The TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School championship kicked off the race weekend action at Barber Motorsports Park with a busy opening practice session as part of the UAB Medicine GT World Alabama benefiting Teal Wings of Hope event.
The return of the Hyundai N Trophy Cup added further intrigue, with three races on the schedule for the penultimate rounds of the season. From the outset, it was clear the Hyundais came to play, but Toyota wasted no time inserting themselves into the fight near the halfway mark.
At the top of the timesheets, it was Jeff Ricca who once again proved to be the man to beat. Driving the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, Ricca carried his momentum from Road America into Barber, where he remained at the sharp end for most of the session. On his final lap, Ricca posted a 1:36.293, securing the fastest time of the morning and setting the early benchmark.
Challenging Ricca was Jonathan Neudorf in the No. 4 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC, who came close to unseating the Hyundai driver but ultimately settled for second. Completing the Ricca Autosport sandwich, PJ Groenke clocked the third-quickest time aboard the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TC, keeping the team firmly in the spotlight.
Antonio Constantino ensured Toyota’s strong showing continued, slotting into fourth in the No. 3 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC, while Eric Kunz rounded out the top five with a strong performance in the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai.
With Hyundais and Toyotas already locked in a tight duel, Practice 1 hinted at the battles still to come.
Let’s Get Racing
The TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School field will return to the track for Practice 2 Thursday, September 4th at 3:30 PM CT.
If you can’t make it to Barber Motorsports Park, 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 #GTBHM.