For the first time, GRIDLIFE is accepting applications for Vendors at ALL 2021 TrackBattle Events.
The entire team at GRIDLIFE is excited to announce the launch our full 2021 Season Vendor program.
In an effort to improve the fan experience on-site and provide additional opportunities for vendors to engage with the GRIDLIFE community, we are now offering vendor booths at all 2021 GRIDLIFE events - including all weekend TrackBattle events, and both the Midwest and Alpine Horizon festivals. Our hope is that in launching a full season vendor program, we can continue to foster a sense of community amongst everyone involved in making GRIDLIFE special.
For more information on vendor booth pricing, what’s included in vendor packages, and how to register as a vendor visit www.grid.life/vendors or click on the link below.
After kicking off a sponsorship relationship at the start of the unprecedented 2020 season, Gold Eagle and GRIDLIFE are proud to announce a continued 2021 partnership led by the STA-BIL® and 303® brands.
The 2021 partnership of the GRIDLIFE TrackBattle season will focus on highlighting 303’s best in class automotive protectants and cleaners, as well as educating the GRIDLIFE audience on STA-BIL’s full line of products beyond the red Storage Fuel Stabilizer that has been essential amongst automotive enthusiasts for decades.
The 303® and STA-BIL® brands will be showcasing their products and engaging with consumers on-site at both Alpine Horizon Fest, at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado Springs, July 23-25, and Midwest Festival, at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI September 9-12, but their presence will extend beyond the paddock and onto the track as well. Gold Eagle drivers Kal Fortner and Feras Qartoumy will both be competing in various TrackBattle rounds throughout the season, while Stephen Cox will be competing in various GLTC rounds throughout the season.
“STA-BIL® and 303® are excited to start educating and getting our products in the hands of the Gridlife community as Gridlife has been able to establish such an amazing culture within grassroots racing as well as the younger generation of auto enthusiasts as a whole. Being a family-owned company for almost 90 years we cherish the automotive community throughout the generations and share the same passion for having a good time with friends and family at the track.” -Bob Galuska STA-BIL® Brand Manager
In addition to the on-site and on-track presence, 303® and STA-BIL® have thrown support behind GRIDLIFE’s Gold Pass drivers through a 25% off offer on all products throughout the season. Gold Pass Driver’s can find more information on the Gold Pass Perks Portal.
Rock’s Trailers Joins GRIDLIFE as the Official Trailer Partner for the 2021-2022 TrackBattle Season.
Over the last six years, GRIDLIFE has grown in number of events, expanded our reach regionally, and deepened in the quality of the brand’s experience. Matching this growth is GRIDLIFE’s logistical needs. Specifically, hauling. That’s why GRIDLIFE is very pleased to announce that Rock’s Trailers out of Columbus Ohio is sponsoring the GRIDLIFE 2021 season with trailer support, helping get GRIDLIFE from A to B better than ever before.
For years, the small team at GRIDLIFE has been Packing and hauling assets from storage to tracks all over the country in trailers that had reached the end of their road.
I’ve had to perform countless roadside repairs to our ever rotating cast of budget-cargo hauling rigs. Overly heavy loads blew lots of tires, and shredded more than a few axle bearings over the years. Getting hitched to Rock’s Trailers is invaluable to me, on a personal level. - Adam Jabaay, GRIDLIFE Co-Founder / Motorsports Director
GRIDLIFE staff will be using several high quality, heavy duty trailers to move things around this year. This will help expand the operational reach to far off facilities, and allow for deeper driver and fan experiences at more TrackBattle events, typically only seen at the larger Festivals.
The team at Rock’s Trailer have been visible in the GRIDLIFE paddock for many years, driving in GRIDLIFE Time Attack, and supporting events with vendor booths, and good vibes. Rock’s has also supported GRIDLIFE Gaming this year, with the"Haulin it Home" replays featuring the most spectacular crashes in GRIDLIFE iRacers competitions.
Rock’s Trailer Sales has been a part of the motorsports community for 40 years. We are excited to partner GRIDLIFE and GLTC. - Joe Coville - Sales / Marketing at Rock’s Trailers
If you are looking for a trailer, Rock’s is the go to. Learn more about Rock’s Trailers at https://www.rockstrailersales.com.
Favorable track conditions on day 2 led to some great laps being set in the time attack competition, and some edge of your seat racing in GRIDLIFE Touring Cup. In the Falken Tire Club TR class, “Jimmy Diggs” (Jackie Ding’s Mustachioed alter ego) set the pace for what is surely going to be one of the most interesting classes to watch this year with a 2:19.103 taking the top spot for the weekend. In Sundae Cup, Matt Williams continued his multi-year domination and besting his competition by nearly 2 seconds with a 2:36.457. In Street class, we saw the first win from a naturally aspirated car in quite some time, and some intense competition between the event podium. Driver Brandon Ranvek piloted his beloved “Twitch” (BMW E36 M3) to an astounding 2:13.884, with Josh Halka settling for second with a personal best 2:15.714. In Street GT, newcomers Doug Francis and Jacob Hunt took the top 2 positions with a 2:14.616 and 2:14.917 respectively. In FCP Euro Street Mod, Alex Moss continued to dial in his new DCT gearbox and improve his overall pace. Though a couple of seconds down on event winner Jackie Ding (2:07.967), Alex and the ASM team are pleased with the progress being made on track with a personal best 2:10.968 set this weekend. In TrackMod, Jimmy Rauck took the top spot in his stunning Porsche GT2 RS with a 2:08.422. Overall FTD and Unlimited winner Steven Luca improved on his Saturday time and finished with a 2:06.804. There was also plenty of action in GLTC, with Andy Smedegard making a pass on Jeremy Swenson at the end of Race 2 to take P1. Race 3 was much more chaotic with several drivers getting caught up in a collision resulting in several DNFs. As the yellow flags cleared, and the track went to green it was Jeremy Swenson able to hold off a charging Andy Smedegard and take his first P1 finish in GLTC with his impressively quick C5 Corvette build. In Race 4 a grid inversion typically shakes things up. This event was no exception with many of the front runners starting deep into the mid-pack. By the end of the race it was Tom O’Gorman taking the top spot and the checkered flag in his recently completed k-swapped S2000 built by Andy Smedegard of ASM. By the end of the weekend, it was Andy Smedegard taking the top spot for the overall podium, with Aaron Leichty in 2nd position, and Eric Kutil not far behind in 3rd place. Great racing by the GLTC field this weekend at a track that is difficult to master. Thanks to everyone who put in the hard work to make this event possible, and for all of the drivers that spent their weekend with us at NCM Motorsports park. We’ll see you all at TrackDay Picnic at Blackhawk Farms on May 22-23 for what is one of the best events on the GRIDLIFE calendar.
Drivers took to a damp track as they shook out the cobwebs from the winter break early this morning. With many fresh builds being put together this off-season, there’s plenty of growing pains to go around as these new cars get dialed in. GRIDLIFE newcomer Steven Luca in his Unlimited prepped Shelby Mustang GT 500 made waves in session 2, with a 2:07.011 before pulling in for a noise violation on track. Street Modified frontrunner Jackie Ding in his TA90 Supra improved throughout the day, ending with an impressive 2:08.460. To our knowledge, this is now the 200tw tire record here at NCM Motorsports Park. In GLTC, 35 cars set times in qualifying, with Andy Smedegard and his S2000 taking pole position. He had a great race 1 but was being chased by 2021 rookie Jeremy Swenson before Swenson suffered a mechanical resulting in a DNF. Andy was able to finish P1 from pole position, and show everyone how well he knows this track. With things just heating up on Saturday, everyone should be looking forward to an exciting Day 2 from NCM.
Jeremy Swenson battles Andy Smedegard into turn 1 at NCM Motorsports Park. Photo by Rob Wilkinson.
Bowling Green, KY -
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) visited NCM Motorsports for the first time last weekend for “GRIDLIFE Grand Circuit” - the first full event weekend in 2021. The entry list spilled over 40 entries, including new cars for Andy Smedegard, Eric Jensen in an LS-powered Scion FR-S, a handful of new Mazda Miatas, and Jeremy Swenson’s purple-wrapped Corvette. Several drivers returned to GLTC after making repairs to their vehicles during the offseason, including Scott Bowling in his Porsche Cayman and Tom O’Gorman, whose 2004 Honda S2000 sported a K24 motor installed by Andy Smedegard Motorsports (ASM).
The GLTC field of nearly 40 cars lined up on Saturday night for a full field photograph. Photo by Chris Sullivan.
The first race of the weekend kicked off on Saturday afternoon, with Andy Smedegard on pole in his newly built S2000. By the time the field reached turn 1, it was Jeremy Swenson who pulled ahead and began to drive away. It wouldn’t last long, however, as Swenson’s transmission would give out, sidelining him for the rest of the day. Smedegard would go on to claim his first victory of the season, followed by 2020 runner up Aaron Leichty, points leader Luke McGrew, Emile Tabb, and Todd Kaley. Eric Kutil, last year’s champion, fought issues in race one and finished in 6th.
Race two on Sunday morning saw a similar fight up front between Swenson and Smedegard - but this time, Swenson’s repaired Corvette lasted much longer out front. With only a few laps to go, Smedegard slid by on the inside in turn 18 to take the lead and claim his second win of the weekend. Behind the front two, fierce battles emerged for third and fourth with Aaron Leichty, newcomer John D. Allen in the Thing Three Racing MX-5, Emile Tabb, Luke McGrew, and Todd Kaley. Allen would come home fourth, impressing in his first ever competition weekend in GLTC. Tom O’Gorman spent his race charging from the back after having a drive belt slip off in the first race - he finished 17th - and completed a race for the first time since Road America last fall.
Andy Smedegard won the first two races of the weekend at NCM Motorsports Park - in a brand new car for the 2021 season. Photo by Chris Sullivan.
The third race of the weekend was split at the halfway point by a lengthy full course yellow. A multi-car incident in turn 5 halted the race with Jeremy Swenson leading over Andy Smedegard. Before the caution, Tom O’Gorman charged forward and made up several places, putting him inside the top 10. At the restart, Jeremy Swenson pulled away, and with only a six-minute sprint to the finish, he was able to hang on for his first ever GRIDLIFE Touring Cup race win. Smedegard finished second with Aaron Leichty sneaking onto the podium for third. Eric Kutil managed a 4th place finish with most of his issues resolved after transplanting a new motor in after an engine failure testing two weeks before the event.
In the fourth and final race of the weekend, the 13-driver invert put Austin Hertel on pole, where he quickly established a lead in the early moments of the race. The middle of the pack was a chaotic mess of racecars, with battles involving Swenson, Rains, Leichty, Boysen, Jensen, and Chris Adams. Andy Smedegard had a mechanical issue and pulled off course, triggering a caution at the halfway point in the race. Tom O’Gorman had driven from eighth to second prior to the yellow. At the restart, O’Gorman passed Hertel in turns five and six, and drove to his first ever GLTC victory, followed by Eric Kutil and Emile Tabb.
Even with Andy Smedegard’s DNF in race 4, his 1st, 1st, and 2nd place finishes in the first three races netted him the overall weekend victory, with Aaron Leichty and Eric Kutil finishing second and third. Emile Tabb missed the podium by just one point. The next points round for GLTC will be at GRIDLIFE Spring Kickoff, June 4th-6th, 2021.
GRIDLIFE is excited to announce that MOMO will be supporting the 2021 TrackBattle season as the “Official Safety Partner of GRIDLIFE”. The partnership encompasses all events and motorsports activities through the season including: HPDE, Time Attack, GRIDLIFE Touring Cup and GRIDLIFE Drift.
GRIDLIFE and MOMO are currently collaborating on some exciting developments that will impact both the driver and spectator experience. MOMO will be joining GRIDLIFE in the paddock at the following events: Spring Kick Off, GRIDLIFE Chicago, GRIDLIFE Heartlands, Elkhart Classic, and both festivals: Alpine Horizon and Midwest Festival.
See the full list of GRIDLIFE events listed below:
GRIDLIFE is very excited to announce a new partnership with HP Tuners, making them the Official Data Partner of GRIDLIFE for 2021.
Partnering with HP Tuners also benefits the GRIDLIFE Live Broadcasts, with integration through their “TrackAddict” app. In future livestreams, GRIDLIFE will be able to display real-time telemetry data from drivers’ TrackAddict operating in their cars, and integrate it into the livestream with our “Track Addict Attack Dash”. The Attack Dash displays current, predicted lap times, and best lap times, as well as displaying the driver’s location on track.
This level of data integration is a big update for the GRIDLIFE Live experience. Providing our audience and announcers with real time driver data brings valuable context into Track Battle Time Attack spectation, giving more insight into how a driver is performing at any given lap.
— Chris Stewart - GRIDLIFE Founder
In addition to the technology and data integration support that HP Tuners will be providing to GRIDLIFE, they are also going to be showing their support in the paddock at the GRIDLIFE Spring Kickoff and GRIDLIFE Chicago TrackBattle events, as well as the Alpine Horizon and GRIDLIFE Midwest motorsport festivals. They will be on hand to answer any questions and provide direct support to any drivers running their products.
The HP Tuner “Track Addict Attack Dash” was beta tested at the recent GRIDLIFE Grand Circuit event.
GRIDLIFE will be integrating the Track Addict Attack Dash at all GRIDLIFE Live broadcasts for the 2021 Season (See schedule below). For more information about HP Tuners, their products, and the Track Addict app, visit www.hptuners.com.
As GRIDLIFE closes in on its traditional June event at GingerMan Raceway, the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) points show signs of volatility. Since the second points-paying round back in February at Circuit of the Americas, Luke McGrew has enjoyed a substantial lead on the rest of the field. But, with the absence of 2020 runner-up Aaron Leichty at NOLA in November, that lead may be misleading - as Leichty has outscored McGrew in every round since. With McGrew’s lead down to a slim 19 points heading into the season’s fourth round, he might be forced to recapture the magic of his first GLTC win at Spring Kickoff last year to hang on to his lead.
Hybrid Racing driver, Eric Kutil, rings in one year with his K-swapped 1992 Honda Civic Si - a combination that netted him the 2020 driver’s championship. His season so far has been plagued by reliability issues, which the team managed to overcome and maintain third in the points. Winning Formula driver, Emile Tabb, is fourth heading into GingerMan, with Todd Kaley following closely behind in fifth. Another Winning Formula driver, Rob Manouchehri, finished top 5 in every race at Spring Kickoff last year. After battling differential issues in Kentucky, Manouchehri sits 20th in points - but will likely move up in Michigan.
At GRIDLIFE Grand Circuit last month, Andy Smedegard made waves in the GLTC paddock with a brand new S2000 build - winning 2 of 4 races and the weekend title. The team of three consisted of Smedegard, Ronnie Soliman, and Tom O’Gorman, who took his ASM HeelToe S2000 to victory in Kentucky. With momentum for the team building, ASM might be the team to beat - although they’ll have a way to go to make up ground in the points, where Smedegard, Solimon, and O’Gorman sit 13th, 19th, and 21st respectively (due to missing the first two rounds). D.J. Alessandrini will make his first start in GLTC since Road America last fall. Alessandrini has one win (Mid-Ohio in the middle of last year) and could be considered a favorite with his car freshly prepped and on the new and untested GoodYear slick tires.
Amidst the K-swapped cars and Duratec Miatas near the front, V8-powered cars are also finding success. Jeremy Swenson and his not-so-subtle shiny purple C5 Corvette found victory lane last month - and newcomer Eric Jenson’s thundering LS-swapped Scion FR-S ran top-15 all weekend. Bryan Heitkotter’s V6-powered Chris Forsberg Racing Nissan 370Z will also make a comeback after its debut at Circuit of the Americas.
The 50+ car grid will be the one of the largest in GRIDLIFE Touring Cup history - matching the car count from GRIDLIFE’s annual Midwest Festival from last year. The explosive growth of the series has also led to a considerable increase in the level of competition. With 12 races completed so far this year, there have been 7 different winners (including 3 first-time winners), and no clear favorite has emerged for the season championship. GLTC races are streamed live on GRIDLIFE’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
GRIDLIFE Chicago - the traditional late June TrackBattle round - takes place this weekend, June 25th-27th at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois. With a full Time Attack grid, a stacked GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) field, and the return of drift to Autobahn Country Club’s South Course, there will be no shortage of action this weekend.
Time Attack competitors will have their eyes on the weather and sky most of the weekend; temperatures that typically climb north of 90 degrees have a major impact on when the fast laps of the weekend can occur. Street class will be missing it’s winner from last year, as Austin Hertel and his #34 Nissan 370Z now compete in GLTC. In StreetGT, Coby Shield’s time of a 1:30.946 last year stands as a class record. The 2020 Street Modified battle was intense - with Jackie Ding, Alex Moss, and the RS Motors team within tenths of a second on the 2.1 mile Autobahn Country Club South Course. Ding’s TA90 Supra and Alex Moss’s now dual-clutch swapped ASM S2000 have seen significant changes in the past year, raising the bar for Street Modified - not just with lap time, but with engineering. In Track Modified, Feras Qartoumy’s thundering Corvette C6 was quickest last year, with a time of 1:25.422. He remains the rabbit to chase this weekend. Matt Williams in his Honda Fit will try to repeat his 2020 results at Autobahn, where he won the Sundae Cup class by over a second.
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup has been a fierce battle this season. It began at the first points round last year at NOLA Motorsports Park, and continued on through Circuit of the Americas, NCM Motorsports Park, and GingerMan Raceway. With round 4 on the horizon, Luke McGrew aims to hold on to his points lead as Winning Formula’s Aaron Leichty and Hybrid Racing’s Eric Kutil continue to chip away point by point. Perhaps the biggest threat to the top three is ASM’s Tom O’Gorman, who has won four of the last five races and has charged into the top 10 in season points - even before drop races have been calculated. O’Gorman’s teammate, Andy Smedegard, won his first GLTC race at Autobahn Country Club last year, in a weekend which kicked off a hot streak for the Wisconsin native. In eight races, he finished no worse than fourth, racking up four victories and three second-place finishes. Chris Forsberg Racing’s Bryan Heitkotter will also join the field for his third round of 2021 - posing a constant threat in his carbon-covered Nissan 370Z Nismo. Jeremy Swenson, who has two victories in just his first twelve starts, sits fifth in the point standings in his metallic purple Corvette. Four race wins are up for grabs this weekend in the fourth round of the 2021 points season.
GRIDLIFE Chicago will be live on grid.life/live, as well as the GRIDLIFE YouTube and Facebook pages, beginning at 10:20 AM CST on Saturday, June 26th. The broadcast includes coverage of all Time Attack, GLTC, and drift sessions, as well as a special GRIDLIFE iRacers event at the Chicago Street Course on Saturday afternoon.
At long last GRIDILFE X Rally Ready are combining forces to bring rally back to the Horizon with two different ways to have fun on the dedicated 2 mile rally course at Alpine Horizon.
RALLYSPRINT HPDE
Open to all! The RallySprint HPDE is open session single runs open to any car that passes our HPDE per GRIDLIFE GTCR Rules as well as fully caged SXS Vehicles. The RallySprint HPDE is $30 for 2 runs and open to all.
RALLYSPRINT BRACKET COMPETITION
Introducing the RallySprint Brackets! A 2 Day High speed Bracket elimination on the full 2 mile high speed Rally Course. Competitors are allowed on an approval basis. Vehicle safety requirements must be met in order to be considered for approval. All competition cars must feature a minimum 4 point rollbar of adequate construction quality, per Gridlife GTCR. Full rally or GTCR accepted 6 or more point rollcages are highly encouraged. Drivers must have at minimum a handheld fire extinguisher, 5 point harness, and SFI accepted head and neck restraint. SA2010 or newer helmet must be worn by driver. Under competition timing, there are no passengers allowed in vehicles (driver only).
COMPETITION SCHEDULE (TENATIVE)
FRIDAY: Drivers will have the option to take multiple site laps for Recce in an Open practice style format on Friday evening. SATURDAY: Drivers will have open qualifying sessions to lay down the fastest lap within the allotted open track time. Drivers can take as many runs as possible during this time. SUNDAY: Competition day! Drivers will be paired per class and compete in a knock out style bracket per class for the championship.
COMPETITION FORMAT
All competitors in all classes will get one opportunity to set a qualifying time. Qualifying times will establish the bracket order, using standard bracket layout. Times will be used to determine winners in each battle. Winner in a given bracket will “move on” to the next bracket. A winner will be determined after all brackets have been completed.
ELIGIBLE VEHICLES & CLASSING
RXR GRIDLIFE RallySprints are open to all cars that can pass HPDE tech per GRIDLIFE GTCR rules. Additionally Caged SXS Vehicles are also permitted. RXR GRIDLIFE RallySprints will be divided into four classes for competition.
Naturally Aspirated 2WD= Non forced induction cars driven by two wheels (2 front, or 2 rear only). Powerplants and drivetrain are open to modification/engine swaps but original layout and configuration of the car, drivetrain wise, must remain as factory supplied (shipped as a 2wd NA , two wheel drive , original configuration must remain, etc).
Naturally Aspirated 4WD= Non forced induction cars Driven by all wheels (4 max). Powerplants and drivetrain are open to modification/engine swaps, but original layout and configuration of the car, drivetrain wise, must remain as factory supplied (shipped as a 4wd , 4/all wheel drive, etc, original configuration must remain, etc).
Forced Induction 2WD= forced induction cars driven by two wheels (2 front, or 2 rear only). Powerplants and drivetrain are open to modification/engine swaps but original layout and configuration of the car, drivetrain wise, must remain as factory supplied (shipped as a 2wd FI, two wheel drive , original configuration must remain, etc).
Forced Induction 4WD= forced induction cars driven by all wheels (4 max). Powerplants and drivetrain are open to modification/engine swaps but original layout and configuration of the car, drivetrain wise, must remain as factory supplied (shipped as a 4wd FI , four wheel drive , original configuration must remain, etc).
Entry into the RallySprint brackets includes your 3 Day ticket to the Alpine Horizon Festival along with a paddock space adjacent to the rally course. Drivers may add up to two crew passes when securing their ticket. Camping is not included and requires an additional pass.
This year GRIDLIFE and European parts distributor, FCP Euro, mark their third year as season partners for the TrackBattle season.
The relationship with FCP Euro has grown since it began in 2019, to a comprehensive partnership spanning GRIDLIFE Track Days, Festivals, and across all track activities including, Time Attack, the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC), Drift, and even GRIDLIFE Gaming.
“Simply put, FCP Euro is involved in everything we do. They’re true professionals and motorsport enthusiasts that see the vision of what GRIDLIFE is building, and at the same time they inspire us at GRIDLIFE to continue to improve. Their business may focus on European vehicles, but the brand genuinely cares about drivers having fun in cars, regardless of the manufacturer.”
Shawn Fenton - Strategy Director at GRIDLIFE
If you need any convincing that FCP Euro knows what they’re doing - In 2020, FCP Euro was able to maintain 50% year-over-year growth, hire over 40 employees, surpass $100 Million in top line revenue while also increasing profitability, all while keep their dedication to quality and customer experience, and guaranteeing every part you buy for life, during a pandemic.
FCP Euro also announced this year that they will be entering the IMSA series with two new Mercedes AMG GT4s, retiring the team’s pair of championship-winning Volkswagen GTI TCRs. Additionally, FCP Euro is supporting Formula Drift pro driver, Micheal Essa, with primary branding on the livery of his new BMW E46 competition car. To top it all off, FCP Euro will be working with Hoonigan on several initiatives this year.
Despite their very busy calendar, FCP Euro is very excited to return to the GRIDLIFE paddock after a year of social distancing, and GRIDLIFE looks forward to celebrating racing at TrackBattle and Festival events in 2021.
With the help of FCP Euro’s continued partnership, GRIDLIFE Live has seen an upgrade in its production value with the addition of the FCP Euro Race HQ, serving as the broadcast booth for GRIDLIFE Live announcers, hosts, and guest interviews. The FCP Euro Race HQ will be featured in all GRIDLIFE Live broadcasts at every event this year. Check out the most recent GRIDLIFE Touring Cup highlights from the recent GRIDLIFE Grand Circuit event here.
Andy Smedegard won 2 of 3 races in a rain-shortened weekend at GRIDLIFE Chicago.
Joliet, IL -
On a normal GRIDLIFE weekend, broken records usually happen on the racetrack. This past weekend, the race everyone was watching happened in the paddock. At GRIDLIFE Chicago, the Touring Cup series (GLTC) competed for the second time at Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Illinois. GLTC qualifying was one of the few sessions that managed to run on Saturday, despite washout weather conditions that would eventually cancel the remaining sessions - including the first of four races. The front qualifiers were no surprise - Tom O’Gorman on pole, sporting a striking new electric blue livery, and ASM teammate Andy Smedegard in second.
The first race of the weekend on Sunday morning proved to be an immense challenge throughout the field, with deep puddles and damp asphalt sending Jeremy Swenson off course and Eric Kutil and Emile Tabb into a tandem slide. The most heart-stopping moment was Chris Adams sliding wildly out of turn 5, narrowly avoiding Ryan Upham’s red BMW M3, and gathering up what could have been a race-ending incident. Up front, Tom O’Gorman and Andy Smedegard led the race comfortably, until O’Gorman’s engine let go on the backstretch. Smedegard keyed up the team radio and instructed the team behind Andy Smedegard Motorsports to prepare Tom’s car for repairs. Smedegard would go on to win GLTC Race 1, before heading back to the paddock to turn his attention to the powerless #94.
Bystanders stood back and watched in awe, trading shocked expressions as ASM pulled out a spare Honda K24 engine, grabbed wrenches, and delicately removed the broken motor. Nearly a dozen team members worked under, over, and inside the Honda S2000 - including Smedegard - who made quick work of what would normally be days or weeks of effort. When the new engine was bolted in and cranked to build oil pressure, the old motor sat on a pallet, still warm from the race just 90 minutes prior. With time to spare, the winner of GLTC’s previous round pulled onto the grid for the second race of the day, prepared to start 5th, based on O’Gorman’s best lap from race 1. The GRIDLIFE scrutineering team compared data between engines and ensured the fresh engine transplant was compliant with the rules.
On the first of two pace laps, O’Gorman rolled back down pit lane with overheating problems, stopping against the pit wall. From the spectator’s viewing area above, water bottles rained down and were dumped directly into the radiator - just enough to cool the engine down as the field roared by for the race start. In 15 minutes, the blue S2000, with a new heartbeat, passed 23 cars to finish 11th; he’d go on to finish 8th in the final race of the weekend and gain a spot in the season points.
Andy Smedegard won the second race of the day, followed by the Hybrid Racing EG Civic of Eric Kutil, the Winning Formula Miata of Aaron Leichty, Chris Forsberg Racing’s Bryan Heitkotter, and Emile Tabb. Justin Kelly, Joel Morrison, Jeremy Swenson, Louis Chatroop, and Jake Joraanstad completed the top 10.
The third and final race of the weekend was led to the green by Jeremy Swenson, who gained his advantage from the eight-driver invert from the previous race. In a similar style to his previous wins at NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky and GingerMan Raceway in Michigan, Swenson pulled out to an enormous lead, before he started slipping back into the clutches of Smedegard and Emile Tabb. With just minutes left in the race, Seth Gale’s Acura Integra triggered a full course caution that would end the race early, allowing Swenson to claim his third win of the year. Andy Smedegard won the weekend overall, with Aaron Leichty and Eric Kutil finishing second and third. Leichty passed McGrew and now leads the season points as GLTC forges ahead to the GRIDLIFE Alpine Horizon Festival, July 23-25, at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup Results - Autobahn Country Club
GRIDLIFE is happy to welcome our friends at Fortune Auto as an Official Sponsor of GRIDLIFE for the 2021 season. Long time friends of GRIDLIFE, we’re excited to be finally hosting Fortune Auto at both the Alpine Horizon, and GRIDLIFE Midwest Festivals in 2021.
In addition to their sponsorship of the 2021 season, Fortune Auto is using select GRIDLIFE drivers through the season as a testing field for their new 520 Series Club Racer 2 Way Coilover product development.
We’re proud to utilize GRIDLIFE as the test bed for the new 520 Series Club Racer 2 way Coilover - They are a one-stop-shop for aftermarket brands to research and develop due to the range of Motorsport disciplines offered in a single GRIDLIFE event weekend.
— Nick Swann - Marketing Director at Fortune Auto
Dan Foley - Fortune Auto Driver
Shawn Krebsbach - Fortune Auto Driver
Adam Jabaay - Fortune Auto Driver
Gold Diggers Drift Crew - Fortune Auto Drivers
Fortune will be joining GRIDLIFE in the paddock at both the Alpine Horizon and GRIDLIFE Midwest Festivals, as will a large field of Fortune Auto sponsored drivers across all disciplines of motorsport from Time Attack to Drift.
GRIDLIFE is excited to welcome Toyota to the Alpine Horizon 2021.
After a robust activation at GRIDLIFE South back in 2019, GRIDLIFE is happy to welcome back Toyota to the GRIDLIFE experience, this time at the Alpine Horizon Festival held at Pikes Peak International Raceway July 23-25.
With Toyota’s return to GRIDLIFE comes a more comprehensive activation that brings their most celebrated vehicles from on-track to off road..
TOYOTA OFF-ROAD PARK
Get fired up! Toyota will bring their top of the line TRDPro off-road vehicles to Alpine this year and YOU can ride along as they are put to the test at the Toyota Off-Road Park, complete with the “Off-Roader Coaster” feature. The Toyota Off-Road Park will be open to everyone so make sure to stop by the Toyota Off-Road Park to sign up for a ride.
The Toyota Off-Road Park experience is accessible to any patron throughout the daytime hours through the weekend.
Fans can sign up for rides through the Off-Road park in a Toyota TRD Tacoma, Tundra, 4 Runner, or Sequoia.
2021 GR SUPRA PACE CAR
The 2021 Toyota GR Supra will be parked at the Toyota activation in the paddock for your viewing pleasure. As a special treat, Toyota will be letting GRIDLIFE stretch the GR Supra’s legs a bit by serving as the official pace car for GLTC races throughout the weekend!
SIENNA SHUTTLES
The Toyota Sienna Shuttle program is returning to Alpine Horizon after a great fan response at GRIDLIFE South.
Outfitted with GRIDLIFE branded windshield banners, and door cards - Sienna’s will be on-site to give fans a lift to the campgrounds or get to their ride in the Toyota Off-Road park, and more.
Just flag one down, and hop in for a ride to your campsite, the evenings shows, or anywhere else on-site.
RYAN TUERCK DRIFTS THE COROLLA, FOLLOWED BY LARRY CHEN IN HIS “RACER CHASER” SUPRA.
No stranger to the GRIDLIFE Festival experience, Ryan Tuerck returns to the track in his Drift Corolla to shred the Horizon. Close behind Ryan will be the talented, Larry Chen, capturing all angles from his Racer Chaser Toyota Supra. Fans will have a chance to win ride alongs by visiting the Toyota booth on-site. Stay tuned or stop by the booth for more info.
If you can’t make it to the Alpine Horizon Festival you can always tune into the GRIDLIFE Live Broadcast for live coverage of all the racing all weekend long. Click the link below to set a reminder on YouTube when we go live!
It was all eyes on the time attack this morning as drivers had one last attempt to improve times set in the first 2 days of this event. Shawn Krebsbach had been struggling with ABS issues all weekend, but diagnosed a faulty ground on the steering wheel angle sensor. With Dewey and Moss sidelined with mechanical issues, Shawn made 4 flying lap attempts during the last session. It was the last one that mattered most, as he was able to jump to P1 overall in class with a 58.432 and take back his class record at PPIR. Congratulations to all drivers out here setting records and new personal bests. Alpine Horizon has grown to become an incredible event with competitors traveling from all over the country to join us for what is one of the wildest events on the 2021 calendar. We’ll see you all in a few weeks at Mid-Ohio for the Mid-Summer Meet.
The level of competition continued to heat up for TrackBattle Day 2 at Alpine Horizon in 2021. A sold out event meant that there were plenty of spectators to see the incredible pace of the time attack cars and the great racing in GLTC. Not content to just set the overall track record and FTD for the weekend, Feras Qartoumy fitted some tires to enter the Track Modified Class as well. Amazingly, the difference in time was only 1 second between his race tires and his street tires. Feras now holds both the Unlimited and Track Modified records with a 53.233 and 54.232 respectively. In the Street Modified class, Alex Moss continued to lead with a 58.750 but Shawn Krebsbach has been battling issues and has yet to make a flying lap that shows the pace that we know his car has. He’s done it before here in 2019. Both Dewey and Alex appear to be done for the weekend after heat 6 with mechanical issues in their transmissions. All eyes will be on Shawn to see if he can improve in heat 7 on Sunday. In the Club TR Class, Ben Thorn has a formidable challenger in Ryan Seiler for the rest of the season. In heat 6, Seiler was able to take the lead from Thorn with a 1:03.221, who could only manage a 1:03.376. This is Seiler’s first class win with GRIDLIFE TrackBattle and we’re excited to see his luck turn after a few tough events earlier this season. In Street Class, a 3 way battle between Mike Coons, Adam Wood and Charles Miller left drivers fighting for tenths of a second to secure the podium. It was Coons coming out on top with a 1:02.143 and setting a record in class. Gregory Paine and Micah Evonitz battled in Street GT, with Paine managing a 1:02.599 in his Shelby GT350R, Evonitz was not far behind with a 1:02.660.
The Top 10 Shootout made a return at Alpine Horizon after a lengthy hiatus in our race format. Here drivers get 1 hot lap to set the grid order for race 3. With plenty of time attack experience, it was Jeremy Swenson that came out on top with a 1:01.858 to take pole for Race 3. This format is awesome, and definitely worth a watch below.
In GLTC race 3, it was Justin Kelly that took an early lead following a strong Top 10 shootout in the morning. Heitkotter battled Kelly for several laps before muscling by him in the infield. Swenson continued to battle for the weekend championship, with a solid P3 finish.
A wild race with wet weather conditions and some light contact on the oval affected race 4. It was Heitkotter with a strong finish at the end of the race that led to his first overall weekend victory in GLTC with Chris Forsberg Racing.
Drivers wasted no time getting reacquainted with the course, as Heat 1 began with many still unloading trailers from the long haul out to Alpine Horizon Festival for TrackBattle Round 5. On his first hot lap Feras Qartoumy bested his previous overall track record by nearly 1.5 seconds with a 55.0s on this short circuit in his Unlimited Class Twin Turbo Corvette. With plenty of tracktime to go, it’s almost guaranteed that he’ll go faster this weekend. Alex Moss was the first Street Modified class car that was able to break into the sub-1 minute times, but with Dewey DeWitt and Shawn Krebsbach also here competing this weekend, everyone will have to improve to beat Alex’s 58.546 record from 2020.
GLTC action was continuous throughout the day. Bryan Heitkotter’s program with Chris Forsberg Racing is constantly improving, and he looks to be in winning form this weekend after a strong qualifying session. His 1:01.872 set’s the new GLTC lap record here, and puts him into P1 for Race 1. Jeremy Swenson and his Corvette were not far behind. Only 0.4s separated P1 and P2.
In race 1, a strong start gave Swenson the early lead from Heitkotter. Eric Jenson jockeyed for position before getting passed around the outside in the infield during lap 1. Heitkotter was forced to battle with Jenson, allowing Swenson to stretch his lead. Near the end of the race, the gap was reduced to just more than 0.3s, but it was too much to overcome and Swenson managed to secure the win. GLTC RACE 1 RESULTS
In Race 2, Heitkotter had the better start and was able to take the early lead into turn 1. Swenson was able to power through into turn 3 and take that lead away. Much like race 1, Sweson stretched with early pace and was able to hold the lead all the way to the checkered flag. GLTC RACE 2 RESULTS
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
The legendary voice of Grand-Am, IMSA, SRO Motorsports America, and Ferrari Challenge will announce GRIDLIFE Touring Cup and Time Attack at GRIDLIFE Mid-Summer Meet.
Lexington, OH -
The voice covering GRIDLIFE Touring Cup (GLTC) and GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack will sound a little different at GRIDLIFE Mid-Summer Meet at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, August 6th-8th, 2021. Behind the microphone will be legendary motorsports announcer Greg Creamer, who has provided play-by-play and radio commentary for IndyCar, IMSA, Ferrari Challenge, SRO Motorsports America, and the SCCA, among others. Greg has also worked on the FOX Sports broadcast team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for over a decade. While each GLTC race at Mid-Ohio will last less than 24 minutes and occur entirely in the daytime, the excitement and purity of grassroots road racing remains a spectacle, amplified by one of the great voices of motorsports commentary.
GRIDLIFE’s sixth points round in the 2021 season marks a return to one of America’s classic road courses - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, built in 1962 in Lexington, Ohio. The first GLTC race ever was held there in the spring of 2019, a weekend in which Aaron Leichty and future 2020 season champion Eric Kutil would race door to door to be the first to win (a battle which Kutil would win by yards). Kutil went on to win 3 of 4 races at Mid-Ohio the following year, and remains a favorite despite not winning a race since COTA in February. The Andy Smedegard Motorsports duo of Tom O’Gorman and Smedegard come into Mid-Summer Meet as hot as ever; the team has not lost a single Touring Cup round that they’ve entered this season. O’Gorman’s first racing memories are from Mid-Ohio, with his hometown of Mason, Ohio just two hours away. The field will be over 40 drivers deep for GLTC’s third appearance at Mid-Ohio, with the same diversity and competition seen at every round so far this season.
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup and GRIDLIFE TrackBattle action will be live on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook on August 6th and 7th, with one of the legendary voices of motorsport calling the action.
TOPEKA, Kansas- The quiet Kansas plains will roar to life with the sounds of GRIDLIFE competition at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas, August 20-22. After intense front-pack battles at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course just two weeks ago, GRIDLIFE Touring Cup returns for an eighth points round in the 2021 season. Eric Kutil’s nearly certain victory at the Ohio course sunk into the gravel trap during heavy rain at the end of the weekend. Kutil remains runner-up in the current GLTC points standings behind leader Aaron Leichty. But with the points system allowing up to 14 races to be dropped, the repercussions of poor finishes for many of the front drivers are not yet known.
Tom O’Gorman, who snuck out the Mid-Ohio weekend victory after a spectacular spin-and-win, stands to gain the most with the drop races factored at the end of the season at Road America. He and Andy Smedegard Motorsports team owner Andy Smedegard make up just two of 21 entries for GLTC at Heartland Motorsport Park.
Other notable entries include Eric Jensen, whose LS-swapped Scion FR-S made big gains at Mid-Ohio, and the return of the entire Myriad Motorsports and Team Kelly crew - three Honda S2000s and Justin Kelly’s FR-S. Luke McGrew, Erik Meadows, and Gary Wimble storm into Kansas with their Ford Duratec swapped third-generation Mazda MX-5s. McGrew lead the points deep into the season, but a falloff in consistency has relegated him to fourth in the standings, 41 points behind Aaron Leichty. With only two points rounds remaining after this weekend’s races, the championship fight continues to shape up prior to GRIDLIFE’s Midwest Festival in September.
A fifty-car GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack will compete on the 2.5 mile course at Heartland Motorsports Park this weekend. Familiar names like Josh Halka, Charles Miller, and Eric ‘Dewey’ Dewitt will aim to set the first track records for GRIDLIFE competition. In ClubTR, Dana Basinski in his K-swapped Subaru BRZ, Ryan Seiler in his #255 Honda S2000, and Jackson Jensen in his #527 Honda S2000 will each aim to best the other on the spec Falken RT660 tire.
Nick Anderson of Excelsior Springs, Missouri, enters his 2003 Dodge Viper into the SuperUnlimited category. On the other end of the speed scale, Sundae Cup remains a popular class, with Cooper Pierce, Rory Lonergan, Matt Williams, and Kyle Carstens all entering in Honda Fits.
The skidpad at Heartland Motorsports Park will also be used by drift this weekend - and with over twenty cars signed up to slide, there will be no shortage of excitement at GRIDLIFE Heartlands this weekend.
With Heartland Motorsports Park new on the GRIDLIFE schedule for 2020, many drivers come in with little to no experience at the track; times will likely get progressively faster throughout the weekend as drivers optimize their laps at the 2.5 mile, 14 turn road course.
Follow along all weekend with the GRIDLIFE Live Blog, and follow GRIDLIFE on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates on the action. The blog will have session summaries, as well as links to live timing & scoring, entry lists, and more.
Reigning champion finally claims his first weekend victory of ‘21
TOPEKA, Kansas - Eric Kutil took home a weekend championship in his 1992 HybridRacing Honda Civic Si at GRIDLIFE Heartlands at Heartland Motorsport Park. The reigning champion won nine races in 2020, eventually defeating runner-up Aaron Leichty at GingerMan Raceway last fall. But since then, Kutil and Leichty have faced significant uphill battles as the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup field saw its strongest ever fields in 2021. New competitors like Jeremy Swenson and Eric Jensen became strong contenders in their V8-powered coupes, and redesigned cars like Andy Smedegard Motorsports’ O’Gorman and Smedegard S2000s, have changed the landscape of the series. Aaron Leichty saw victory three times this season - but all of those victories came during round 2 at Circuit of the Americas. Eric Kutil stole the fourth race at COTA, but then didn’t win again until just two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio.
Justin Kelly leads the field to the green at Heartland Motorsports Park for GLTC Race 1.
With Kutil gaining momentum and eyeing a second championship, he rolled off the trailer with an experimental low-drag aerodynamic setup, a combination that would allow him to win race 1 at Heartland Park. Jeremy Swenson, whose Viking Performance Corvette has become a staple at the front of the field on wide street tires, switched to Hoosier R7 slicks for Kansas. After a few sessions of adjustment, Swenson found speed, enough to win both race 2 and race 3.
The remainder of the top 5 for the duration of the weekend consisted of Smedegard and O’Gorman, who both seemed to be in the hunt, but could not break through to victory in the series’ eighth points round. Team Kelly had strong performances in early sessions, but Tiffany Kelly wound up with a damaged race car, just weeks after another crash at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Justin Kelly was able to compete near the front, but like the ASM team, was unable to go to victory lane. A broken half-shaft in race 3 forced him to start at the tail of the field for the fourth and final race of the weekend, where he would gain several spots and leave the weekend with a seventh-place spot in the weekend points.
Eric Jensen (#184) leads Tom O’Gorman (#94) and Aaron Leichty (#19) through turn 13 at Heartland Park.
GLTC newcomer Robert Thorne was making waves this weekend, bringing his V6-swapped Mazda Miata up through the field. While running fifth in race 3, a brake caliper unhinged and sliced a wheel in half while entering the high-speed turn 4. Thorne’s car would not steer or stop and it crashed violently nose-on into the tire barrier. Thorne would walk away from the accident unhurt, but the car was severely damaged and is likely totaled.
The races on Sunday were close, but side-by-side racing seemed hard to come by. With massive commitment required to be fast, drivers found themselves nose to tail often. The race 4 invert allowed Aaron Leichty in his Winning Formula Porsche Cayman to start on pole, alongside Eric Jensen. On the green flag, Jensen would out-drag Leichty and lead the entire race. With massive pressure from Kutil and O’Gorman, Jensen stole a race 4 victory - his first ever in GRIDLIFE Touring Cup.
Eric Kutil now leads the point standings leaving Heartland Park, with only two rounds remaining in the championship.
Kutil’s mission in race 4 was to simply beat Jeremy Swenson, as the two were separated by just one point entering the last race. With Kutil motoring by O’Gorman and Smedegard, he put distance between himself and Swenson to claim the weekend championship with 85 points. Swenson finished second with 81 points, and Tom O’Gorman finished on the podium with 70 points. Aaron Leichty drops to third in the GLTC standings, as Kutil surges to the lead by seven points over Jeremy Swenson. GLTC Races next at GRIDLIFE Midwest, the penultimate round of 2021, before the season championship round at Road America.
South Haven, MI - The annual GRIDLIFE tradition of smashing together live music and the world of motorsports continues this weekend, September 9-12, at GingerMan Raceway in western Michigan. The festival is normally held in the first weekend in June, but will once again be held in early September as a result of the pandemic. Since 2019, GRIDLIFE Midwest has featured three distinct and unique motorsports - TrackBattle Time Attack, where drivers engineer their cars to do the fastest possible lap across a variety of classes, drift, where drivers create massive clouds of smoke and skillfully slide around the course at high speed, and GRIDLIFE Touring Cup - a diverse and competitive wheel-to-wheel racing series.
Headlined by The Floozies on Friday and Big Boi on Saturday, GRIDLIFE Midwest will feature Sunsquabi, A-Trak, Boogie T, JAWNS, Ajax Stacks, D-Wrex, Jimkata, and more as part of the music show that draws thousands each year. Attendees can camp next to the racetrack, enjoy food stands and trucks, a gaming arcade, live music, and motorsports action for three full days.
To add to the on-track action, big drift names like Chris Forsberg, Ryan Litteral, Odi Bakchis, Michael Essa from FCP Euro, and Matt Field will put on a show on the 2.21 mile, 11-turn road course. GRIDLIFE offers drifters a unique driving experience, drifting on the same track layout that the fastest cars of the weekend will use - offering context for just how fast and how skilled the drift field is. Announcing the action for the drift segment of the GRIDLIFE Livestream (available to watch on YouTube) will be Jarod DeAnda and Sam Nalvin - a dynamic duo that makes the production as fun and entertaining as the action itself.
For a second time, YouTuber T.J. Hunt will return to GRIDLIFE after his debut at the Alpine Horizon festival in July in his Valvoline Nissan 350z. Gears & Gasoline will also be on track with Valvoline branding, in the striking blue, red, and white EK Honda Civic driven by Ben Thorn, who will be defending his third place in the overall Time Attack Falken ClubTR class season points.
Seven different classes, from the approachable and inviting Sundae Cup category featuring cars like Honda Fits and Mazda2s, all the way to Unlimited class, with crazy wing assemblies and a rulebook with little in it, will be on track again for GRIDLIFE’s Time Attack competition. The Street Mod category has seen a fantastic points battle all season long, with Jackie Ding leading Michael Aumick, Dewey DeWitt, and Alex Moss. Ding’s Toyota Supra will not be present at GRIDLIFE Midwest, however, as the car is in prep for the season finale at Road America. Instead, the PhD driver will be competing in Street class in a Tesla Model 3.
The new-for-2021 Falken ClubTR category places competitors on identical-width Falken RT660 tires - and the battle between Ben Thorn and class leaders Ryan Seiler and Dana Basinski is only heating up with two rounds remaining in the season. GingerMan Raceway’s eleven turns often reward handling over power - highlighting very different car attributes than Road America.
GRIDLIFE Touring Cup, the wildly popular and diverse wheel-to-wheel racing series, returns to GingerMan for the second time this season. A 50+ car grid awaits four sprint races over the course of the weekend, plus an additional qualifying shootout, where the top 10 racers from the second race each get one lap to grab a higher grid spot for the third race. Only 7 points separate leader Eric Kutil from GLTC rookie Jeremy Swenson, whose freshman year of competition has shown his purple C5 Chevrolet Corvette can stick with the frontrunners.
The on-track action at GRIDLIFE Midwest can be watched in its entirety on YouTube, beginning on Friday morning.
The music lineup, schedule, tickets, and other information can be found at gridlifemidwest.com.
