Gidley holds off Davis for GT America Race 1 victory

The GT America powered by AWS field returned to Road America on Saturday afternoon for Race 1, with Memo Gidley leading the way from overall pole position across the SRO3, GT2, Cup and GT4 classes.

Conditions were tricky from the drop of the green flag, with the track still slippery as drivers searched for grip in the opening laps. As the race wore on and the circuit dried out, the battles up and down the order only intensified. After starting at the front of the grid, Gidley went on to claim the overall win in his No. 56 SKI AUTOSPORTS Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII, holding off Tony Davis and Lawrence Tomlinson to complete the overall podium.

SRO3 Class

Memo Gidley started from pole position and looked strong in his No. 56 SKI AUTOSPORTS Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII, setting a pace the rest of the SRO3 field spent the entire race trying to match. Gidley led Tony Davis, driving the No. 04 HP-TECH Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3, for the majority of the race. It was Davis who posted the fastest lap of the race with an impressive 2:08.887, edging Memo by 0.091.

Davis kept the pressure on throughout and was hunting down Gidley in the closing laps, but the No. 04 Ferrari was never quite able to close the gap enough to make a winning move.

Further back, Ross Chouest was intertwined in a good battle with Kyle Washington, in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, and Mirco Schultis, in the No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, but the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R driver ultimately held his own to secure sixth position.

Davis and Scott Blind, in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, rounded out the rest of the SRO3 podium behind Gidley, with Washington and Chouest closing in the Top 5.

“ What a race,” expressed Memo Gidley at the podium. “ It was raining 45 minutes before so the Rowdy crew was wondering which tires to put on. It all worked out great, the Ski Autosports Audi R8 was awesome. It was great to race with these guys, but I’m glad we didn’t go a couple laps longer because it started getting wet. What an awesome job for the No. 56 Audi R8. Rowdy Audi!”

GT2 and Cup Class

Lawrence Tomlinson, driving the No. 62 Team LNT Ginetta G56 GT2, was holding his own in the GT2 class, racing closely behind Blind and keeping Washington behind him through the opening stages. Tomlinson had a close call with Schultis that forced him to go wide, though both cars stayed on track and avoided contact.

Tomlinson's pace continued to build as the race went on, putting pressure on Davis in the battle up front while comfortably staying ahead of Blind. The Team LNT driver crossed the line third overall to secure the GT2 class win.

David Lecko, in the No. 89 RacingSupport Ginetta GTP8, had a strong race of his own in the Cup class, holding position and enjoying some out-of-class battles with Tony Ferraro and Craig Lumsden along the way. Lecko held his own to secure the Cup class victory, keeping himself ahead of Lumsden at the finish.

When asked about his race, Tomlinson couldn’t hold back how pleased he was with the result and the pace of the car.

“The car is fast, it drives really well so I could work my way through. We’re fast in straight lines but it’s very difficult around the corners. I had a great race and took third overall. I gained a lot of positions, and I had great fun. It started to rain at the end there, which was a nightmare and then I got third on the run to the finish line, so it was a great day.”

Lecko was ecstatic about his result and appreciated the time on track with Ginetta owner Lawrence Tomlinson.

“So happy to be here at Road America, it’s like a National Park out here! I had an amazing comeback today and got first place in the Cup class with the beautiful Ginetta GTP8, and it was great to race alongside the owner of Ginetta, Lawrence Tomlinson, in the new GT2.”

GT4 Class

Craig Lumsden, in the No. 610 Colorado Motorsport with Flying Lizard BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO, rounded out the field in the GT4 class. Lumsden held his pace, putting together a clean run to the finish on a track known for its tricky conditions and intense elevation changes.

Lumsden shared his thoughts after the race stating that it was one of the most competitive races he’s driven in all year.

“The race was absolutely incredible. The competition was probably some of the toughest competition I’ve had all year. But then the rain came in, and then it got slippery. But I am super happy to be up here. I think this hopefully catches us enough points to lock in the championship for the year.”