The endurance races are gone now and only 1 car has come out victorious so far. But as we look towards the sprint races we look for other cars that will come out on the top step of the podium. The AGTC heads towards Road Atlanta for the third round of the AGTC, and for 40 laps the IMSA GTX monsters will thrash their way around the circuit to attempt to become the second winner of an AGTC race. The only question is who has the guts to do so?
Qualifying is under way, and the sound of i4’s to V12’s rise up from the 4 km circuit. You can hear tires squealing from the tough esses, and farther up the track, brakes whining from the drivers braking at the last moment down the backstraight. Everyone is trying to get the most out of their cars, taking every advantage they can.
The lap times are announced, in seconds. Once again the Borch’s step to the top, with the Hammerhead leading the WSD. Whether they bring this performance the the race is something we believe they can do. Smooth are following the Borch’s coming back after a strong 2nd place last race. GBF once again get into the top 5 after a strong performance in qualifying last race, this time getting ahead of Nohda. The rear and mid field get shuffled around a bit, but the IMSA Torana gets pushed to be back, almost 4 seconds behind the second to last place.Let’s direct our attention to the race:
Key
- Lap time = raw lap time in Kee which we call the qualifying time
- Time = time it takes for a car to finish a certain number of laps
The first sprint race of the season has shown us the Borch WSD won’t be dominant every race as Smooth takes its first win of the season after DNFing at Daytona and rising to 2nd at Sebring. The Borch was surprisingly far behind. The usual top 5 competitors make their way up and secure their rightful spots, unfortunately pushing some strong qualifying contenders out of the way like the GBF entry. Some mid field contenders made up positions, but couldn’t catch the leaders. Not a single car DNF’ed or stopped for fuel, only making the racing more pure.
Smooth has taken victory ahead of Borch #1, with nearly 100 seconds separating the pair. Montrouge once again follows the leaders and takes the final spot on the podium, well over a minute behind the leaders. Missing out on the podium and finishing the top 5 are our Nohda and Cavalerra entries in 4th and 5th, separated by about 15 seconds. Beyond that the Stryker car races alone in 6th while the Borch #2 car continues to be a tough car to tame finishing in 7th, beating GBF in 8th and Scarab in 9th. The IMSA Spec Van manages to get their car into the top 10 for the second time this season. The LAM van once again doesn’t make it into the points, after showing signs of improvement at Sebring. The IMSA Torana manages to finish this time, but that ends their luck. They stay in 20th position.
After 3844 seconds @AirJordan has taken victory for the first time this season!
A close battle between the Borch WSD and Smooth cars results in a first victory for the Smooth team. It is clear that Borch have something to worry about now. The top 5 are still fighting for positions, and the battle gets closer every race. What will come in Laguna Seca is still a mystery.
Congrats to @AirJordan, @strop, and @EnryGT5 for finishing on the podium!
3rd best raw time. fuel economy killed it
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