Wild Weekend in Austin for GRIDLIFE Touring Cup
Austin, TX -
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) opened its 2021 season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this past weekend, March 5-7th. For the newcomers to GLTC, including previous GRIDLIFE Time Attack record holders Jeremy Swenson and Austin Hertel, as well as 2011 GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter, the goal was simply to learn about their cars and their competitors. But after Saturday morning’s early practice, it was clear that all three were quick studies. Others new to the series included Gary Wimble, Tyler Starr, and Jordan Wallace, who entered their first GLTC rounds at the 3.5 mile, 20-turn road course.
The colorful and diverse GLTC field awaits the command to fire engines and climb up the 133-foot incline to the crest of turn 1 at COTA. Photo by Chris Sullivan.
Austin Hertel and his 2013 Nissan 370Z ran second quickest in practice, with a time of 2:30.177, just six tenths of a second behind last year’s champion, Eric Kutil, who paced practice with a 2:29.544. Kutil, with help of new sponsor Hybrid Racing, spent most of Friday night chasing mechanical issues with a new differential. Later in the day, Kutil would also break a 3rd-gear shift fork and was forced to sit out for the rest of the day while the car was repaired. Qualifying was cut short by a black flag caused by an expiring motor from the #33 Thing 3 Racing MX-5 of Justin Lee. When the black flag lifted, there was only time for one flying lap for the rest of the field. Aaron Leichty’s 2010 Porsche Cayman snagged pole by nearly a second, even with a huge slide coming out of turn 19. Luke McGrew would start alongside him for the first race of the weekend.
The first race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon was also slowed by an early caution - Ben Dozeman’s Acura RSX broke a ball joint in the first sector, sliding to a smokey stop at the apex of the turn 11 hairpin. When the yellow flag lifted, Aaron Leichty drove out to a commanding lead, and brought home his first victory of 2021. Luke McGrew finished second, with Austin Hertel coming home in third in his first-ever race. With three races scheduled for Sunday, the paddock was a busy place with drivers diagnosing electrical and mechanical issues, hoping to sort out the gremlins before morning.
Daybreak on Sunday brought excitement and energy to the paddock - GLTC would be the first grassroots racing series to ever utilize the Formula 1 style lights for a standing start. Spectators lined the fences to watch seventeen cars launch skyward under the gantry and towards the 133-foot climb in turn 1 at COTA. Race two proved to be much more competitive, with a six-car battle for third including Heitkotter, Morrison, Hertel, McGrew, Boysen, and Meadows. Ben Dozeman’s RSX went up in smoke, causing a brief full-course yellow flag that signified the end of the weekend for the #0 car. Eric Kutil’s charge from the rear of the field slid to a stop in the esses after a quarter-mile slide through turn two after a three-wide pass attempt on Austin Hertel and Emile Tabb. A subsequent curb strike would break Kutil’s rear suspension. Jeremy Swenson’s strong early run ended with contact and a tire rub from contact in turn 1 from Emile Tabb, who would go on to finish second. Leichty would again go unchallenged and start from the pole for race 3.
Aaron Leichty and Jeremy Boysen defend a race start into the turn 1 hairpin. Photo by Chris Sullivan.
GLTC race 3 saw Eric Kutil finally podium after starting in the back of the field, clawing through traffic in the fast-paced esses. Bryan Heitkotter and his Chris Forsberg Racing Nissan 370Z battled with Jeremy Boysen, Austin Hertel, and Erik Meadows consistently throughout the 15-minute race, each driver daring the other to brake later into the tight hairpins at COTA. Heitkotter would steal his second fourth-place finish of the weekend as he gained confidence in his 370Z’s brakes. Leichty looked like he would sweep the weekend with a third victory, but he’d start 8th in the final race of the weekend with the field inversion.
The final race of GLTC COTA Special was Kutil’s last chance to kickstart filling out the 2021 wins column, but to do it, he’d have to run down polesitter Jeremy Swenson’s thunderous Corvette. Aaron Leichty finally showed weakness buried in traffic at the start - his 3,000 pound Cayman struggling with the high speed corners compared to the nimble and lighter machines around him. Out front, Swenson’s rear tires began to lose grip. Kutil closed the gap and slid by in the final turn of the circuit at the halfway point of the race. With a weekend of adversity now behind him Eric Kutil would claim his first 2021 victory at Circuit of the Americas, with Austin Hertel picking up another podium in second, and Luke McGrew rebounding from engine issues for third.
Eric Kutil chases down Jeremy Swenson’s Corvette for the race lead through the carousel at COTA in race 4. Photo by Chris Sullivan.
Aaron Leichty’s fourth place finish was his worst of the weekend, but plenty good enough to take home the weekend points victory. His Winning Formula Teammate Emile Tabb’s quiet consistency paid off for 2nd, and Austin Hertel’s fantastic first round brought him a third-place trophy and a huge smile. Even with trials and tribulations at a shakedown weekend for many, GLTC’s COTA Special brought the feel-good attitude and excitement of competition that has become embedded within GRIDLIFE culture. NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, KY, is next on the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup schedule in April.
All GRIDLIFE events will be livestreamed on GRIDLIFE’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and are presented with the support of the GLTC 2021 Season Sponsors: FCP Euro, Valvoline, Advance Auto Parts, MOMO and Hawk Performance.
GLTC COTA SPECIAL WEEKEND RESULTS
POS DRIVER PTS
Aaron Leichty - 91
Emile Tabb - 69
Austin Hertel - 67
Bryan Heitkotter- 60
Luke McGrew - 57
Eric Kutil - 53
Erik Meadows - 52
Joel Morrison - 51
Jeremy Boysen - 50
Jeremy Swenson - 43
Dysen Pham - 40
Nicholas Stentiford - 33
Brian DeFrees - 33
George Koustoumbardis - 26
Jordan Wallace - 15
Adam Jabaay- 10
Ben Dozeman - 10
GLTC COTA SPECIAL RACE RESULTS
GRIDLIFE GLTC COMPETITIVE SCHEDULE 2021