LAURA HAYES Leads Overall at COTA Before Cruel Suspension Failure Costs AM Win

April 29, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

LAURA HAYES delivered a masterclass in GT4 racing at COTA, leading the entire field overall for significant portions of the Lone Star Enduro while dominating the AM class. The Thunder Bunny Racing driver set fastest overall laps and climbed from P7 to the outright lead, proving her pace translates perfectly from Mazda MX-5 Cup to GT4 machinery in her series debut season.
The Thunder Bunny Racing team controlled the AM class all weekend, with HAYES topping practice and teammate Allen Patten securing pole position. Their strategic race execution had them cycling between the overall lead and AM class domination, with HAYES consistently running faster lap times than Silver class competitors above her in the standings.
Racing luck struck again for HAYES, as a suspension tie rod failure with just 15 minutes remaining ended what looked like a certain AM class podium and possible victory. This marked another frustrating mechanical DNF for the promising driver, who had already faced contact at Sonoma’s opener and a technical issue that prevented her from starting Race 2.