Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports Will Field the No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO
By Mark Robinson
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports announced Saturday plans to make its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in next week’s IMSA WeatherTech 240 at The Glen. The team’s No. 32 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO will be driven by Guy Cosmo and Shane Lewis.
Gilbert Korthoff has previous IMSA experience that includes winning runs in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) competition. The GTD program marks a significant new commitment from the group to step up to the top level of IMSA competition, with an eye toward a full-season effort in 2022.
The team already has completed a pair of on-track tests with Cosmo and Lewis to build team familiarity.
Experienced race engineer Mike Wright will lead the engineering side, with the team managed by Florida stunt man Henry Gilbert, who has decades of experience in the sport.
Lewis will make his first WeatherTech Championship appearance since 2015 but has amassed three wins in 144 previous starts. He has been racing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in Europe since last year.
“I’m looking forward to returning to IMSA and being a part of this Gilbert Korthoff program,” Lewis said. “I’ve got a lot of miles racing the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO and it is an outstanding platform, so I am eager to put my experience to work. Henry (Gilbert) and Herb (Korthoff) are building a top-flight program, very calculated step by step to put us in a competitive position. I am also thrilled to race with Guy, and this first outing at the Glen should be very productive for us to continue to build on.”
Cosmo has four victories in 110 starts. He was part of the Performance Tech Motorsports Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) entry that finished second last November at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts.
“I am thrilled to be continuing my relationship with Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing,” said Cosmo. “We’ve had very limited running of the car so far, but the AMG GT3 is absolutely phenomenal to drive and I’m looking forward to getting to work in this finely-crafted machine.
“We are excited about the opportunity but remain very realistic about how much this program is still in its infancy and just how competitive the IMSA GTD field is. Shane and I have been great friends, co-workers and competitors since I first relocated to Florida in 2003, so it is very cool to be working with him again as we build this team for the future.”
Van Berlo’s Daring Pass Completes Porsche Carrera Cup Sweep at Watkins Glen
Kay van Berlo pulled off a dramatic final-lap pass for the lead and went on to win Saturday’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Watkins Glen International and complete a weekend sweep.
Trailing Kelly-Moss Road and Race teammate Seb Priaulx throughout the 45-minute race, van Berlo completed a bump-and-run pass on Priaulx in the Bus Stop chicane and drove on to victory by 1.481 seconds in the No. 3 Kelly-Moss Porsche 991 GT3 Cup type 992 car. Priaulx finished second in the No. 15 Kelly-Moss entry, just ahead of Leh Keen in the No. 12 311RS Motorsport Porsche.
The two-win weekend allowed van Berlo to leapfrog Priaulx in the point standings. The Dutch driver has a 10-point lead after six of 16 races in the IMSA-sanctioned series that debuted in North America this year.
Alan Metni (No. 99 iFly/Kelly-Moss Porsche) won in the Am class for the fifth time in 2021, by 3.487 seconds over Efrin Castro (No. 65 Team Hardpoint EBM), the class winner in Friday’s race.
In the Pro-Am 991 class for cars running the older specification type 991.2, Jeffrey Majkrzak (No. 29 Goldcrest Motorsports) finished off his own weekend sweep of wins, taking the checkered flag by 12.702 seconds over Kurt Hunt (No. 24 ACI Motorsports).
The next doubleheader round for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America takes place Aug. 6-8 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.