.png)
Alton, VA- As the summer break came to it's conclusion, SRO America’s series made their highly anticipated return to one of the most revered tracks in the country, VIRginia International Raceway. Located in the rolling hills and lush greenery of Alton, Virginia, VIR is more than just a race track, it's a motorsport haven rich in history, challenge, and beauty. VIR's layout spans 3.27 miles and features 17 turns that challenge every aspect of a driver's skill set. It features rapid elevation changes and blind crests, highlighting the demanding nature of the track that requires both respect and finesse.
The rain came into play Saturday morning for Pirelli GT4 America’s back-to-back Qualifying sessions. With wet track conditions providing an extra challenge for the field, drivers across all three Silver, Pro-Am, and Am classes had to brave the elements in order to secure their starting positions.
After going fastest in the final practice session the day prior, John Capestro-Dubets returned to the top spot by clinching the overall ROWE Pole Position Award for Race 1 with the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. He set the best time of the opening Qualifying session on his fifth and final flying lap with a time of 2:06.182.
The No. 28 CBW Racing RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman commanded by Eric Filgueiras retained the top spot for most of the second session, but as the track gradually began to dry, Jake Cowden masterfully navigated the tough conditions to clinch the ROWE Pole Position Award for Race 2 thanks to a late flying lap. Filgueiras will be starting second in the Silver class, and third overall. Tyler Gonzalez pushed hard to set a fast lap in his No. 68 Smooge Racing Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO, but had to settle for third place on the Silver Class grid, and fourth overall.
As race One got under way 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 35 minutes 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 BMW’s 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 five second 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.”
In race Two of the weekend the Silver class field began jostling for position from the moment the green flag waved, with pole sitter Jake Cowden in the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 coming under threat from Eric Filgueiras in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and Zac Anderson in the No. 51 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82.
Anderson made a charge to the front of the field, and soon thereafter was entangled in a fierce battle with Filgueiras. As pit stops and driver changes unfolded under a full course caution, the RS1 machine beat the AutoTechnic Racing car out of pit lane as John Capestro-Dubets and Colin Garrett took over from their teammates.
Kevin Boehm added himself into the mix in the No. 97 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 G82 in the second half of the race, sitting in third as the final laps approached. Boehm took advantage of the No. 51 of Collin Garrett sliding off the track and into the grass, effectively losing out on second place.Dubets went on to complete another dominant drive for RS1 alongside Filgueiras, taking back-to-back wins at VIR and extending their championship lead. Boehm and teammate Kenton Koch secured second-place, with Anderson and Garrett completing the podium despite the late-stage mishap.
“We’re just trying to keep with this route we've been going on, and we’ll keep working as hard as we can,” said John Capestro-Dubets. “I think this race was really about the details. Eric did a great job out there, our pit stops are what got us out front today. That detail was something we actually worked on right before the race and I think it paid off today, so I'm really proud of that.”
When asked about the level of talent in the GT4 America field, Eric Filgueiras added that “I think everybody's a threat at this point. It’s such a strong field. I had an amazing battle with Zach (Anderson), he is stellar in that BMW. You have so many big names and factory drivers that are in this field. It's a really competitive year, that's why this win is so rewarding. Thanks to our RS1 guys, and thanks to JCD for killing it out there. We're hoping that we can look back at the year and look at this as the turning point in our season. We started out a little slow at Sonoma and I think we've been building up and finding our chemistry as we return to our winning ways again.”
The Pirelli GT4 America field will return at Road America from August 16th to 18th.
Comments