Petaluma, CA. (October 24, 2014) … As the inaugural season of the GT4 Challenge of North America comes to a close, one competitor stood out as the first champion of the series. Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar, hailing from Chile and with Chilean sponsor and partner AGUNSA on board for the entire season, dominated the competition winning the last four races of the season in a row. Salazar used his driving skill and experience as well as his knowledge of the tracks to bring home the championship in fine style. Coming in a close second was rookie sportscar racer Greg Milzcik from Littleton, Colorado who competed in each of the eight rounds, followed by veteran racer Kenneth Greenberg from Hollywood, Florida.
The first season of competition saw a mix of from drivers all across North America, eager to drive on historic tracks like Watkins Glen, VIR, Monticello Motorsports Club, and taking on the famous corkscrew at Laguna Seca in the impressive V8 Vantage GT4.
Eliseo Salazar, TRG-AMR North America Team Driver, GT4 Challenge of North America 2014 Champion: “What an amazing first season of competition. The GT4 platform is so much fun to drive and such a capable car. I had more fun in this series than I’ve had in years! Hats off to TRG for putting on such a great program, I really enjoyed myself and the team helped me take incredibly good care of my friends and partners AGUNSA. From entertaining 20+ VIP guests at private dinners to ride-alongs in the race car, I was able to do it all. Here’s looking forward to 2015!”
Also of note during the first season of GT4 Challenge competition was the impressive performance by some of the new teams and drivers that stepped up to participate in the series. R&D Motorsports from Baton Rouge, Louisiana was the first private team to jump into the fray with team owners Clayton and Janeen Romie leading the charge. Jeff Huber put in some amazing drives in the R&D GT4, taking two second place finishes during the Laguna Seca rounds of competition. Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona driver Rob Nimkoff pulled off a stunning victory in Race #2 at Watkins Glen alongside other racers, Simon Arscott, Bradley Ellis, Joel Segal and Dan Aweida.
Other notable drivers included TRG-AMR IMSA team drivers David Block, Max Riddle, and Derek DeBoer, as well as winemaker and GT4 Competitor Fred Schrader, Bucklers Le Mans Co-driver from 2012. In addition to our top three finishers of Salazar, Milzcik, and Greenberg, we also welcomed new drivers Steven Davison (aka the “Pirate”) and TRG Rolex 24 driver Bob Doyle. All of these competitors come from very different backgrounds and disciplines, adding a degree of excitement and challenge in the season-long battles that took place at some of America’s most storied and fabled racetracks.
Kevin Buckler, CEO, TRG-AMR North America:“We had a fun filled first year of competition in the GT4 Challenge – great cars, great competition, great camaraderie and racing on some of America’s most historic and exciting race tracks. Huge pat on the back for Eliseo and his driving this year, he still has it! He drove extremely well in every race and was incredibly impressive in the car and most gracious to his fans out of the car. Also a big call out to Greg and Kenneth for their strong championship run. All of the competitors did great and it was fantastic having them participate in our series. Of course this inaugural season could not have happened without the support of our partners and sponsors. Royal Purple has been a powerful partner all year, in the GT4 Challenge series and also in our IMSA and Pirelli World Challenge Competition. Pirelli acted as the official tire sponsor of the GT4 Challenge and has always been a great asset and partner of the team. Also our partners at PassTime USA and Orion – we look forward to working more with you in the upcoming season!”
An official awards presentation will be made on the evening of November 19th at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Orlando, Florida during TRG-AMR’s annual motorsports Partnership Summit event. To view the team’s entire gallery of pictures from the 2014 inaugural GT4 Challenge of North America season, please click here.
TRG-AMR will begin extensive off-season testing for its customer racing programs November 21-23 at Sebring International Raceway and continuing at several other tracks in the US including Sonoma Raceway, Road America, and Laguna Seca. Interested and qualified drivers should contact Jason Myers 707.935.3999 ext. 140 or Jason@TRG-AMR.com for more information and to reserve your seat in the testing lineup.
