Wright Motorsports' Snow, Kuhlman and Baker

Record Podium Finishes at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y., June 30 - Young Madison Snow of Snow Racing/Wright Motorsports continued his impressive showings in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama over the weekend by establishing a new track record for the series at Watkins Glen International and then finishing on the podium in both 45-minute races Saturday and Sunday.

Seventeen-year-old Snow, of Lehi, Utah, is the youngest driver in the series. He finished third on Saturday and second on Sunday. After the points he earned were tabulated he's currently second in the overall point standings, just four points out of first, with his UIS Porsche.

Kasey Kuhlman of Cincinnati, whose car is also prepared by Batavia, Ohio-based Wright Motorsports, also had a great weekend. He won the Masters division on Saturday and finished second in that class on Sunday to record two podium finishes too with his Kuhlsports-sponsored Porsche. He was tenth overall on Saturday and eighth overall on Sunday. 

Another Wright Motorsports driver, John Baker of New York City, had two podium finishes in the Masters division at Watkins Glen too with two thirds. He was 13th overall on Saturday and tenth overall on Sunday.

A fourth Wright Motorsports driver, John Ellis of Charlottesville, Va., improved his lap times and was rewarded with an 18th-place finish on Saturday and a 16th-place finish on Sunday with the SageWater Porsche.

Snow's new track record to earn the BBS Pole was his seventh of nine laps in the Friday afternoon session was the one that will go down in the record books: 2:16.018 for an average speed of 89.988 miles per hour. That was 0.424 of a second faster than anyone else's best lap in qualifying. It was his fourth pole this year.

Snow led the first five laps of Saturday's race, which was the 100th race in the series' history. Ashley Freiberg got by to lead lap six and then Angel Benitez Jr. passed her on lap 14 enroute to the victory. Snow finished third, 0.758 of a second ahead of Michael Mills. He set the third-fastest lap of the race with a 1:56.074 (105.450 mph).

Kuhlman won the pole for the Masters division for Saturday's race and he stayed in front of his fellow class competitors for all 24 trips around the 3.4-mile, 11-turn long course. 

 

"After two days of practice in the wet, a dry race was a pleasant surprise," Kuhlman said. Starting P11 was a challenge after a less than stellar qualifying effort in heavy rains. The car came to me throughout the run and I was as fast as the leaders at the end, so I feel good about the race. Winning the Masters class again was fun for the team."

Baker had to go on the defense at the end but he successfully fought off Anthony Mantella to nail down third in class. Ellis had a battle with both Tom Haacker and Amadeo Quiros but he brought his car home in one piece too.

Snow started second on Sunday, but Freiberg got the jump at the start and led every lap. There was a full-course caution with three laps down, but Freiberg was up to all challenges on Sunday. She became the first woman to win an IMSA GT3 Cup race overall, although Snow's mother, Melanie Snow, won many Gold Cup races and was that division's champion in 2009.

Her son ended up playing defense again the advances of Sloan Urry on Sunday, but he was 0.499 of a second ahead of Urry at the checkered flag. 

"I had a better race Sunday than Saturday," Madison Snow said. "Both races were very uneventful for me. On Saturday I got passed on the start and then left and had nothing for them. On Sunday I was much better off. I stayed close to the leader and at the end Sloan started catching me from a ways back and got close, but still not close enough to make a move. It was a great weekend with great finishes. I wish I could have done better but it's great for the championship points."

Kuhlman had another battle with Mantella on Sunday but he was 1.657 ahead of him at the end. Baker's main competition on Sunday was Peter Collins, while Ellis swapped positions with Quiros and John Goetz.

Snow Racing/Wright Motorsports also fielded a UIS Porsche for Snow, Andrew Davis and Jan Haylen to drive in the Six Hours of the Glen Rolex Series race on Sunday. Davis recorded the best qualifying result for Porsche to earn the sixth starting spot in the GT division, but the car was forced to retire early due to rare engine problems.

Davis and Snow finished ninth in the GT division in the Diamond Cellar Classic Grand-Am Rolex Series race earlier in June at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.