The Crown Coins Casino GT World weekend at Road America wrapped up in dramatic fashion for the Pirelli GT4 America field as they took on the National Park of Speed under bright Sunday skies. A grid of 25 cars delivered non-stop action across all three classes, with full-course yellows, pit strategy gambles, and late-race chaos tightening the championship battles with just a handful of races remaining.
Silver Class
Kenton Koch wasted no time climbing up the order, moving into second place at the start aboard the No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4. Behind him, Danny Dyszelski powered the No. 77 VPX Motorsport Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport into third in the opening half, executing a decisive pass on both JMF Motorsports Aston Martins.
Up front, Tyler Gonzalez looked poised to control the race in the No. 68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota Supra GT4, leading the field until strategy misfortune struck. Electing to stay out longer during the pit window, the team was caught out by a full course yellow, dropping them far down the order when they eventually pitted.
That opened the door for Random Vandals Racing, with Kevin Boehm taking over from Koch just before the caution period. On the restart, Boehm went off-track and rejoined in fifth, promoting Alex Ellis back to the front in the VPX Motorsport Porsche.
Chaos struck in the closing ten minutes as Jesse Webb in the No. 3 JMF Aston Martin and Ellis made contact on a race restart, collecting Luca Mars in the No. 39 van der Steur Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 as collateral damage.
Boehm capitalized on the incident to climb back into second, while Mike David Ortmann, driving solo in the No. 4 JMF Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, inherited the lead. Ortmann held firm through another caution, and with the race ending behind the safety car, he claimed a well-earned victory, with Random Vandals Racing’s Boehm and Koch recovering to second, and the entry of Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug in the No. 71 Marco Polo Motorsports Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2 completing the podium.
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Pro-Am Class
Matheus Leist initially dominated the Pro-Am category in the No. 23 NOLASPORT Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport, running first in class and a comfortable third overall. Behind him, a thrilling scrap developed between Josh Green in the No. 94 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 and Michael Cooper in the No. 33 Blackdog Racing McLaren Artura GT4. Cooper eventually prevailed, moving into the runner-up spot.
The complexion of the race changed dramatically when Silver class contender Zac Anderson tangled with Green, forcing the championship leader to retire and bringing out a full course yellow with 29 minutes remaining. Crucially, NOLASPORT had not yet pitted, and the timing of the yellow unraveled their strategy.
A subsequent major off for Marc Miller in the No. 37 Dome Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 brought out another caution. When racing resumed, Tony Gaples had moved the No. 33 Blackdog Racing McLaren into the class lead, but Riley Dickinson was charging hard in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche. With only seven minutes to go, Dickinson took advantage of the Silver class incident on the restart to seize the lead.
Gaples ultimately had to settle for second, while James Walker Jr. brought the No. 82 BimmerWorld Racing BMW M4 GT4 home in third, maintaining his ground in the points chase.
Am Class
The Am class followed a similarly turbulent unfolding of events. Early on, Kenny Schmied placed the No. 72 RAFA Racing Team Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2 in the lead, but their strategy was compromised by the poorly timed full course caution, dropping them out of contention after their stop.
That handed control to Joseph Catania in the No. 17 Rigid Speed Company BMW M4 GT4, though he faced heavy pressure from Paul Sparta in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW. As the laps ticked down, Michael Garcia inserted himself into the fight in the No. 07 Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, adding further intensity in the closing stages.
On the final restart, Catania successfully navigated through the Silver-class tangle ahead, holding on for victory. Garcia took advantage to climb to second, while Anthony Geraci executed a strong recovery drive in the RAFA Toyota to secure third and the final step on the podium.
Up Next
The Pirelli GT4 America field will return for Rounds 10 and 11 at Barber Motorsports Park from September 5th to 7th. Purchase your tickets now!