Yahoo Autos Kurtz, Sherman go back-to-back in GT America at Sebring
The GT America powered by AWS field finished their weekend at Sebring International Raceway with race two under the shining sun on Sunday morning.
George Kurtz and CrowdStrike by Riley, as well as Isaac Sherman and Rotek Racing claimed back-to-back wins in their respective SRO3 and GT4 classes.
SRO3
After winning in race one, Kurtz took the green flag from pole position in his No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3. Jason Daskalos was trying to apply pressure from second position in his No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, clocking in some of the fastest laps of the race before the halfway mark.
A battle for third gradually began to unfold between Johnny O’Connell in the No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 and Justin Rothberg in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, as Rothberg continued to inch closer and closer.
A thrilling fight emerged between Kyle Washington and Mirco Schultis in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (991.ii) and No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette Z06R GT3 for fifth place. Class traffic also came into play as they caught up to the GT4 field, and the two continued to exchange positions back and forth.
As the five minute mark approached, O’Connell overtook Daskalos for second place, and Rothberg also used the opportunity to sweep past the Mercedes to move himself up into the final podium position.
O’Connell began closing in on Kurtz on the final lap, with O’Connell setting the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap of the race with a time of 2m03.215s, but Kurtz had established enough of a gap early on to hang on to the lead and take the checkered flag to sweep the weekend at Sebring. O’Connell finished second, claiming his sixth consecutive podium finish, while Rothberg claimed first career podium in GT America by finishing in third place.
When discussing the pressure from O’Connell in the final few minutes, Kurtz said, “He didn’t make it easy. I thought I had a pretty nice gap and then all of a sudden he was there. I just used about every bit of tire I had left and I’m glad the checkered flag came out. He made it interesting and it was really a fantastic race. This is a great win for the team and a great win overall.”
“It’s a new car and these are mostly new tracks, so I’m learning a lot every weekend,” said Rothberg following his first podium finish in the series. “I have a good team behind me and a good coach pushing me along, and I think we’re going at a great rate.”
Kyle Washington earned the SUPERFUEL Hard Charger Award after gaining 4 positions during the race.
GT2
Alan Grossberg’s day started well, as he was making up ground in the overall field. However, he was forced to retire with only a few minutes left in the race. Grossberg’s program this weekend was particularly interesting as he was on track commanding his No. 102 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 in the GT2 class, before switching over to his No. 63 MINI JCW Team MINI JCW later today to compete in the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School championship in the TCA class.
GT4
Sherman had a strong start from pole position in his No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, but Curt Swearingin was applying pressure on board the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Sherman was able to pull a slight gap to Swearingin, but there was no room for error around the bumpy track.
Nicholas Shanny and Todd Parriott battled alongside each other in the No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 (G82) and the No. 31 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, but contact between the two in the final minutes of the race sent Parriott off-track. A local yellow emerged, but the race proceeded under green flag conditions.
Sherman went on to claim his sixth consecutive win in the GT4 class, with Swearingin finishing second, and third place belonging to the No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Gray Newell.
Though his success from Sonoma and Long Beach were impressive, Sherman’s future in GT America was uncertain as he was originally only set to take part in select races.
“I’m just trying my hardest, honestly,” stated Sherman after the race. “I really wanted to make the full season happen, but things were just coming together so late, but somehow everything worked out at the end and we were able to do the full season.”
Up next
The GT America Powered by AWS field will be back on track in just a couple of weeks at Circuit of The Americas from May 17-19.
