Toby Grahovec, driving the #26 Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW M4 GT4, set the fastest lap time and finished second in class in GTS/GTSA Race Two in the Pirelli World Challenge season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Grahovec led the GTSA class most of the way, losing the lead in traffic near the end when eventual winner Drew Stavely (Ginetta G55) managed to make a pass; Stavely had been on Grahovec’s tail most of the way.
Any hope that Grahovec had of regaining the lead was thwarted when a two-car incident partially blocked the track and brought out the red and checkered flags with just over five minutes remaining in the race. The overall winner was Lawson Aschenbach in a GTS Pro Camaro GT4.
Grahovec had finished fifth in class in Race One as Aschenbach took the overall win and Stavely took the GTSA class win. Grahovec was the best M4 GT4 finisher in both races. Justin Raphael (Fast Track Racing) and Marko Radisic (Precision Driving) were seventh and eighth in class in Race One, and Chris Ohmacht (Fast Track Racing) was eleventh. Raphael and Ohmacht were seventh and eighth in class in Race Two, while Radisic exited the race after a collision.
All four M4 GT4 racers were classified in GTSA. Depending on finishing positions, PWC at times elevates racers from GTSA to GTS, which is considered to be the professional class. The cars are the same in both classes.
The series runs next at Circuit Of The Americas near Austin, Texas, on March 23–25. At that event, the season will open for the Touring Car class, where the M235i Racing runs. Classic BMW, based in Plano, Texas, is bringing four M4 GT4s and four M235iRs to COTA.—Brian Morgan
