Shift Up Now Athletes Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham won the first Pirelli SRO GT4 America event of the year, and backed it up with a third-place podium finish, at Sonoma Raceway on April 5-7, 2024.
Piloting the No. 26 Heart of Racing car, the season opener would mark Greenemeier’s debut with the Heart of Racing team and her first-ever SRO GT4 race start. In advance of the race weekend, she was given some seat time with AE Victory Racing at Barber to build experience.
The Sonoma weekend would mark Greenemeier’s and Grisham’s debut as teammates. Grisham competed with the Heart of Racing team in the fall of 2022, after winning its highly-coveted shootout.
The race weekend got off to a rough start due to the newly-paved track breaking up in several areas. As a result, all testing on Thursday was canceled. The Sonoma Raceway crews worked hard to solve the issues and prepare the track in time for competition.
On Saturday, practice and qualifying were combined into one session for the GT4 America field. The No. 26 Heart of Racing team was 14th-fastest overall, and second in the AM class to set the grid for race one.
Greenemeier started the first race from P2 and maintained position for the entirety of her stint. Grisham took the wheel of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4, and made a late-race pass for the lead in turn nine. The victory marked Grisham’s third consecutive race win, after sweeping the weekend to close the 2023 season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Race two took place on Sunday with Grisham behind the wheel. Starting P4 in class, she advanced one position to P3 before the driver switch. Greenemeier was battling for the P2 spot when a full-course caution slowed the field. The remaining seven minutes of the race ran under yellow, and the Heart of Racing team crossed the finish line in P3.
“Overall, a really good weekend to start off the season,” said Grisham. “We came home with a win and a third-place finish today. Ultimately, really strong points for us to go after the championship. I think the weekend went almost as good as it could have gone.
“Thank you to everyone on the Heart of Racing Team for the opportunity to be back again. I’ve really enjoyed being paired up with Hannah (Greenemeier). She’s done a really amazing job and has gotten acquainted with this car very quickly. We’ll try to carry that momentum into Sebring.”
Greenemeier echoed the same sentiments, saying, “Another great day at Sonoma, ending with a P3 in class. Hannah (Grisham) had an amazing first stint, and she handed me the car in contention halfway through the race. From there, I was hunting down second place in our class - with first place just a few more seconds ahead - when the late race caution came out, and the race finished under double yellows. ‘The Grish’ and I had great pace all weekend. A podium and a win is the right way to kick off our championship.”
Greenemeier and Grisham will be back in action together for rounds three and four of the SRO GT America championship at Sebring International Raceway on May 3-5, 2024.
