While Race One at VIRginia International Raceway was marked by numerous yellow flags, Race Two told a different tale, with the 40-minute event going nearly completely uninterrupted as drivers in the GT America powered by AWS field ran wheel-to-wheel lap after lap. Race One winner's Memo Gidley and Robb Holland made it a double as they stepped up to the top spot for the second time this weekend.
SRO3 Class
The field kept it clean as they set off for Race Two, with Memo Gidley maintaining the lead in his No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3. Gidley focused on the clear road ahead, gradually building a gap to those chasing him. Anthony Bartone and Jason Daskalos were keeping each other honest, with their No. 427 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 and No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 running just a few seconds behind.
Gidley’s gap dwindled away as the safety car was deployed shortly before the halfway mark, bringing the field back together as they prepared to go green again. With 20 minutes left on the clock, Gidley had another excellent start, while Bartone dropped back after a brief off course excursion, promoting Daskalos up to second while Johnny O'Connell moved his No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8-LMS up into third.
Adam Adelson was making moves in his No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R in the final minutes of the race, making a late charge on Bartone and sweeping past him to settle into fourth. Meanwhile, George Kurtz was sitting just behind the action in sixth, waiting patiently in his No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 for his time to strike, with the opportune moment happening just one lap later.
Memo Gidley secured a second consecutive win and CrowdStrike fastest lap, marking his fourth-weekend sweep of the season thus far. Daskalos took home second place, with O’Connell occupying the final spot on the podium.
GT4 and GT2 Class
Robb Holland had a smooth getaway in his No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, keeping the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 of Ross Chouest at bay throughout the opening laps. However, the fight raged on behind as drivers did not hesitate to get their elbows out early.
The No. 009 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport made some brief contact as Tim Savage and Chris Alliegro fought for position, with Jason Bell’s No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 getting pinched while running on the inside line.
As the trio continued to go wheel to wheel throughout each corner, Bell and Savage had a close call as Alliegro ran off track before lightly touching the tire barrier, just narrowly missing clipping either car in the process. This brought out a safety car with just over 25 minutes remaining.
Savage spun off track shortly after the race resumed and was able to rejoin quickly, but lost valuable track positions in the process. Bell’s restart was equally as difficult, as some contact between himself and Paul Kiebler in the No. 77 TR3 Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 nullified their progress.
Robb Holland went on to claim the win for the second time this weekend, followed by Ross Chouest earning another second-place finish, with Tony Gaples having a very solid run in his No. 5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R to bring it home in third.
CJ Moses drove a smart race in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2, keeping out of trouble and challenging for the overall Top 10.
Up Next
All eyes turn to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the CrowdStrike 24 hours of Spa, taking place from June 29th to July 2nd. The GT America powered by AWS field will be back in August in support of IndyCar at the Music City Grand Prix before a visit to the National Park of Speed, Road America.