Two, 40-minute races at NOLA Motorsports Park continued the action for the GT America powered by AWS. Memo Gidley swept the weekend the in SRO3 Class. In GT4 Ross Chouest had a warm welcome home with a win in Race One while Elias Sabo took the honor in Race Two.
Race One
Pole position in the SRO3 Class went to Gidley in the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. Gidley has become known for taking his time in practice properly setting up the Mercedes-AMG but once he has the car dialed in, Gidley becomes a tough competitor to get around. He led flag to flag to take on his third win of the season.
Behind Gidley was Jason Daskalos in the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 was side by side with Adam Adelson in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. The experience of Daskalos came into play as the two fought through Race One. He calculated his tire degradation into his battle with Adelson. He slowed their pace allowing Anthony Bartone in the No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to join in the dogfight. This kept Adelson's eyes on his mirrors instead of the bumper of Gidley.
As the race wound down Bartone had the opportunity to secure second place but in his hunt, he made contact with George Kurtz in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3. The incident created minimal drama but did keep the two off the podium. Daskalos would regain second place with Adelson crossing the finish line behind him in third.
Meanwhile in the GT4 Class Ross Chouest was proving that being home has its advantages. The New Orleans native in the No. 50 Chouest Poveledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 claimed control of the lead from start to finish. Chouest had only to defend his position at the start before he settled into the winning rhythm.
Behind Chouest was as tight of a race as ever for the final two podium positions. Todd Coleman was trying everything in his power to keep Jason Bell in the No. 2 GMG Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 behind him. However, in trying to do so Coleman dropped a wheel into the grass which pulled him into a short off-road adventure. He recovered but not before Bell advantageously drove past with Robb Holland in the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in tow. The duo would claim second and third, respectively.
Holland didn’t take away his third-place finish so easily though. It came down to a drag race and photo finish. Gray Newell in the Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 was hanging on to the front bumper of the No. 099 Porsche at the finish line. However, Holland took the last spot on the podium by a hairline fraction, 0.002 of a second, to be exact.
Race Two
Gidley may have never raced at NOLA Motorsports Park but the novelty made no difference in performance for the Californian as he took home two pole positions and two wins in New Orleans, Louisiana. This brings Gidley’s season total to four wins and six podiums in six races.
Behind Gidley was George Kurtz who had an excellent Day Two at NOLA having won in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. The GT America powered by AWS series gave Kurtz the right amount of warming up as he sailed passed Daskalos without issue. Daskalos in the No. 27 Mercedes-AMG held tight to third place for back-to-back podium finishes at NOLA Motorsports Park.
The GT4 Class saw more of a mixup in those who took home points. Elias Sabo in the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 claimed his first win of the season. Sabo made quick work of passing pole sitter Holland early in the race and set his sights on building a gap once he did.
The pass for first had crowds on their feet as Adelson in the No. 120 Porsche entered the scene as Sabo closed in on Holland. Holland had no choice but to allow Adelson to pass but in doing so Sabo followed the Porsche through the gap. In the mix, Sabo also passed Adelson giving himself a greater gap before the SRO3 Class car naturally regained position on the track.
Coleman in the No. 69 Aston Martin Vantage turned fast lap after fast lap gaining and eventually overtaking Holland. Coleman would hold on to second place for the finish, his first podium of 2023. Holland would end the race third in class. It was his second podium of the season.
Onward
Y’all gather the horses and circle the wagons for the next event on the SRO Motorsports America calendar, Circuit Of The Americas. The Austin, Texas, circuit welcomes SRO America, home to another doubleheader weekend packed with racing, cowboys, grid walks and much more. Tickets are now on sale. Camping at the United States-only FIA Formula 1 purpose-built track is also available. Check out ticket bundles here.