GMG Racing Returns for 2012 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with Dynamic Trio Piloting New Porsche
GMG Racing, the multi-series professional racing team and premier performance tuning facility for European vehicles in Southern California, returns for its third season of the American LeMans Series with a new Porsche and a talented trio of racers seeking the GTC class championship.
GMG (Global Motorsports Group) Racing made its ALMS series debut with a driver lineup featuring team owner James Sofronas in the 2009 finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, finishing fifth in the Challenge class. GMG Racing contended its first full ALMS season in 2010 taking two podiums, and ran in a few 2011 races.
GMG Racing returns full-force for 2012 featuring the new No. 32 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car and a solid driver lineup. Alex Welch, who debuted as part of the GMG Racing ALMS team in 2011, will once again be behind the wheel. GMG President James Sofronas will be his co-driver having logged over 200 professional race starts, mostly in a Porsche, and has been a fixture on the podium with GMG Racing in other race series and events.
“I’m very excited to once again be racing with GMG for the 2012 season,” said Welch. “The entire team has worked very hard in the off season to prepare for the 60th running of the 12 Hours at Sebring.”
“We are big fans of the American LeMans Series at GMG,” noted Sofronas. “It is a great opportunity for us and the fans to experience the fierce competition that comes from so many different types of cars vying for victory.”
Seasoned driver Rene Villeneuve, who has been racing since 1987, is also on tap to provide additional driving support during longer races. “I have watched James race for years and know he is a solid driver with a similar approach and methodology to Porsche,’ stated Villeneuve. “Alex is also a very smart driver with lots of Porsche experience and hundreds of laps at Sebring that I am sure will put him on pace from the beginning.”
GMG Racing returns to the 2012 racing season with unsurpassed experience and expertise with Porsche racing and performance across several race series including World Challenge and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. GMG Racing recently successfully completed the grueling 24 at Daytona and won the 2012 48 Hours at Sebring. GMG Racing will make its 2012 ALMS debut with all three drivers at the season opening Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida March 14-17.
“Together we make a tremendously solid driving team and with the experience that GMG brings to Sebring, I am looking forward to a great finish,” said Villeneuve. “I would like to thank Liz Moses, whose dedication to our cause is exceptional and made this season with GMG possible.”
ESPN3 will stream qualifying events live on Friday, March 16 at 3:15pm and Saturday, March 17 at 10:15am Eastern. ABC Television will broadcast the race on Sunday, March 18 at 12:00pm Eastern.
For more information about GMG Racing, visit www.GMGracing.com or keep up to date through Facebook (GMG Racing), Twitter (@GMGracing) and YouTube.
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Press Contact: Jonathan Zaleski / The PR Collective / 310-943-7143 / jonathan@theprcollective.com
“Bryce has lots of talent, huge potential, and an impressive season behind the wheel of a Porsche GT3,” stated GMG President James Sofronas. “I see a bright future for him and we look forward to supporting him in 2012.”
Internally known as the Audi R16, the GMG Audi R8 LMS GT3 is one of the very few manufactured by Audi Sport. The vehicle was acquired from Phoenix Racing in Germany, fresh on the heels of the team winning the 2011 DTM championship and the 2012 Bathurst 12 Hour.
The car features extensive carbon fiber design and a powerful V10 engine to push the approximately 2800 pound vehicle with 520+ HP through a sequential paddle shifter with a Formula racing configuration. The Audi R16 rides solid with an aluminum body and steel cage bolted to the reinforced chassis for safety and ultra-performance grade rigidity.
GMG now has Shell Racing fuels available to customers in Southern California. Shell’s new URT unleaded race fuel achieves superior results to existing leaded and unleaded race fuels without the use of lead. Race fuel technology requires extensive research and development expertise, the kind found at Shell Racing Solutions. There are about 200 constituent parts in a fuel recipe. Some are adapted specifically for the extremes of motorsports racing, because refinements that would not matter to a street car can be vital in racing.
The 48 Hours of Sebring is the most exciting PCA Club Race in North America and is held over four days at the historic Sebring International Raceway. 350 to 400 Porsche drivers participate in a range of events and races. The 2012 event was the 19th in its history and ran from February 2-5. It attracts top drivers and teams including finishers from the recent 24 at Daytona. The victory immediately follows Global Motorsports Group 
“We started very strong and then fell back as we dealt with a harness issue,” noted James Sofronas, President of Global Motorsports Group (GMG), who shouldered driving duties along with four other teammates. “Solid and focused driving during extended shifts from my teammates, supported by an amazing crew, allowed us to successfully see this race through to the finish.” Some last minute drama came when the shift cable broke on the final lap of the race, edging the team down from 9th. “Efficient pit stops and double or triple shifts behind the wheel from the team made it work.”
The five drivers had competed in the race before and now can add a successful 2012 completion to their achievements. Sofronas is an experienced Porsche driver whose career highlights include victories across numerous racing events, series and championships, most recently in the SCCA Pro Racing Pirelli World Challenge. Shane Lewis has been racing since 1989 and has won multiple races in IMSA, GRAND-AM, SCCA Pro Racing and has podium finishes, class victories and overall wins throughout the world. Nicolas Armindo started his career in French formula racing in 2001 and has earned a reputation as a fierce Porsche competitor, winning the 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Championship in Germany. Lance Willsey brought with him extensive experience on the Daytona track, having raced it several times in prior years as part of the Grand-Am Rolex series and has multiple Rolex 24 starts. Bret Curtis has been competing across the U.S. and Europe and has raced with GMG in prior seasons, including last year’s Rolex 24 where they ran as high as 3rd with less than 3 hours to go. Curtis drove the car across the finish line for the team this year.