SCCA Pro Racing

Like Dubai before it, the Circuit of the Americas is becoming one of the most popular, and significant, races on the 24H SERIES calendar. We find out why with some of our North American entrants.
 
 
It’s no hyperbole to say that the Hankook 24H COTA USA is fast-establishing itself as one of the 24H SERIES’ ‘can’t miss’ events. Sure, the appeal of Sixth Street has a lot to do with that – what happens on ‘Dirty 6th’ stays on ‘Dirty 6th’, etc – but there is slightly more to it than that.
 
Did you know, for instance, that ‘991’, ‘GT4’ AND ‘TCR’ all boast record category sizes for 2019? And that, even two months before go-time, provisional entry numbers had already surpassed those of the 2017 and 2018 editions? Like Dubai before it, the Circuit of the Americas has clearly struck a nerve with competitors.
 
An increasingly impressive ‘Who’s Who?’ of European competitors helps considerably, with endurance racing stalwarts like Car Collection Motorsport, Bas Koeten Racing, Black Falcon and Herberth Motorsport entering all three of COTA’s 24H SERIES events thus far. Let’s also not forget that the event already boasts Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, Freddy ‘son of 1976 Formula 1 champion James and Le Mans aspirant’ Hunt, Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer, and The Great British Bake Off's Paul Hollywood as alumni.
 
Just as significant though is the influx of North American competitors, which continues to grow each year: in 2017, four of the cars on the grid were American-based, less than a quarter of this year’s provisional total. Certainly the challenge of racing for 24 hours around the home of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, a regular haunt for many North American and GT4 competitors, is a selling point in itself.
 
“COTA is my home track being that I live in Texas,” explains Bryce Ward, patriarch of Winward Racing and who makes his second Hankook 24H COTA USA start this year. “It is a super track with a very challenging rhythm section from turns three through nine. It’s also great for a 24-hour race because there are some long straights that allow you to sit back and enjoy the race, and perhaps put in a double stint.”
 
“In my view, COTA is very different from most other North American circuits,” explains Matt Travis, who, together with NOLASPORT teammates Mike Vess and Jason Hart, are undefeated at the event. “The generous runoff is really nice for multi-class racing, as it gives you a bit of extra margin when traffic gets intense. Turns two through to nine are always challenging to hold full throttle, particularly on an outlap or towards the end of a tire stint. It’s a great challenge.”
 
“Austin is on the edge of the Hill Country of Texas, and the track is a microcosm of that,” continues Daren Jorgensen, whose RHC Jorgensen/Strom outfit secured 3rd in-class last year. “There are significant elevation changes, long straights, and very slow hairpins. On the first drive it doesn’t feel like a technical track, but it really is, and requires patience to attain any level of mastery and speed. Turns one through 11 include all of that elevation with high-speed Esses. It is where all of the time is lost if you aren’t precise and fully committed.”
 
That the Circuit of the Americas has the requisite competitive chops is probably beyond issue at this point. Ditto the event’s overnight ‘intervention’, a defining trait of the race rarely seen with other US endurance racing programs. But another proven commodity, if you’ll forgive our shameless plug, is the depth of competition within each 24H SERIES race, and the ‘friendly rivalries’ this develops…
 
“The 24H SERIES puts the FUN back into racing,” explains Texas’ own Ben Keating, a former Le Mans podium finisher who’s competing in his third Hankook 24H COTA USA with Black Falcon. “This series is not there for the manufacturers, or the television, or any other side-political motive. It is there for the competitors. It is there for the teams and the drivers, and [CREVENTIC] cares about having a great, extremely well-run event. Compared to lots of other 24-hour endurance races, the fun-per-dollar ratio is really, really good here.”
 
“In an interesting turn of events,” continues Jon Miller, who makes his second event start this year, “the other BMW team that I drive for in the GT4 America series – ST Racing – has also entered a car. That means I'll be racing against my season-long crew, my co-driver and my teammates, so there will be a little friendly rivalry going on! Last year, it was an honor to be a part of the LightSpeed Racing SCG003 Glickenhaus team, but it was a heart breaker for sure when the car suffered a terminal gearbox failure. Ironically, the LightSpeed garage was adjacent to my RHC Jorgensen/Strom friends, so I moved over to support them once we retired!”
 
For some, the really charm of the Hankook 24H COTA USA is the challenge it provides and the competition it welcomes. For others, it’s a championship decider a full year in the making. A true ‘can’t miss.’
“Finishing 2nd has been good but Sorg Rennsport is one of the top teams on the grid, and I know we can win it,” explains Simon Tibbett, who goes into his ‘home race’ in contention for a 24H SERIES Continents title. “Standing on the top step is the ultimate goal and means the world to me. It's what this season has been about and every single lap has to count. We won't be there to play around.”