- Porsche Junior Driver Ayhancan Güven Joins Washington and Tom Sargent in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R in this Weekend’s Indianapolis 8 Hour Pro-Am
- Kyle Washington Second in Porsche Sprint Challenge Masters Class Saturday in Sonoma after Starting Last in the No. 232 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
- Patrick Mulcahy Secures a Season-High Second-Place Pro-Am and Overall Finish Saturday in the No. 254 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at Sonoma
SONOMA, California (October 3, 2024) – GMG Racing and team drivers Kyle Washington and Patrick Mulcahy charged to the finish for a pair of USAC Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West second-place class podium finishes Saturday in the season-ending event weekend for the single-make Porsche racing series at Sonoma Raceway.
Washington charged from the back of the starting grid to the second-place Masters Class finish in the No. 232 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup after flying all night from a family milestone celebration in New York to California just in time to qualify for the weekend’s races.
Mulcahy in turn drove a backup No. 254 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Sonoma’s dual Porsche GT3 Cup races after his primary machine was sidelined in a testing incident early in the Sonoma weekend. Despite the late change to the replacement Porsche, the GMG Racing backup 911 GT3 was ready to go and Mulcahy didn’t miss a beat has he battled for the podium throughout the race and straight to the season-best P2 result.
Washington’s eBoost and adrenaline-fueled performance Saturday wasn’t just in Sprint Challenge West. Taking advantage of a dual Porsche Sprint Challenge event for the second straight race weekend, Washington started the weekend’s schedule of four races in his No. 234 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup competing in the Sprint Challenge North America race on Saturday.
Leaving nothing on the table, Washington climbed through the field from the back in that sprint for a top-five Masters Class finish. He started the race 12th in class and 23rd overall but – in addition to the class fifth-place result – he was 14th by the checkered flag. He won the eBoost Hard Charger Award for improving seven class positions, three more spots than any other competitor in the race.
“When you fly into the track for the first time the morning of the race, not many people could even show up on the grid, but Kyle can make that happen,” said GMG Racing Principal and Founder James Sofronas. “He chugged a few eBoost and was off and running. Considering the zero track time he had here, after everybody else had nearly three days, it was amazing he powered through for a P2 finish. He will never shy away from getting as much track time as possible, which is why he made it to Sonoma in time to race after celebrating his parent’s 60th Anniversary and a big 90th Birthday for his father in New York. You can’t miss something like that, but he got here as soon as he could, and the podium result makes that kind of trip all the more worthwhile. It was quite the celebration.”
Mulcahy, completing just his first year of professional level racing, continued improving right up until the final checkered flag of the season.
“I’m super impressed with Patrick’s racecraft,” Sofronas said. “He drove like someone who has been doing this for 10 years. When he had to defend, it was fair, and when he had to push and get a gap, he was able to. He hasn’t raced with that much pressure by top drivers for that long all year. So, to withstand that pressure and excel and get a P2, we were all very excited in the pits watching every lap until the end. But I think no one is happier about the P2 that he is. It is well deserved.”
Mulcahy’s top P2 finish came one race after a third place finish in August at Road America that was his previous season-best finish. He continued the fast fight through Sunday’s final USA West race of the year where he finished fourth in Pro-Am and overall after running as high as second and battling with the other leaders throughout the race.
“The team pulled a miracle and drove a car for me all the way up from Santa Ana,” Mulcahy said. “They arrived just in time for qualifying, which was huge as I would have had to start in the back. To have an incredible race after all of that was amazing. I am glad I was able to hang on there on Saturday. I was a little more cautious for Sunday’s green flag after some Saturday start penalties for other competitors. Then I had some issues with pickup on my tires during the yellow flag near the end. It’s just my inexperience with the track, but I also should have been down a gear. Lessons learned, but all in all happy with my performance and the GMG Racing team. We had some good results this year. I just kept getting better and better with each race, which has given me some momentum going into the off season. Plenty of lessons learned, I will work on a few things, and I have full confidence I will come into next season swinging.”
With the Porsche Sprint Challenge season in the books, GMG Racing now shifts focus to this weekend’s season-ending SRO America Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend, which began with opening practice Wednesday.
The highlight program is GMG Racing’s Pro-Am team in the Indianapolis 8 Hour with Fanatec GT World Challenge America contenders Washington and Tom Sargent in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. The winning duo of Washington and Sargent will be joined by Platinum-rated Porsche Junior Driver Ayhancan Güven in the Pro-Am class in the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
GMG Racing also extends its full support to German Porsche team Herberth Motorsport this weekend in the Indianapolis 8 Hour through a full logistics and technical partnership for the team’s Pro-Am No. 4 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R. The trio of Antares Au, Loek Hartog and Platinum factory Porsche pilot Patric Niederhauser co-drives the Herberth Porsche.
Three GMG entries also compete in the season-ending GT America powered by AWS doubleheader, which features single driver, 40-minute sprints Friday and Sunday. Washington drives a second No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R and looks for his first win of the GT America season after recording both second place and third place podium finishes so far. CJ Moses runs in the GT2 class in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 while Sofronas is always a contender for a win in his No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO2. Sofronas picked up his first GT America win of the season the last time he ran the Audi last month at Road America.
A majority of the action this weekend from Indianapolis can be viewed live on the GT World YouTube Channel, including Saturday’s featured Indianapolis 8 Hour that starts at 12:15 p.m. EDT.
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 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.
