GTC US Tour (Race Weekend 5/6 at Watkins Glen)
On a crisp racing afternoon in upstate New York, the hills of Watkins Glen trembled under the fury of roaring engines and the clash of championship titans. What unfolded during the fifth round of the GTC Championship was not merely a motor race - it was a symphony of courage, calamity, and high-speed craftsmanship.
Opening Salvo: Collision Course Among the Front-Runners
The grid was electric. Adam Celárek, perched on pole in his thunderous TVR Griffith with a blistering 1:13.431 in qualifying, led the charge down into Turn 1. Beside him, Nat Stevenson was ready to pounce, with Florian Masse poised in P3, eyes fixed on the apex.
But the opening laps were anything but orderly. The first few corners bore witness to a flurry of contact: Celárek and Stevenson rubbed panels more than once; Masse found himself muscling past both in the early exchanges. The rear of the field fared no better - Felix789 and Kent LeFredge tangled, FMG and CoVid_Man skirmished, and the Watkins Glen asphalt quickly became a battlefield.
The Lead Duel: Masse vs. Stevenson
Through the chaos, Florian Masse emerged with the bit between his teeth. In a dazzling display of resolve, he climbed from third to the front and then braced himself for a relentless 60-minute pursuit by Stevenson. Their duel became the centerpiece of the afternoon.
Lap after lap, the two titans traded fastest times, wheel-to-wheel action, and the occasional nudge. Stevenson’s best lap - a scintillating 1:13.598 - matched the pole time set by Celárek, underscoring his raw pace. Masse, however, responded not with outright speed but with supreme consistency and nerves of steel.
As the race wore on, the duo became inseparable. The gap hovered under a second for most of the final stint. Post-race logs showed both had picked up a minor collision after the chequered flag - testament to just how hard they raced, even as they rolled into parc fermé.
Podium Powerhouses and Strategic Survivors
While the spotlight remained fixed on the front two, Hayley Smith delivered a masterclass in composure. From P4 on the grid, she climbed to third, driving a clean, well-judged race to secure a much-deserved podium amidst the mayhem.
Behind her, Celárek, the pole-sitter, couldn’t keep pace after the opening lap skirmishes. Though fast, the damage - physical and tactical - was done. He would ultimately settle for fourth, his title hopes dented but not dashed.
Valentin Knechtel piloted his Ferrari 250 GTO with precision to rise from 10th to 5th, while FMG, who started an anonymous 14th, stunned observers by slicing his way to 6th - eight places gained, and a drive to be proud of.
And then there was Falling Falcon - from a lowly 21st to a storming 10th. In a race marked by attrition and elbows-out aggression, his 11-place climb was nothing short of heroic.
Heartbreak and Havoc in the Midfield
The Glen showed little mercy to others. Max Solmyr, a frontrunner in qualifying, was caught in a shunt with MonSpaNur early on and tumbled down the order. He finished a disconsolate 17th. Mark Johnson had multiple brushes with rivals, most notably FMG, and Rolf Biber, starting P9, was out after just 27 laps in the Swiss Buddy Racing Ferrari.
Eduardo Beninca, a promising P5 in qualifying, never turned a racing lap - either sidelined before the green or struck down by early misfortune.
Across the field, no fewer than 17 collisions were recorded for Marko Ristic alone - a telling indicator of just how physical this race was, even by GTC standards.
Final Lap: Pressure to the End
As the final minutes ticked down, Stevenson was glued to Masse’s rear bumper, looking for any opening. But Masse, unyielding and unshakable, held firm. When the flag fell, the margin was just 0.781 seconds—a sliver of daylight after an hour of door-to-door action.
Florian Masse took the win, the fastest lap, and the acclaim of the crowd. Stevenson banked critical points. And somewhere, HappyKojot watched from afar, ruing his DNS.
Championship Implications: Three Men, One Crown
With five of six rounds now in the ledger, the championship picture is coming into sharp relief—but it’s far from settled.
- Nat Stevenson leads with 145 points. With his dropped DNS already accounted for, any score at Bridgehampton will add to his tally. A win could crown him on 185.
- HappyKojot, despite his absence at Watkins Glen, sits just four points back on 141. If he bounces back with a win, and Stevenson falters, the title could still be his.
- Adam Celárek stands on 133 points. His path to the crown is narrow but not impossible. He needs to win, and hope his rivals stumble.
The GTC Championship now thunders toward its finale at Bridgehampton, where tension will hang as thick as exhaust fumes. For Stevenson, the title is within reach. For Kojot, redemption calls. For Celárek, only perfection will do.
Whatever happens, one thing is certain - this fight isn’t over.
Detailed Race Results:
https://simresults.net/remote?result=http%3a%2f%2f5.75.183.156%3a8772/results/download/2025_5_4_21_13_RACE.json
