AUSTIN, Texas – Andrew Davis and Jason Bell led a three-class assault on Circuit of the Americas Saturday during the final Pirelli GT4 America SprintX race of the weekend.
Saturday’s Pirelli GT4 America SprintX weekend finale got going under sunny, 70-degree skies with the No. 2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Davis leading the field to the green flag.
The Pro-Am pairing of Davis and Bell hit their marks and eventually went on to take a dominant overall victory, their first of the 2020 season.
“Yes! We had a great pitstop and Andrew [Davis] gave me a great car. I was able to get a good gap and was able to just focus. This is great, it’s awesome!” said Bell.
“It’s very rewarding. Jason’s commitment to the sport and series is just fantastic. The GMG crew just gave us a phenomenal Porsche today and I can’t thank them enough. It was a full team effort today!” added Davis.
At the start the field got cleanly through turn one, and as the leaders approached turn 11, Ian James and the No. 50 Panoz Avezzano GT4 got around Bill Auberlen’s No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 for second overall.
Auberlen then got nudged by the No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Greg Liefooghe and fell to fourth overall.
At the back of the grid, the No. 15 Bsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Kenton Koch made up 14 positions in the opening lap to sit seventh in Pro-Am and eighth overall.
With 10 minutes off the clock, Davis stretched his overall and Pro-Am lead to two seconds, while Harry Gottsacker and the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 led in Silver and newly-crowned Am champion Zac Anderson and the No. 7 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 led that class.
Five minutes later, Jan Heylen and the No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman CS MR got past Auberlen for fourth overall, then began to stalk Liefooghe for third with 43 minutes remaining.
At the same time, Koch got around both the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Jason Hart and the No. 28 to sit both sixth overall and in Pro-Am.
With 41 minutes left, Heylen’s pressure on the No. 19 paid off, as he got around Leifooghe for third overall as the two battled through the stadium section.
As the clock ticked down past 35 minutes, Kenton Koch, while battling with Auberlen, dove to the inside of the BMW legend at turn 19, and nabbed fifth place overall and in the Pro-Am class.
At the halfway point of the race, and the pit window for the required driver changes closed, the No. 2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, now with Jason Bell driving, continued to lead overall and in Pro-Am.
Jarrett Andretti, driving the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Window World of Michigan McLaren 570S GT4 jumped to the lead in Silver, just ahead of the No. 28, with the No. 7, now with Sean Gibbons driving, maintaining the lead in Am.
With 21 minutes remaining, the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4, now with Nick Wittmer driving, glued his car to the outside line next to Andretti’s McLaren around turns 16, 17, and 18, setting himself up to be on the inside of turn 19.
The BMW slipped past for the lead in Silver, sitting eighth overall, as the two continued to fight for the class lead.
With only 14 minutes left, Matt Keegan, now behind the wheel of the No. 50 Panoz Avezzano GT4, snuck past the No. 15 Bsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Bryan Putt for third overall and in class.
On the next lap, Silver leader Wittmer passed both Putt and Keegan, stretching his lead over Andretti in Silver and taking over third overall.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Am-leading No. 7, driven by Sean Gibbons, copped a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact, handing the class lead to the No. 46 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman of David Walker.
Michael McAleenan and the No. 3 Motorsport USA McLaren 570S GT4 wanted to claim top honors in the Am class, however, and got past Walker for the lead with less than six minutes remaining, quickly pulling away from his rival.
As the checkered flag flew, Bell and the No. 2 GMG Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 took the overall and Pro-Am victory, with Charlie Belluardo and the No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman CS MR second in class and Matt Keegan in the No. 50 Panoz Racing Avezzano GT4 third.
Nick Wittmer and the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 claimed the Silver class win, with Jarrett Andretti and the No. 36 Andretti Autosport McLaren 570S GT4 second in class. The final Silver podium position went to Nicolai Elghanayan and the No. 71 Marco Polo Motorsports KTM X-Bow GT4.
The Am class victory belonged to to Michael McAleenan and the No. 3 Motorsport USA McLaren 570S GT4, with David Walker and the No. 46 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 second and the No. 7 NOLOSPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Sean Gibbons third.