Gidley Dominates Saturday at Road America
Memo Gidley is absolutely tearing up the GT America series. He just grabbed his eighth win in nine races this season. Driving the No. 56 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II for SKI Autosports, Gidley was the first car across the finish line at Road America. He beat Tony Davis by 2.351 seconds. Davis was behind the wheel of the No. 04 Ferrari 296 GT3 for HP-TECH Motorsport. Even though Davis pushed hard late in the race and set the fastest lap, Gidley held the line to take the victory.
This win locks Gidley in as the clear leader in the points standings. He’s been calling the shots for most of the season. According to Sportscar365, he snagged the overall pole position earlier that day with a lap time of 2:06.428. That run was 0.305 seconds quicker than Davis. Even though Gidley races in the SRO3 class, he’s still beating everyone else on track. His crew has done a phenomenal job dialing in the car for these long stints.
Top Finishers and Hard-Fought Battles
Behind the leader, the race featured some gritty moves. Lawrence Tomlinson was behind the wheel of the Team LNT Ginetta G56 GT2. He started fourth but had to grid behind the SRO3 class due to regulations. Tomlinson charged through the pack and moved into third by Lap 5. He finished with a season-best third place result. To hold that spot, he overtook Scott Blind while climbing the hill. Blind was driving the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo for Ruckus Racing. Kyle Washington, in the No. 32 Porsche from GMG Racing, took fifth.
Ross Chouest had a messy start but fought back admirably. He stalled his No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R on the grid and had to start from the rear. He worked his way up to sixth by the checkered flag. Chouest passed Mirco Schultis with 16 minutes left on the clock. Schultis finished seventh in his Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R. Maro Muzzo came in eighth. David Musial Sr. finished ninth after an early spin. Tony Ferraro took tenth despite a three-position grid penalty. David Lecko finished the 40-minute contest in a spare Team LNT Ginetta GTP8 chassis. Craig Lumsden brought up the rear in a BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
Why Consistency Wins Championships
What makes Gidley so tough to beat right now? It’s his ability to stay calm when the pressure mounts. Plenty of drivers slip up when they try to push too hard. Gidley just puts the car on the asphalt and drives clean laps. He qualified on pole and then led the race. That requires serious skill. Davis tried to make a move late, but Gidley was ready for it. The gap of 2.351 seconds proves Gidley was never in real danger. He dictates the pace of the race.
Tomlinson deserves serious credit for his drive too. He started outside the front row because of class rules. Yet he still found a way to get on the podium. That proves the value of a solid car and a smart driver. The field is deep this year. Drivers like Blind and Chouest are tough competitors. But Gidley seems to have the edge on setup and strategy. His team knows how to prep the Audi for these specific tracks. They hit the track fast every single time.
This win puts more heat on the rest of the field. Gidley has won eight of nine races. That is a massive margin. Other teams need to figure out how to close the gap. They can’t just hope for a mistake. They have to outdrive Gidley on a good day. It’s going to be a long season for anyone chasing him. The points lead grows every week. Consistency is the key to winning titles in this sport.
The weekend isn’t over yet. Another race is coming up very soon. Race 2 of the weekend is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. CST. Fans can watch the live coverage on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.