Road Atlanta Race Recap
For the second round of the 2025 season the week started cold and windy however by Saturday and Sunday it was Braselton Chamber of Commerce weather, sunny and warm. We had almost flawless racing…the way we like it!
A series favorite rivalry in the GT4.R category was renewed between TOM PANK #42 with Ultra Performance based up the way from Road Atlanta in Winder, GA and REG WILLIAMS #008 supported by Goldcrest Motorsports, also based near Road Atlanta in Kennesaw, GA. Tom won the three sprint races trailed closely by Reg in second however the positions were swapped in the 60-minute enduro with Reg and co-driver TOM LONG taking the win.
The largest category of the weekend, GT4.R saw great battles throughout the field. The podium was completed with DAVID TUATY #68, TLM USA (who brought 4 cars to Road Atlanta – five if you count an older BMW they tested in an SVRA Group). Tuaty took third in two of the sprint races and the enduro. LUKAS PANK #40, Ultra Performance grabbed a third in sprint race 3, the highlight to what was a challenging weekend for the younger Pank.
Special thanks goes to JUAN GONZALEZ #81, Car Amigo who finished just off the GT4.R podium all weekend and brought Mission Foods as the title sponsor of the Road Atlanta SpeedTour event. Juan also hosted the International GT social reception on Friday night which was enjoyed by all.
We want to welcome JOHN BOYETTE #911, from the Matrix Motorsports camp to International GT competition, another newcomer to racing. John had a great outing duking it out in arguably the most competitive category all weekend. John was coached by DYLAN MURRY, who at 24-years-old already has a very impressive racing résumé including a Rolex 24 hour win.
Switching things up, the Stuttgart Cup category had it all. Close battles, newcomers and category sweeps. The Cayman 3.8 category saw a clean sweep of victories for STEVEN THOMAS #710 from Pinnacle Motorsports out of Colorado Springs. Steven had coach and co-driver JOHN DEAN along who shared driving duties in the enduro. JOHN INTILE #09 made his International GT debut in the CAY3.8 category in one of the most beautiful liveries we’ve seen! Based in Roswell, GA John’s race prep and track support is from Kingpin Racing which is located just a stone’s throw from Road Atlanta. John took a pair of second place finishes in sprint races 1 and 3 and teamed up with co-driver TYLER HOFFMAN to capture third in the enduro to go with his other third place finish in sprint race 2. The battle between John and RICK MANUS #38, Denton Carden Racing who is also a neighbor to Road Atlanta, was lively throughout the weekend. Rick would take second where John Intile was third and third where John was second.
Sweeping the CAY4.0 category was TOM KIRK #22A, ZOTZ Racing who won all four races. Tom was joined by RON ZITZA as co-driver for Sunday’s enduro. Yet another newcomer to International GT competition, KURT KROPP #641 from Extreme Velocity Motorsports had a great debut with the series taking second in all the races and getting expert advice and tips from coach GRANT MAIMAN.
The GT4.0 wins (but not a complete sweep) went to G. MICHAEL MERRITT #898 who was supported by TLM USA at Road Atlanta, taking the victory in sprint races 2 and 3. Merritt was coached by 19-year-old, up and coming Trans Am star EVAN SLATER, who also co-drove in the enduro. Michael has taken over the championship points lead going into our West Coast swing.
Meanwhile long-time series competitor, MARK SANDRIDGE #58, Team Salad took the wins in sprint race 1 and the enduro. After a challenging opening round at Sebring, Mark moved into fourth in the points championship with this great outing in Round 2 at Road Atlanta.
Our current Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy champion TOMMY BALLESTER #189, TLM USA traded up to a GT4.0 liter car this season and has been learning the ropes with the new ride. We can say indisputably that the champ has found consistency! Tommy finished third in sprint races 1 and 3 and the enduro. He also stepped up on the podium for sprint race 2 finishing second.
Also on the GT4.0 podium was CLIFF CAYER #08, Matrix Motorsports who scored an impressive second place in the third sprint race on Saturday afternoon. Although just off the podium, we’d like to extend a warm welcome to THAD BERGER #60, TLM USA, who made his International GT debut at Road Atlanta and plans to race with us often this season.
In the Mission Foods GT3 Cup 3.8 liter we were all happy to see BRIAN HICKS #22 back in competition after an injury had him sidelined for 2024. Brian took up his winning ways right where he left off! In fact the GT3.8 podium was a carbon copy for all three sprint races with Hicks taking the win and STEVEN DENTON #16 from Denton Carden Racing taking a three-pack of seconds.
Newcomer to International GT, ERIC GRAY #991 supported by Arrive Drive Motorsports took third in all the sprint races in the GT3.8 category. Eric and his son LIAM GRAY shared driving duties (Liam in SVRA Group 10) in the many-time winning race car they recently purchased from Nathan Byrd. We’re excited to have another father/son duo racing in IGT!
Local racer BRIAN NORMAN #41 had a great outing in the GT3.6 category winning two of the sprint races and the enduro. We’re used to seeing Brian racing a stock car for many years and it was good to see him in our most popular German marque, Porsche. In what was a weekend full of sports car racing pros (between coaches and co-drivers) Norman was joined by ANTHONY LAZZARO for the enduro.
Out front we welcomed to the Exhibition category the multi-championship driver MEMO GIDLEY in the SKI Autosport #3 Audi R8. As expected, Memo and the SKI team out-paced the competition taking the overall win in all four races. However, we were also very impressed by newcomer (both to IGT and racing in general) JASON CRAVER #11 piloting a Lamborghini Super Trofeo with support from Kaizen Autosport. Jason showed exceptional skill for such a novice driver and cleanly took second place to Gidley in the Exhibition category in all races on the weekend.
WOODY WHICHARD #212 swapped his Cayman for a GT3 Cup car and took third to Gidley and Craver in the four Exhibition category races. Woody had support from Matrix Motorsports who came to Road Atlanta with four entries total. For Woody it was a good weekend of learning the new car. Additionally, series regular SPENCER PROPPER #91 with Kelly Moss Racing participated in the Exhibition category. Spencer had a new race car (2024 Porsche Cayman GT4) and was working out the bugs with the experts from Kelly Moss.
Thanks to all who came out to Road Atlanta and providing fantastic racing throughout the event! As mentioned, we move from Atlanta across country to races at Sonoma Raceway (April 24-27) and Laguna Seca (May 2-4).
Race Streaming From Road Atlanta
Tune into SpeedTour TV on YouTube, Saturday’s afternoon sprint race starts around the 4:14 mark. On Sunday International GT is the first race. Click on the in-car from David Tuaty’s car to watch the coverage.
Lime Rock Race Returns to Memorial Day
2025 Schedule
Official Series Photographer Chris Green
Chris Green is the official photographer for International GT. Chris is at all IGT races and does a fantastic job of covering our events. We encourage all competitors to reach out to him to see his beautiful images of your race car after every event. Or you can get with Chris and go over your photography needs prior to the events. Click on the photo to link to his website.
Marketplace
Do you have something to sell, looking for something to purchase, a service to provide? Use our Marketplace to promote your race car, transporter or equipment. It’s free to International GT participants. Contact Julie@internationalGT.net or call (770)380-7770
Pirelli Tire Orders
We are proud to partner with Pirelli Tires as the exclusive provider to all International GT events. All Pirelli tire orders for IGT events must be placed with Frisby Tires. Frisby is at track at all IGT events to service our participants.
Click on the tire photo to link to the Frisby site for IGT orders or call (800)373-7390.