-The Porsche IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama moves to
Laguna Seca and Mazda Raceway for Rounds Three and Four.
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is situated on the Monterey
Peninsula, some of the most beautiful real estate in all
of North America.
The circuit itself, well, that has beauty too, but also
challenges.
And watch out for the weather--
typically cold mornings here giving way to sunshine and
warmer afternoons, and then the coastal air can roll in.
Once again, it's a three class challenge--
the Platinum class for the newer cars, the Gold class for
cars up to 2009, and the Masters for drivers who have
just a little more provenance, perhaps, than their
competitors.
KASEY KUHLMAN: Laguna is for me, it's slippery.
It's sandy, it's a one lane racetrack.
Just string them together and kind of tiptoe your way around
this place.
That's how I approach it.
-You need to be fast here early in the weekend.
There's not much time to fine tune the set up.
HUNTER WRIGHT: Take-- yeah, up.
We were tending towards oversteer, and so as the race
goes on, we don't want to get to far-- we don't want to
start out too much over steer.
We want to be a little under.
MICHAEL MILLS: We're all so close other than Madison was
about a second faster than me, I think, in quali.
And Sloan was super fast.
He yanked a good lap, so we're really, really proud of Sloan
being up number two on the front row representing, so
that's great.
-The Porshe IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama is part
of a worldwide commitment by Porsche.
It's the fastest and most prestigious single mark
championship anywhere on the planet.
Here in North America, Yokohama provide the
controlled rubber.
And there's another difference--
no professional drivers.
This is a development series.
We're looking for new talent for the future.
Some of Porsche's big name drivers now cut their teeth in
exactly this type of competition, and they're there
to mentor the current crop of drivers.
WOLF HENZLER: It's challenging because all running the same
cars, so it really depends on the driver.
I mean, you can do setup on the car.
You can change some things, but basically, I would say
it's 99% the driver who makes the difference.
-The format is simple.
Two 45 minute races, qualification, with your best
lap setting your group position for the first race,
and your second best lap setting your group position
for the second.
The IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama encourages
consistency with controlled aggression.
The races are relatively short.
The championship is competitive.
Any mistake, any missed score, any non-finish is going to
cost you when it comes down to the end of the season.
Pressure is constant, not just across the season but across
every race weekend as Madison Snow knows but made a rookie
error in the first race at Sebring.
But some drivers thrive on pressure.
Ashley Freiberg for Effort Racing in her first GT racing
weekend performed admirably at Sebring with two consistent
finishes, leaving her at the sharp end of the championship.
Her teammate, Sloan Urry, also got down to business early in
the championship.
He'll share the front row with pole-sitter Madison Snow.
The championship leader after the first two rounds, Angel
Benetiz Jr, was not having a great time
of it here in Monterey.
His Momo NGT Motorsport Porsche on the inside of row
number three.
So why the drop off in performance?
The pace just wasn't there in the early part of qualifying.
Angel came into the pit lane and made a change to the front
splitter, the very front end of the car.
That's not allowed and half his times were disallowed, so
he has work to do and cars to pass when the lights go green.
-It's a great looking two by two start as they come down to
the start line.
The green flag is waved in the air and we are racing.
Over 123 miles an hour as the leaders come down this long,
long run into the first hard breaking zone.
And the pole-sitter just about holding on, but it's a very,
very hard maneuver around the outside.
In the blue car, Sloan Urry for Effort Racing has
[INAUDIBLE] turned around.
The 20 car goes around and he's turned-- oh, there's all
kinds of carnage there in the midfield when the NGT cars
coming through there and that, I'm afraid, was not smart at
the start of a long race.
JEREMY: It certainly wasn't there.
It was a very bold move there around the outside from the
second row of the group.
[CAR ENGINE]
-He almost made it, but in motor racing,
almost isn't enough.
The ensuing accident took out Angel Benetiz Jr, starting
further down the field than we'd expected and that would
be a nonpoint score for the championship leader.
ANGEL BENETIZ JR: It goes backwards.
-And he kept rolling back unfortunately.
ANGEL BENETIZ JR: Look at me.
I'm like, left, left, right, left, right, left.
Now--
boom.
-Nowhere to go.
ANGEL BENETIZ JR: Can you believe it?
-That's too bad, man.
-Miles Maroney in the TruSpeed Motorsports 45, the unwilling
participant in the accident.
Back to green flag racing.
Madison Snow showing what we expect from him, a veteran
mindset, and pulls away.
Further down the field, there's battles everywhere.
Great competition all the way through the field.
-And this is the battle for 17th and 18th.
Oh, and off--
off goes [INAUDIBLE] and he's going to spin
it in the 24 car.
-Fred [INAUDIBLE]
16 Competition Motorsports [INAUDIBLE],
but it doesn't matter.
Both the same shade.
Amadeo Quiros in the 28, Brett Sandberg in the 46 proving
that wherever you are on the track, there's
always someone to race.
Positions three and four, Effort Racing, Mills and
Freiberg working together as a team.
Their teammate Sloan Urry gets a penalty, a long one--
two minutes for causing that first lap incident.
It's a great race for Colin Thompson in the 14, but he's
being chased down by Effort.
In turn six, a slight mistake and both of the
blue cars go through.
Mills goes off at turn six exactly
where he made the pass.
Thompson takes the opportunity to go back to third.
Defining moment in the battle for third
would be at the corkscrew.
-Very impressive.
What was that--
-That's a piece of the undertread from one
of those two cars.
I think it's from Thompson.
Oh, it's a puncture.
It's a puncture to the right front of the 41 car.
And I don't know whether he was hit by something from the
car ahead or whether that is-- yeah, I
think he has been Jeremy.
Well there is the most extraordinary reason for a
retirement that I've ever seen.
Now watch the orange car here go across the curb there,
flicks up the storm drain which is then catapulted into
the right front of Mills' car in 4th position.
Takes out the radiator.
It's actually a heck of a save by Mills.
-At the head of the field, Madison Snow's return to form
gives him the victory.
Ashley Freiberg in second now leads the championship on
consistency.
Colin Thompson takes third and Brett Sandberg takes fourth as
Mills drops down the field.
In the Masters category, Kasey Kuhlman was imperious leading
from lights to flag.
Craig Duerson comes second and Jonathan Bennett in third.
In the Gold category for the older cars, Michael Levitas in
the 36 wins from his teammate David Williams.
Round 4 of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama.
It's the second race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and
Madison Snow once again on pole position in the Snow
Racing Wright Motorsport 62.
Sloan Urry in the 20 Effort Racing car from the outside of
the first row needs to have learned something from the
first race.
Kasey Kuhlman's had a great qualifying session for Wright
Motorsports in the 15, inside of row two and by far the best
of the Masters category drivers.
In P4, Ashley Freiberg in the 51 Effort Racing Porsche.
She's got even more pressure on the shoulders as she now
leads the championship as we're about to go racing.
Pressure of a different kind for championship contenders
Michael Mills and Angel Benetiz Jr. Mired down on row
five after poor qualifying performances.
They're going to have to make up places quickly but cleanly.
[CAR ENGINE]
-And it's 15 Kasey Kuhlman and Ashley Freiberg on row two.
It's a great start from the rolling start as the green
flag is thrown.
And through across the top of the rise down towards turn
one, the pole-sitter Madison Snow does exactly as he did
here yesterday.
Now, this was the danger area yesterday.
Sloan Urry has dropped in and there is Ashley Freiberg in
third position, the two blue Effort Racing cars.
A little bit of dust thrown up.
Everyone has behaved themselves through the first
couple or three turns.
-Moving through the field from their poor group positions,
the 41 of Mills the 25 of Benetiz Jr are battling
between themselves now.
And Benetiz Jr decides it's time to make his move.
-And back to this battle, because we daren't take our
eyes off this for a moment.
And this is still the battle for fifth position.
[INAUDIBLE]
Down inside, Angel Benetiz Jr into the final corner.
The Momo NGT car looking very stable.
And that is a good move we've just been seeing.
-Next car in line for Angel is his Momo NGT teammate Eduardo
Cisneros who recognizes the youngster's speed and tries to
wave him by.
Driving through this kind of field is never easy even when
you're supposed to be one of front runners.
[CAR ENGINE]
One of the two Gold class cars, David Williams, makes a
slight error.
It costs him dearly.
He's in the gravel and out comes the Porsche Panamera
safety car and a full course caution.
All of Madison Snow's hard work at the front of the field
negated as everyone is closed up to his back bumper.
-The lights are off on the Porsche Panamera safety car
and we've got a dash for the points.
It's Snow having to do it all over again.
His 4.5 second lead negated by that full course caution.
And we come to the green flag.
There's all kinds of carnage going on coming out of the
final corner.
-The aggressive but controlled drive of Angel Benetiz Jr up
through the field continues.
His next victim, Ashley Freiberg.
- --either been second or indeed finishing.
Here's Angel Benetiz.
It's the same maneuver we've seen before and it has the
same effect and the same result.
You just can't defend when he comes so light on the brakes.
That is unbelievable.
I have not seen anyone do that overtake into the final corner
any cleaner or any later.
-Absolutely text book.
Really, really fine driving by that young man.
-It's a great team performance from Effort Racing.
Urry at the sharp end, Mills and Freiberg not far behind.
No team orders here though as Mills goes by Freiberg into
turn two on the last lap.
But surely, the destination of second place is the one that
is most under threat as they head towards the corkscrew up
the hill through turn six for the final time, Jeremy Shaw.
-He's absolutely [INAUDIBLE].
If he might have thought about trying to make a move into the
corkscrew, Benetiz, but no, he's not close enough going up
the hill, so now he's just got to concentrate and get a good
clean run down the hill.
Make a good exit to turn nine and particularly turn 10 and
then position himself to make a move down the inside into
11.
-He's right there.
Possibly closer than he intended to
be as he comes through.
Diving into 10 , he has a little [INAUDIBLE] to the
right-hand side.
It's covered by Urry, but the signature maneuver is on the
bricks into the final corner.
Urry's left the door open.
I can't believe it.
And down the inside comes Angel Benetiz Jr, but for
once, he is rebuffed and it will be Madison Snow that
takes the second race.
Round 4 of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama through
in second place will go Urry and Benetiz separated by not
very much at all.
They are the three podium finishers.
A fantastic finish to a great weekend of racing that sees
Mills come through in fourth position ahead of Freiberg and
that does her championship hopes no good at all.
The two Effort Racing cars, 41 and 51, reversed on the last
lap in positions fourth and fifth.
-Madison Snow dominated the race weekend, taking his
second win in Round 4.
MADISON SNOW: This year, I just need to work forward and
move up, move up and just stay consistent.
It's all about the series consistency, and I should be
in the lead for points right now so that really helps out.
-Sloan Urry recovered from his Round 3 mistakes with a second
place finish, and Angel Benetiz Jr puts his
championship challenge back on track with a third place.
ANGEL BENETIZ JR: I wanted so bad the second place.
I wanted it so bad.
I pushed a lot.
I pushed a lot and I took everything to the limit-- the
tires, the brakes, me.
It was really hard, so I didn't want to push and do
something stupid at the end.
-In Masters, Kasey Kuhlman once again was on top with
Craig Duerson in second and Barnhardt in third.
In the Gold class, Michael Levitas is four for four this
year with yet another clean sweep while his teammate David
Williams took second place.
Here's the points standings after Round number 4.
And next up, Watkins Glenn for the 100th race of the Porsche
IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama.