QRT Charlotte: QRT Returns To The Roval...

Late May, 2023 - the penultimate round of the GT3/GT4 Battle Tour heads to Charlotte Roval with only three GT4's showing up - drastically changing the championship outcome - with all three attendees getting a 50+ point bonus to their championship campaign...

Just over a month later and in a with a new championship (GT3 VS LMDH) they return for another night of Charlotte Carnage...

In terms of attendees - Charlotte once again proved to be an unpopular track for many

Okayama (R1): 23

Laguna Seca (R2): 15

Charlotte Roval (R3): 10

Of these 10, 9 were GT3's, with just the one, soul LMDH of Sjöberg.

Qualifying

Back in May, I qualified on pole position for the GT4 class - did I have such luck here?

Not quite - although I made up a single position from the practice session - finishing 6th in practice, and qualifying in 5th (3rd row) for the race - unsurprisingly my best of the season.

The grid for the race would be

LMDH

1st - Sjöberg (Cadillac) (Aspire Racing Team)

GT3

1st - Baulcomb (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Aspire Racing Team)

2nd - Guérout (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Race Spirit Team)

3rd - Dahlgren (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Aspire Racing Team)

4th - Truswell (Ferrari 488 GT3) (Kabort Motorsport)

5th - Dormand (Mercedes AMG GT GT3) (Privateer)

6th - Van Bakel (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Aspire Racing Team)

7th - Storey (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Privateer)

8th - Vue (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Race Spirit Team)

9th - Pink (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Aspire Racing Team)

The Race

Surprisingly for Charlotte, the start was impeccably clean - and I only dropped to 6th after losing a position to the fast- starting Vue.

Only on Lap 6 would the Top 5 see a major shake-up as the leaders of the GT3 class (Baulcomb and Vue) would collide - sending both tumbling down the order.

Truswell would re-enter the Top 5 and stay there for 20 laps.

There was a lot of attrition in the Top 5 - Vue went from 4th on Lap 6 (after his contact) to 2nd - and leading the GT3 Class.

Dahlgren remained in 3rd and Guérout went from 2nd to 4th (3rd in GT3).

Starting lap 28, a rapid Storey overtook Truswell for 5th - making it an all-Porsche Top 5 (in GT3 class).

After 38 laps of surprisingly calm running - here were the finishing results

LMDH

1st - Sjöberg (Cadillac) (Aspire Racing Team) (6x) (Incidents)(40 L) (Laps)

GT3

1st - Dahlgren (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Aspire Racing Team) (37 L) 2nd - Vue (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Race Spirit Team) (37 L) (From 8th)

3rd - Guérout (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Race Spirit Team) (37 L)

4th - Storey (Porsche 911 GT3 R) (Privateer) (37 L)

5th - Truswell (Ferrari 488 GT3) (Kabort Motorsport (37 L)*

6th - Dormand (Mercedes AMG GT GT3) (Privateer) (36 L)

7th - Pink (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Aspire Racing Team (36 L)

8th - Van Bakel (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Aspire Racing Team (35 L)

9th - Baulcomb (Porsche 911 GT3 R) Aspire Racing Team - DNF

*Crashed on final lap

So not quite as mad as last time at Charlotte - but some good points on the table from 13th in the Championship standings for Truswell.

More importantly though - it was a win for both Dahlgren and Sjöberg - and also a double podium for Race Spirit Team who managed to get both of their entries on the podium - amazing effort for them.