All Shift Up Now Athletes finish in the top 10
Six Shift Up Now Athletes earned top-ten finishes in their classes for a momentous World Racing League endurance race on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at Daytona International Speedway.
Hannah Grisham returned to Round 3 Racing for the first of three races this season, and took home a podium finish. Driving the No. 605 Hagerty Driver’s Club Porsche Boxter in the GP3 class, Grisham and teammates started the 14-hour race from the P2 spot.
Grisham drove the second stint after teammate Dennis Neel, and before the race’s first lightening delay approximately five hours in. After the delay, Round 3 Racing team owner Buz McCall kept the car in the top five during his stint between lightening delays, and teammate Carter Pease drove the final stint to cross the finish line in second place.
“It was great to be back in a car this weekend at Daytona, and to be reunited with the whole Round 3 Racing team,” said Grisham. “We had a small mechanical issue during the race that caused us to fall back to sixth place. That, along with two long lighting delays cut our ability to make up lost time. My teammates put in some really great runs in the rain to close out the race and we were able to secure a second-place finish.
“Thank you to the whole team for their relentless efforts all weekend. I’m so thankful to Shift Up Now for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to driving the Hagerty Driver’s Club Boxster in a month at Road Atlanta.”
Also making a return to Round 3 Racing was Shea Holbrook, filling in for Loni Unser, who spent the weekend completing her Pike’s Peak Rookie Orientation.
Driving the No. 701 Team Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman, Holbrook and teammates started P2 in the GP1 class. The trio had a solid start to the race, however when Holbrook took the wheel for the third stint, the lower control arm broke in the car. A fast repair got her back on track and she rebounded to P4 before handing the wheel over.
A second small mechanical issue with the shifter link set the team back later in the race but once again, quick repairs kept them in the hunt and they crossed the finish line in P4.
In the GT0 class, it was a tough qualifying session on Friday for all four Shift Up Now Athletes. With only three dry sessions for the day - and working to ensure all drivers had the opportunity to get behind the wheel - the Shift Up Now racers would line up 15th through 20th in the 35-car GT0 field.
Laura Hayes drove a triple-stint in the No. 111 BMW M2CS car for Thunder Bunny Racing and advanced the car to the lead. Her teammates were able to keep the car in the top five throughout the remainder of the race, finishing in P4 and continuing their streak of top-five finishes.
Sarah Montgomery swapped from her normal car into the No. 609 Hagerty Sentinel BMW M4 GT4 for the weekend, giving her new teammates as well. She took the first stint and advanced the car to P10, then later moved into the top five before the first lightening delay.
Montgomery’s teammates kept the car inside the top ten during their time behind the wheel, then she drove the final stint to cross the finish line in P6.
Pippa Mann and Chloe Chambers piloted the No. 770 Monoflo International TLM Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 with teammates Evan Hinkle and Tillman Schmid. On Friday, an issue outside of the team’s control kept the car in the garage for most of the day, giving the team just one flying lap for qualification.
Mann started Saturday’s race and drove to P8 during her double stint. Near the end of her stint, the car had a fuel pick-up issue, sending it to the garage. The team returned to the race several laps down and P52 overall.
The car returned to the track with Schmid behind the wheel, driving a double stint before handing the car over to Chambers, who continued the team’s climb back up the order. At the second lightening delay, the team was back inside the top 20, but when the race resumed at dusk with a very wet track, Hinkle, followed by Chambers made gains against the competition in the last hours of the race to bring home a top ten finish.
The World Racing League heads to Road Atlanta next, for a double-header weekend on July 9-10, 2022.
