The GMG Racing team and drivers persevered through a hot, humid and at times harrowing SRO America race weekend at VIRginia International Raceway where Kyle Washington, CJ Moses and GMG Racing team owner and driver James Sofronas combined for three race wins and four total podium finishes across three classes in two SRO racing series.
The team and drivers joined their competitors in dealing with daily high heat in the 90s and heavy afternoon rain storms on the first three days of four-day event, but GMG Racing also had its fair share of serious on-track and in-the-paddock issues. Accomplished SRO America driver John Capestro-Dubets arrived at VIR battling for the inaugural McLaren Trophy America Pro championship only to be sidelined in a high-speed and heavy contact incident with another competitor in Friday practice.
“JCD” escaped serious injury but the No. 4 GMG Racing McLaren Trophy Evo was destroyed and the entry was scratched for the weekend. Despite the disappointment, JCD stayed with the team throughout the weekend and ultimately saw first-hand a redeeming performance in Sunday’s final McLaren Trophy race in which Sofronas stormed to the Am-class victory and a second-place overall finish in the No. 14 GMG Racing McLaren Trophy Evo.
“With GMG Racing, there is just no quit in our team,” Sofronas said. “We had some pretty big setbacks this weekend. Obviously, JCD’s incident was really tough but we feel so fortunate he is OK. The No. 4 McLaren is destroyed, and then the gearbox on CJ’s Audi decided to have a leak, but the guys just stepped up as they always do and worked all night. That’s just what they do, that’s what we’ve been doing all along, and it is so inspiring for me. It motivates me to say ‘listen, I have got do my part,’ and Sunday’s race was about being smart and winning one for the team. This is also a victory for our incredible partners Mobil 1 and McLaren Newport Beach who provide their great support throughout the season.”
Pulling off one of the top highlight moves of the entire weekend, Sofronas charged from third in Am and fifth overall to the class lead and second place outright on a single late-race restart on Sunday. Sofronas passed three cars nearly simultaneously to take the class win and overall runner-up honors and provisionally extend his McLaren Trophy Am Championship points lead with only the year’s doubleheader rounds at Road America and Indianapolis left on the schedule.
“We knew as a team we had to get it done on Sunday,” Sofronas said. “Kyle finished third in GT America, and he was turning laps as fast as the leaders at the end of the race. Then it was now or never for me on the late restart in the McLaren race. I didn’t use any push to pass in the first half, and I knew I had good pace, so I was just going to let things settle in and fight at the end. I definitely used my experience to make those passes right away. I may not be the fastest guy out there, but the experience definitely pays dividends in a spec series. So, hats off to all of the GMG Racing guys, it was great to see JCD here at the track with us all weekend and with the team. He’s a tough son of a gun, and we know he’s gutted for the incident, but he’ll be back and GMG doesn’t quit. We will obviously be fighting for the rest of the year and beyond.”
Moses secured the weekend’s other pair of GMG Racing wins with uncontested victories in the GT2 class, but just completing every lap of both races not far off the pace of some of the GT3 competitors was a triumph in itself. The team tirelessly worked through a gearbox issue on Moses’ No. 58 GMG Racing/CrowdStrike/AWS Audi R8 LMS GT2.
“GMG Racing worked feverishly the last two days in order to get my car prepared and ready. We had some transmission issues, but overnight Friday – until 4:30 in the morning – they got it all fixed up,” Moses said. “I was able to go and qualify and then go out and run the full races Saturday and Sunday. So, I’m happy although it was a little lonely on the track but certainly not lonely back in the paddock with the GMG Racing team. It’s great to be here at VIR with my family. We’re actually VIR Club members and part-time residents here, so it’s always great to be back at VIR.”
Washington shook off a frustrating first race on Saturday with the third-place GT America powered by AWS race finish on Sunday in his in his No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.
His best GT World Challenge America powered by AWS result of the weekend was fourth in Pro-Am in the sister No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R he co-drives with Tom Sargent.
“Half the field made a strategy call that worked and the other half didn’t,” Sargent said. “We were in the half that didn’t quite work. So we ended up charging through the field, and we passed a lot of cars in the end, but just one spot short of the podium. We have probably the best car with the Porsche when it comes to braking, turns and acceleration, and a car we can lead with, but the current rules tend to favor some of the others when it comes to top pace. So, track position is key for us, but we were able to pull off some really hard passes Saturday.”
Next up for GMG Racing in SRO America is another full weekend of series competition at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 15 – 17.
