GMG Racing Takes on Daytona in IMSA VP Racing Challenge Debut

GMG Racing is set to kick off the 2025 season with a bold entry into the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Expanding our already stacked competition schedule, this move underscores our legacy of taking on new challenges at the highest levels of motorsport.

Stepping into the Spotlight

Veteran driver Kyle Washington will pilot the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in the all-new GT Daytona X (GTDX) class. The weekend lineup includes two 45-minute sprint races—races where Washington and the team’s sprint-racing expertise are primed to shine.

“In nearly 25 years of racing, we’ve shown we can dominate in any format,” says GMG Racing Founder James Sofronas. “From endurance events to single-driver sprints, our approach is the same—race hard, race smart, and race to win. This series is the perfect new stage for us, and there’s no better way to start the season than at Daytona.”

Momentum from a Winning Year

Washington heads into Daytona on the heels of a strong 2024 season. Career highlights include a Masters Class P2 finish at Circuit of The Americas, a podium finish at the Canadian Grand Prix support race, and a Porsche Sprint Challenge victory in Utah. Alongside teammate Tom Sargent, Washington also scored his first GT World Challenge Pro-Am win at VIRginia International Raceway last summer.

Tune In

The Daytona weekend opens with practice sessions Friday, followed by qualifying at 8:40 a.m. EST Saturday morning. The first 45-minute sprint race begins at 2:00 p.m. EST Saturday, with the final race scheduled for 1:20 p.m. EST Sunday. Both races will stream live on NBC’s Peacock, so don’t miss the action as GMG Racing makes its mark in IMSA’s VP Racing Challenge.

New GMG Racing Headquarters at The Thermal Club Takes the Spotlight in Gala Grand Opening

A dream of a lifetime that became a top priority in this decade is now a spectacular reality in the heart of the greatest high-performance automotive and road racing facility in the country.

GMG Racing Principal and Founder James Sofronas and his family and team unveiled their all-new and long-awaited headquarters facility located within the Thermal Club in a Grand Opening celebration last weekend that attracted a who’s who of VIPs and a guest list of both longtime and new customers of the top street performance shop and championship-winning racing team.

“It truly has been a lifetime goal of mine with GMG Racing to introduce a new and state-of-the-art multi-purpose headquarters facility to service our customers and top street car and competition clients,” Sofronas said. “The question of ‘where’ was answered when the amazing Thermal Club facility was introduced 10 years ago, and the right time for ‘when’ was at the beginning of this decade five years ago. Now, to finally cut the ribbon and unveil this true labor of love and unbridled high-performance automotive passion is an honor and privilege. GMG Racing’s future is at the Thermal Club!”

Sofronas, his family, key members of the GMG Racing team and the company’s entire staff and managers welcomed at the Grand Opening more than 250 guests who were the first to see the new Thermal Club GMG Racing headquarters. Notable attendees included Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) President Volker Holzmeyer, Mobil 1 Global Motorsports and Sponsorships Manager Jei Gort, Thermal Club Owner Tim Rogers, SRO America President Greg Gill, Senior Manager of Motorsports for Lamborghini North America Erik Skirmants, President of Troy Lee Designs Troy Lee and an enthusiastic group of GMG friends, clients and Thermal Club members.

Longtime GMG Racing team driver Kyle Washington, a close friend of all on the team, joined Sofronas for the actual facility ribbon cutting. Sofronas and Washington later reunited for the evening’s promised special car unveil, which was the first North American delivery of the new Porsche GT3 R Rennsport edition. The ultimate 992 Porsche track car, the GT3 R Rennsport unveiled at GMG – finished in Bare Carbon livery – is one of just 77 units that will be built in the production run, all featuring incomparable performance and a heritage-inspired retro spoiler best known in the U.S. as a “whale tail.”

The Thermal Club is a premier an unparalleled motorsports facility in the Greater Palm Springs region of California and known around the world. From there, GMG will continue the fine service it has provided to valued clients and customers for decades, but now with improved operations and customer support with a state-of-the-art facility with nothing but new installations and the latest technology and equipment. GMG will continue to accept all cars at the new location and provide its renowned products to clients, dealers and shops worldwide. And if a customer cannot get their car to the new facility personally, GMG’s safe and secure transport service is always available for a true door-to-door experience.

The relocation from GMG’s shop for more than the last two decades in Orange County marks a major milestone as the company approaches its 25th year of business as a leading high-performance shop for both street and competition cars in Southern California and beyond. The company’s current lineup of products and services will continue to be made available along with the introduction of innovative and new products for both existing and future vehicle platforms. With the new shop just 20 seconds away from Thermal pit lane, GMG Racing will be able to conduct rigorous testing and prototype development with unprecedented efficiency, ensuring that every product meets the high standards customers have come to expect.

With the Grand Opening complete, the current timeline for GMG Racing is to be fully 100% operational at the Thermal Club in the next 30 days after the final transition out of its Santa Ana facility in Orange County. An immediate program is the support of GMG Racing’s non-stop schedule of Thermal Club Winter Series races as well as exclusive track days and continuous off-season testing for the 2025 racing year ahead.

GMG Racing Closes 2024 with P2 Finishes at COTA

GMG Racing closed out its 2024 national competition season nearly the same way it started over seventh months ago with a pair of podium finishes in the final IMSA Carrera Cup North America race weekend of the year at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). The Saturday and Sunday doubleheader was the third and last Carrera Cup event of the year featuring North America’s premier single-make Porsche racing series on a Formula 1 race weekend.

Longtime GMG Racing team driver Kyle Washington stepped up for his best race finish of the year Saturday with a Masters Class second-place result in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The P2 finish topped a third-place showing in the Carrera Cup support race at the Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 race in June and Washington’s first third-place run of 2024 in the season-opening Carrera Cup race weekend last March in Sebring.

The mid-March race weekend in Sebring was also the site of a race-winning podium appearance for GMG Racing team owner and driver James Sofronas, who won in the Pro-Am class in the first race of the season in the No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. That win was the third-straight Carrera Cup victory for Sofronas after sweeping the 2023 doubleheader finale at COTA.

Sofronas returned to the Austin F1 circuit looking for a repeat of last year’s twin victories and his fourth Pro-Am win of 2024. In addition to Sebring, Sofronas scored wins this year in the Carrera Cup support races at Montreal and at Road America in August.

Both Washington and Sofronas had Porsches capable of carrying them to their respective class wins Saturday, but the caution-filled race never gave either a chance to mount bids for victory. Only 12 green flag laps were completed in the 35-minute race that was slowed by a trio of yellow flags, including lengthy caution delays at the start and finish.

“Saturday’s race was so full of yellows, and my car never really came in until the end,” Washington said. “Then it was spot on for the final four green flag laps or so we had at the end. It was really good, but before that the tires weren’t up to temperature, it was a real animal to drive, but I am glad we ended up where we did. It was super cool to be on the podium with James to close out the year, it is amazing, but sometimes its cool to end it with an ice bag and a cocktail too!”

Sofronas was delighted to return to victory lane with Washington for the third time in GMG’s five Carrera Cup race weekends this year. The team ran a select schedule of Carrera Cup events that included Sebring, Road America and the trio of F1 support races at Miami, Montreal and COTA.

“When a great friend and great client like Kyle has success, it only sweetens the weekend that much more,” said Sofronas, GMG Racing Principal and Founder. “He has been putting in the work and it shows. His pace and his race craft keep getting better. To get on the podium with him again in our respective classes was a great way to finish the season.”

Sunday’s season finale Carrera Cup sprint, which set the stage for that afternoon’s F1 United States Grand Prix, saw Washington pick up right where he left off Saturday with an on-the-pace Porsche. He took the green flag just a few spots behind Sofronas, who sustained a hard hit on his No. 14 in the frenzied first few corners of the opening race lap.

“After catching the competitors at the front, and even passing the championship leader, I just ran out of time on Saturday,” Sofronas said. “I knew Sunday was going to be a tough race, and I got hit hard in turn three. It knocked my steering alignment and toe out right from lap one. My car wasn’t 100%, but it was good enough to fight. Kyle got around me and then, with my race out of reach, I went into protection mode. In a somewhat calculated move, I repassed Kyle and chased down his class leader. I passed him and Kyle then got around him on the subsequent lap. He was on his way to his first victory until that same competitor decided to make a low percentage move and took Kyle out on the last corner of the last lap. Our planned worked out perfect, except for the end.”

Although the driver that knocked Washington from the lead – and what would have been his first career Carrera Cup victory – with the checkered flag in sight was assessed a 10 second penalty for incident responsibility, it did nothing to change the final results or recover Washington’s lost ground.

Despite the huge disappointment, Washington was typically enthusiastic over what was otherwise a great race.

“Sunday was a great race,” Washington said. “It was mean everywhere, the track was dirty, and it was literally holding on for dear life. And everyone else was doing the same thing, it was an amazing race and all green. I didn’t like how it ended. He has a habit of hitting me in the bigger races, including Carrera Cup at Rennsport Reunion last year, but we raced to the end and gave it our all.”

We Are On The Move! GMG Racing Confirms New Headquarters at The Thermal Club

Dear Valued Clients and Partners,

Exciting News: We’re Moving to The Thermal Club!

All of us at GMG Racing are thrilled to confirm that we’re relocating to The Thermal Club, a premier motorsports facility in the Greater Palm Springs region of California and known around the world. Please know that this move will not only continue the fine service we provide you and our other valued clients and customers but even improve our operations and customer support with a state-of-the-art facility with nothing but new installations of the latest technology and equipment.

We will continue to accept all cars at our new location and provide our renowned products to clients, dealers and shops worldwide. And if you can’t get your car to us personally, we will be happy to provide our safe and secure transport service for a true door-to-door experience.

This relocation marks a major milestone for GMG Racing as we approach our 25th year of business as a leading high-performance shop for both street and competition cars in Southern California and beyond. We’re not only excited to maintain our current lineup of products and services but also to introduce innovative new products for both existing and future vehicle platforms. With our new shop just 20 seconds away from PitLane, we will be able to conduct rigorous testing and prototype development with unprecedented efficiency, ensuring that every product meets the high standards our customers have come to expect.

These are exciting times for GMG Racing and for you, our valued customers, clients and partners! Should you need assistance, here are the key contacts who are ready to help.

Meet Our GMG Team:

Local Servicing, Track Preparation & Performance:
Allen Ward – Allen@gmgracing.com

GMG Product Sales & Wholesale Inquiries:
Jorge Reynoso – Jorge@gmgracing.com

Motorsport Director:
Tate Fredlow – Tate@gmgracing.com

Owner, Founder and Principal:
James Sofronas – James@gmgracing.com

We’re incredibly excited for this next chapter and invite you to visit us at our new state-of-the-art facility at The Thermal Club.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We look forward to continuing to service you from our new home!

Noteworthy: While the next order of business for GMG Racing is the move to the new Thermal Club headquarters facility, this weekend GMG Racing closes out it’s national racing schedule with the season-ending Porsche Carrera Cup North America doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in support of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Rounds 15 and 16 of the all-Porsche championship will run on Saturday and Sunday on the 3.4-mile, 20-turn Austin, Texas circuit.

Longtime GMG Racing team driver Kyle Washington looks for his first Masters Class race win of the season after third-place finishes this year at Sebring International Raceway and in the support races for the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Washington competes alongside GMG Racing owner and team driver James Sofronas who swept the victories in both Pro-Am class races last year at COTA in the No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Sofronas has demonstrated similar winning performance in 2024 with Pro-Am victories at Sebring, Montreal and, in the most recent weekend he and Washington contested, at Road America in August.

The COTA Carrera Cup schedule began with a single practice session on Friday. Following qualifying Saturday morning, the first of the weekend’s two 35-minute races goes green at 3:40 p.m. CDT. Sunday’s race is scheduled at Noon CDT, setting the stage for the United States Grand Prix that follows. Tune into https://www.imsa.com/tvlive/ for livestreaming race coverage.

GMG Racing’s schedule of Winter Series track days and race events at The Thermal Club will be released in the coming weeks.

GMG Racing Podiums at Sonoma, Heads to Indy

GMG Racing and team drivers Kyle Washington and Patrick Mulcahy charged to the finish for a pair of USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West second-place class podium finishes Saturday in the season-ending event weekend for the single-make Porsche racing series at Sonoma Raceway.

Washington charged from the back of the starting grid to the second-place Masters Class finish in the No. 232 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup after flying all night from a family milestone celebration in New York to California just in time to qualify for the weekend’s races.

Mulcahy in turn drove a backup No. 254 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Sonoma’s dual Porsche GT3 Cup races after his primary machine was sidelined in a testing incident early in the Sonoma weekend. Despite the late change to the replacement Porsche, the GMG Racing backup 911 GT3 was ready to go and Mulcahy didn’t miss a beat has he battled for the podium throughout the race and straight to the season-best P2 result.

Washington’s eBoost and adrenaline-fueled performance Saturday wasn’t just in Sprint Challenge West. Taking advantage of a dual Porsche Sprint Challenge event for the second straight race weekend, Washington started the weekend’s schedule of four races in his No. 234 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup competing in the Sprint Challenge North America race on Saturday.

Leaving nothing on the table, Washington climbed through the field from the back in that sprint for a top-five Masters Class finish. He started the race 12th in class and 23rd overall but – in addition to the class fifth-place result – he was 14th by the checkered flag. He won the eBoost Hard Charger Award for improving seven class positions, three more spots than any other competitor in the race.

“When you fly into the track for the first time the morning of the race, not many people could even show up on the grid, but Kyle can make that happen,” said GMG Racing Principal and Founder James Sofronas. “He chugged a few eBoost and was off and running. Considering the zero track time he had here, after everybody else had nearly three days, it was amazing he powered through for a P2 finish. He will never shy away from getting as much track time as possible, which is why he made it to Sonoma in time to race after celebrating his parent’s 60th Anniversary and a big 90th Birthday for his father in New York. You can’t miss something like that, but he got here as soon as he could, and the podium result makes that kind of trip all the more worthwhile. It was quite the celebration.”

Mulcahy, completing just his first year of professional level racing, continued improving right up until the final checkered flag of the season.

“I’m super impressed with Patrick’s racecraft,” Sofronas said. “He drove like someone who has been doing this for 10 years. When he had to defend, it was fair, and when he had to push and get a gap, he was able to. He hasn’t raced with that much pressure by top drivers for that long all year. So, to withstand that pressure and excel and get a P2, we were all very excited in the pits watching every lap until the end. But I think no one is happier about the P2 that he is. It is well deserved.”

Mulcahy’s top P2 finish came one race after a third place finish in August at Road America that was his previous season-best finish. He continued the fast fight through Sunday’s final USA West race of the year where he finished fourth in Pro-Am and overall after running as high as second and battling with the other leaders throughout the race.

“The team pulled a miracle and drove a car for me all the way up from Santa Ana,” Mulcahy said. “They arrived just in time for qualifying, which was huge as I would have had to start in the back. To have an incredible race after all of that was amazing. I am glad I was able to hang on there on Saturday. I was a little more cautious for Sunday’s green flag after some Saturday start penalties for other competitors. Then I had some issues with pickup on my tires during the yellow flag near the end. It’s just my inexperience with the track, but I also should have been down a gear. Lessons learned, but all in all happy with my performance and the GMG Racing team. We had some good results this year. I just kept getting better and better with each race, which has given me some momentum going into the off season. Plenty of lessons learned, I will work on a few things, and I have full confidence I will come into next season swinging.”

With the Porsche Sprint Challenge season in the books, GMG Racing now shifts focus to this weekend’s season-ending SRO America Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend, which began with opening practice Wednesday.

The highlight program is GMG Racing’s Pro-Am team in the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Fanatec GT World Challenge America contenders Washington and Tom Sargent in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. The winning duo of Washington and Sargent will be joined by Platinum-rated Porsche Junior Driver Ayhancan Güven in the Pro-Am class in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

GMG Racing also extends its full support to German Porsche team Herberth Motorsport this weekend in the Indianapolis 8 Hour through a full logistics and technical partnership for the team’s Pro-Am No. 4 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R. The trio of Antares Au, Loek Hartog and Platinum factory Porsche pilot Patric Niederhauser co-drives the Herberth Porsche.

Three GMG entries also compete in the season-ending GT America powered by AWS doubleheader, which features single driver, 40-minute sprints Friday and Sunday. Washington drives a second No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and looks for his first win of the GT America season after recording both second place and third place podium finishes so far. CJ Moses runs in the GT2 class in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 while Sofronas is always a contender for a win in his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2. Sofronas picked up his first GT America win of the season the last time he ran the Audi last month at Road America.

A majority of the action this weekend from Indianapolis can be viewed live on the GT World YouTube Channel, including Saturday’s featured Indianapolis 8 Hour that starts at 12:15 p.m. EDT.

GMG Racing Gears Up for Indy 8 Hour & Sonoma Finale

GMG Racing is all-in and more for a pair of season-ending event weekends Saturday and Sunday at Sonoma Raceway and next weekend in the Indianapolis 8 Hour SRO America and Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The nearly two-week run of races will see GMG Racing hustle from the Porsche Sprint Challenge finale in Sonoma this Sunday night and head straight to the legendary Brickyard 2,250 miles away for opening practice on Wednesday.

The highlight of the nearly two-week stretch will be GMG Racing’s Pro-Am effort in the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Fanatec GT World Challenge America contenders Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. The winning duo of Washington and Sargent will be joined by Platinum-rated Porsche Junior Driver Ayhancan Güven in the Pro-Am class in the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Washington is a Canadian now living in California, Sargent hails from Australia and Güven is from Turkey.

Another international addition to GMG Racing for the Indianapolis 8 Hour is a logistics and technical partnership with German team Herberth Motorsport, which also fields a Pro-Am Porsche entry. The trio of Antares Au, Loek Hartog and Platinum factory Porsche pilot Patric Niederhauser co-drives the Pro-Am No. 4 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R. Au is a native of Hong Kong, Hartog is a top IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup driver from Holland and Niederhauser is Swiss.

“GMG Racing is proud to be a technical and logistics partner for the Herberth Motorsport effort in the Indianapolis 8 Hour,” said GMG Racing Principal and Founder James Sofronas, who will also drive in competition during the Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend. “Antares Au has been a good friend for many, many years and is an excellent Bronze driver. We are providing everything from logistics and trackside and technical support from our extensive experience over the years on the Indianapolis road course, including the Indianapolis 8 Hour. We look forward to supporting Antares and his Porsche teammates as well as our season-long GT World Challenge America entry with Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent, who will be joined by talented Porsche Junior driver Ayhancan Güven. Fielding two Porsches in the 8 Hour is something we are very excited about, and we are ready to provide the infrastructure for Herberth and welcome Antares and the team and Ayhancan as they come to Indianapolis for the SRO grand finale event.”

Both Güven and Au arrive in Indianapolis leading their respective driver championships going into the IGTC finale. Güven leads the overall Drivers championship with 50 points while Au is atop the Independent Cup driver championship standings with 50 points.

“I’m happy to join GMG Racing at the Indianapolis 8 Hour for the final round of both the IGTC and GTWC America championships,” Güven said. “I’ve had a strong IGTC season so far, while GMG Racing has also had a successful GTWC America season up until now. Hopefully, together we will have a great weekend and achieve our goal of a class win. Definitely, last week’s IMSA round gave us a good feeling about this track with Porsche winning both GTD classes. I think the Porsche 911 GT3 R suits the Indianapolis road course well. I’ve been to the USA once in my life, and that was for testing at Indianapolis with an LMP2 car. So, I know the track and am really looking forward to racing at Indy!”

One of the support series competing at Indy is GT America powered by AWS that will have a trio of GMG entries competing in the weekend’s twin 40-minute sprints. Washington drives a second No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and looks for his first win of the GT America season after recording both second place and third place podium finishes so far. CJ Moses runs in the GT2 class in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 while Sofronas is always a contender for a win in his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2. Sofronas picked up his first GT America win of the season the last time he ran the Audi last month at Road America.

The first order of business for GMG Racing, however, is this weekend’s Porsche Sprint Challenge finale in Sonoma that brings the curtain down on both the overall North American championship and the USA West series. Washington takes advantage of the dual series format for the second straight race weekend and runs twin GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R entries – No. 232 in USA West and No. 234 in North America – in the Masters class in both series races for a total of four Sprint Challenge sprints over the course of Saturday and Sunday.

Joining Washington at Sonoma is Pro-Am class Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West competitor Patrick Mulcahy. A first-year driver, Mulcahy has shown great progress with GMG Racing and had his best USA West race weekend to date with a third-place Pro-Am finish in the Sunday Road America race in his No. 254 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Visit www.porschesprint.com for the Sonoma weekend event schedule, results from every session and live timing and livestreaming of all the races.

The action next weekend from Indianapolis can be viewed live on the GT World YouTube Channel, including Saturday’s featured Indianapolis 8 Hour that starts at 12:15 p.m. EDT.