- Hyundai Dominates
- Eric Kunz Claims First TC America Podium
- Provisional Race 2 Results
The Florida sun wasn’t the only thing scorching at Sebring International Raceway, so was Jeff Ricca. Piloting the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, Ricca once again delivered a flawless performance, going flag-to-flag to sweep the weekend and solidify his dominance in TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing.
At the start, Ricca immediately took control of the race, just as he had in Race 1, never putting a wheel wrong despite increasing pressure late in the run. Behind him, Mike Ogren in the No. 07 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S came under early fire from PJ Groenke in the No. 76 Ricca Autosport Hyundai, but Ogren held his ground and soon pulled away to establish a comfortable second-place cushion.
Further back, JMF Motorsports’ Jonathan Neudorf was a man on a mission. Commanding the No. 4 Toyota GR Corolla TC, he made bold moves right from the drop of the green flag, climbing his way up to sixth and putting himself in the thick of the action.
Drama unfolded with 20 minutes remaining when CJ Sepulveda ran wide in his No. 74 Ricca Autosport Hyundai and went off track. Though he rejoined, the incident cost him a few positions and threw him into a fierce mid-pack fight for recovery.
At the same time, an intense battle was brewing for the final podium spot. Eric Kunz, aboard the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai, launched a relentless attack on teammate PJ Groenke. Under pressure, Groenke was forced to defend heavily, but Kunz found his way through, making the move stick and slotting into third.
The fight for fourth wasn’t settled either. Groenke had to contend with the hard-charging Connor Attrell in the No. 75 Hyundai Elantra. With just under 10 minutes remaining, Attrell found a gap and took over fourth place, pushing Groenke back to fifth. Meanwhile, after his earlier off, Sepulveda had clawed his way back into the mix, challenging Groenke for position in the closing laps.
Up front, the closing moments saw Ogren finding pace and cutting into Ricca’s lead, but there wasn’t enough time left to mount a serious challenge. Ricca crossed the line first, sealing a perfect weekend sweep. Ogren secured another strong second-place finish, and Eric Kunz claimed his first-ever TC America podium, bringing home third after a determined and well-fought drive, with Attrell, Sepulveda and Groenke rounding off the top 6.
“I’ve been going over the data constantly,” said Jeff Ricca at the podium celebrations. “ Getting the intake temps down is really important, and being up front definitely helps with that. But getting clean air is absolutely crucial for these motors, any kind of tow just adds heat. So managing all of that while pushing at ten-tenths is key. I think things are only going to get better as the weekend progresses. Race 3 should be pretty exciting!”
Talking about CJ Sepulveda, Jeff Ricca said “He’s a level-headed kid who really understands racing, not just the competition but also the business side of it and how to enjoy the off-track moments. It’s going to be awesome having him on the front row with me. He listens, takes in what I say, and actually applies it on track. That’s rare, and I’m really excited to see what he can do out there.”
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Let’s Get Racing
The TC America powered by Skip Barber field will return to the track for Race 3 on Saturday morning, Saturday May 17th at 11:10 AM ET.
If you can’t make it to Sebring International Raceway, 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 #GTSebring.