- Ricca Autosport Secures Stellar Race 1 Win
- Hyundai and Acura Fill the Podium
- Race 1 Results
A little Texas rain wasn’t enough to dampen the action as TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School drivers took the green for Race 1 at Circuit of The Americas this Friday evening. After a brief weather delay, the field launched into a thrilling 25-minute sprint, with battles up and down the order despite the slick and ever-changing conditions.
Pole-sitter Gyumin Kim wasted no time asserting control, getting a clean launch into Turn 1 aboard his No. 74 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO. From there, the Korean driver never looked back, setting the fastest lap of the race and delivering a commanding drive to secure his maiden TC America victory.
Behind him, Jeff Ricca, in the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, and Michael Garcia, commanding the No.07 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S, provided plenty of fireworks. Ricca defended hard against Garcia in the early laps, while PJ Groenke muscled his way into third with a well-timed move in his No. 76 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, only for Garcia to fight back and reclaim the podium position after an intense wheel-to-wheel battle.
Further down the field, Jonathan Neudorf in the No. 4 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC earned "Hard Charger" honors, having gained three positions during the race.
After crossing the line victorious, an elated Gyumin Kim reflected on his journey to the top step of the podium.
“I was at home in Korea practicing on the simulator to prepare for this race at COTA,” first-time winner Kim shared. “I just tried to do my best. Jeff had a great pace, and it was amazing to race against him. I’m so thankful to Hyundai for this opportunity at such a wonderful track, and to my crew at Genracer and Ricca Autosport, they are the best and they build the best racecars!”
With momentum firmly on his side, Gyumin Kim will start from pole position once again for Race 2, as the TC America field gears up for another battle at the world-famous Circuit of The Americas.
Let’s Get Racing
The TC America powered by Skip Barber field will return to the track for Race 2 on Saturday morning, April 26th at 10:40 AM CT.
If you can’t make it to Circuit of The Americas, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTCOTA.