Lime Rock Park, a track steeped in history, played host to NASA Northeast July 11-12, 2025. What appears to be a simple 1.530-mile layout quickly reveals its complexities, challenging even seasoned drivers in the German Touring Series.
“There’s nothing easy about it,” said GTS3 driver Leo Zick. “Maybe your first track day as a beginner DE student, you say, ‘This is simple,’ and then you learn how much it can bite you.” The weekend was marked by intense competition across GTS2, GTS3 and GTS4, with drivers battling not only each other but also oppressive heat and humidity. Ambient temperatures hovered in the high 80s to low 90s, with in-cabin temperatures reportedly topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday, making tire management and driver endurance critical factors.
Qualifying Recap
Friday’s qualifying session set the stage for a weekend of close racing. Sean McElgun in GTS2 qualified first with a personal best lap of 59.702 seconds. “My goal for the weekend was just to break a minute,” McElgun stated, noting he consistently broke that barrier throughout the weekend. Despite McElgun’s pole position, Edgars Silovs qualified second with No. 718 Roy Farfel and No. 593 Brian Jacon just behind Silovs.
“It was a hot and muggy weekend,” Jacon commented, “I did some 1:01s, and to do it consistently in qualifying and during the race on Friday, given my tires and the temperature and the humidity, it was oppressive, but it turned out to be a good weekend.”
In GTS3, No 19 Luiz Serva dominated qualifying and started from pole, followed by Chris DeLucia, who recorded a best lap of 57.103 seconds. David DeJesus took pole in GTS4, a strong qualifying performance on old tires.
Mixed-class racing at Lime Rock meant drivers had to be constantly aware of traffic, a challenge on such a compact track. GTS3 and GTS4 cars were gridded together, ahead of GTS2, Super Touring, and Super Unlimited classes, a strategic decision to mitigate early mixing of the field. “The faster SU cars didn’t come across us until halfway through the race,” noted Zick.
GTS2
In Friday’s Thunder race one, Sean McElgun secured the win in GTS2, completing 20 laps with a best time of 59.702 seconds. He faced constant pressure from Edgars Silovs, who finished second just 2.614 seconds behind, despite Silovs having a faster best lap. “He was on my bumper the entire race,” McElgun recalled. The battle for third was equally fierce between Roy Farfel and Brian Jacon. “Brian and I mix it up quite well. It’s either him in front of me or him directly behind me. And he definitely takes every advantage of my mistakes. So, he keeps me on my toes,” said Farfel. Jacon added, “We’re getting to know each other better and, you know, we can trust each other going in side by side and racing clean together, which is always good.”
Saturday’s race two saw McElgun once again claim victory in GTS2, completing 21 laps. However, the win came with some luck, as Edgars Silovs, who had passed McElgun under a yellow flag, and was disqualified. “I decided to leave on scrubs, which was definitely a mistake,” McElgun admitted, explaining that Silovs was “right on my bumper after about a couple laps.” Farfel finished second, 8.624 seconds behind with Jacon in third.
GTS3
Friday’s GTS3 race was dominated by No. 19 Luiz Serva, who completed 21 laps and took the win. Chris DeLucia finished second, 20.775 seconds back. DeLucia described the conditions as “really hot” and “really greasy,” making tire management difficult. No. 527 Leo Zick and No. 133 Scott Bassinder engaged in a tight battle for third and fourth, both completing 21 laps and finishing within a half second of each other. “He’s a fighter. It was hard. My goal was to just keep him behind me as best I could,” Zick said of Bassinder. Bassinder recounted a close call: “Michael Berry spun in Big Bend. Leo got by him and I had to go to the grass. He missed me by like a foot”.
VIDEO
Ride along with GTS2 driver Brian Jacon as he watches GTS3 driver Scott Bassinder go to the grass to avoid a spinning car.
On Saturday, Serva once again secured the GTS3 victory. Scott Bassinder improved to a second-place finish, 9.058 seconds behind Serva. The race saw a significant incident involving DeLucia, who spun and hit the wall in Turn 4, bringing out a double-yellow. DeLucia explained, “I decided to use a little bit of curbing on Turn 4, and the car just started to come out on me again. I backed into the wall pretty hard. Car’s in pretty rough shape, but I’m just happy to be OK and not have any injuries.”
GTS4
No. 32 David DeJesus clinched the GTS4 win on Friday, completing 21 laps with a best time of 57.464 seconds. David Coutu finished second, 41.938 seconds behind. DeJesus noted the impact of the heat: “I ran new stickers on my race and I couldn’t best my quali time on old tires. So heat was certainly a factor.”
Saturday’s GTS4 race saw No. David Coutu take the top spot, completing 21 laps. Michael Gershanok finished second. DeJesus, who had dominated on Friday, encountered trouble when his tire was cut midrace, forcing him to pull off. “About the 20th lap as I crested the uphill, I almost lost the car, and I heard what it sounds like when the tire breaks loose and tears apart,” DeJesus explained.
Conclusion
NASA Northeast GTS at Lime Rock Park in July delivered an exhilarating weekend of racing. From the tight battles in GTS2, often featuring the chaser posting a faster lap than the leader, to the dominant performances of Luiz Serva in GTS3, and the shifting fortunes in GTS4, the competition was fierce.
As NASA Northeast Regional Director Joe Casella aptly put it, “Lime Rock never lets you rest. You are working all the time.” Despite the incidents and the heat, the drivers provided a thrilling spectacle for the hillsides packed with spectators at Lime Rock. The next event for many of these competitors will be at New Jersey Motorsports Park in August, where the rivalries are sure to continue.
