SRO3 Champion Gidley completes comeback with Race 2 victory at Barber

Race 2 at Barber Motorsports Park saw some thrilling battles from start to finish in the conclusion of the series’ time at the UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope event, notably as Memo Gidley capped off his championship-winning weekend with a dramatic comeback victory, charging through the field to take the SRO3 win in the No. 56 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII.

SRO3 Class

After clinching the SRO3 championship in Race 1 despite being unable to start, Gidley began Race 2 with plenty of work to do. Tony Davis started from pole after setting the fastest lap of Race 1, while Joel Cortes, who was fresh off his first victory of the season, spun at the start but managed to rejoin the field.

Gidley wasted little time making progress. He climbed to third by the end of the opening lap before moving past Ross Chouest for second, putting himself directly onto the rear of Davis' No. 04 HP-TECH Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3.

The championship winner then settled into a prolonged battle with Davis for the lead, applying heavy pressure while steadily closing the gap. Behind them, Scott Blind in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche and Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette fought over the final podium position, while Blind also had to contend with Jon Manship in the No. 216 Wright Motorsports Porsche earlier in the race.

With less than 20 minutes remaining, Gidley was firmly attached to Davis' rear bumper and had also set the fastest lap of the race. Davis continued to defend, while Blind eventually completed the pass on Chouest for third and began to build a gap.

Traffic became a factor in the closing stages. With 18 minutes remaining, Davis and Gidley encountered slower traffic, but the Ferrari driver managed to hold off the charging Audi. Gidley eventually found his opportunity while passing Zachry Lee's Ford Mustang GT4. The move allowed him to clear Davis and take the lead, but there was still plenty of traffic to negotiate before the checkered flag.

The battle behind remained intense as Dave Musial Sr. in the No. 72 Wright Motorsports Porsche and Manship raced hard through the closing stages. Contact involving Cortes and Manship threatened to bring out a late full-course caution, but Manship was able to continue and the race stayed green.

Blind then made his decisive move on the final lap. Taking advantage of traffic just before the white flag, he passed Davis for second and secured his best result of the season.

Gidley crossed the finish line to complete an impressive comeback and cap a memorable weekend with another victory.

“ It's just been an amazing weekend,” exclaimed Gidley. “I've never won a championship sitting by the car, but today's race was the best one we've had all year because we had to start back a ways and make our way up. The SKI AUTOSPORTS team gave me a setup that I could charge with right from the beginning and that paid dividends for us. It’s great to be here and leave a winner. These guys are awesome. They're family. It's just such a great team. I want to stick with them for life, so that's my goal.”

Cup & GT4 Class

David Lecko completed a weekend sweep in the Cup class, taking another victory aboard the No. 89 RacingSupport Ginetta GTP8. Lecko spent much of the race with GT4 machinery close behind, providing a glimpse of what could be in store if his plans to move into Pirelli GT4 America come together for 2027.

“I had a great race here at Barber Motorsports Park in the Cup Class with GT America,” Lecko stated. “I had one of my favorite races of the season. We’re working on plans to run in the  GT4 America series with a Ginetta, so we'll need to upgrade the car. But one thing I really enjoyed today was having some GT4 cars on my tail, and I thought that was good foreshadowing, and it was a lot of fun today to have a closer race and stay focused on remaining out front.”

Zachry Lee also claimed his first GT4 victory at Barber, leading from start to finish in the No. 11 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4. Lee held off Craig Lumsden in the No. 610 Colorado Motorsport with Flying Lizard BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO to secure the class win.

“It was great,” expressed Zachry Lee. “I was trying to catch that Ginetta, and I just couldn't catch it. I was trying everything in my power. Maybe next time! But this feels good, a win is a win. Barber is a beautiful track. It's fun,”

Up Next

The GT America powered by AWS field will return for the season finale event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from October 9-11.

RESULTS