Sebring, Florida- Pirelli GT4 America drivers took to the track for the first practice session of the day at the legendary Sebring International Raceway. The sixth weekend of the 2022 season was shaping up to be an exciting event with crucial championship points on the line. Crowds have been treated to fierce competition all year long, and those in attendance at the Florida circuit this weekend lined up to see their own piece of the action.
In Practice 1 Silver class leader Eric Filgueiras rose to the top of the overall leaderboard early in the session, further demonstrating how competitive the #18 Community Beer Works RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport has been this season. He set an impressive lap time of 2.11.595, 0.619 quicker than the second-best time in the Silver class from Kevin Conway in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4. Gavin Sanders (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) followed closely behind with the third-best time in the class. Sanders and teammate Michai Stephens currently sit second in the championship and will be aiming for strong performances this weekend to edge out the competitors behind. As track temperatures continued to rise, drivers took to the track late Friday afternoon for the second Pirelli GT4 America practice session. With clouds looming over the circuit, teams continued to bring the heat and pushed their cars to the limit in preparation for this weekend’s action.
Session 2 saw Stevan McAleer take an early lead in the session, topping the overall charts and the Silver class in his #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The Scottish driver set a blazing lap time of 2.11.517. With teammate Eric Filgueiras paving the way in the first practice session Friday morning, the championship leaders were already looking dominant yet again. Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) continued to creep closer to the leaders, building off the knowledge gained by teammate Gavin Sanders in the first practice session. The American and Canadian duo were faced with poor luck in the previous round, but are looking to kick things off with a fresh start at Sebring. Austen Smith (#51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4) rounded off the Top 3 in the class, 0.995 seconds behind the top time.
Saturday’s Pirelli GT4 America qualifying sessions took place under bright skies with rising track temperatures. Drivers across the Silver, Pro-Am, and Am classes took to the Florida circuit to set the grid for the upcoming two races. The qualifying format for the GT4 field has driver 1 setting the grid for the first race on Saturday, with driver 2 setting the grid for race 2 on Sunday.
After dominating in both practice sessions, Silver class championship leader Eric Filgueiras (#18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) took pole position in the first qualifying session with a time of 2.10.789, establishing a healthy gap of 1.197 seconds to second-place qualifier Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Mercedes AMG GT4). Austen Smith in the #51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 followed closely behind in third.
The RS1 team displayed their dominance in the second qualifying session as well, with Eric Filgueiras’ teammate Stevan McAleer (#18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) adding another pole position to the team’s tally. He narrowly beat Filgueiras’ lap from the first qualifying session, putting down a rapid time of 2.10.753. Zack Anderson followed 0.928 seconds behind in second place in the #51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4. John Geesbreght, currently sitting third in the championship in the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4, qualified third.

The sun continued to shine over Sebring International Raceway for the first race of the Pirelli GT4 America championship. Although the start of the race was delayed, the drivers remained unfazed as they prepared for an intense battle ahead. With humidity in the air and track temperatures on the rise, the field braced themselves for a challenging 60-minute event.
Eric Filgueiras rocketed away in his #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport after getting a great start into the first corner, aided by the battle taking place behind him between Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4) and Am class driver Johan Schwartz (#80 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M4 GT4), with Schwartz momentarily getting the jump on Stephens in the overall ranking. This helped Filgueiras establish a healthy lead over the Silver class challenger, allowing him to extend his gap as he sped away into clean air. Nevertheless, Stephens kept his head down and remained focused on trying to catch up to the race leader.
As both drivers dove into the pits at the same time for the mandatory pit stop and driver swap, it turned into a race against the clock for both teams. Steven McAleer took over from teammate Filgueiras, and Gavin Sanders began his mission of hunting down the RS1 machine ahead. While McAleer attempted to pull away, Sanders continued to match the leader’s pace and had him looking in his mirrors. In a shocking turn of events, McAleer began to drastically slow down around the final corner of the last lap, allowing Sanders to sweep by and cross the finish line in first place. The RS1 Porsche was able to limp across the line to secure second place, with the #51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Austen Smith and Zack Anderson completed the podium in third.
Pirelli GT4 America took to Sebring International Raceway for the final race before the series heads to the 2022 season’s conclusion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in just two short weeks. BimmerWorld has clinched the Am championship, and RS1 now has a massive lead in Silver, but the battle is still on to see how the rest of the championship podiums shake out. Pro-Am is still very much a nail-biter, too. After some heartbreak peppered throughout Race 1 yesterday, Race 2 had a much more cheery 60-minute duration that was devoid of yellow flags.

On Saturday afternoon, the RS1 team saw a sure win evaporate within walking distance to the checkered flag. Looking to make up for that disappointment, the #18 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport took off at the start with Stevan McAleer at the helm and never glanced back, building up a comfortable lead before his stint was up. Once Eric Figueiras took over, he pumped up the overall lead to the tune of 23 seconds and earned yet another easy win—the team’s ninth of the season. RS1 is now headed to Indy with a nicely padded 255 points, 47 ahead of the closest rival.
“What a weekend,” Filgueiras said. “I think we’ve certainly had a target since the beginning of the year, it’s been a lot of pressure. As we saw yesterday, anything can happen, and when I got in the car Stevan gave me a fantastic position. I’m incredinbly grateful for the support Community Beer Works has shown us all season. The RS1 guys gave me a fantastic car, and it’s just about managing it—not taking extra risks, managing the pace, and bringing it home. That’s what we needed to do today, and we did it.”
The SRO Motorsports America season will conclude at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 7-9. Tickets are on sale now.
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