Kohlbecker Takes Controlling Sunday Sonoma Win

Photo: TGRNA

Spike Kohlbecker swept the Toyota GR Cup North America weekend at Sonoma Raceway with a controlling run in Sunday’s round.

The TechSport Racing driver took his No. 15 Toyota GR86 Cup car to a mammoth, in GR Cup standards, 7.217-second win over the No. 2 RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate entry of Will Robusto.

It marked Kohlbecker’s third win of the season, having failed to finish any worse than second after four rounds.

An early race caution, initially for an impact with the barriers for WWEX Group Legends Cup class competitor Patrick Brunson but extended after Massimo Sunseri became stranded on the track’s adjacent drag strip, near the start/finish line, saw the race resume with 30 minutes to go.

Jeremy Fletcher, who started the race second after retiring from Race 1, dropped down the running order again, first getting passed by Robusto on the restart, and then by Max Schweid two laps later.

Fletcher, who appeared to have been battling a tire rub, ultimately finished 11th, outside of the points, in the 27-car field.

Schweid completed the podium, with Garret Manes, in his first GR Cup weekend, scoring an impressive fourth in his Speed Syndicate entry.

Jenson Sofronas completed the top-five, earning his career-best finish in the Toyota single-make series.

Ethan Goulart and Ethan Ayers were sixth and seventh, respectively, ahead of Beltre Curtis in eighth.

Legends Cup honors went to the Livio Galanti in the No. 89 Dream Machine @ Eagles Canyon entry, which finished 18th overall.

RESULTS: Race 2

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