NAGP Season 34 Info

Replay of last night's open wheel race at Spa

 

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It's that time again... The 32nd running of the North American Grand Prix Mid-Season Classic for the Thursday night GT series is upon us. Round five of the championship comes to you live from the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium this evening at 9pm eastern on NAGPTV.

Last week at the Red Bull Ring, Matt Taylor took home his first win of the season in the MC12, fending off the Saleens of Matt Leeman and Dan Thorpe and moving into the overall lead in the drivers championship for the first time this season. Taylor scored maximum points for the round by taking pole position and by leading the most laps of the race. Meanwhile, teammates Matt Leeman and Dan Thorpe both equaled their season best finishes by taking the second and third steps on the podium moving Empire State Racing into second in the team championship. A great result for that pair.

The championships remain very close for both the driver and team titles. After four rounds, Matt Taylor leads the drivers championship with 61 points. Dan Thorpe is three points back with 58 points and Brad Merys is third with 57 points.

In the team championship, TCB's Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett lead with 105 points. Empire State Racing's Matt Leeman and Dan Thorpe are second with 98 points followed by Gotta Go Bye!'s Brad Merys and Al Marimon in third with 86 points.

In a tradition that dates back to November 29, 2007, the Thursday night GT league has run Spa-Francorchamps as it's fifth race of the championship and it's the only circuit the series runs every season. Through the years, victory has eluded many of the greats at NAGP. Drivers like seven time driver's champion Brad Merys and three time champion Jon Ludden have failed to reach the top step of the podium. Meanwhile, NAGP veteran Eiran Parsons took home an incredible SEVENTH win at Spa last season.

Be sure to tune in this evening starting at 9pm eastern with 25 minutes of qualifying followed immediately after by the 250km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's GT race at Spa

 

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The North American Grand Prix Monday night open wheel series will be in England this evening for round six of the championship at Brands Hatch.

Eiran Parsons took home his first win of the season last week at Spa, finishing just ahead of Marc DeGras and giving himself a much needed boost in the championship standings. Parsons drove a near perfect race, leading 16 of the scheduled 29 laps after starting the race from the sixth position. The win for Parsons moved him into sixth in the driver standings. Marc DeGras, still looking for that elusive first win, pushed hard in the second stint to try and mount an attack for the lead, however, DeGras fell just short, finishing second for the third time this season, four seconds behind the winner. Ian Jolicoeur, who started on the front row, finished the night in third, eleven seconds behind Parsons.

After five rounds, Matt Taylor continues to lead the drivers championship with 94 points. Marc DeGras is second with 84 points followed by Ian Jolicoeur in third with 75 points.

In the team championship, Captain Clutch Racing's Matt Taylor and Marc DeGres lead with 178 points. The French Connection's Philippe Simard and Ian Jolicoeur are second with 145 points. TBROKDAMBAM's Eiran Parsons and John Houston are now third with 110 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening for complete coverage of round six at Brands Hatch. The racing begins at 9pm eastern with qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's open wheel race at Brands Hatch

 

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The North American Grand Prix Thursday night GT series makes its first ever visit to Circuit Zolder this evening for round six of the championship.

Michael Makinde powered his Ferrari 550 to his second win of the season last week at Spa-Francorchamps to move to within just one point of the championship lead in the driver standings. Makinde, who qualified second behind pole sitter Jon Ludden in the Saleen, looked poised for an epic showdown with Ludden in the closing laps of the race. Ludden, who was on pace to win his first mid-season classic, made a costly error through Eau Rogue on lap 32 which cleared the way for Makinde to cruise home and take the checkered flag 11 seconds ahead of second place Brad Merys in the Lister. Merys' second place result moved him back into the championship lead. Jesse Olsen took home third in the Saleen, his second podium result of the season. Ludden meanwhile, ended the night in tenth, and still in search of his first win at Spa.

After five rounds, Brad Merys leads in the drivers championship with 77 points. Michael Makinde is second with 76 points and Dan Thorpe is third with 74 points.

In the team championship, Empire State Racing's Dan Thorpe and Matt Leeman lead in the Saleen with 126 points. MC12 drivers Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett of TCB are second with 119 points. Purple Helmets Shawn Ricker and Jesse Olsen are third with 116 points in the Saleen.

Join NAGPTV this evening starting at 9pm eastern for complete coverage of round six from Zolder. The racing kicks off with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 250km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's GT race at Zolder

 

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The North American Grand Prix Monday night open wheel series travels to Germany for round seven of the championship at the ultra fast 1978 layout of Hockenheim.

Kevin Lechmanski nabbed his first win of the season last week at Brands Hatch in dramatic fashion, beating out pole sitter Ian Jolicoeur to the checkered flag in the closing laps of the race. Lechmanski, who qualified in second, found himself back in the fifth position in the early stages of the race at track where it is not easy to pull off an overtake. Through some luck and pure speed, Lechmanski found himself leaving the pits after his final stop in the second position. With seventeen laps remaining, Lechmanski began to nip away at Jolicoeur's nearly ten second lead. With six laps remaining, the gap was under three seconds. Jolicoeur, who at this point had led all but two laps of the race, struggled to get around lapped traffic. With five laps remaining, Jolicoeur, eventually made his way around the lapped car of Kevin Miller but Jolicoeur promptly ran out of track exiting the final corner and found himself in the gravel, handing the lead and eventual win over to Lechmanski. Jolicoeur recovered from his off to finish in second followed by Marc DeGras in third. The win for Lechmanski moved him into fourth in the drivers championship.

At the halfway point of the season, Matt Taylor continues to lead the drivers championship with 108 points. Marc DeGras is second with 102 points followed by Ian Jolicoeur in third with 97 points.

In the team championship, Captain Clutch Racing's Matt Taylor and Marc DeGras lead with 210 points. The French Connection's Ian Jolicoeur and Philippe Simard are second with 183 points. Squeaky Wheels' Kevin Lechmanski and Jake Feimster are third with 135 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening at 9pm eastern for complete coverage of round seven from Hockenheim. The racing begins with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's open wheel race at Hockenheim

 

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The North American Grand Prix Thursday night GT series' next stop on the season 34 calendar is Italy for round seven of the championship at Mugello.

Saleen snapped its winless streak this season after Matt Leeman took home the checkered flag last week at Zolder. Zolder turned out to be a great circuit for the brand as the Saleens swept the top three starting positions led by Leeman on pole, as well as three of the top four finishing positions. Under threat from Shawn Ricker in another Saleen for much of the race, Leeman found himself with some breathing room in the final stint of the race after a mistake from Ricker left him eleven seconds behind the leader. That was the cushion Leeman needed to settle down his pace and cruise to victory lane. Leeman led all but four laps of the race on his way to the win. Ricker survived a late race duel with Jonathan Cuppett in the MC12 to take second while Al Marimon benefited from a late fuel stop by Cuppett to snatch up third 32 seconds behind the winner. The win for Leeman was a needed boost for his championship hopes as he jumped to third in the standings after several front runners left Zolder without scoring any points.

After six rounds, Dan Thorpe leads the drivers standings for the first time ever with 90 points. Matt Taylor is second with 83 points followed by Matt Leeman in third with 78 points.

In team championship, Empire State Racing's Dan Thorpe and Matt Leeman lead in the Saleens with 168 points. TCB's Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett are second in the MC12's with 145 points. Purple Helmets drivers Jesse Olsen and Shawn Ricker are third in another pair of Saleens with 136 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening for complete coverage of round seven from Mugello. The racing gets underway at 9pm eastern with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed right after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay from Thursday's GT race at Mugello

 

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The North American Grand Prix Monday night open wheel series makes its first visit to the Österreichring this evening for round eight of the championship.

It was big points scoring night last week at Hockenheim for Eiran Parsons and John Houston of TBROKDAMBAM as the team finished one and two and are once again serious contenders in the team championship. In addition to the great results last week for TBROKDAMBAM, the other big news coming out of last week was the dismal showing by Captain Clutch Racing's Matt Taylor and Marc DeGras. After a string of great results over the first half of the season, the two managed to score just nine points combined last week and in the process Taylor's lead in the drivers championship has shrunk to just three points and their team championship lead, which at one point looked insurmountable, is now down to just nine points. With just thirteen points separating the top five drivers in the championship, the pressure is now on Taylor and Captain Clutch Racing to get back to their big point scoring ways that lead them to their huge first half points cushion. The win last week for Parsons was his second in three races. Houston's second place result was his best this season. Philippe Simard, who recorded his fifth pole in seven races, finished last weeks race in third.

After seven rounds, Matt Taylor leads the drivers championship with 113 points. Kevin Lechmanski continues to impress as he is now second in the standings with 110 points. Marc DeGras, who slipped to third after last week, has 106 points.

In the team championship, Captain Clutch Racing's Matt Taylor and Marc DeGras lead with 219 points. The French Connection's Ian Jolicoeur and Philippe Simard are second with 210 points. TBROKDAMBAM's Eiran Parsons and John Houston are third with 176 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening at 9pm eastern for live coverage of round eight from the Österreichring. The racing begins with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's open wheel race at the Österreichring

 

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The North American Grand Prix Thursday night GT series makes its first ever visit to the Estoril Circuit in Portugal for round eight of the championship this evening.

Matt Taylor moved into the championship lead after winning his second race of the season last week at Mugello. Taylor in the MC12, had an incredible battle with second place finisher Michael Makinde in the Ferrari 550, as the two ran nose to tail for much of the race. The move of the race happened on lap six as Taylor muscled his way past Makinde at turn four. The move cost Makinde time and position as his Ferrari ran onto the gravel on exit. After Taylor and Makinde completed their final stops for fuel and tires, the two were less than a second apart for much of the final six laps of the race. A small mistake from Makinde on lap 37 gave Taylor the cushion he needed to drive home and take the win four seconds ahead of Makinde. Al Marimon, one of only two drivers who managed to one-stop the race, powered his Lister to a second third place finish in a row.

After seven rounds, Matt Taylor leads the drivers championship with 108 points. Michael Makinde and Dan Thorpe are tied for second with 96 and Brad Merys is third with 88 points.

The team championship has TCB's Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett leading in the Maserati MC12 with 184 points. Empire State Racing's Dan Thorpe and Matt Leeman are second in the Saleen with 181 points. Brad Merys and Al Marimond of Gotta Go Bye! behind the wheel of the Lister are third with 153 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening at 9pm eastern for complete coverage of round eight from Estoril. The racing begins with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

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The North American Grand Prix Thursday night GT series makes it's second and final stop in Portugal this evening as the series heads to Algarve International Circuit for round nine of the championship.

It was a dominating round eight for the Saleen teams at Estoril last week as the Saleens swept the top five starting positions in qualifying and swept the top four finishing positions in the race with Matt Leeman leading the way. Leeman was the class of the field after snatching pole and finishing 17 seconds ahead of second place Ian Jolicoeur. Jesse Olsen in third and Jon Ludden in fourth made up the rest of the top four finishing positions. Brad Merys in fifth, was the best of the rest in the Lister Storm. The win for Leeman, his second this season, moves him into second in the driver standings.

After eight rounds, Matt Taylor leads the drivers championship with 120 points. Matt Leeman is second with 111 points followed by Brad Merys in third with 102 points.

In the team championship, Empire State Racing's Dan Thorpe and Matt Leeman lead with 216 points. Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett of TCB are second with 206 points. Purple Helmet drivers Jesse Olsen and Shawn Ricker are third with 186 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening for complete coverage of round nine at Algarve. The racing begins at 9pm est with 25 minutes of qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's GT1 race at Algarve

 

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The North American Grand Prix Monday night open wheels series travels to the Cathedral of Speed this evening for round ten of championship at Monza.

Marc DeGras took home his first career NAGP win last week at Zandvoort edging out Eiran Parsons in what was the closest finish in NAGP history. DeGras, who started on pole, was chased by Parsons for nearly all of the 47 lap race culminating in an epic showdown in the final 14 laps. Parsons maintained a gap of roughly a half of a second to the leader DeGras. DeGras did an amazing job keeping Parsons behind. On the final lap, Parsons got a huge run on DeGras exiting the final corner and the two crossed the line side by side. NAGP officials were forced to go to the replay to validate the final results which were made official the next day. Degras took the victory by .025 seconds ahead of Parsons. Simply an incredible end to the race. Kevin Lechmanski finished the race in third, his third podium in four races. The win for DeGras moved him into the drivers championship lead for the first time this season.

After nine rounds, Marc DeGras leads the championship with 150 points, just one point ahead of Kevin Lechmanski in second. Matt Taylor with 144 points drops to third after last week.

In the team championship, Captain Clutch Racing's Matt Taylor and Marc DeGras lead with 294 points. The French Connections Ian Jolicoeur and Philippe Simard are second with 238 points. TBROKDAMBAM's Eiran Parsons and John Houston are third with 236 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening at 9pm eastern for complete coverage of round ten at Monza. The night begins with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last night's open wheel race at Monza

 

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The North American Grand Prix GT series makes its first of two stops in the UK this evening with round ten of the championship at Donington Park.

Michael Makinde powered his Ferrari 550 to his third win of the season last week at Algarve and in the process, moved into a tie for second place in the drivers championship. Makinde edged out the driver he is tied with in the standings, Brad Merys, by just under two tenths of a second during qualifying. The race saw Makinde go virtually unchallenged, leading 35 of the scheduled 47 laps on his way to the win earning maximum points for the round. Merys himself had a great run, however, tire degradation late in his first two stints prevented him from mounting any sort of attack in his Lister. Merys finished the night in second 13 seconds behind Makinde. Merys' teammate, Al Marimon, finished on the podium for third time in four races making it a big points night for the Gotta Go Bye! Lister team.

After nine rounds, Matt Taylor leads the drivers championship with 134 points. Michael Makinde and Brad Merys are tied for second with 122 points followed by Matt Leeman in third with 115 points.

In the team championship, TCB's Matt Taylor and Jonathan Cuppett lead with 230 points in the MC12. Empire State Racing's Dan Thorpe and Matt Leeman slip to second after last week with 226 points in the Saleen. Brad Merys and Al Marimon of Gotta Go Bye! are third in the Lister with 212 points.

Join NAGPTV this evening starting at 9pm eastern for complete coverage of round ten at Donington. The racing begins with 25 minutes of open qualifying followed immediately after by the 200km race.

Don't miss a second of the racing coverage on Monday and Thursday nights here at NAGP! Follow us on Twitch and get notified when we go live! Missed the race live? Follow us on YouTube and watch the race the next day.

 

Replay of last nights GT race at Donington