Team
GenRacer heads to the Badger State for a battle at Road America
GenRacer
heads north next week to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for Rounds 9 and 10 of the SRO
TC America Season. Always a driver
favorite on the calendar, Road America is another high-speed circuit with two
very long straights, elevation change and one of the highest apex-speed corners
in the United States, "The Kink.”
Coming off of two hard-fought double-podium finishes at VIR and Watkins
Glen, the team is still looking for that first win of the season with their Liqui-Moly
XClutch Hyundai Veloster N’s as they continue a bid for the manufacturer
championship.
August 7, 2022 — Milford, CT
GenRacer comes in to Road America
with 4 straight driver podium finishesRoad America is a favorite amongst
both team drivers and may prove another good layout for the Veloster NTeam
GenRacer is heading to Road America with the momentum of 4 straight podium
finishes in consecutive rounds. Driver
Jeff Ricca took a double podium finish at VIR, while teammate Nick Barbato took
a double podium finish at Watkins Glen after qualifying on outside pole for the
second race weekend in a row, less than 2 tenths behind the rival Mini Cooper,
the teams best qualifying result of the season.
The team believes the circuit layout and continued setup development may
give the team a fighting chance to earn its first win of the season. Nick and Jeff shared their perspectives on
the coming race weekend.
Nick Barbato (#88 XClutch GenRacer Hyundai Veloster N): "I’m feeling confident
coming off of my best weekend of the season at Watkins Glen, scoring a 3rd and
2nd place double podium finish and nearly grabbing my first qualifying pole
position of the year. The raw pace of
the car was the strongest it has been relative to our rivals, another step
forward for the team and more proof that our hard work is paying off. We will not be satisfied until we are
winning, so we will continue to keep our heads down on setup development and I
will continue to focus on extracting 100% out of the car with my driving. The higher cornering speeds at the Glen proved
to be a better match for my cars gearing, although my top speed performance is
still suffering relative to my competitors.
With the longest straights of the season at Road America, that may not
bode well for us but we will give it everything we can and see how it shakes
out on race day. I love driving here and
have very fond memories of this track as well, making my professional debut
here back in 2017 in Pirelli World Challenge TC with the GenRacer Genesis Coupe. I lead the race "flag to flag" for
nearly 45 minutes and was set to take the race win by 10 seconds, but I'm
haunted by the bitter memory of running out of gas on the last lap. That's one race I'm hoping to get
back..."Jeff Ricca (#78 Liqui Moly Hyundai Veloster N TC)
“I
have some good runs at Road America and look forward to this event every year.
This circuit is one of my favorite in the USA and believe we have a strong car
to contend for a win. Last year we had two second place finishes and learned a
lot about our setup for that track. This year should be very exciting for us.”
The GenRacer Veloster N’s are are
hungry for a winThe race
weekend begins Friday, August 19th for practice, qualifying and 2 sprint
races. Be sure to check out all of the
on-track action on YouTube at the
SRO by GT World Channel as well as other online and broadcast TV
channels! The full 2022 season schedule
and other details can be found on the
SRO TC America WebsiteAnd don’t
forget to follow the team on Instagram for more tech info, crew and race
content and driver and team insights this season: @GenRacer_Crew, @Jeff.Ricca and
@NicholasBarbato
We hope
you join us and see you at Road America!
-GenRacer
Crew
