaders.

Again, this weekend’s racing will be their fourth round but after previous rounds at Sonoma, Nola Motorsport Park and most recently at VIR in mid-June.

Finally, we get to the larger and faster GT3 cars and crews that compete within the GTWCA Series with the #12 Ian Lacey prepared AMR Vantage GT3 car of Frank Gannett and Drew Staveley.

The second season in their Aston for this Pro-Am duo and hard work and determination from all involved has been showing some results with their best result ever at the opening race of the VIR meeting with a P6 in class finish.

Competing within another field of twenty cars, the #12 crew will again have to compete with against the stronger Pro-Am line ups a well as the full Pro entries that obviously dominate the Championship standing.

Like most SRO based series around the world, all six races from the sweeping circuit of Watkins Glen will again be streamed live via their respective social media channels with live track action being available as early as 08:00hrs local with the first of the Qualifying sessions before the first of Saturdays races at 12:15hrs local and again from 09:00hrs local on Sunday.

It’s another busy SRO weekend!!

Photo credits – Teams / Series