- Jame Sofronas Celebrates Professional Racing Debut 30 Years Ago at Road America with First GT America Powered by AWS Race Win of the Season Sunday in the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2
- Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent Charge to a Second-Place Pro-Am Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS Finish Saturday in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R
ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin (August 19, 2024) – GMG Racing secured a Sunday GT America powered by AWS race win with team Founder and Principal James Sofronas and a P2 Pro-Am class podium in Saturday’s Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS race with co-drivers Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent in a competitive SRO America championships weekend at Road America.
Sofronas, who began his professional driving career 30 years ago at Road America, drove his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2 to an emotional flag-to-flag win from the pole Sunday. The victory was the final step of successful comeback after Sofronas was sidelined for several months after a testing incident in the Audi at the SRO Road America event in 2023.
“This is where I wanted to race from day one in World Challenge,” Sofronas said. “When an opportunity came up in 1994, I took my entire savings out – $1,800 bucks – and rented a factory-supported car from an Oldsmobile team, a touring car that was actually a pretty stout piece. I was hooked, Road America is the best track in North America by far, and for me it was just the beginning of a journey that I didn’t know would take me to where I am today. The team we have right now is firing on all cylinders. That’s what I am the most proud of.”
Washington and Sargent began the weekend’s solid results Saturday with their second podium appearance in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in the last three GT World Challenge races after their first series victory last month at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). The No. 32 team rebounded from a pit stop less than 10 minutes into the race for a swap to slicks from rain tires after a pre-race rain shower subsided. Washington kept the pressure on despite falling a lap down and handed off right at the race’s 50-minute mark to Sargent, who immediately went to work in his race-closing stint.
“Tom drove amazing,” Washington said. “His drive at the end was incredible, we had a yellow flag that was very timely, and he took advantage of that and drove like an absolute star in the fight to the finish. He put it in overdrive and just rocked it.”
A typically strong pit stop by the GMG Racing crew, and the well-timed yellow flag with 12 minutes to go, not only put Sargent in a position to get the No. 32 back on the lead lap, but to also to battle for the class win in the race’s closing minutes.
“The key to race was getting past the overall leader right as the safety car came out, and that gave me the ability to unlap ourselves,” Sargent said. “I caught up to the pack and was at the back of the train for the restart. We caught the field right as we were going green, and from then on it was just a dog fight to the finish. The car was amazing all race.”
Sargent was fourth in Pro-Am and eighth overall when race was restarted with just over five minutes to go. He defended the position through the race’s penultimate lap and quickly pounced when a Pro-Am class competitor up front slid off course in Turn 1. The field bunched up to avoid the off-course car, but Sargent maintained his momentum to move from fourth to second in the span of just a few corners. He took the white flag second in Pro-Am and fifth overall and held the positions to the finish.
“We were a little conservative on the tire choice at the beginning but we wanted to give Kyle a good car for the start and let him charge,” Sofronas said. “We pitted under green to change tires and Kye was consistent, kept pushing, and then we let Tom do what he does after the pit stops. Everything unfolded with just three minutes to go. Tom is coming into his own. He is showing he is a front runner in a Porsche and in this series.
Sunday’s convincing GT America victory was remarkably the sixth race win for Sofronas since his Road America incident last year. His five other victories have come in IMSA Carrera Cup competition, including his most recent win in that series two weeks ago at Road America. This weekend’s event completed Road America’s annual August stretch of races – IMSA, Porsche Sprint Challenge and SRO – and GMG Racing was one of the few teams to compete on all three race weekends.
Even more notable was that Sofronas was the only driver, of the more than 50 race winners across all series competing at Road America this month, to score multiple race wins at “America’s Park of Speed” on different race weekends.
The Sunday victory was the first for Sofronas in SRO America competition since winning at Road America in an Audi in 2021, the third of his three GT America wins that season.
Next up for GMG Racing in SRO America is the event weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, September 6 – 8.
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 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 30,000 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.
