- Jeff Ricca Goes Back to Back at Sonoma
- Ricca Autosport Occupies Entire Top 5
- Race 2 Results
The TC America powered by Skip Barber field wrapped up their time at Sonoma Raceway with another 25-minute sprint race under the afternoon sun, and it was a picture perfect Saturday for the Ricca Autosport team.
As the green flag waved, yesterday’s winner Jeff Ricca got a perfect getaway on board his No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC. With a clear track ahead of him, it did not take him long to speed away and build a gap to the rest of the pack.
After setting the second-quickest lap in Race 1 the day prior, CJ Sepulveda started alongside Ricca on the front row, and maintained second place in his No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO. He came under threat on numerous occasions from fellow Ricca Autosport teammate PJ Groenke in the No. 77 entry, but the two kept it clean and stayed out of trouble as they navigated the winding turns of Sonoma.
A little further behind, there was another teammate battle emerging between the No. 3 and No. 4 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC entries of Antonio Costantino and Jonathan Neudorf, providing an entertaining back-and-forth at the halfway mark.
In the end, Jeff Ricca went on to scoop up his second win of the weekend, starting off his 2025 season in perfect fashion. Sepulveda and Groenk ran nose to tail, finishing in second and third, completing a clean sweep of the podium.
“I was kind of out on my own, but we’re walking away with a lot of good data,” said Jeff Ricca post-victory. “We can use that as we look ahead to COTA. I’m really excited to see Toyota out here, and I feel like they're going to be a top contender throughout the season. I’m thrilled for the Ricca Autosport team, we swept the weekend and we’re on top going into the next round.”
When reflecting on his debut weekend in TC America, CJ Sepulveda expressed; “There are no words to explain this feeling. Getting two podiums on my first time in the series, how do you even top this? The best thing about it is that I'm representing my home country, Puerto Rico. I’ve got my family with me, and they have supported me every day since the beginning. This has been an incredible experience. Best weekend of my life so far! Thank you to my sponsors that helped me get here.”
“ This is not my best track, but I absolutely love Sonoma Raceway,” added PJ Groenke. “This was a really good and solid first race weekend in the Hyundai. The car's absolutely amazing, and the brand is absolutely amazing. I had a wicked battle with CJ, and although I was stronger than him at some points, I wasn't gonna do anything risky in the second race of the season. Right now it's just about gathering points and waiting to get to my stronger tracks.”
Up Next
The TC America powered by Skip Barber field will return for the third and fourth rounds of the season at Circuit of The Americas from April 25th to 27th, 2025.