Veteran GMG Racing driver Kyle Washington broke through for his first career SRO GT America powered by AWS race win Sunday in a wet and wild sprint race at rain-soaked Sonoma Raceway. Starting on the outside front row in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, Washington took a lead he would hold to the finish on the first green flag lap after polesitter and former GT America Champion George Kurtz was among the half dozen competitors to go off course in the treacherous conditions.
A full course yellow was shown just minutes later, but Washington held steady up front. He waded through the standing water in the Porsche and skillfully held his own on the slippery circuit as others continued to slide off course, even under caution.
“I’m super proud of Kyle for his first win in GT America,” said GMG Racing Founder and Principal James Sofronas. “In fact, it’s long overdue. I think about his experience and the many, many years of growing up or spending time in Vancouver. Rain is not foreign to him, and his hand control and his athleticism are off the charts. So, it’s just developing his race craft, which is what he’s been doing over the years. He was the guy to beat. We knew he had the pace in the rain, and he was strong off the corners. The Porsche was prepared great by the GMG Racing team with the rain setup, so Kyle just had to do what he does best. He just put his head down and got it done.”
A restart at the race’s halfway mark quickly produced another full course caution when a pair of GT4 competitors came together and went off course. The safety car returned to the track and led Washington and the rest of the surviving field under yellow for the remainder of the scheduled 40-minute race, which ended six months early due to increasingly treacherous conditions and the need for substantial barrier repairs.
“It was amazing,” Washington said. “Very sketchy out there, but it’s interesting. I like being uncomfortable where it can go away at any second, right on the edge. Your focus is laser in those situations at feeling the car. I was just trying to hang on and not put it in the wall, and it turned out to be a great day. George Kurtz was in front of me on the pole at the start, but I think on the second lap or so and he looped it just being a little aggressive, but no contact. I took P1 and didn’t look back.”
Known for his skill for and even love of driving in the rain, Sunday’s Sonoma win was Washington’s second wet weather race win of the season. He was also victorious on a wet Daytona International Speedway in January in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R where he won the Masters class and even led briefly overall in a VP Racing SportsCar Challenge sprint.
“Being from Vancouver, where it rains five out of six days, was probably pretty good training,” Washington said. “I think my Montana background on the ice probably helped as well.”
Next up for GMG Racing is Rounds 3 and 4 of the GT America championship at the 50th Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 11 – 13. After carrying the GMG Racing flag solo in the GT America at Sonoma, Washington will be joined by three teammates at Long Beach as GMG returns with another four-car entry for the milestone running of America’s oldest street course race. The full GMG Racing Long Beach lineup will be announced later this week.
“I was super proud to see Kyle results at Sonoma, but not surprised,” Sofronas said. “I’m super impressed with what Kyle and the GMG team earned yesterday. Now, even more confidence is behind him, and we look to have a pretty big field at Long Beach in two weeks for the next GT America race. He’ll have a few teammates pushing him there, which helps everybody.”
