GT4 America: Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser climb through the field in mixed weather
- RACERS
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
The all-female Kellymoss duo of Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser produced great recovery drives at Road America, but a combination of caution periods, mixed weather and a unfortunate penalties prevented them from converting their speed into a representative result in the latest round of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America championship.
Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser produced impressive recovery drives at Road America, but a combination of caution periods, mixed weather and a unfortunate penalties prevented the Kellymoss duo from converting their speed into a representative result in the latest round of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America championship.
Freiberg and Unser finished seventh in the Silver class in Race 1 after a particularly strong comeback from Freiberg, before taking eighth in class in Race 2 after a promising podium position was lost following a pit-stop penalty.
The Road America weekend marked the return of Pirelli GT4 America competition following the summer break, with the fast and technical Wisconsin circuit providing a demanding venue for the Kellymoss pairing. Freiberg and Unser arrived with confidence after securing their season-best result at Road Atlanta, where fourth place in Silver also gave them an overall top-ten finish.
Their consistency had been a major strength during the opening half of the campaign. The duo had scored championship points in all five races and sat sixth in the Silver class standings, with their previous best result being fifth in Race 2 at Sonoma. Road America therefore represented another opportunity to finally reach the Silver-class podium.
The weekend began on a positive note, with the #24 Kellymoss Porsche immediately showing competitive pace. Freiberg and Unser placed fourth in Silver and fifth overall in the opening practice session, setting a 2:17.235 and providing an encouraging indication that they could fight near the front.
Loni Unser was tasked with the first qualifying segment and posted a 2:17.840, placing the #24 Porsche 20th overall and eighth in the Silver class. Ashley Freiberg then took over for the second segment and immediately improved the car's position, recording a 2:16.425 to qualify 16th overall and seventh in Silver.
Loni Unser took the start of the opening race from eighth in Silver. The Kellymoss Porsche initially lost some overall positions, dropping to 24th, although she remained eighth within the Silver class. The situation was complicated by the large number of ProAm cars positioned between her and her closest class rivals, making direct progress in the Silver order difficult.
Unser settled into a group of Am-class cars while looking for opportunities to recover ground, but the race was interrupted on lap four when the #49 McLaren of Chiocchetti went off heavily at the Kink. The incident resulted in a significant impact and brought out the Full Course Yellow, with Unser running eighth in Silver and 25th overall under caution.
The race remained neutralized for much of the remainder of her opening stint, and the pit window subsequently opened while the field was still under caution. Several cars immediately entered the pits in an attempt to take advantage of the reduced-speed conditions, but they were held at pit exit, meaning those early stops effectively cost them almost a lap. Kellymoss opted for a different strategy, with Unser staying on track. When the race returned to green one lap later, the rest of the field was forced to complete its stops under racing conditions.
Unser eventually brought the Porsche into the pits on lap 8, handing over to Freiberg from eighth in Silver. Freiberg immediately showcased her pace; she began working her way through the overall field and quickly moved up to 20th overall, before producing a 2:10.0 lap and closing in on the former leading car of Hoffmann.
She completed the pass on Hoffmann to move into seventh in Silver and continued to make progress through the overall order. By lap 15, Freiberg had climbed to 15th overall, while remaining seventh in class and closing the gap to the Silver cars ahead.
With clear track and increasingly strong rhythm, Freiberg continued her charge. She began passing more ProAm entries while maintaining lap times in the 2:19 range, and eventually moved into 13th overall.
The final laps saw her continue to push, but despite the remarkable recovery there was not enough time remaining to close the gap to the Silver cars ahead. Freiberg nevertheless brought the #24 home seventh in Silver, completing an impressive stint that had transformed the team's overall position.
Freiberg took the opening stint for the second race, starting seventh in Silver and 16th overall. The race was preceded by rain approximately half an hour before the scheduled start, leaving the circuit in challenging conditions and forcing the field to begin behind the Safety Car.
After two laps under caution, the green flag was finally waved, sending the drivers into a difficult wet-track race. Freiberg once again proved particularly effective in the conditions. She initially moved to 14th overall while retaining seventh in Silver, before continuing her recovery through the field. Her pace allowed her to pass several cars and climb to 11th overall, while also moving ahead of Selldorff to take sixth in the Silver class.
The Kellymoss driver continued to push and soon broke into the overall top ten, while also closing in on Jimmy Llibre. It was another excellent recovery drive from Freiberg, who had transformed a midfield starting position into a genuine fight for a top-five class result.
The progress was interrupted when Marc Miller and Alex Garcia were involved in a major accident at Canada Corner, bringing out another Full Course Yellow.
Freiberg was sixth in Silver when the caution was deployed, and the pit window opened under the neutralization. This time the entire field headed for pit lane, with Kellymoss handing the car over to Unser.
The team executed an excellent pit stop, allowing Unser to emerge in third in Silver and fifth overall. The result put the #24 Porsche in a genuine position to fight for the podium during the final phase of the race. However, the pit stop was subsequently placed under review. After repairs to the track barriers, racing resumed with 12 minutes remaining, and Unser held third place through Turn 1 as the green flag returned.
The penalty was ultimately confirmed, with Unser receiving an 8.61-second penalty for a short pit stop. That meant she needed to build sufficient track position and margin to absorb the additional time at the finish.
Unser dropped behind Boehm and Jurs and was sixth in Silver by lap 14, while still maintaining a strong overall position. Another major crash, this time involving the #94 Random Vandals BMW of Craven, brought out the Safety Car once again. The race ultimately ended under caution, which proved particularly unfortunate for Kellymoss given the penalty.
At the time the race was neutralized, Unser was eighth in Silver and 11th overall. Once the post-race penalty was applied, however, the #24 Porsche dropped to 18th overall, although the pairing retained eighth place in the Silver classification.
Ashley Freiberg in particular produced two impressive recovery drives, repeatedly making up ground through the field, while the Kellymoss Porsche showed the speed required to challenge for the front of the Silver class. Instead, the team's Road America campaign was shaped by caution periods and some bad luck that ultimately prevented the team from capitalizing.
The next round of the Pirelli GT4 America championship will take place at Barber Motorsports Park from September 25–27, where Freiberg and Unser will look to turn their pace into the podium result that has so far remained just out of reach.
