Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser secure top-5 in GT4 America at Barber Motorsports Park
Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser continued their consistent Pirelli GT4 America campaign at Barber Motorsports Park, where the all-female Kellymoss duo recovered from difficult starting positions to secure a best result of fifth in the Silver class across the weekend.
Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser continued their consistent Pirelli GT4 America campaign at Barber Motorsports Park, recovering from difficult starting positions to secure a best result of fifth in the Silver class across the weekend.
The all-female Kellymoss duo displayed effective racecraft and good strategy throughout the two races, with Freiberg producing a particularly strong opening stint in Race 1 before Unser completed the recovery drive, while their second race saw the Porsche run as high as third in class before the final result settled at fifth.
The sixth round of the season represented another opportunity for Freiberg and Unser to build on an encouraging first half of the campaign. The pair had returned from the summer break with strong pace at Road America, where Freiberg's recovery drive brought seventh place in Silver in Race 1, while the duo had run as high as the class podium in Race 2 before a pit-stop penalty dropped them to eighth.
That weekend had followed their season-best result at Road Atlanta, where fourth in Silver also translated into an overall top-ten finish.
The Barber weekend began positively, with Freiberg placing the #24 Kellymoss Porsche sixth in Silver during the opening practice session with a 1:29.709, before she matched sixth in class in second practice after setting a 1:29.295. The time left the Porsche just over half a second away from the class benchmark.
Unser took over qualifying duties for the opening segment and posted a 1:30.749, placing the Kellymoss entry seventh in Silver and 23rd overall. Freiberg then climbed into the car for the second qualifying session and found some extra pace, recording a 1:29.089 to take sixth in Silver and 13th overall, putting the Porsche in a stronger position for the second race of the weekend.
Unser started Race 1 from 23rd overall and seventh in the Silver class, although the opening laps proved challenging as she slipped to 24th and then 25th overall. Running in the 1:31.7 range, however, Unser maintained her composure and held seventh in class as the race settled into its early rhythm.
The first interruption came on lap eight when the #39 Mercedes-AMG of Patten was pushed into Turn 1 following contact with the #11 McCumbee McAleer Mustang of Macfarlane, leaving the Mercedes in the gravel and prompting a full-course yellow. The caution period helped Unser remain within the pack, with the field bunching up before the restart on lap 11.
Unser made the most of the opportunity, keeping the Porsche clean and gaining several positions overall to move into 21st, while continuing to hold seventh in Silver. A further incident involving the #25 ACI Motorsport Porsche then triggered the first round of pit stops with approximately 35 minutes remaining as teams anticipated another caution period.
Kellymoss brought Unser into the pits on lap 13, handing the car over to Freiberg. The change left the #24 Porsche 20th overall and seventh in class, but Freiberg immediately began to make progress. Her opening lap of 1:31.154 was the car's fastest of the race to that point, and she continued to circulate consistently in the same range as she began the long recovery toward the cars ahead.
As the pit cycle played out, Freiberg climbed to 16th overall and continued to apply pressure, maintaining a consistent rhythm while waiting for opportunities in traffic. When the #812 RAFA Racing Toyota spun while fighting for an overall position, Freiberg was able to gain another place, before increasing her pace into the 1:30 range. She set a 1:30.832 and continued closing on the cars ahead, although several Pro-Am entries remained between the Kellymoss Porsche and its nearest Silver-class rivals.
Freiberg's pace continued to improve, with a 1:30.739 becoming another personal best as she passed Alex Garcia to move into 14th overall. With ten minutes remaining, she was more than half a second per lap quicker than two cars immediately ahead, although the gap to them remained around seven seconds.
The gap steadily came down, reaching four seconds to Liefooghe by lap 36, but with the clock running out Freiberg could not quite complete the final part of the charge. She brought the #24 Porsche home 14th overall and seventh in Silver, recovering nine positions from the car's starting position and turning a difficult grid position into another points-scoring result.
The second and final race of the Barber weekend offered Freiberg and Unser a stronger starting position, with Freiberg lining up sixth in Silver and 13th overall. She made immediate progress when the race began, gaining one overall position before settling into 15th overall and seventh in Silver on the second lap.
Freiberg soon established a strong rhythm in the 1:30s, battling with Pro-Am entries including Allaer and Neugebauer while maintaining pressure on the cars ahead. The first significant opportunity arrived on lap six, when Josh Green's #98 Random Vandals BMW, which had been running inside the overall top ten, was forced to pit with a puncture. The incident promoted Freiberg to sixth in Silver.
The Kellymoss Porsche continued to show consistent pace, with Freiberg gaining on Allaer while also benefiting from the problems affecting McQuarrie's BimmerWorld BMW, which was forced to pit with damage. Freiberg could now concentrate on the cars ahead, although a number of Pro-Am entries still separated her from Kevin Boehm, the closest Silver-class rival.
Freiberg continued her attack on Yardley, but the traffic made the pass difficult. When the pit window opened, several teams elected to stop while Kellymoss kept Freiberg on track, maximising the length of her opening stint. The strategy paid dividends as she finally cleared Yardley and climbed to tenth overall, while simultaneously moving into fourth in Silver as the pit cycle unfolded.
The Porsche continued to climb through the provisional order, eventually cycling as high as third in Silver before Kellymoss called Freiberg into the pits on lap 21. She handed the car to Unser with approximately 25 minutes remaining, having completed a strong opening stint that had put the all-female entry closer to the class top-five fight.
Unser rejoined sixth in Silver, but the race was soon interrupted by another full-course yellow after a three-car incident at Turn 14. The caution period gave the field another opportunity to close up, with approximately 15 minutes remaining when the race returned to green.
The restart immediately produced another opportunity for the Kellymoss Porsche when the #028 RS1 Porsche slowed, promoting Unser to fifth in Silver. From there, she concentrated on defending the position, with several cars from other classes creating additional gaps behind and ahead of the Porsche.
Unser maintained a consistent pace in the 1:32s and resisted the pressure through the closing stages, ultimately bringing the #24 Kellymoss Porsche home fifth in Silver and 11th overall. It represented another solid recovery from the starting position and provided the all-female pairing with their best class result of the Barber weekend.
With Barber now complete, Freiberg and Unser sit seventh in the Pirelli GT4 America Silver class standings on 94 points. The Kellymoss pairing will have one final opportunity to add to their tally when the championship concludes at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 8–11.
