After a long wait, the 2026 GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season officially kicked off as teams battled it out around Sonoma Raceway for the first three-hour race on the calendar. Beyond the championship points, there is another crucial prize up for grabs: a fully-funded Silver Cup seat at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
The Sonoma season opener marked the debut of the SRO GT Academy in North America, with 9 eligible GT World Challenge America drivers in contention for the coveted opportunity to compete in the world’s biggest GT3-only race.
The SRO GT Academy fairly and equally evaluates Silver-rated drivers under 30 years of age using assessment-based criteria focused on a driver’s true ability and potential by eliminating external factors. Rather than focusing on results, the process rewards individual attributes such as qualifying pace, average stint times, and sportsmanship.
In California, it was Australia’s Tom Sargent who rose above the rest. Now in his third season in GT World Challenge America, the driver of the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO took the first victory of the year in the Pro-Am class alongside teammate Kyle Washington, but it was his performance in all other aspects of the weekend that saw him take the early lead in the SRO GT Academy standings.
In Qualifying, it was JMF Motorsports who scored the best combined times in both the Pro and Pro-Am classes. However, when evaluating based on individual performance, Sargent was the driver to beat. He not only went fastest amongst his fellow Pro-Am competitors, but he scored the fastest time overall with a lap time of 01:32.673.
His rapid pace also translated over into the race itself. When examining a sample of lap times, he clocked in with an average lap time of 01:34.201, putting him over four tenths ahead on average of his closest competitor. His dominance was showcased in outright race pace as well, with his fastest lap of the race being a lap time of 01:33.936, putting him over half a second clear of the next-quickest time.
With 12 points being awarded for each of the evaluated categories, Sargent earned himself a perfect score of 36 points after the opening round. He has accumulated a 13-point margin over Kellymoss’ Riley Dickinson in the No. 13 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992), who placed second in average and fastest race lap times, but slotted into fourth among the GT Academy drivers in qualifying pace.
Notably, if Sargent goes on to win the GT Academy championship-within-a-championship, he would be going to Spa-Francorchamps equipped with extra knowledge and experience. He previously competed in the 2025 edition of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with Wright Motorsports, where the group entered in the Gold Cup, finishing 4th in class and 16th overall in a field of 76 cars.
“To be part of the SRO GT Academy program is super exciting,” said Tom Sargent. “It’s a great program that SRO is offering this year to help Silver drivers take the next step in their careers. I was fortunate enough to compete in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa last year and the thought of possibly getting a chance to go back is awesome. It’s obviously the premier GT3 race in the world and it’s great to be able to compete against the best there is. We have a long season ahead with many rounds still to go before the final decision is made, but we’re off to a very good start this year and hopefully we can continue the strong momentum.”
The chase continues at Circuit of The Americas next for the second round of the season, with GT COTA taking place from April 24th to 26th, 2026. Get your tickets now!
