They say “Everything is bigger in Texas”, a place with more road mileage than most countries. Massive freeway flyovers dot the landscape, and quaint BBQ spots serve up mountains of smoked meat – by weight. And so, for this weekend’s SRO GT America event at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas, GMG Racing is embracing the Lone Star State’s “bigger=better” mantra quite literally. We’re bringing eight cars to compete in three events across two separate series. Ambitious much? Perhaps, but our racing program is just hitting its 2021 stride as we dive into the meat of the season.
Per usual, the tip of the GMG spear at CotA is known threat Jason Bell. He’ll be entering two categories over the weekend with his Aston Martin Vantage GT4. First, solo in the GT America class, then joining forces with familiar co-driver Andrew Davis in GT4 America. The pair are marked men after notching a victory here last year. Bell tacitly acknowledged their position, quipping “I love this track, and we’re always fast here. Andrew and I brought home a win last year, and we want to repeat with the Aston Martin. GMG has worked non-stop dialing in the car and we’re going to capitalize on their hard work.”
Mirroring the Bell/Davis duo in Austin will be GMG veteran Elias Sabo and Andy Lee. Elias, like Bell, will take to GT America solo, this time in the reliably consistent Audi R8 LMS GT4. In both events, he’ll be looking to hone his race craft and mix things up at the front of the grid, especially with his longtime coach and co-driver Andy. Elias is hungry for opportunity at CotA, especially after a spot of bad luck at Sonoma. “The GMG team has worked so hard to get us here…we were here a few weeks ago testing, and we feel ready. I have to thank GMG and Audi Sport Customer Racing for getting the cars back together and ready to race!”
Making his series debut this weekend is SRO GT America rookie Jason Nolan. After a lot of driver development work with GMG Racing at the Thermal Club, his dedication to improving his skills is sure to bear fruit at his home track of CotA. The heat is on, especially in his new Audi R8 LMS GT4 with his family watching from the stands. Any pressure he might be feeling seems to be overcome with his ambition, though: “I’m just excited to be here! We snagged one of the last available R8 GT4’s in North America, and I fell in love with the car immediately. I couldn’t be happier with the crew at GMG, and I can’t wait to get out and race!”
While we thought sending eight cars to Texas was big, Kyle Washington has one-upped everyone else in the contest to go even bigger. His GMG-backed Porsche machines will see plenty of use this weekend, first the 911 GT3R in SRO GT America, where he just missed the podium at the last round in Sonoma. Then, he’ll Texas Two Step to the Porsche Sprint Challenge USA Series in an all-new GT3 Cup car, thought to be the last new 991.2 GT3 in the US. He’s looking to get as much track time as possible this weekend, and there’s no better way than with two cars! But, it’s not without its challenges. “…it’s been an incredible effort to get here, getting a brand new car mere weeks before a race is a huge undertaking. I’ve got full faith in the GMG team, and we’ve just overhauled the GT3R to prep it for this weekend. I can’t thank them enough for all the hard work to make this weekend happen.”
Finally, we’ll see the return of team owner James Sofronas, a staple in the SRO/PWC paddock since 1994. After seven months out of action with major shoulder surgery, you can be certain he’ll be itching to get back to top form. Never one to rest on his laurels, James is doubly challenging himself this weekend by piloting a customer’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3, not his usual GT3R. James adds, “I’ve been lucky to drive many different race cars in my career and when my client asked me if I could race his car for him this year while we train him in the same car behind the scenes, how could I say no??!”. Like the rest of the team, his ambition and gratitude is apparent. “It’s the longest I’ve been out of a racecar,” he said, “I’ve worked through intense daily PT and rehab to get here. I’m rusty, but I’ve stuck to the plan, and I’m excited to get back to it! Bringing eight cars to Texas was no small feat, and I’m incredibly proud of my guys. They have worked non-stop for the last 30 days and I couldn’t be more pleased with their level of commitment and dedication to excellence! I’m hoping we can bring some hardware home for them, but one thing is for sure, we all have a good time here at GMG!”
