Third Place Finish at Lone Star Enduro Pushes Hanley Motorsports Forward in Pirelli GT4 America Championship Race

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Hanley Motorsports secured a third-place finish in the inaugural Lone Star Enduro at Circuit of the Americas this past weekend. The unique event, Round 5 in the 2024 Pirelli GT4 America Championship, featured a three-hour race format instead of the series’ traditional double-header race format.  

The event challenged teams with grueling Texas heat and the demands of an extended race, promising double the standard championship points as a reward and heightening the stakes for thirty-one registered GT4 entries. Hanley Motorsports entered the weekend with high expectations, aiming to replicate their 2023 class victory at the Texas road course. The team’s potential was evident early on, with Thompson securing the top qualifying spot in the silver category and third overall.

Daniel Hanley was in the driver’s seat when the green flag flew for race start at 5 PM race start, maintaining a top-five position as the field found its rhythm early in the race. Exemplary work by Hanley Motorsports’ pit crew allowed Thompson to join the field in 3rd position when his first began near the fifty-minute mark. The Canadian pushed forward, taking the second position overall. Near the end of his stint, hapless timing of a full-course-yellow allowed the race leader and much of the field to pit but prevented the No. 999 from doing the same.  When the entire field cycled through the pits afterward, Hanley Motorsports’ white, red, orange, and yellow GR Supra had fallen back to 9th.

Undeterred, Daniel Hanley showed impressive pace and determination in his second stint—the 20-year-old charged through the field, working his way back up to third position. Thompson closed the race, continuing to attack for the final forty-five minutes of the contest. Unfortunately, by then, the first and second-position competitors had established nearly a 30-second cushion on the field. Thompson drove to the checkered flag in third.

Parker Thompson
“Very proud of our effort here at Circuit of the Americas! There’s no doubt that we felt a win was within reach for us this weekend. I have to give a tonne of credit to our engineer, Chris Bohlman, and our crew chief, Ryan Heller. The unique regulations for this event and the demands of tire changes and refueling presented our group with new challenges. We were well-prepared and handled those challenges flawlessly. Unfortunately, our strategy took a big blow when a full-course yellow locked us out of the pit lane near the halfway point. Despite that, Daniel’s excellent mid-race drive and perfectly executed pit stops allowed us to solidly claim the final podium spot.”

Daniel Hanley
“Our team demonstrated incredible performance and preparation this weekend. The extended race was a true test of our endurance and strategy. I’m thrilled with our podium finish. Most importantly, we’ve moved into a better position in the season’s championship race. We’ll continue pushing forward in the Championship race when we arrive at Virginia International Raceway in July.”

The Pirelli GT4 America series now enters its summer break. Hanley Motorsports will return to action at Virginia International Raceway from July 19-21. With four weekends and eight races remaining, the team aims to build on their current standing and continue their pursuit of the silver-class championship.