#999 GR Supra GT4 EVO Earns Fastest Lap and Class Podium at SRO Road America Weekend

Aug 22, 2023

Elkhart Lake, WI

Hanley Motorsports and the No. 999 GR Supra GT4 EVO delivered another strong performance at Road America. Drivers Parker Thompson and Daniel Hanley ran clean and fast in a weekend of competition complicated by incidents throughout the Pirelli GT4 America field. The duo drove Hanley Motorsports’ white, red, orange, and yellow Toyota to their second podium finish of the season and earned a Crowdstrike Fastest Lap award.

Practice sessions began on Friday morning as thirty-four factory GT4 race cars took to the 4.0-mile Road America circuit. The recently updated road course, featuring a fresh coat of asphalt, appeared to create set-up challenges for teams throughout the field. Hanley and Thompson quickly found their legs, running in the top 10 through Practice 1 and clocking the best time overall in Practice 2.

When race qualifications began on Saturday morning, Hanley marked the 15th-best time in Driver 1 Qualifying. As Parker Thompson took the wheel, the session became ensnared in incidents. After the majority of second drivers were unable to mark a time successfully, officials abandoned the session. Practice 2 results were used in place of Driver 2 Qualifying, putting Thompson in first position on the Race 2 starting grid.

Late Saturday afternoon, Hanley drove a strong stint through the first half of Race 1, cleanly advancing through the field. At the halfway mark, he entered the pits to conduct the team’s driver change, handing off the No. 999 to Parker Thompson. Soon after, a competitor incident in “The Kink” brought out a full-course-yellow and halted any opportunity for further advancement. Green flag action did not resume. Thompson crossed the finish line 10th overall and fifth in the Silver category.

In Race 2, Thompson finally found an opportunity to stretch the legs of his GR Supra GT4 EVO. Showing consistent pace and the fastest lap of the contest, he created a comfortable cushion over the rest of the field. Unfortunately, a pit stop error during the mandatory driver change dropped Daniel Hanley and the No. 999 into a fight at the front of the field for the race’s second half. He was left in fifth position after all drivers had cycled through their pit stops. The rookie racer fought hard to the checkered flag, earning the fourth-place finish overall and the final podium position in Silver class.

Reflecting on the weekend’s accomplishments, Parker Thompson expressed satisfaction with the team’s efforts. “Our GR Supra GT4 EVO continues to demonstrate that it belongs at the front of the field here in Pirelli GT4 America. I’m also impressed by my teammate Daniel and his progress through his first year of racing. Not only is he showing improved pace with each consecutive weekend, but he’s also looking fierce and calculated during race action.”

Daniel Hanley conveyed optimism with two weekends of racing remaining in 2023. “We may have missed our second win of the year here at Road America, but we’re proving that we can contend at the front of the field every weekend. The team is set up for outstanding results in the season’s final rounds.”

Pirelli GT4 America action resumes at Sebring International Raceway (September 22-24), featuring a three-race schedule that covers the cancellation of Race 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park in April.