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James Houghton Sweeps GLGT Races At Lime Rock Park

SALISBURY, CT – Team Falken driver James Houghton earned his first event sweep, taking every 1st place win in the GLGT class and Kal Fortner finished in 3rd place overall in the StreetMod class. Houghton raced with his Honda Civic TCR and Fortner piloted his Mercedes AMG GT, both equipped with Falken Falken Azenis RT660+ tires. Both drivers made some adjustments for the Lime Rock Park course: James removed a generous amount of wing angle, and Kal upgraded the AMG GT’s front control arms, allowing a full degree more camber, and he adjusted the tune to push the car to 769 WHP.

Starting in second place for the first race, James found himself on the outside line. Based on his previous experiences, Houghton believed that the outside position offered a slight advantage for overtaking. When the race began, AJ chose to stay on the inside line but ended up missing a gear shift, which allowed Houghton to make an immediate pass in the first turn. The race proved to be a challenge for Houghton, as AJ maintained an impressive pace and stayed close behind him for the entire race. Ultimately, Houghton managed to remain in the lead and secured his first victory of the event by less than half a second.

With a 1st place finish in the first race, Houghton was positioned at the front in the inside line for the start of the second race. To maintain his advantage, James chose to pursue the outside line as they entered the first turn. Although he temporarily lost his position, he managed to make a pass and regain the lead. Throughout the race, Hartman remained a strong adversary, pushing Houghton to his limits by maintaining a faster pace and edging up beside him several times. However, Houghton did not back down; he held his pace and successfully fended off Hartman, securing his second victory of the event.

James installed a fresh set of front tires for the third race, and he grew increasingly concerned about AJ’s improving speed. Despite this, the two drivers did not engage in a significant battle during the race. James successfully maintained his lead over AJ for the entire event, securing his third victory of the competition.

In the final race, there was a 6-car invert, and with three wins already secured, Houghton aimed to play it safe to clinch the overall weekend victory. At the start, James was cautious but managed to race up to second place behind Hans Horpedahl, who was driving a C5 Corvette. Gaining confidence as the race progressed, James began looking for an opportunity to overtake. By the third lap, he successfully executed a pass on the uphill section of the track.

“Horpedahl was tricky to get by,” recalled Houghton. “His Corvette’s setup had significantly more straight-line speed than I did.”

Once Houghton took the lead, the other competitors began to experience mechanical issues. He decided to return to his original strategy and raced cautiously for the remainder of the event. Houghton maintained his lead, ultimately securing victory and achieving an overall sweep in the GLGT class. For Fortner at StreetMod, he was unable to secure a faster lap time than his first session. After fellow competitor Alex Moss set a faster time, Fortner ended the event in third place overall.

“Although usually I wouldn’t be thrilled with third, this one felt like a win because it was completely unexpected, and my best ever finishing position at this track,” stated Kal Fortner. “Overall, my RT660+’s felt great throughout the weekend; they are incredibly fast. In a class as competitive as StreetMod, I couldn’t be more proud to be fighting at the front on Falkens.”

James Houghton remains in 1st place overall in the GLGT class with 277 points, and Kal Fortner is in 4th place overall in the StreetMod class with 68 points.

The next GRIDLIFE event will be the Laguna Festival, held at Laguna Seca in Salinas, California, from September 26th – September 28th, 2025