In this series, the cars are again sub-divided into Pro-Am, Silver and Am classes to add to the excitement of thirty-five similarly performing cars competing within the same racing arena but Newell stood up to the pace of the silver drivers around him to hold onto his overall position during the opening laps.

Despite then falling off the pace to become something of a cork in the bottle with the volume of cars behind, Newell did what he needed to do to be able to hand the #24 car over to Ian James for the second half of the race. Sabo and Putt meanwhile were unable to move forward at all and were unsurprisingly some of the first to pit.

Straight in the heat of the battle for James as he heavily defended their third position with two faster Porsches behind but with early gains overall for both Kenton Koch in now in the #15 and Andy Lee now aboard the #08 Flying Lizard car.

Ten minutes remaining saw Koch enter pit lane with a front puncture allowing Matt Guiver to move his #888 Zelus Motorsport AMR up to eighth going into the final few minutes.

Big pressure was still being put onto James near to the head of the field but contact with one of the Porsches as it passed him into turn one going into the final lap would come back to bite post-race with a two place drop for the Heart of Racing crew.

Lee would eventually bring the #8 car that he shares with Elias Sabo home in fourth with the Chouest Povoledo car in eighth, the #2 GMG Racing car of Jason Bell/Andrew Davis P9 and the #888 car P6 in their Am class at the end.

Sundays second race has the Pro drivers starting first (where applicable) with Koch starting on the second row in third with Lee alongside in fourth. James was supposed to be starting from P10 for this race but being after the second GT America race where Newell had his accident and had been transferred to hospital for observations, the #24 car was obviously a non-starter.

Another busy opening lap ensued as Koch pressed for early progression as the #18 Porsche again showed a clean pair of heels to break away from the pack behind to lead Koch by over three seconds by the end of the first ten minutes.

Trouble however was soon to strike the #18 car down with suspension failure just ahead of the pits top window, but the resulting FCY and Safety Car annulled things as the race reached mid distance.

Having pitted third in class, Bryan Putt was able to capitalise upon an error of those head to push for and then pass for the lead of the race with Sabo towing along behind as well as the #50 car of Chouest received a drive through penalty for a pit stop infraction – something that would obviously destroy any hopes in this race.

Going into the final quarter, Sabo tests Putt for the lead but goes in far too fast into turn one and puts his own position under threat as he recovered the situation. That three-way battle for the lead would have continued to the end had it not been for an incident through the Kink that left a Mercedes strewn across the racetrack bringing out the Safety Car and an eventual early curtailment of the race.

That gave the AMR crews of the #15 Bsport Racing and the #08 Flying Lizard cars an overall P1 and P2 finish respectively to end their weekend on a high. The early pit stop gamble from the #55 Uretsky/Justin Piscitell failed to work out for them as they came home P8 in class with the #2 GMG crew continuing their depressing weekend down in P9. With the #888 Zelus Motorsport Aston also a non-starter, the #50 Chouest/Povoledo car concluded the AMR runners in P12 in class.

The next round for this series is again at Sebring at the end of September with the results from Road America also still be to be verified at this moment.

Photo credits – Teams / GT4 America

 

 

Going into the weekend as GT4 Championship leader, the #2 GMG Racing AMR Vantage GT4 of Jason Bell was to eventually endure another difficult day at the office as a spin during Qualifying prevented him from inputting any competitive time for him to start at the back of the grid for race one. Bryan Putt meanwhile, was having a good start to the proceedings by claiming the GT4 pole position with Gray Newell, Ross Chouest and Moisey Uretsky all not too far behind in their Heart of Racing, Chouest Povoledo Racing and AP Racing Aston Martins respectively.

With the staggered class start, the #2 car of Bell and the #55 car of Uretsky were quickly caught up in someone else’s accident and whilst Bell was able to continue, Uretsky’s race was already run with a terminal visit to pit lane at the end of the opening lap.

An early FCY for a stranded GT3 car allowed temperatures within the GT4 cockpits to cool with Putt running second in class with Chouest, Newell and the #8 Flying Lizard car of Alias Sabo behind.

A spin at the restart saw Newell drop out of contention, Putt have no answer for the dominant Porsche ahead but at least Bell was making some progress up the leader board as the race entered its final ten minutes.

Putt’s hope for his first GT America podium was dashed as the end as he eventually dropped to P4 in class at the chequered flag with Chouest, Sabo and Bell completing the top twelve overall and top seven in class.

Then came Sundays second race which turned a whole new level of something for these seven Aston Martin Racing crews.

With the grid this time being set with their respective fastest laps from the opening race, it was the #8 car of Sabo who would head the AMR field from second in class with all bar Sean Whalen in his #888 Zelus Motorsport car and Uretsky within the top eight.

Again with a Porsche beating the Aston’s to turn 1, the #15, #50 and #8 cars went for a bit of side-by-side contact with one another around the opening lap before Putt forces his way past only to spin out at the next corner.

As the leading Porsche suffers a puncture, another incident through the Kink brings out the Safety Car as the race is neutralised until the eight-minute mark.

Newell this time forces his way past Chouest who in turn spins out as well under acceleration and an overzealous Putt T-bones the #888 of Whalen which in turn takes out the #2 of Bell to leave three Aston Martin’s out on the spot but all of this was going on just as Newell was involved in a massive accident along the pit straight – something that would ultimately end the race prematurely due to the vast debris field across the track.

Whilst provisional results were initially called after the race, post-race evaluations of the circumstances around Newell’s crash found that he had ignored the yellow flags of the Bell/Whalen incident FCY. That in turn affected the results by removing an indicated class win for Sabo but giving a P2 class finish to Uretsky instead.

Thankfully all involved in both incidents were otherwise not seriously hurt although Newell would need hospital evaluation for a shoulder injury but would be released later in the day.

The GT America now moves onto its penultimate round at Sebring later in September. Race results are still to be verified by the Series.

Photo credits – Team / GT America

For the #12 Ian Lacey prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 of Drew Staveley and Frank Gannett, Watkins Glen came as something of a nightmare after (still unconfirmed) issues around the cars fuel cell precluded them from taking part within any official timed session making for an early flight home.

With the car having been rebuilt top to toe over the winter and damage being excluded as a causation by those on site, its hard to understand what the issues could have been but the result was that repair nor replacement was not available to them on site.

In the amateur only GT America Series, Ross Chouest and his #50 Chouest Povoledo AMR Vantage GT4 has been one on the move over recent rounds with two P2 finishes in class last time out to reduce the gap to GT4 Drivers Championship leading Jason Bell in his #2 GMG Racing Aston.

With six races still available to the grid, both Bell, Chouest, Moisey Uretsky in his #55 API prepared AMR and Gray Newell in his #25 Heart of Racing car all remain in Championship contention but that possibility has possibly already passed that of Bryan Putt in his #15 Bsport entry, Elias Sabo in his #8 Flying Lizard prepared car and Sean Whalen in his #888 Zelus Motorsport prepared car with their points deficit to those above.

As usual, this series will run two forty-minute races with their split GT3 and GT4 entered grids.

Finally comes the ultra-busy and competitive GT4 America Series with all seven of the above Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4 cars again entered with both their respective Am and Pro drivers.

After Watkins Glen, the #24 Heart of Racing car of Newell and Ian James heads the AMR way in P4 overall and some twenty-nine points back from the leading Nolasport Porsche crew with the #8 Flying Lizard car of Sabo and Andy Lee and the #15 Bsport Racing car of Putt and Kenton Koch in hot pursuit behind them.

Two P3 Pro-Am finishes for the Flying Lizard crew pushed them up the Championship table as did the Heart of Racing’s class win in race one last time out.

With this series, they will be running their two one hour, pit stop punctuated race patterns over the weekend.

All races from all three series will be available to view live vis the respective social media platforms/websites.

Photo credits – Teams / Series

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.

Indeed, only one racing lap was completed before an incident led to a Porsche leaving the track and impacting into a tyre wall. That lead to an immediate Safety Car period but that was later changed to a red flag as further track infrastructure repairs became required.

A fifteen-minute delay there before racing finally got back underway just ahead of the start of the mandatory pit stop window which, when it came about lead to a split in strategy as half the Aston runners pitted straight away but some different.

With a stranded car left on track until after the last car had completed their stop, another FCY was called for its recovery and that bunched all the field up again. On the restart, contact between the #2 car of Andrew Davis and a Mercedes led to suspension damage and an early end to the race for both before a further FCY for another tyre wall impaled car at turn five.

That effectively concluded the race with the highest placed Aston being the #24 Heart of Racing of Gray Newell and Ian James finishing in P4 in Pro-Am and a debut GT4 America race result for the #55 crew in P6 in class.

Sunday’ second race would prove to be equally disjointed as three cars collided with themselves and/or the track barriers on the opening lap bringing out an immediate Safety Car and indeed another red flag after the leaders completed of the first lap.

Based on fastest times in race 1, the #15 Bsport Racing AMR of Kenton Koch and Bryan Putt was the highest Aston starter in P3 compared to their pit lane start in race 1 after a penalty for a transgression from Nola Motorsport Park last time out.

Once getting back underway with 34 minutes on the clock, a stranded car at pit entry made for another FCY which again split the pack as the top six cars (including the #15 Bsport car) stayed out whilst the majority of the pack pitted under caution, and it wasn’t long before the proof of who was right became evident.

Having gone into pit lane from third on track, Putt would emerge down in P13 in class whilst the real benefactors would be the #25 Heart of Racing car of Ian James and Gray Newell who would emerge up in P3 overall and P2 in Pro-Am.

Whilst the final minutes counted down and Sabo’s #8 Flying Lizard car pressurised Newell for position, the #55 car of Uretsky would suffer heavy contact with the tyre after an earlier attempt to improve track position saw contact made with the Porsche and the yellow Aston spear off into the barrier. Fortunately, again no injuries to report but the race would conclude from behind the Safety Car with the #24 Heart of Racing crew securing P2 and the #8 Flying Lizard car of Sabo and Andy Lee securing P3 in Pro-Am.

The next stop for this series will also be at Watkins Glen in a month’s time.

Photo credits – Teams / GT4 America

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, those surprises began with the fact that the AMR Vantage GT4 simply wasn’t competitive enough around the 2.75 mile for any of the entries from GMG Racing, Flying Lizard, Heart of Racing, Zelus Motorsport Chouest Povoledo Racing and Bsport Racing teams despite an early showing on the timing screen by the #2 car of Jason Bell and Andrew Davis earlier in the proceedings.

Technical issues also blighted the preparation of some as both Chouest Povoledo cars were beset with exhaust and electrical issues that forced them to miss out on a significant amount of Practice team leading up to the weekend’s two one-hour races, but more bizarre scenes were reserved for Saturday evening’s opening race.

After Q1, the top AMR was the #15 Bsport car of Bryan Putt (shared with Kenton Koch) who had qualified P12 overall but P5 in their Pro-Am Class with the #24 Heart of Racing AMR of Gray Newell (with Ian James) just behind in P6 with the #2 car P9 in class and the #888 Zelus Am class entered car of Sean Whalen and Matt Guiver P21 overall and P7 in class. The #8 Flying Lizard car of Elias Sabo (and Andy Lee) would start from the pit lane with the #50 of Ross Chouest (with Aaron Povoledo) starting from the rear of the grid having been able to set no time in Q1.

That was however about as far as things would get after their formation lap as with storm clouds looming around the circuit, an error from Putt at the start lead to his car spearing across the start straight – collecting at least three other cars in the process to bring out an immediate Safety Car even before some had crossed the start line.

Just a few more laps behind the Safety Car and Mother Nature played her own top trump card with torrential rain and lightning descending around the circuit to bring about an immediate cessation of activities via a red flag with track action not resuming for a number of hours.

Eventually restarting in the wet behind the Safety Car again, starting drivers would complete just two further laps at race pace before the pit window was opened and allowed most to pit at the first opportunity with around half the race still to run.

Sadly, an off for the #2 GMG Aston Martin and another car just prior to their pit stop brought out another Full Course Yellow that would extend to the end of the race with Race Control ‘calling’ it with eleven minutes still remaining on the clock.

Bizarrely, the #24 Heart of Racing AMR entry would be listed as a P3 in Pro-Am finisher as that was where they finished but the #50 Chouest Povoledo car would have a 44 second post-race time penalty added to their weekend’s woes for a pitstop violation despite their P8 finish on track. The other finishes were the #8 Flying Lizard in P14 and the #888 Zelus car P24 overall.

Sunday’s race 2 continued the same theme as a fast Kenton Koch was demoted five places on the grid for Putt’s accident in race 1 meaning that the top Aston Martin runner was the #24 Heart of Racing car of James in P6.

Thankfully dry but repressively hot and humid, race 2 got underway OK this time around with Koch again making up for lost time as the Aston’s took the race to the many BMW’s as the Porsche’s had already scamped off ahead.

Posting the fastest lap of the race at that stage, a brief FCY for a stranded car allowed Koch to line up his next cars to circulate fourth overall and second in class coming up to the halfway mark whilst Davis and his #2 GMG car had moved up from last on the grid to P18 overall too!

The #24 pitted but Newell broke the minimum time requirement by two seconds meaning that he would get a drive through whilst Putt (now in the #15 car) looked to get around the #8 Flying Lizard car of Sabo in P8.

Six minutes later – and contact between the Chouest Povoledo car and the Heart of Racing car took out the #24 car with broken rear suspension, but Newell was at least able to find a place of safety to park to prevent another period of caution.

The highest Aston Martin’s were now the #8 car of Sabo P7 in Pro-Am and the #888 Zelus car of Whalen P4 in Am but that was all to change again with another inter AMR clash between the Bsport car and the Lizard car that would see both cars retire due to damage with a quarter of the race still remaining.

Despite the carnage on track, the race stayed green and that was enough for Whalen to progress his #888 car up to P3 in class by the end of the race for their first GT4 America podium. Congratulations to them.

Next race is at Virginia International Raceway in mid-June.

Photo credits – Teams / GT4 America

With both series having started their 2022 season out at Sonoma on the west coast a month ago, we can again expect to see the #12 Ian Lacey prepared Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT3 of Drew Staveley and Frank Gannett Pro-Am entry amongst the twenty listed cars within the GT World Challenge America Series.

Sonoma again came along a bit too quick for the squad after delays from a late winter rebuild following an accident at the end of last season left them with little to no time to prepare but the team have been out testing at various locations since.

In GT4 America and its thirty-one entries are just the five Aston Martin Racing Vantage GT4’s from the full season entrants of Bsport Racing, Heart of Racing, GMG Racing, Flying Lizards and the Chouest Povoledo Racing teams.

Last time out at Sonoma proved itself to be successful for the #15 Bsport AMR of Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch after they secured a double Pro-Am class win by the end of that weekends two one-hour races, a debut class P3 class podium during Saturday’s race for the #50 Flying Lizard car of Elias Sabo and Andy Lee and a P2 Pro-Am podium for Aaron Povoledo and Ross Chouest in their #50 car at the end of race 2.

The #25 Heart of Racing crew of Gary Newell and Ian James will be hoping for better fortunes as with only one chassis available at Sonoma by virtue of their second car still in transit back from the Dubai 24hr earlier this year, accident damage for Newell in GT America’s second race in California forced them to miss the second GT4 America race.

Whilst Jason Bell has enjoyed success in the opening rounds of the GT America Series, his exploits so far in the parallel GT4 America Series with Andrew Davis have so for been hard graft as, despite the success of their AMR stablemates around them, they only managed to score two P6 finishes at Sonoma.

The #888 Zelus Motorsport AMR GT4 that competed at Sonoma is not listed for this event.

Photo credits – Teams / GT4 America / GTWCA

This year also saw the return of the Bsport Racing team for both Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch, the Heart of Racing team with Gray Newell and Ian James, Jason Bell and Andrew Davis aboard their #2 GMG Racing car and Aaron Povoledo and Ross Chouest committing to further involvement together in the two SRO series but a notable hole within the paddock came of course with the untimely loss of Paul Terry over the winter.

Two – one hour races this time around and straight into a FCY in Saturday afternoons first race as car tangled cars were left stranded on track before a brief period of racing before a sizable impact for Chouest in his #50 car with a BMW left parts of the wheel and suspension left strewn across the start straight – red flag!!!

After the restart and driver change however, we began to see some quality racing that this series is renowned for again as Koch, James and Lee all battled it out for a time for top honours in their Pro-Am class. Side by side, round the outside and all to be reversed again by the next corner meant for some terrific racing.

Unfortunately for James, an off-road excursion before the final lap dropped them out of contention by the #15 Bsport Racing car of Putt/Koch came home third overall to take the Pro-Am race win just ahead of the debuting Flying Lizard AMR of Sabo/Lee in P5 overall and P3 in class with Bell/Davis having to make do in P8 in class.

Sundays second race and again fastest laps during race 1 counted for the starting order as the #15 lead the AMR field from P3 and the Chouest/Povoledo #50 car from P4. The Heart of Racing AMR would however be missing after sizeable damage caused to it after Newell’s last GT America race was too much to complete in the time available.

Another brief few laps before another FCY after contact between cars lost a further ten minutes as the car’s Pro drivers lead the charge around an otherwise now dry track after Saturday’s rain.

With then Putt and Povoledo leading the Pro-Am chase behind the then Silver Cup leaders following the compulsory pit stops, that was quickly a race that needn’t be won by either crew as they then battled it out together for their own class honours.

Thankfully finishing the series visit to Sonoma on a better note that which it started with the opening GT America race, the second GT4 America race finished with the #15 Bsport car claiming a second straight class win over that P2 place for the #50 Chouest/Povoledo combo by less than one second. Again, the #2 GMG crew of Bell/Davis would have to put up with a P6 in class finish at the end.

New for the 2022 season, the GT4 America Series moves onto the Ozarks International Raceway for their second round of the season in a month’s time.

Photo credits – Team / GT4 America