Jaden Lander, Robb Holland, and the Rotek Racing Team earned themselves their first podium finish of the season this past weekend at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. It was the fifth round of the 2024 Pirelli GT4 America season and the only single-race weekend.
The Texas heat proved a considerable challenge in finding the perfect setup for the three-hour race, which had only two 50-minute practice sessions before qualifying. Robb Holland took on qualifying duties and placed the Rotek Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 fourth in class.
Holland started the race and put together an amazing first lap to go up 11 spots into P1. He then turned the car over to Lander, who had the car running in second before a yellow flag came out. Lander dove into the pits as fast as possible but unfortunately a few positions were lost in the changeover and by the time Holland was back on track they were in fifth. After another driver switch, Lander was set to take the car to the finish line. The cooling conditions brought the car alive, and Lander was able to make up three positions to finish the race in 3rd, giving the team their first podium finish of the year.
Lander and the Rotek team have shown remarkable improvement each weekend of the GT4 season, a testament to their hard work and determination. They were finally rewarded for their efforts with their first podium finish. The team will look to build on this weekend’s results in a couple of months at Virginia International Raceway from July 19th to 21st.
“What a crazy weekend this was! Thursday night, I’m at my college graduation in NYC, and 48 hours later, I’m spraying champagne on the podium in Austin! It was a hard-fought three-hour race in the extreme heat. The execution of the Rotek Crew was flawless, and with the bad luck we have been having, they deserved this champagne. We had the pace for the win, but that’s racing. This race was for double points, so we scored solid points for the championship and now sit P2. Thank you to Rotek, Hella, Saratoga Spring Water, FCP Euro, Porsche, and the Rotek Racing crew! Let’s keep this momentum for the rest of the season!”