GMG Racing brings a trio of talented drivers and three different cars to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) this weekend for an all-GT3 effort across two SRO America racing series this Friday through Sunday on the 3.426-mile Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.
First-year co-drivers Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent seek their first Fanatec GT World Challenge America Pro-Am-class podium finishes in the weekend’s pair of featured 90-minute races in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Washington also drives solo in a second No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R alongside GMG Racing Founder and Principal James Sofronas in His No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2 in the weekend’s GT America Powered by AWS sprint race doubleheader.
“Circuit of The Americas is just a fantastic venue, and it is always a great weekend,” Sofronas said. “The family is coming out, Kyle and I will be there pushing each other, and he and Tom will be looking for their first GT World Challenge podium after coming so close at Sebring.”
GMG Racing’s three drivers bring the combined momentum of both recent success this season and some race and pole-winning achievements at COTA last year to this weekend’s four-race schedule. Washington and Sargent combined for a pair of season-best fourth-place Pro-Am finishes in the most recent GT World Challenge races two weeks ago at Sebring International Raceway.
Just last weekend, Washington drove to his first race win of 2024 in any series with a Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West Masters class victory in a GMG Racing Type 992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car at Utah Motorsports Campus. Sargent in turn returns to a COTA track where he won the pole last year in IMSA Carrera Cup competition one race after securing his first U.S. victory in the series at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
“I love COTA,” Washington said. “The team is really pumped after our win last weekend, and its cool to take that right to COTA. It’s a great layout, flows really well and I really just love the circuit. The whole track is sexy, with the elevation, the big sweepers and heavy braking. It’s got everything. It’s got bumps and it has beauty. It still feels and races new and it’s got to be one of the best tracks in the world. Tom was on pole position in Carrera Cup last year at COTA. He’s fast here and hopefully I can use his brainpower.”
Sargent, a native of Australia, converted last year’s COTA pole into a pair of podium finishes to close out 2023 second in the Carrera Cup Pro Championship in his rookie season of U.S. competition.
“I have had one race at COTA, and it was at the Formula 1 Grand Prix with Carrera Cup last year,” Sargent said. “I did really well, had a pole position, and COTA will be good for us in GT World Challenge in the GT3 car. Kyle has done quite a few laps around there, as well. As far as our direct experience with the Porsche GT3 R, it’s very limited, we haven’t been to Texas with this car, but I know James and the team have plenty of experience here in GT3 Porsches. Currently, we have a really good setup, the team is excellent, and the engineers are great. I am confident we will have a good package, and I’m sure Kyle and I will quickly get up to speed quickly.”
Sofronas is set for his third GT America doubleheader of the season at COTA where he has won several GT races at the wheel of both Porsches and Audis. Perhaps his greatest achievement on the Austin circuit came in last year’s Carrera Cup finale where he swept the weekend’s Pro-Am races in what was remarkably the champion veteran’s first career starts in the series. Sofronas then picked right up where he left off last year at COTA with a Carrera Cup victory in 2024’s first race of the season at Sebring in March.
“I am comfortable at COTA,” Sofronas said. “Last year there we had a podium, and I am super excited to get back behind the wheel of the Audi. Sonoma left a bad taste in my mouth because we had a car to win, and at Long Beach we missed it by a little bit, so I am looking to charge at COTA.”
A three-day schedule, official SRO America competition begins Friday at COTA with morning and afternoon practice sessions for both GT World Challenge and GT America.
Following qualifying for both series Saturday morning, the first 90-minute GT World Challenge race is scheduled to start that day at 12:30 p.m. CDT. The opening 40-minute GT America race of the weekend goes green later Saturday afternoon at 3:25 p.m. CDT.
Sunday’s schedule begins with the second GT America sprint at 9:35 a.m. CDT while the final GT World Challenge race closes the weekend with a 2:15 p.m. CDT green flag.
All of the weekend’s race and qualifying action can be viewed live on the GT World channel on YouTube.
