Washington and Sargent Turn Three-Point Deficit into Six-Point Advantage Going into Double-Points Indianapolis 8 Hour Season Finale
GMG Racing, co-drivers Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent, and the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo team have reclaimed the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am championship lead after a hard-fought third-place class finish in Sunday's three-hour race at Barber Motorsports Park.
Washington, Sargent and the No. 32 team arrived in Alabama three points out of the Pro-Am driver and team championship leads after being knocked from the top of the standings for the first time this season last month at Road America.The third-place result at Barber delivered a nine-point swing, and the team now carries a six-point lead into the double-points Indianapolis 8 Hour season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 8-11.
Just reaching the grid took a monumental effort from the GMG Racing crew. In the weeks after a crash at Road America, the team tackled a chassis tub replacement and flew in a second Porsche from France. The car was reassembled and fully prepared before its arrival in Alabama where the tireless GMG Racing crew pulled off an unexpected engine and gear box replacement early in the race weekend.
The race itself brought more adversity. Washington was turned in the opening minutes by a class competitor who was penalized for the incident. The No. 32 dropped a lap down, but top pit-side strategy and a quick pace by both Washington and race closing driver, Sargent, soon put the team back in lead lap contention.
"There are a lot of mixed emotions," said GMG Racing Founder and Principal James Sofronas. "We definitely had the car to win this weekend, but in racing, it's not all about speed. You have to put everything together. But no doubt, the team worked above and beyond to not only prepare a new car from Europe and then have to replace an engine and a gearbox. With the commitment from Kyle to see this through and the commitment from the team to get everything done, third-place here is almost like a win after all of the adversity we faced and the contact we had today."
Washington has endless praise for the GMG Racing team, and the strong Barber result has him firmly focused on the Indy finale.
"We flew in a new car, re-tubbed one of the original cars, then had to replace the engine and gearbox as there was collateral damage from the incident at Road America,” Washington said. "So, to get a podium out of that is pretty incredible. The crew was unbelievable. I was really depressed after the Road America incident, and now I'm pumped again. Indy is a double-points race, which you have to take into consideration. It means everything. We are going to stay focused, work out for the next 10 days, study Indy and go get it done."
Sargent went to work right away and passed several competitors in his run to the checkered flag to secure the podium finish.
"We were all over the place the whole race, with Kyle getting turned around at the start and going a lap down, so to come back to a podium is huge," Sargent said. "The car took a lot of hits back there, but it held together in the end. It wasn't the most pleasant thing to drive, but we pulled it together and the car did an amazing job. We did what we came here to achieve. We put the championship back where we deserved it to be, and we have a small buffer going into Indy."
The result marks the fourth Pro-Am podium of the season for Washington and Sargent, which includes wins at Sonoma Raceway and Sebring International Raceway in the first year of the series' new three-hour race format.
"Taking the points lead to Indy helps,” Sofronas said. "We are back on the right track, but now we've got to regroup, clean these cars up, make sure they are as fast as they were here and look forward to hopefully winning Kyle's first championship."
Next up for GMG Racing in SRO America competition is the GT World Challenge America season finale, the Indianapolis 8 Hour at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 8 - 11.
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 relocated last year to The Thermal Club and a 28,000 sq. ft. trackside motorsports facility. 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 the company support its customers to the highest level possible. We have since won several Championships, not only with Porsche, but with Audi, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and McLaren. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona, Spa, Montreal, COTA and The Thermal Club, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.