Elkhart Lake, Wisc. (8 May 2021) – Round 3 Racing (R3R) raced to podium finishes with two of the team’s four entries in Saturday’s World Racing League (WRL) race at Road America with runner-up results in both the GP2 and GP3 classes. The race finish marked the second consecutive double podium weekend for the Joilet, Illinois-based team.
The team will look for even more success in Sunday’s eight hour endurance race for the second half of the doubleheader event weekend at the legendary Wisconsin circuit.
No. 601 Team Sentinel Porsche Boxster
The Team Sentinel driver lineup of Hannah Grisham, Shea Holbrook and Christian Maloof teamed to drive to a hard fought second-place result in the GP2 class.
Maloof took the green flag from third where he quickly began laying down fast laps with his fastest lap of the race of 2:38.092-seconds coming on Lap 53. 10 laps later, Maloof brought the Porsche Boxster to pit lane to hand over control to Grisham.
Grisham, Holbrook and Maloof combined to manage both the challenges in traffic with the multi-class field and the overall fuel consumption for 124 laps before Holbrook took the closing stint. Holbrook took over the GP2 lead on Lap 147 before a late race penalty was issued moving the No. 601 back into second.
“I had a lot of confidence heading into my final stint knowing we had a strong car,” said Holbrook. “Our target was to find lap time today so we could know what we needed to keep our position. With a super reliable and predictable car we know what we have. We delivered results but being so close to a win gives us a taste of what we can do and use that to get the win tomorrow.”
No. 605 Hagerty Drivers Club Porsche Boxster
The No. 605 Hagerty Drivers Club Porsche Boxster of Cole Loftsgard, Carter Pease, Dennis Neel and Jim Ptak continued their podium streak with a second-place finish in the GP3 class.
Starting just off GP3 class pole in second, Loftsgard started the eight-hour race in the No. 605 Porsche where he quickly took over first place. Consistent lap times allowed Loftsgard to settle into an impressive race pace as he grew the gap to the field to over one lap.
Ptak and Neel continued the consistency familiar with the No. 605 working at maintaining the lead. Pease was slated for the final stint closing out the opening race of the weekend.
Unfortunately, an untimely ball joint failure forced the No. 605 Hagerty Drivers Club machine to pit lane for repairs. The Round 3 Racing squad hustled to make the repairs and have the car safely back in action quickly enough to maintain the team’s podium threat. Pease returned to the course in third on Lap 118 and began working back toward the leaders of the GP3 class.
Making the move back into second, Pease brought the Porsche Boxster to pit lane on Lap 146 for a final splash of fuel. The No. 605 Hagerty Drivers Club Porsche Boxster took the checkered flag in second.
“It is a great day with a great result for the No. 605 and the Round 3 Racing team,” said Loftsgard. “Having four competitive drivers who all have consistent pace makes this driver lineup dominant. To just get to this point in my career has required so much sacrifice to even make it to the track. To get to a podium requires so much work by drivers, crew and the entire team and I am thrilled to be a part of it and this team.”
No. 702 Team Hagerty Porsche Cayman
Racing in the top GTO class, Sarah Montgomery, Buz McCall and Brad McCall combined to wheel the No. 702 Team Hagerty Porsche Cayman.
Taking the opening stint, Montgomery crossed the start line in third but quickly went to work moving through traffic to take over the overall lead by lap 15.
Following the only full-course yellow period of the day, the No. 702 received a two-lap penalty for passing the pace car during the yellow. The penalty was frustrating, as Montgomery passed the pace car after getting the wave around by the race officials.
Adversity continued as a broken splitter required an unplanned pit stop on Lap 59.
The Hagerty driver trio never faltered as they returned to the top ten on Lap 147 where they stayed for the remaining 15 laps. The No. 702 Team Hagerty Porsche Cayman completed the day in ninth place.
“It was a lot of fun out there today,” said Buz McCall. “We got handed a penalty that slowed our progress a bit but that is just a part of racing. We will take what we learned today and regroup so we can come back tomorrow fighting for a win.”
Montgomery set the fastest lap of the race through the midpoint of the event, giving the team additional optimism ahead of Sunday’s race.
No. 701 Team Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman
Making the switch to the GP1 class, R3R received the Porsche Cayman just days before the weekend at Road America. Loni Unser, Mike GIlbert and Mo Dadkhah saw limited track time Friday and Saturday as the crew worked methodically to complete the set-up.
The No. 701 completed 83 laps without a working ABS (Automatic Brake System) before finishing 14th.
“The Round 3 Racing crew have put in a remarkable effort to get the new No. 701 just a few days ago and be on track this weekend,” said Mo Dadkhah. “The Cayman is fast and with the proper set-up we will be dominant in the GP1 class. The weekend at Road America has turned into a set-up weekend that we are utilizing the track time in order to prepare for the rest of the season. Tomorrow we will have more to work with and I am enjoying my time with the team at my home track.”
Round 3 Racing will have another chance at victory at Road America tomorrow Sunday, May 9th as the World Racing League hosts Race Two. The green flag for eight more hours of racing will fly at 8AM CT with live streaming available at youtube.com/racewrl.
