Three rounds have elapsed in the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season and GMG Racing’s Tom Sargent has more than hit his stride in the SRO GT Academy North America pursuit. While nine eligible drivers are vying for a fully funded Silver Cup seat at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the Aussie has emerged as the early favorite and given the rest of the field a lot of work to do if they want to close the gap. He put his strengths on full display in the opening round at Sonoma Raceway, and followed it up again at Circuit of The Americas, earning perfect scores in both events. The story continued as the next chapter unfolded at Sebring International Raceway.
The Qualifying session proved to be less straightforward than in previous rounds, with a red flag in the opening 15-minute window having notable impacts on the combined format and starting order. However, in Sargent’s respective Qualifying 2 session, he did what he needed to do.
With a time of 2:00.760, he earned the fifth-best time overall in the No. 32 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, and went third-fastest in the Pro-Am rankings. However, as in previous outings, he outpaced the remainder of the GT Academy field, once again maximizing his points haul.
That speed translated directly into the race itself. Among the GT Academy contenders, Sargent set both the fastest average pace and the outright quickest lap of the race with a 2:01.169. He not only topped the field overall, but did so by nearly half a second over the next-closest competitor.
For the third consecutive time, Sargent has signed off with a perfect score of 36 points, bringing him to a new total of 108 points. This puts him 50 points clear of the contender in second place, fellow Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver Ryan Yardley.
“The season has basically been a dream start so far,” said Tom Sargent. “We’ve taken two wins from three starts, and been the most competitive car on the grid consistently. It’s our third year in the series and to see the time and effort payoff is exciting. There were a lot of unknowns for everyone coming into the new format, but I think we’ve taken to it really well. I’ve always felt that the tracks at the back half of the season suit us better so that’s also a boost of confidence knowing that the best is yet still to come.”
“I think Sebring was almost a better round for us than in Sonoma, which is funny to say after how successful we were at Round 1,” he reflected. “But I’m looking at it in an aspect where Sebring is historically our worst track of the year, but we made it one of our best. As a team and driver combination, we never fully gelled with this track, so to come here and have a successful result just shows that what we’re doing is working. Kyle [Washington] had a huge weekend with two races in one day and handled it like a champion. Super proud of him and I think that shows a lot of growth and improvement from him.”
“With this year’s Spa 24 right around the corner, it’s sad not to be making a return this year,” he shared. “But the thought of the possibility of winning the SRO GT Academy and the ability to return puts a smile on my face. It’s the greatest GT3 race in the world and is everyone’s goal to compete at and win. I’ll keep pushing and collecting as many points as possible to help me achieve this.”
Meanwhile, there have been some changes to the rest of the standings. Ryan Yardley has moved up into second place with his No. 31 Wright Motorsports Porsche. With 58 points, he sits ahead of Lorcan Hanafin, who has taken over third place with 42 points in his No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
The fourth round of the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS championship will take place from June 12th to 14th, 2026, with the SRO GT Academy drivers resuming their battles at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta as the series returns to the circuit for the first time in over a decade. Don’t miss out, get your GT World Atlanta tickets now!
