Murillo Mercedes Wins Shortened GT4 SprintX Race 2

Photo: Gavin Baker/SRO

Matt Fassnacht and Christian Szymczak have claimed overall victory in Sunday’s Pirelli GT4 America SprintX round at Watkins Glen International, which was shortened due to required barrier repairs.

Fassnacht emerged as the leader of the scheduled 60-minute race following the mid-race pit stop when problems struck the No. 24 Ian Lacy Racing Ford Mustang GT4 of Karl Wittmer.

It came moments after the No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR of Jan Heylen crashed out of the lead at the time.

Heylen got around pole-sitter Wittmer for the lead on Lap 8 after a fierce early race battle between the two cars, which held advantages at different parts of the 3.4-mile circuit.

A heavy two-car accident between the No. 46 NOLASPORT Porsche and Randy Mueller’s No. 3 Epic Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 resulted in a full-course caution with 23 minutes to go.

While both drivers climbed from their cars and were cleaned up, damage to the barriers resulted in SRO Motorsports America officials calling the race 10 minutes early.

Fasnacht and Szymczak also picked up GT4 East Am class honors with the overall win, with the No. 77 Park Place Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport of Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman finishing 2nd overall and first in the GT4 East Pro-Am class.

The VOLT-sponsored Porsche took on two new left-side Pirelli tires during its pit stop, in a tactical move that did not ultimately play out due to the race ending under yellow.

Race 1 overall winners Sean Quinlan and Gregory Liefooghe finished third, picking up the class win in GT4 SprintX Pro-Am in their Stephen Cameron Racing BMW, while the No. 29 Classic BMW was classified in fourth.

GT4 SprintX Am honors, meanwhile, went to the No. 51 Panoz Avezzano GT4 of Preston Calvert and Matt Keegan.

RESULTS: Race 2 (GT4 East)
RESULTS: Race 2 (SprintX)

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John