The SRO GT4 America and TC America championships held their penultimate race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, September 6-8, 2024. Some GT4 America BMW teams got closer to the championship leaders going into the final two rounds at Indianapolis next month, while others lost momentum. In TC America, Chris Walsh capped off a fantastic season by winning the TC America TCX class championship.
The pair of GT4 America races at Barber Motorsports Park were representative of the ups and downs that are a part of racing. In race one, the AutoTechnic Racing #51 M4 GT4 of Zan Anderson and Colin Garrett qualified seventh overall and fourth in the Silver class but got a win after Anderson put in a storming drive in the last half of the race, finishing just ahead of the #97 Random Vandals M4 GT3 of Kevin Boehm and Kenton Koch (shown above). In the Am class, BimmerWorld drivers James Clay and Charlie Postins won with their #36 M4 GT4.
James Clay (left) and Charlie Postins celebrate their GT4 America Am class win in race one.
In race two, Zac Anderson started the race from fifth overall in the #51 car and was once again storming to the front on the first lap, but hit the #7 Porsche in doing so, causing a chain reaction that led to eight cars wrecking, including the #36 BimmerWorld car that won the day before, the #98 Random Vandals M4 of Kris Wilson and Michael Kanisczak and the #94 Random Vandals M4 GT4 of Josh Green and Sam Craven. Anderson got through unscathed, but the car was later given a 90-second stop-and-hold penalty for causing the incident.
Auto Technic Racing won race one but had a disastrous race two.
The #97 car of Kenton Koch was running in second and ahead of the melee when it took place, and Kevin Boehm moved into the lead in overall and in the Silver class with nineteen minutes to go, holding on for the win. “I knew the Random Vandals Racing crew gave us a good car today,” he said after the race. “I was just excited to get in and see what it felt like. It’s great to get this result today. We’ve just been out of reach a few times, but I don’t think this will be our last win.” In the Pro-Am class, BimmerWorld drivers James Walker Jr. and Tyler McQuarrie finished fourth in class after being hit and spun by a Mercedes in race one.
Kenton Koch (left) and Kevin Boehm celebrate their race two win.
The Random Vandals Racing duo of Paul Sparta and Kris Wilson have been Am class championship contenders all season and were leading the Am class points coming into Barber, but the duo of Wilson and Michael Kanisczak (who was filling in for Sparta who was injured in a wreck at Road America) had to retire after Wilson and James Clay made contact in race one. In race two, the car was caught up in the multi-car accident triggered by Zac Anderson but was still classified fourth since several other Am cars were taken out in the same incident. The #20 Carrus Callas Raceteam M4 GT4 of Nicholas Shanny and Chris Walsh had a good weekend, finishing third in Am in race one and second in race two.
Carrus Callas Raceteam finished third and second in the Am class races.
In the TC America races, Chris Walsh continued his success in the TCX class with his #104 Carrus Callus Raceteam M2 CS, winning race one and finishing second in race two. The second-place finish in race two was enough to clinch the championship for Walsh. “All I can feel is gratitude,” said Walsh after the race. “The team has been incredible, and the people who have supported me all year to make this happen. It takes more than just driving; it’s everyone working behind the scenes that makes this possible. I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s been there for me, and I’m proud to bring this home for them. I’m just humble and grateful—that’s all I can say.”
Chris Walsh won the TC America TCX class championship with Carrus Callas Raceteam.
Aaron Kaplan finished fourth and third in his M2 CS in the two TC America TCX class races. Christian Perocarpi finished second in the TC class in his MINI JCW in race one, and teammate PJ Groenke finished first in the TCA class in race one and second in race two in his MINI, which was enough to clinch the TCA class title. “I woke up knowing I had a job to do,” said Groenke. “I wanted to bring it home for MINI USA, for MINI JCW, for all my partners. Oh man, second-time champion in this series. It just means the absolute world to me. Thank you to all my partners for letting me live my childhood dream and letting me do what I have always dreamed of doing.”
PJ Groenke celebrates his TCA class championship for the MINI JCW Team.
The final rounds of the GT4 America and TC America races will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 3rd-6th. —David Haueter
https://www.gt4-america.com/
https://www.tcamerica.us/
[Photos courtesy SRO]