GT4 America title races go down to the wire in IMS finale
In the final race of the 2024 Pirelli GT4 America season, all bets were off as competitors got their elbows out, fighting tooth and nail as titles were on the line and came down to the wire.
There was both heartbreak and happiness as championships were both won and lost. In the Silver class, AutoTechnic Racing took the win on track, but fortune was in RS1’s favor as they took home the highest honors. RENNtech Motorsports clinched the overall and Pro-Am victory, with ACI Motorsports taking the title the day prior. It was a true last lap showdown that ultimately decided the Am class championship, with a turn of events that saw Rotek Racing emerge as champions while BimmerWorld snatched the win on track.
Silver class
Pole sitter and yesterday’s winner Corey Lewis had an excellent start in his No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO, focusing on the clear path ahead. While Jesse Webb dropped back in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4, Kenton Koch took the opportunity to move up the field in his No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 as he went on the title hunt.
The current championship leader, Eric Filgueiras in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, had a big task ahead of him as he tried to catch up and minimize the swing in points.
A full course caution was called with 42 minutes to go, bringing the field back together again and reigniting the title fight. The action resumed a little under 10 minutes later, with the front-runners in the Silver class coming down pit lane to complete their driver changes.
The drama only ramped up from there. Random Vandals Racing, now with Kevin Boehm behind the wheel, got the jump over Smooge Racing in pit lane and moved up into first in class. However, as the green flag running resumed, Boehm was squeezed by two out-of-class cars and sent off-track, sustaining a tire puncture and suspension damage. The incident ultimately ended their race, dashing their hopes of clinching the title. There were issues for Smooge Racing as well, as Tyler Gonzalez had to limp back down pit lane.
AutoTechnic Racing’s Colin Garrett found himself in the lead of the race in the No. 51 BMW M4 GT4 G82, being hunted down by JMF Motorsports’ Michai Stephens. The two went back and forth on the final lap, exchanging positions back and forth, but as they sprinted to the line, Garrett had just enough power to stay ahead and claim the win.
“Oh gosh, what a season,” said Anderson. “We started the season winning, and we ended it winning. The middle didn’t go our way. We should have had a lot more victories, but it’s a ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda’ sport. Colin’s performance was rockstar stuff.”
“This was awesome,” agreed Garrett. “I can’t thank these AutoTechnic guys enough, they brought a great car all season. To capitalize on this final race and bring home the Silver class victory—it’s pretty great.”
As Race 2, and the season as a whole, drew to a close, RS1 were the ones to walk away with the grand prize, taking third on the podium but first in the championship standings as John Capestro-Dubets claims his first title, while Eric Filgueiras becomes a three-time SRO America champion.
“I have a million words I want to say, but they’re not all coming out,” said an emotional Capestro-Dubets. “I can’t thank my teammate enough, and I can’t thank RS1 and Community Beer Works enough for this opportunity. A little luck played into our favor this year. All I’ve ever wanted was to be admired among the other champions in this paddock and respected by my peers. Coming to the racetrack is my happy place. To be among these people means the world to me, and to now officially be a champion — I can’t even express how much it means to me. A childhood dream came true today.”
“This was by far the hardest,” said Filgueiras after securing his third championship in a row. “There’s so much talent stacked in this series, especially in the Silver class this year. I’m extremely grateful to have this opportunity with CBW, such a great team with RS1. I’m really grateful for the opportunities.”
Pro-Am class
There was a great deal of drama and action in the Pro-Am category. TPC Racing was a strong contender right off the bat, and they had a strong opening half as Dario Capitanio was at the helm of the No. 102 McLaren Artura GT4.
Further down, the class championship winners ACI Motorsports were involved in an incident with the No. 52 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Lee Carpentier, bringing out a full course caution. Meanwhile, at the halfway mark, Roland Krainz, in his No. 18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, was spun around as he was involved in an incident with Silver class competitor Kevin Boehm.
In the final stages of the race, the No. 94 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 of Sam Craven was leading with just over 15 minutes to go, but Matheus Leist overtook for first in the No. 89 RENNtech Motorsports. However, he has a post-race time penalty for a short pit stop
Issues arose for the No. 94 as it stopped off to the side of the track, but the battle raged on as Leist moved into the overall lead of the race after throwing it down in an intense battle against two Silver class cars, with Roman De Angelis following him through in second on board the No. 24 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO.
Despite the time penalty, Leist had enough of a gap to retain the win, with Heart of Racing Team and X completing the final Pro-Am podium.
“We started the season with a win, and we wanted to end with a win,” said Michael Auriemma. “We’ve had some ups and downs throughout the year, but clearly, Matheus can drive. We’re looking forward to being back next year and hopefully having a more consistent run.”
“I was going for it today,” said Leist. “We’ve had a few chances throughout the year, but today we clearly had a great car. RENNtech gave us a very good car, the Mercedes was amazing. I’m just very happy with this win. Michael drove a great race too, so I’m very happy to come out with the overall win here in Indy.”
Am class
Charlie Postins led in the Am class with his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82, with Jaden Lander running in second place with the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport as he sought a championship title.
The positions amongst the front-runners went unchanged as driver changes unfolded at the halfway mark, with James Clay and Robb Holland jumping in to replace their respective teammates. However, the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 of Michael Kanisczak was on the charge, and launched an attack on title rival Holland.
With 25 minutes to go, Kanisczak managed to muscle his way past, and set his sights on Clay ahead. A heated battle between Kanisczak and Clay shaped up, which saw the No. 36 BMW moving back into first with 10 minutes remaining. However, Kanisczak kept him honest, not missing out on the occasion to attack again.
Kanisczak lost the Am lead, spinning around in turn 1 as he came together with Clay, but the two remained respectful as they continued on their way, with Clay allowing the former to move back ahead. However, championship leader Holland was able to close in again. Rotek Racing had to finish second or higher for a chance to officially claim the Am class title, and this is exactly what happened. Holland and Lander clinched the championship in a dramatic fashion on the very last lap of the race as Kanisczak lost power a few corners before the checkered flag, letting James Clay and BimmerWorld earn the win, with Rotek Racing finishing second.
“It was a lot to manage,” said Clay. “I knew there was a championship on the line, and I knew Kris (Wilson) had the pace to get around me, which was awesome to see. I wanted that BMW up there, but of course, I wasn’t just going to hand it to him. I raced him hard, but unfortunately, I got into him. I made sure he could get back by to go for the championship. In the end, he ran out of fuel, and we inherited the win. He drove a hell of a race. Great job, Kris Wilson, and congrats to Rotek on the championship.”
“This is the launchpad for whatever we do next year,” said Postins. “But I have to say, my heart goes out to the Random Vandals guys. That was tough luck. We’ve had our share of bad luck, so it feels good to be on the receiving end of some good fortune this time. I’m really happy for those guys — great team — and it’s nice to see BMW on top. It feels good to kiss the bricks.”
“After 14 races all year, it came down to the last lap, the last three turns,” said a surprised Lander. “We were all pretty down on pit lane, thinking Random Vandals had us. But then our head engineer comes on the radio and says, ‘wait, wait, wait.’ And that’s racing — it’s not over until it’s over.”
“That’s the thing — you can get excited, but you have to get around them,” Robb Holland said. “The BMWs were super strong today, and we struggled a bit with our front end. I just had to keep running consistent laps. I never gave up, and if I had, I would’ve been too far back to catch them, and that would’ve cost us the championship. But here we are — who would’ve guessed it? Champions.”