Hannah Grisham and Hannah Greenemeier start GT4 America campaign with P4 in Sonoma

The all-female duo from Heart of Racing successfully completed the GT4 America season opener at Sonoma, where Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham secured solid points-scoring results, claiming fourth place in the silver class in Race 1.

Photo credits: FredHardyPhoto / SRO

The all-female duo from Heart of Racing successfully completed the 2025 Pirelli GT4 America season opener in the new Aston Martin Vantage GT4. In two eventful races at Sonoma, Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham secured solid points-scoring results, claiming fourth place in the Silver class in Race 1.

Grisham, who secured her first GT3 win just a few days before at the 12H of Mugello in the 24H Series, returned to the GT4 America Championship for the third consecutive season, having won the Heart of Racing all-female shootout in 2023. After teaming up with Rianna O'Meara Hunt in her first season, the duo won the season finale at Indianapolis. Progress continued in 2024, as Grisham partnered with Hannah Greenemeier, who made the step up from F4 machinery. The pair consistently contended for podiums and class wins in the Pro-Am class before being reclassified to the top Silver category midway through the season.

Back together for a second year, Grisham and Greenemeier piloted the new No. 26 Aston Martin, again in the Silver class. Greenemeier took on the first qualifying session. Her first timed lap on Saturday was 1:45.1, placing her seventh in class. She then improved to 1:44.8 but held her position, qualifying 22nd overall and eighth in class.

Grisham got behind the wheel for Q2 soon after. She went to the top of the overall standings on her first timed lap with a 1:44.190. As times continued to drop quickly, she set a 1:43.054, ultimately qualifying eighth in class and 22nd overall, matching her teammate.

Photo credits: FredHardyPhoto / SRO

The first race start was already challenging, with numerous collisions and overtaking maneuvers in the opening corners. Even before the first lap was completed, starting driver Hannah Greenemeier had worked her way up to 16th place overall.

Not all competitors were as successful: the No. 98 BMW and the No. 10 McLaren collided heavily on the first lap, leaving a field of debris on the track. Both cars were able to continue but had to pit for repairs. Due to the large amount of debris, a Full Course Yellow was called for the first time.

The restart took place 12 minutes into the race. The drivers in the leading group were somewhat over-motivated in their battle for the lead. The second-placed driver went too far outside in the first corner and had to brake in the dirt but couldn’t make it in time for the following hairpin turn, which was hidden from view.

As a result, he spun the leading car around, causing both to stop in the middle of the track. The following traffic had limited options for avoidance, resulting in subsequent accidents and several retirements. Another Full Course Yellow was deployed, which lasted significantly longer. During this yellow period, the pit lane was opened, and the Heart of Racing team, like most teams, came in for a driver change.

Some teams, especially the front-runners, didn’t pit until the following lap because they hadn’t yet completed the minimum required time, while only the teams behind them had achieved it. Due to these delayed pit stops, Grisham, now driving the No. 26 Aston Martin, was pushed into 10th place overall and third in the Silver class.

However, at the restart after 26 minutes, she eventually lost one position. The #26 Aston Martin fell further back on the following lap, dropping to 14th overall and fourth in her class. Until shortly before the end of the race, she fought with Schmied in the Toyota ahead for 13th place. Though she was unable to reclaim the position, the Heart of Racing team secured a highly valuable fourth place in the Silver class for the opening race of the season.

Photo credits: FredHardyPhoto / SRO

Before the second race, heavy rain had fallen, but no further precipitation was expected for the race itself. Due to the wet track, the entire field started on rain tyres, including Grisham, who started from 20th place. Because of the track conditions, an extra lap under Full Course Yellow was added to the formation lap, meaning the clock was already running, and the field was only released in a single-file formation at the end of what was supposed to be the first lap of the race.

Apart from a Porsche spinning and a few minor slips, the start went smoothly. Grisham struggled a bit initially, dropping to 21st place on the first lap. However, she recovered the lost position on the following lap.

On the fourth lap, the No. 82 car was required to serve a drive-through penalty, allowing Grisham to gain another position. A few laps later, she was overtaken by Garcia, slipping back to 21st place. However, she was able to retain her seventh position in class. Just one lap later, Dyszelski crashed his Porsche but managed to free himself from the barriers and park the car safely, keeping the race green. Grisham, however, benefited from the retirement.

On her 12th lap, Grisham pitted for a driver change. Greenemeier took over and rejoined the race in 25th place. Shortly after, the No. 36 BMW was pushed by the No. 28 at pit entrance, crashed into the wall, and had to retire. The subsequent Full Course Yellow helped the Heart of Racing team close back up to the field.

At the restart on lap 18, Greenemeier was in 24th place due to the early pit stop. A penalty for the No. 28 and successful overtaking maneuvers allowed her to climb to 20th within a few laps. Shortly afterward, a collision in the leading group sent the damaged No. 37 Mercedes falling behind Greenemeier.

She then battled Holt in the BMW and overtook him on lap 23. Hannah gained another position when McIntosh had to pit with a puncture, and the No. 33 McLaren also crashed. A short time later, Greenemeier overtook Aurienna, moving up to 14th place.

In the final third of the race, the Heart of Racing team had to defend against Holt in the BMW. He fought closely with Greenemeier for several laps before misjudging the situation and spinning off the track on lap 27. Freed from the battle, she was able to close the gap to her rivals. On the final lap, she overtook Walker and capitalized on another competitor’s issue, ultimately crossing the finish line in seventh place in class and 12th overall.

The all-female duo was very satisfied with the result: "We had a really good points weekend and really that’s all we can ask for. We are still getting used to the new version of the Vantage and thankfully we were able to walk away with a clean car. This weekend is really just the starting point and we can only go up from here. A huge thank you to the team for working really hard to give us the best car possible,“ Grisham explained.

"Overall I think we need to look at all the positives from the weekend", Greenemeier agreed. "We not only came away with a clean car, but also points for both races. We have a lot to progress on, but it’s still the beginning of the season. We’ll take what we learned from here and we’ll apply to COTA in a few weeks and come back stronger.“