Heitkotter, Chris Forsberg Racing, Steal GLTC Weekend Victory in 3-Wide Dash to the Checkered
Jeremy Swenson’s early dominance made the #30 Corvette appear to be the favorite, but Bryan Heitkotter would not be denied his first weekend title.
Fountain, CO -
Bryan Heitkotter’s first GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) weekend victory came down to the last corner on the last lap of the last race of the weekend. The Chris Forsberg Racing #5 Nissan 370Z Nismo claimed a second victory at the Alpine Horizon Festival as two competitors tangled beside him in a three-wide battle to the checkered flag - including the driver Heitkotter had to beat to win the weekend. For GLTC’s third appearance at the 1.3 mile, 9 turn roval at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR), the field was the strongest yet at the Colorado track. With the absence of Andy Smedegard, or any ASM drivers, Alpine Horizon would be the first round since Circuit of the Americas where someone other than Smedegard or O’Gorman would win the weekend.
In hot pursuit of his first weekend title, Jeremy Swenson and his recognizable purple Viking Performance Corvette appeared to be the favorite by the middle stage of race 1. With a wild start leading to an intense three-wide moment heading into the confined infield section, Swenson snuck his Corvette around the outside and stole the lead away from polesitter Bryan Heitkotter. For the rest of the race, Heitkotter closed the gap to Swenson tenths of a second at a time, getting within a car length of the leader. But without a mistake from Swenson, Heitkotter had to settle for second with Justin Kelly in the Myriad Motorsports #86 taking third place.
Joel Morrison (#71), Jake Joraanstad (#23) and Eric Jensen (#184) climb the 10-degree banking at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
The second race of the weekend came as scattered showers and ominous thunderclouds loomed over spectators and competitors alike - but with the rain not severe enough to soak the track, the race began. The light rain cooled the track enough to allow drivers to run even faster laps than normal, despite the threat of grip loss should the water collect on track. Jeremy Swenson again beat out Heitkotter - and the rest of the top 10 finished essentially as they had in the first race earlier in the day.
The qualifying shootout returned to GLTC this weekend - the top 8 drivers from race 2 got one lap each to re-qualify for their starting spots for Saturday’s races. Heitkotter’s 370Z won pole, as he had the previous day - showing raw speed that just had not yet translated into position on the racetrack. The third race saw the most intense battle of the weekend so far - with Justin Kelly and Bryan Heitkotter running door to door through the tight infield section. Heitkotter drove around the outside of Kelly and slipped through to the lead masterfully - with both drivers leaving space for each other on track. Chris Forsberg Racing captured their first GLTC race win, with Kelly finishing second, Swenson third, Tiffany Kelly fourth, and Jake Joraanstad fifth.
Stephen Cox (#117) leads a battle in the infield at PPIR. Jeremy Boysen (#99) holds off a Myriad Motorsports duo behind.
The fourth and final race of the weekend saw a six-driver invert shake up the grid, putting Heitkotter at the tail of row three. With the sky darkening as it had Friday night, drivers bolted on slick tires expecting similar conditions - but the unpredictable Colorado skies opened up and let loose just laps into the race. While the leaders chased each other on unsure footing, Tiffany Kelly’s S2000 lost control on the high-speed banking on the oval, backing the car into the wall. With the full course caution, the field was bunched up and turned loose with just minutes to go. Jeremy Boysen’s #99 Acura RSX showed up on the final lap to make it a three-horse race for first place on his treaded street tires. In the final corner, Bryan Heitkotter slipped up the banking, allowing Swenson to get to his inside. Boysen turned in late, got back on power, and had a head of steam that likely would have propelled him to his first-ever GLTC win in a three-wide photo finish. Swenson and Heitkotter each had the chance to claim the weekend with a race 4 win - a potential toss-up should Boysen beat them to the line. But as the three-wide battle stormed onto the front straight, Swenson and Boysen made contact, resulting in Swenson spinning, and Heitkotter sprinting to the line unchallenged.
Boysen managed to still finish second, with Eric Jensen finishing third after a challenging weekend of contacts and mechanical failures ended what might have been a chance to finish top-five in all four races. Heitkotter’s weekend victory propels him from thirteenth to sixth in the GLTC standings with four competition rounds remaining in the Touring Cup season. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is the next event on the schedule, August 6th-8th, 2021.
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup Results - Pikes Peak International Raceway
| Pos | Name | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Race 4 | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan Heitkotter | 21 | 21 | 25 | 25 | 92 |
| 2 | Jeremy Swenson | 25 | 25 | 18 | 9 | 77 |
| 3 | Justin Kelly | 18 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 73 |
| 4 | Jeremy Boysen | 12 | 16 | 12 | 21 | 61 |
| 5 | Jake Joraanstad | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 57 |
| 6 | Nick Stentiford | 14 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 52 |
| 7 | Tiffany Kelly | 16 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 47 |
| 8 | Eric Jensen | 8 | 6 | 15 | 18 | 47 |
| 9 | Stephen Cox | 13 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 46 |
| 10 | Joel Morrison | 5 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 44 |
| 11 | Felipe Gonzalez | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 34 |
| 12 | Brian DeFrees | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| 13 | Colton Wade | 11 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 28 |
| 14 | Bill Griffin | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 15 | Jorge Ortiz III | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 16 | Griffin Racing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| 17 | Dave Stock | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
