Shift Up Now Athletes Hannah Grisham, Loni Unser and Sarah Montgomery competed for Round 3 Racing in the World Racing League (WRL) competition on July 17-18, 2021 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Grisham drove a stint on Saturday in the No. 605 Hagerty Drivers Club Porsche Boxster, filling in for Cole Loftsgard, who was driving the GTO No. 702 car. The car would go on to win both Saturday’s and Sunday’s race in the GP3 class, making it 4 wins in a row for Team Hagerty Drivers Club.
“Road Atlanta is right in my backyard,” said Grisham, “and even though the new 601 wasn’t ready in time for this past weekend’s race, I still went to support the team.
“On Saturday, I ended up getting to race, filling in for Cole [Loftsgard]. We ended up winning in the GP3 class and getting 17th overall in the 605 Hagerty Round 3 Racing Porsche Boxster.
“Overall, I’m very thankful for the everyone on the R3R team and the extensive work they’ve continuously put into this. It was a great weekend and I can’t wait to be back for VIR in September.”
On Saturday, early contact with a competitor sent the No. 701 Team Cooper Tires Porsche Cayman to the paddock for repairs, which lasted nearly 90 minutes. Despite the adversity, the team of Loni Unser, Mo Dadkhah and Mike Gilbert fought back to finish P5.
Looking for redemption on Sunday, Unser started second and again fought through early adversity. A wheel sensor issue resulted in a loss of the ABS system, but Unser maintained position before handing the wheel to Dadkhah for the second stint.
The trio continued to share seat time for the remainder of the race, and the team effort resulted a third-place finish and their first podium since joining the GP1 class.
“Finishing third was a really cool way to end a weekend full of challenges,” said Unser. “After battling with some mechanicals on Saturday, the team fought hard and it felt incredible to walk away with a P3 finish. I’m grateful for a team that never gives up and I’m lucky to have Mo and Mike as teammates. The three of us have each other’s back, no matter what happens. Some of the race weekends where we have to fight tooth-and-nail end up being the most rewarding ones. We can’t wait to bring this momentum to VIR.”
Montgomery spent most of Saturday’s race in the top five, even leading at one point in the No. 702 Team Hagerty Porsche Cayman in the GTO class with teammates Brad McCall and Buz McCall. Ultimately, a mechanical issue caused a fire and retired the trio for the weekend.
Round 3 Racing will be at Virginia International Raceway on September 17-19, 2021 for the next two eight-hour endurance races of the WRL season.
