When it comes to versatility, look no further than Thomas Merrill. The Californian has competed, and succeeded, in a wide variety of international championships, accumulating coveted wins and titles along the way. He has raced with GT3 machines, stock cars, prototypes, and everything in between across an extensive array of manufacturers. Now, as he settles into another new challenge in Pirelli GT4 America, he’s looking to add to his already impressive resume.
“I think the level of competition in GT4 America is hard to beat,” said Merrill. “It's really competitive. It's a full field and the mix of classes is a good thing because there's a lot of strong talent in every category. Even if you're not racing for position, it's still super competitive and you can measure yourself against some of the best drivers out there.”
He is co-driving the No. 15 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO with teammate Adrian Comstock in the Pro-Am class, and the duo has wasted no time getting into the thick of the battle with the rest of the field. After securing a top 5 result on debut at Sonoma Raceway, they followed it up with a stellar showing in the three-hour Lone Star Enduro at Circuit of The Americas, finishing in second place.
“The process has been pretty simple,” stated Merrill when detailing how they have become acquainted with their new machinery so quickly. “Our Aston has been very friendly to drive. We got it relatively late, but we've got a good baseline set up and so we hit the ground running and it's been good for Adrian to understand this level of competition. His goal is to continue progressing up to GT3 competition in a few years, and so we targeted this as the ideal first step in that process.”
Additionally, he gives credit to the increased amount of track time they have been able to get through the SRO platform. With plenty of testing and practice sessions at this disposal across each weekend, this has enabled them to become more familiar with their car, and the competition as a whole.
“The amount of track time is significant,” he agreed. “It's funny how as racers we always feel like we could use more, but this past weekend at COTA we had more than enough. The opening rounds at Sonoma started off with an extra day of testing, which was super helpful to start us off for the season, and I'm not worried about getting enough track time for the rest of the year.”
If their performance in the endurance round was any indication, the future is already looking bright. The longer race format is an element that Merrill particularly enjoyed, both for himself and for his teammate’s growth as a driver.
“I'm very thankful to have this endurance race mixed in with all the other sprint races throughout the season,” he elaborated. “For Adrian's driver development, it adds that next level of long race strategy. The sprint races are great because there's a lot of action, but it’s a little different when it's a longer race and you've got more to conserve and more to think about. It’s a well-rounded picture and I wish there was another one on the calendar because I personally really enjoy them! But I’m looking forward to racing at all the tracks, I think they're all fantastic, I'm just always looking forward to the next one.”
Following the early positive results, it has only increased Merill and Comstock’s motivation to reach and surpass the goals and benchmarks they had set for themselves. They are determined to reach their targets, and have already established themselves as early championship contenders.
“My favorite part of Adrian is he's as much of a racer as I am,” Merill concluded. “Our aim is to win, and the earlier we do that, the better, so that's always the goal.”
The Archangel Motorsports drivers will be back on track, along with the rest of the Pirelli GT4 America field, at Sebring International Raceway from May 16th to 18th. Get your tickets now!