GT4 America: Kellymoss' Erika Hoffmann charges to P4, Unser and Freiberg finish P6 at COTA
- MIKA BÖCKER
- Apr 30
- 4 min read
Following an accident for her teammate during qualifying, an outstanding effort from Kellymoss team and a strong comeback drive earned Erika Hoffmann fourth place in the 3 hour race at COTA, while Loni Unser and Ashley Freiberg were classified sixth after a late penalty.
Following an accident for her teammate during qualifying, an outstanding effort from Kellymoss team and a strong comeback drive earned Erika Hoffmann fourth place in the 3 hour race at COTA, second round of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America championhsip, finishing just ahead of Loni Unser and Ashley Freiberg, as the all female duo was classified sixth after a penalty.
Hoffmann’s teammate, Parriot, suffered a heavy crash during qualifying while in a promising position, thereby triggering a red flag. The team was forced not only to find a spare car, provided by a competitor team, but also to change drivers' pairing, as Parriott was eventually replaced by Riley Dickinson, Kellymoss' driver for the GT World Challenge America line-up.
As a penalty for causing the red flag, the team had its best lap deleted and was therefore required to start from the very last grid position.
The #24 Kellymoss Porsche driven by Ashley Freiberg and Loni Unser, meanwhile, had better luck; the latter was able to start the race from 6th place in the Silver Class and 16th overall after a positive qualifying session despite the limited running.
The start of the race proceeded cleanly: Dickinson, in particular, got off to a dream start. Starting from the very back of the field, he not only worked his way past countless cars from other classes during the opening lap but also managed to overtake Unser later in that same lap. This moved him up to 14th place overall, while Unser’s Kellymoss team slotted in seventh in the Silver Class.
Dickinson remained virtually unstoppable over the next few laps. After overtaking several more cars from other classes, he also passed Colombo, advancing to 5th place within his class during the first ten minutes of the race.
Within the first 30 minutes, having started from 28th on the grid, he had already broken into the top ten of the overall standings. But he wasn't finished yet: he wasted no time in overtaking the BimmerWorld BMW at the end of a straight, passing it with ease. Patten's Mercedes was now just half a second ahead of him.
Meanwhile, Loni Unser had found her pace and was able to keep up with the other cars. She began a cross-class charge to regain contact with the rest of her class; having briefly dropped to 19th place, she had now climbed back up to 17th. However, the gap to 5th place in her class had already widened to 20 seconds.
After 40 minutes of racing, Patten conceded defeat in his duel with Dickinson by pitting slightly earlier than scheduled. Both Dickinson and Unser pitted 10 minutes apart for a full service, including a driver change.
Erika Hoffmann took over the #73 Porsche from Dickinson, rejoining in 13th place overall due to the overcut strategy. However, she manages to defend her position within her class. The handover from Unser to Freiberg proceeded even more quickly, allowing them to rejoin the pack in the Silver class from 15th place overall.
Both Hoffmann and Freiberg ran more than 30 seconds behind fourth place, yet they held a comfortable gap over the cars behind and soon closed in on one another.
This situation changed when the ACI Motorsports BMW was forced to stop on track due to technical issues, triggering the first Full Course Yellow after 60 minutes of racing. The gaps were therefore erased, and the deck was reshuffled; the race resumed after 15 minutes, and both women gained a position after the RAFA Racing Team Toyota pitted immediately following the restart. Despite running in close proximity to one another, there were no significant changes in overall position, and, crucially, no changes within the Silver class.
Just 90 minutes into the race, Hoffmann pitted for her second stop, temporarily relinquishing her sixth-place position. Freiberg, who had briefly held fourth place in the class thanks to strategy, pits just one lap later. Following the pit stops, Dickinson emerged directly ahead of Unser and Colombo, and was now just two seconds behind Workmann.
The battle for the top positions in the class now entered its decisive phase. For Dickinson, the objective was eighth place overall and a podium finish in class, while just behind him, Loni Unser defended fifth place against Colombo. Dickinson’s fight for a class podium continued right up until the final hour of the race, at which point he successfully made the pass. Subsequently, he was also able to close the gap to second place.
Meanwhile, Ashley Freiberg took back over from Unser for the final stint. Following the pit stops, she retained fifth place within her class.
Dickinson pushed his maximum driving time to the limit, pitting with 38 minutes remaining in the race. Thanks to this late pit stop, he briefly held the lead. Shortly thereafter, a McLaren ended up in the gravel trap and was unable to extract itself. The Full Course Yellow was thus declared, setting the stage for a 20-minute sprint finish for Hoffmann and Freiberg within a tightly bunched field.
Following the restart, however, came a crushing blow for Freiberg: she was handed a drive-through penalty for contact, a penalty that cost her many positions in such a compact field. Within the Silver class, however, the damage remained relatively limited, and the team held onto 6th place.
In the final minutes, Hoffmann successfully withstood pressure from behind, securing 11th place overall and fourth position in class. Given that the team - competing with a substitute driver and car - was forced to start from the very last grid position, this result was particularly remarkable.
As part of the GTWC calendar, the next race will take place from May 8–10, 2026, on the notoriously bumpy circuit at Sebring.
