Winning Pro-Class Competitor Yves Baltas Joins Masters Class Contender Kyle Washington and Two-Time 2024 Pro-Am Race Winner James Sofronas in Three-Car Porsche Carrera Cup Entry for this Weekend’s Road America Doubleheader
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (July 31, 2024) – GMG Racing fields for the first time an entry in every class competing in this weekend’s IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Road America that features twin 40-minute sprints on the 4-mile “America’s National Park of Speed” on Saturday and Sunday.
Masters class contender Kyle Washington and two-time 2024 Pro-Am division winner James Sofronas welcome debuting team driver Yves Baltas, who competes in the No. 15 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the Pro class at Road America. Joining Sofronas as a Carrera Cup race winner last month at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, the arrival of Baltas adds a Pro-class front-runner to GMG Racing’s competitive stable of Carrera Cup entries.
“It’s certainly exciting to have Yves onboard,” said GMG Racing Founder and Principal Sofronas. “He’s a young and up-and-coming star and we are looking forward to showcasing his talent with ours with a Pro entry in Carrera Cup. We both won our classes in a rainy first race in Montreal, and Kyle did great too with a Masters podium in the wet, so maybe this is destiny bringing us together! It’s great for GMG Racing to have a car in all three classes. Of course, it would be real nice to sweep the weekend in all three classes, but the main mission as always is giving Kyle and Yves the best cars possible while I am just coming along for the ride, enjoying a fun season in Carrera Cup.”
Washington secured his second season-best third-place Masters finish of the year in Montreal to join Baltas and Sofronas on the podium and looks to build on that momentum this weekend at Road America in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
“I’m looking forward to another weekend at an amazing yet challenging race circuit,” Washington said. “I really need to work on the Kink and get my speed up on that turn, as everyone knows it eats cars if you get it wrong. If I can sort that one out, I love the rest of the track. Being Canadian, I love the braking zone in the Canada Corner. Getting those two spots right will give me a great chance.”
Baltas shifts to GMG Racing just two races after his first Carrera Cup win at Montreal that he followed up with a second-place overall and Pro-class finish the next day in the Canadian Grand Prix weekend’s final race.
“I’m thrilled to join GMG Racing and can’t wait to hit the track with them this weekend,” Baltas said. “This is an exciting new chapter, and I’m eager to work with the team to push for the best results. The passion and energy at GMG Racing are inspiring, and I’m ready to give it my all on race day!”
Sofronas scored a Pro-Am victory in Montreal for the second time this season after winning the opening race of the championship last March at Sebring in his No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. He also swept both races in his Carrera Cup debut in 2023’s season-ending race weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) to give him a stout record of four wins in the span of his last seven Carrera Cup races coming into Road America.
This weekend also marks the return of Sofronas to Road America after he was sidelined for four months following an August 2023 practice accident there. The COTA Carrera Cup doubleheader last October were the first races for Sofronas since last summer’s incident, and he courageously made it a winning return.
“It’s always good to get back to Road America, and I have had more than a month off since Montreal, so I am kind of anxious to jump back into a race car for the first time since then,” Sofronas said. “And what better place to get back in action than the best track in North America. My first professional race at Road America was in 1994, but my biggest race incident also came there last year. At this point I am just looking to get back there and tackling all of that four-mile circuit after a bit of a summer break. I am anxious to get back behind the wheel.”
On track for four full days, Carrera Cup practice sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT on Thursday and 9:35 a.m. CDT on Friday. Qualifying takes place Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. CDT.
The weekend’s pair of 40 minute races are scheduled to start at 11:45 a.m. CDT Saturday and 11:35 a.m. CDT on Sunday.
Both races air live at PorscheCarreraCup.us, on NBC’s Peacock streaming app, on the IMSA YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@imsaofficial and on IMSA.TV. The Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel also archives all races at https://www.youtube.com/c/PorscheMotorsportNorthAmerica.
About GMG Racing: Founded in 2001, GMG Racing quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning facility. What began as a small 1,200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility located in Santa Ana, California in Orange County and with a trackside motorsports facility at 28,000 sq. ft. currently being built at The Thermal Club. The staff, attention to detail, and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. GMG, in its early years, was located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). This close proximity allowed GMG to build a strong relationship with the legendary racing brand which has helped us support our customers to the highest level possible. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona and Spa, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.
