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Sonoma, California – The Pirelli GT4 America series kicked off their 2022 season at Sonoma Raceway, as 42 GT4 machines took the green flag. They saw plenty of action on the track including a red flag with 33 minutes left in the race. Once racing resumed, drivers worked to get their tires back to temperature to fight for position in the Silver, Pro-Am and Am classes.
The team of Eric Filgueiras, who was making his SRO debut, and co-driver Stevan McAleer in the #18 Community Beer Works RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, were the overall race winners. Eric led the Silver class with a CrowdStrike fastest lap time of 1:46.124. Neither teammate had driven on the Sonoma course before, so they prepared by working through the car setup, what to do on track and most importantly, communication.
“Once we got a little lead I tried to manage the gap,” said McAleer. “We’re excited, RS1 has been fantastic, and it’s a first win for this new Porsche in SRO,” he added.
The Community Beer Works RS1 team of Eric Filguerias and Stevan McAleer (#18 RS1 Porsche) picked up Easter Sunday morning where they had left off the day before atop the Winner’s Podium as overall champions and class winners in Pirelli GT4 America racing action, completing the weekend sweep at Sonoma.
McAleer took the first driver’s stint for the session, recording the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap with a time of 1:47.022. Following a smooth pit stop, by the time Filguerias stepped into the driver’s seat, he transitioned the Porsche smoothly back into the lead to finish with a 13.466 second lead over second-place overall finishers Gavin Sanders and Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JWF Motorsports Mercedes AMG)
“It’s all of the hard work the RS1 guys put in. He (Stevan) gave me a really great car and a great position. He worked his butt off that first stint to give me the opportunity to just drive it home,” said Filguerias after the win. When asked about the car’s advantage over the field, he said that the Sonoma track has high degradation, and credited the Porsche with being nimble and lighter as opposed to heavier cars running on the track that burns through the tires more quickly.
This is the second time in 2022 that the duo have won on series debut starting with their IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge win in Daytona. Pirelli GT4 America heads to Ozarks Raceway Park on May 20-22.
Check out the live stream for free on YouTube at GTWorld. All races are archived for on-demand viewing.
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