Gradient Racing's Sheena Monk, Tatiana Calderon, and Stevan McAleer showed strong potential at the IMSA Battle on the Bricks but were hindered by a 14-lap delay due to an electrical issue 40 minutes into the race, ultimately finishing 16th and collecting valuable points for the Bob Akin Award.
Gradient Racing's speed went unrewarded at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Sheena Monk, Tatiana Calderon, and Stevan McAleer were halted by an electrical issue 40 minutes into the Tirerack Battle on the Bricks event, the fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup.
Sheena Monk, who delivered a brilliant performance in qualifying, was running solidly in the GTD class top ten when an ignition wire failure stopped the #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, forcing the team to a repair that cost them 14 laps.
Nevertheless, the team managed to send the car back out, and all drivers ran competitively in the remaining hours, gaining positions and ultimately finishing in 16th place. This allowed the trio to collect valuable points for the Bob Akin Award classification.
Monk, who shares the car with McAleer for the full-time IMSA program, claimed her first podium only two rounds ago, when a stellar performance by both drivers earned them third place at Road America. However, at VIRginia International Raceway, the duo was again hit by misfortune, with a late-race toe-link issue costing them a top-five finish.
The Gradient Racing Acura has shown great speed and potential all season, including a fourth-place finish at Long Beach, but a series of unlucky incidents and mechanical issues have hindered their overall point standings.
For the penultimate Endurance round, Monk and McAleer were again joined by Tatiana Calderon, who had previously contested the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen with the team. The Colombian racing star, a former FIA F2 and IndyCar racer, returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second time in her career. At the famous Brickyard, Calderon achieved her career-best finish in IndyCar with 15th place during her part-time campaign in 2022, also becoming the first woman to lead a race in the series in over a decade.
Back in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 after a three-month break, Calderon had kept herself race-ready with simulator work, fitness training, and karting, while also serving as a development driver for the next generation Dallara FIA Formula 3 car, set to debut in 2025.
“I’m really looking forward to being back in the car", Calderon commented before the event. "It’s been a while since the last race at Watkins Glen, and I’m excited to team up again with Stevan and Sheena and to see the team again after such a long break."
“Since Watkins Glen the team has done a great job in the sprint races", the Colo,bian continued. "They had a podium at Road America so I’m hoping we can do the same in the remaining endurance races. Indianapolis is a special place for any racing driver and I have great memories from my time in IndyCar. It will be my first time driving a GT car there, but I really enjoyed my time when I was there. Hopefully we can have a positive result after such a long break.”
The Gradient Racing trio immediately showed good speed in the opening practice session at the Racing Capital of the World, proving their potential to run steadily in the top ten once again. Monk set some encouraging laps, and both Calderon and McAleer got up to speed in the two practice sessions. Tatiana was the fastest of the trio in the second session, as the team geared up for qualifying.
In qualifying, Sheena Monk clocked a 1:24.559 lap, putting her in P11, just outside the top ten, and earning her the best bronze driver spot, barely a second off the overall GTD Pro pole. After some competitors’ times were deleted due to technical infractions, Monk moved up to P8.
Race day brought challenging conditions. Light rain fell as the cars set off for the formation lap, with Monk starting the race in the car. She made a smart, cautious start, holding P10 after the first lap and avoiding the usual first-corner chaos. Monk kept a steady pace, running solid times and catching Pedersen's Kellymoss Porsche while others around her made mistakes.
About 30 minutes into the race, a Full Course Yellow was triggered when Luis Perez Companc’s LMP2 Oreca spun and became stranded in the gravel. Monk avoided the incident and held her position. During the caution, most of the GTD field pitted, but Monk stayed out, moving up to sixth. She pitted one lap later under caution to switch to wet-weather tyres as the rain intensified, rejoining in P11.
Following the restart, Monk gained one position as Danny Formal’s Lamborghini pitted again, putting her in ninth place. The conditions were extremely challenging, with rain making the track greasy. Unfortunately, on lap 22, Monk encountered a technical issue and the #66 Acura came to a halt outside Turn 1, bringing out the Safety Car. With a commendable effort, the team managed to repair the car and Monk rejoined the race albeit 14 laps down.
As the race resumed with 4 hours and 10 minutes remaining, Monk stayed cautious in difficult conditions. She handed the car over to Calderon after a clean stint, despite the minimal visibility and chaos on the track.
Calderon, on used tyres, immediately got up to speed, running competitive lap times. She closed in on the #023 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari, which had sustained damage from a contact, but Triarsi managed to rejoin just before Calderon could catch them.
Tatiana continued pushing, pitting midway through the race for a fresh set of slick tyres as the track began to dry. Soon after, the race was neutralized again following a multi-car incident involving the Dragonspeed Ferrari, the Triarsi Ferrari, and the Cetilar Ferrari, allowing Calderon to move up to P20.
Once the race restarted with 2 hours and 39 minutes remaining, Calderon advanced to P19, passing the AF Corse Ferrari before handing the car over to McAleer for the final two hours.
McAleer ran consistent, solid times and managed a lonely stint. A new Full Course Yellow came out when the #7 Porsche GTP car stopped on the main straight. McAleer pitted during this caution for the final time, continuing to log good laps afterward.
In the final hour, he gained two more positions as the Iron Dames Lamborghini and the #55 Proton Mustang pitted with issues. McAleer brought the car home in P16, wrapping up a strong recovery effort from the whole team.
Despite the early setback, the team maximized their points for the Bob Akin Award and gathered valuable data. Monk once again proved her consistency as a bronze driver, delivering an excellent qualifying performance and a solid first stint before the electrical issue. She also kept her composure during her second stint in extremely difficult weather conditions, making no mistakes.
Calderon, despite having been out of the car for several months, was immediately competitive and adapted well to the drying track.
“It was another difficult weekend unfortunately, as we had an electrical issue after 22 laps", Calderon said. "I think Sheena did a great job in qualifying and mixed conditions. It was raining quite hard at one point and that’s when we had the issues."
Although the team was once again unable to fully capitalize on their potential, the race provided valuable learning opportunities ahead of the season finale, the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
"It was a good experience to drive a GT car in the wet and learn a bit more about what to expect from the car, which I think will also be useful for Petit Le Mans", Tatiana continued. "That aspect was positive and Stevan did a great job as usual. We will keep pushing for the final race of the season at Road Atlanta, which is a track I haven’t driven at for many years. I’ll be preparing using video footage and the simulator for the last race of the year.”
By completing the race, Sheena Monk retained third place in the Bob Akin Award, with still a chance to top the classification for bronze-rated drivers at the season finale.
The final round of the IMSA season is scheduled for October 11-13.
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