RAFA Racing Team’s No. 68 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 bounced back from a bruising Saturday to claim its second Silver class victory of the year in Pirelli GT4 America at Barber Motorsports Park.
After a frustrating Race 1 where the car sustained damage and the team had to serve a drive-through penalty following contact, the crew worked late into the night to repair and reset the Supra. Their effort paid off on Sunday as Tyler Gonzalez started from the front row and immediately put the car in position to contend.
Gonzalez managed the opening stint cleanly, using the clear air to settle into rhythm before handing the car to co-driver Gresham Wagner at halfway. Wagner inherited a comfortable lead thanks to Gonzalez’s pace, but a full-course yellow quickly erased the margin.
With the field compressed, Wagner executed a flawless restart and controlled the final laps to deliver RAFA Racing Team its second win of the year and keep the Silver class championship fight alive heading into next month’s finale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I definitely didn’t want to see that yellow, because Tyler did an amazing job to give us a huge lead,” Wagner said.
“It went from just managing the gap to having to nail the restart and build my own. There were a lot of marbles out there, so the first couple laps were tricky, but after two or three laps I had a bit of a buffer, and from there it was about bringing the car home.”
For Gonzalez, the win was a testament to the hard work and perseverance of the team.
“We finally nailed the setup today — the car stayed really consistent and predictable through the run. I’m really glad to have this Toyota under me,” Gonzalez said.
“Huge thanks to the RAFA Racing crew. Yesterday was a bit of a bloodbath, and they worked all night to put the car back together. They made some big setup changes, and the car felt amazing today. I couldn’t have done it without them.
“At the start, I just tried to keep it clean and use the fresh air. Michael Cooper got away from me a bit, but we were where we needed to be. Overall, I’m just happy to be up here for Toyota, for Endava, and for RAFA Racing.”
Today’s result marks the second consecutive win for the RAFA Racing Team. Yesterday, Anthony Geraci and Kenny Schmied were second across the line in the Am class but inherited the win overnight after the initial race winner was handed a penalty for a technical infraction.
