The GTS1 field came down the front straight for a flying start and Charles Buzzetti had a great jump to grab an early lead. Buzzetti quickly put a commanding gap between himself and the rest of the field, besting his competitors by more than 3 seconds per lap. The real race was for the second- and third-place spots between Thomas Atteberry, Steven Stepanian and Raymond Zanotto. Atteberry and Stepanian really ran each other hard with Stepanian finally getting by after Atteberry put a couple of wheels off. When the race ended, Buzzetti took the win so far ahead that Stepanian couldn’t even see Buzzetti take the checkered flag. Rounding out the podium was Zanotto in third.
“The car was perfect,” said GTS1 winner Charles Buzzetti. “My crew chief gave me a great car with nothing to complain about. The Hoosier Tires were super sticky, super fast. It was my first weekend on Hoosiers and the grip level was dramatic.”
“I got my shifter fixed between the SpecE30 race, just in time to run GTS1,” said Steve Stepanian, who finished second in GTS1. “Great weekend, best NASA race I have ever attended. Even if I had finished in last place, this was seriously the greatest racing here at Laguna Seca.”
“I had a great race with Steve,” said third-place finisher Zanotto. “We had some great battles. I didn’t see much of Buzzetti. Well, I saw him at the start, and I saw him when we came into the paddock. I assumed he was somewhere out on the track. Of course, I was hoping maybe he wasn’t, but that was not the case. He deserved the win, and I am happy to be on the podium. I had a blast out there.”
