Yahoo Autos RS1, ACI, BimmerWorld win GT4 America Race 1 at VIR
RS1 led the way from start to finish in Pirelli GT4 America as John Capestro-Dubets and Eric Filgueiras completed a dominant drive to take home the overall win. In Pro-Am, it was a battle to the line as Kay van Berlo completed a race-winning pass on the final lap for ACI Motorsports and Curt Swearingin. BimmerWorld felt the hometown glory as James Clay and Charlie Postins took the top step of the podium in the Am class.
Silver
Overall pole sitter John Capestro-Dubets retained the lead off the start in his No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport as the green flag waved, but Jake Cowden and Colin Garrett were in hot pursuit in the opening laps on board their respective No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 and No. 51 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82.
Dubets fended off the mounting pressure from Cowden before coming down pit lane to hand the car over to teammate Eric Filgueiras with just under 35m remaining, maintaining first place in the process.
Following the pit stop sequence, Zac Anderson was up to second in the AutoTechnic Racing BMW, with Kenton Koch gaining momentum in the No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82. It was a battle of the BMWs as the two went wheel to wheel as the clock ticked away, giving each other just enough room throughout each corner. The fight came to a heartbreaking end as Koch’s car began to slow drastically in the final three minutes.
Meanwhile, it was smooth sailing for Eric Filgueiras as he crossed the finish line with an impressive 5s lead to scoop up RS1’s third win of the season, ahead of AutoTechnic Racing in second, and JMF Motorsports in third.
“This is just such a tough field to win in,” said Eric Filgueiras. “RS1 had a dominant year in GT4 in 2022 and we won the GT3 championship last year, but this is so rewarding because there’s so much talent in the field. The team gave us a really great car, and JCD did a phenomenal job, he gave me what I needed to finish the race.”
“We had a really fast race car early in the race but as it gets towards the end, it’s really difficult for us to maintain that pace,” explained John Capestro-Dubets. “Eric was working hard out there and I’m super proud of him for bringing home this win.”
Pro-Am
The top three in the Pro-Am class were all running in unison, with Matt Bell leading the way in the No. 43 P1 Groupe Mercedes-AMG GT4, followed by Michael Auriemme in the No. 89 RENNtech Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4, and Curt Swearingin in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
As driver changes unfolded near the halfway mark of the race, it was RENNtech Motorsports who gained an advantage, with Matheus Leist making up a position to move into the class lead just ahead of ACI Motorsports’ Kay van Berlo.
The two were separated by a mere half a second as the closing stage of the race loomed over them, with Kay van Berlo looking for any opportunity to inch ahead. With just one lap remaining, the Dutchman found the time to strike, storming past into first place to clinch the win.
RENNtech Motorsports had to settle for second place, with Damir Hot earning his second podium finish of the day alongside Rodrigo Baptista in the No. 5 Flying Lizard Motorsports Nissan Z NISMO GT4 after previously finishing in third in the GT America powered by AWS race.
Touching on the final lap move for the win, van Berlo explained that, “Honestly speaking, we started to have issues with four laps to go, but I saw that Matheus had issues as well. I started closing the gap and had to think about how much risk I was going to take. I had massive vibrations on the back straight and was able to cross the finish line. The team executed perfectly, Curt did an awesome job all day, and we’ll move forward from here.”
Swearingin, who took home his second win of the day after his earlier victory in GT America, echoed that “It’s been a great day, can’t complain. I had us in third so we were in a pretty good spot, and I know if you give Kay a car somewhere close to the front, he’s going to find a way to get there like he always does.”
Am
James Clay put in a stellar opening stint on board the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 G82, running in 5th overall for the majority of his time on track while managing pressure from Silver class competitor John Geesbreght in the No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO.
As Charlie Postins took over for the second half of the race, he held a healthy buffer between himself and the next closest Am class driver, Jaden Lander in the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Lander ran into some trouble as he had an off-track moment, which brought the fight for P2 even closer as Anthony Geraci loomed nearer in the No. 72 KRUGSPEED Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO.
However, Geraci soon came under pressure from Kris Wilson in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82, who made the move into third shortly thereafter.
Postins went on to secure the first win of the season for the BimmerWorld pairing, accompanied on the podium by Rotek Racing’s Jaden Lander and Robb Holland, completed by Random Vandals Racing’s Kris Wilson and Paul Sparta in third.
“It’s a home track, and it was mixed conditions, and I know this track very well and it paid off,” said James Clay before presenting his dog Charlie, named after his co-driver.
When asked if a repeat performance was in the cards for tomorrow, Postins went on to say that, “We’re going to do our very best. This is our home track, I’ve learned a lot from him here. We think it’s a good opportunity for us, but with this weather, you never know. We’re going to give it a go!”
The Pirelli GT4 America field will return for race two on Sunday, July 21st at 10:55 a.m. ET.
