SONOMA, Calif. — The RS1 team of Eric Filguerias and Stevan McAleer (#18 RS1 Porsche) picked up Easter Sunday morning where they had left off the day before atop the winner’s podium as overall champions and class winners in Pirelli GT4 America racing action, completing the weekend sweep at Sonoma Raceway.
McAleer took the first driver’s stint for the session, recording the CrowdStrike Fastest Lap with a time of 1:47.022. Following a smooth pit stop, by the time Filguerias stepped into the driver’s seat, he transitioned the Porsche smoothly back into the lead to finish with a 13.466 second lead over second-place overall finishers Gavin Sanders and Michai Stephens (#34 Conquest Racing/JWF Motorsports Mercedes AMG)
“It’s all of the hard work the RS1 guys put in. He (Stevan) gave me a really great car and a great position. He worked his butt off that first stint to give me the opportunity to just drive it home,” said Filguerias after the win. When asked about the car’s advantage over the field, he said that the Sonoma track has high degradation, and credited the Porsche with being nimble and lighter as opposed to heavier cars running on the track that burns through the tires more quickly.
Coming in third place in the Silver class were Austen Smith and Zac Anderson (#51 Auto Technic Racing BMW). Rounding out the top five in class was the #68 Smooge Racing Toyota followed by the #112 Dexter Racing Toyota.
In the Pro-Am class, the #15 BSport Racing Aston Martin team of Bryan Putt and Kenton Koch also swept their weekend, finishing at the top of the leaderboard and combining their driving efforts for a solid third-place finish overall. “Everybody on this team has a passion, we really care for each other, and we work hard for each other,” said Bryan Putt. “A lot of hard work for a lot of hard hours to even put us in the position to start the car, and to bring it home and win it for the team is really good stuff,” he added.
Co-driver Kenton Koch credited Putt for having one of the best drives of his life. “The level of competition is quite high, there are a lot of people here, and I can’t get over how good this guy (Putt) did! We’re definitely starting this year out strong,” he added proudly.
Following the BSport team in second place was the #50 Chousest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage, and #47 NOLASPORT Porsche in third. Completing the top five in class were the #39 Cameron Racing Mercedes-AMG, and the #120 Premier Racing Team Porsche.
Making a winning debut at Sonoma in the Am class were Ben Anderson and Matt Rivard in the #60 Dexter Racing Ginetta. “The car really worked well on the track and it really lends itself to this style of car. We were able to preserve the tires and get a strong finish even though we started in the back of the class, with patience and consistent driving moving through the field,” said Rivard.
Placing second in the Am class was the #36 BimmerWorld BMW team of Charlie Postins and James Clay (BMW M4 GT4), followed by the #032 GMG Racing Porsche in third, #98 Random Vandals Racing BMW, and #7 NOLASPORT Porsche rounding out the top five.