Tyler Cooke and James Clay won the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Road Atlanta on Saturday, scoring the first North American win for the M4 GT4. In the Street Tuner class BimmerWorld’s Nick Galante and Devin Jones won the drivers’ championship with a podium finish in the race, and Mini clinched the Street Tuner manufacturers’ title with a class win by Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra.
James Clay moved the Grand Sport class #82 BimmerWorld M4 GT4 into podium contention on his stint and handed off to Tyler Cooke, who moved the car into the lead. A quick late-race pit stop that enabled Cooke to return to the track ahead of Matt Plumb in the #76 McLaren was the decisive move of the race; from there Cooke held on to his advantage, returning to the lead for good when other front-runners pitted. Ari Balogh and Greg Liefooghe placed sixth in class in the Stephen Cameron Racing M4 GT4. The Grand Sport drivers’ title went to TGM Mercedes racers Hugh Plumb and Owen Trinkler.
Nick Galante and Devin Jones won the Street Tuner drivers’ title. (Brian Morgan photo)
Galante and Jones in the #81 BimmerWorld 328i led the Street Tuner class for most of the race, but a late-race stop for a splash of fuel dropped them to third at the end. The #73 Mini took over the lead and went on to win, securing the Street Tuner manufacturers’ title for the marque. Max Faulkner and Jason Rabe finished second in the #21 Porsche Cayman, and Galante and Jones won the drivers’ title with their third-place finish. The Road Atlanta race was the last for the Street Tuner class, which is being phased out. The race also marked the end of a nine-year run for Continental as title sponsor of the series; Michelin takes over as sponsor next year.—Brian Morgan
The #73 Mini’s class win clinched the Street Tuner manufacturers’ championship for the marque. (Brian Morgan photo)