.png)
Indianapolis, Indiana - The Pirelli GT4 America paddock took to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to qualify for Race 1 scheduled at 9:15 AM on Saturday morning. The heat was on high in Pro-Am to see how the championship podium would fill out, with NOLASPORT, Premier Racing, and Flying Lizard Motorsport all vying for the top. The Am championship had already been clinched by BimmerWorld, but only once the checkered flew Sunday morning at noon would we find out who climbed the podium with them.
In the Silver class, the #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport (Stevan McAleer/Eric Filgueiras) would lead racers across the start/finish line for McAleer’s 1:29.745, followed by the #34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Gavin Sanders/Michai Stephens after setting a 1:30.157. A 1:31.005 earned the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 of Kevin Conway and John Geesbreght the third spot just behind the #18 and #34.
At the top of the Silver running order was be the #34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 (Michai Stephens/Gavin Sanders) after laying down a 1:30.217, followed closely by the #33 Forbush Performance Toyota GR Supra GT4 (Matt Forbush/Caleb Bacon) after setting a 1:30.220. Right behind them would sit the #51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (Austen Smith/Zack Anderson) after laying down a 1:30.228.
The Pirelli GT4 America field took to a chilly and windy Midwestern yard of bricks Saturday morning as the opening act to the noontime Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS. Two minor yellow flags created two hectic and hard-fought restarts, with some massive changes in position, slick moves, and serious championship implications. RS1 clinched the championship in Silver, as BimmerWorld did in Am after Sebring, but the fight was still on in Pro-Am.
Stevan McAleer (#18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) got the jump when the green flag waved, though his top rival Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) wasn’t far behind, leading to a bumper-to-bumper battle during the entire first stint.
After the baton was passed to RS1’s Eric Filgueiras and Conquest’s Gavin Sanders, Sanders got the jump out of pit lane and stole the lead. However, Filgueiras had all the momentum just a few corners later, passing Sanders. He held onto P1 in class for the remainder of the race.
Across the line it was Filgueiras, Sanders, and Zack Anderson (#51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4). Anderson put on a strong showing himself, even after a minor incident between his co-driver Austen Smith and Tim Horrell (#10 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4) during the first stint.
“We’ve had such a strong season, “ Filgueiras said. “The times that we didn’t capitalize, it was a big disappointment. All the credit to the RS1 team and Community Beer Works for being on board, Stevan for being a fantastic friend and mentor to me all season long. We have one more race, but what an absolute relief with this championship.
Filgueiras & McAleer were the 2022 Silver Champions with Sanders and Stephens locked in second. The battle for third would be resolved Sunday between the Smooge Racing duo of Conway and Geesbreght who had a ten point lead over the Auto Technic pairing of Smith and Anderson.
Drama was served cold and often in Race 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the Pirelli GT4 America field took to the track for its final race of the 2022 season. While the Silver championship was decided for RS1 on Friday, and Am was claimed by BimmerWorld at Sebring, the Pro-Am championship was still brutally close between Nolasport and Premier Racing. However, after a two-driver sprint race-turned-war of attrition—mainly caused by repeated drama in Turn 1—it would be Nolasport who’d survive flying BMWs, Aston Martins, Porsche, and Toyotas and make it across the finish line—Premier Racing wasn’t so lucky.
After massive drama in Turn 1, Lap 1, Eric Filgueiras (#18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) jumped ahead with season-long rival Gavin Sanders (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) not too far behind. It would only be a short matter of time before the two were in a fantastic scrap.
After the driver change, McAleer took over for Filgueiras and never looked back. His spot was lightly contended by Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) in the end, but otherwise he had a pretty clean run to the checkers.
Further down the running order, Ryan Dexter (#112 Dexter Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4) was handed a drive-through penalty for contact made with #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 (Ross Chouest/Aaron Povoledo) taking him out of fifth in class and clearing the way for Kevin Conway (#68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4) and Matt Forbush (#33 Forbush Performance Toyota GR Supra GT4) mixed in with some Am traffic.
Across the line it was McAleer, Stephens, and Conway. RS1 earned the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap by setting a 1:31.295.
“This is a massive deal for us,” McAleer said. “The chemistry between Eric and I from the get-go—we had a great opening round at Sonoma and never looked back. I think every team has some rocky races, which we did, but credit to the RS1 team and thanks for the opportunity.”
The Community Beer Works RS1 #18 Porsche with Filgueiras & McAleer finished the season with 11 Pole Positions, 7 Race Fast Laps and 11 Race Wins- a new series record.
Comments