SRO Motorsports America is well represented abroad at this year's CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. From the title sponsor to former champions, SRO America has a large fanfare carrying its banner.
In the 2023 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa a total of 66 drivers have graced the grids of SRO Motorsports America competition. This includes 11 drivers currently competing stateside in one of the five series run by SRO America. In addition, six teams competing in the endurance classic call the United States home.
In 2022 the event was protected by CrowdStrike this year the company becomes the title sponsor. CrowdStrike is the global cybersecurity leader and has redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced cloud-native platform for protecting critical areas of enterprise risk — endpoints and cloud workloads, identity, and data. CrowdStrike Racing by Riley represents the company on track with the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry of CEO and President George Kurtz with teammates Colin Braun, Felipe Fraga and Ian James. Kurtz won the AM Class in 2022 and is ready to take back-to-back titles.
“I’m excited for Spa for a couple reasons,” One I really like the track; two we’re going back with a great driver lineup. We’ll have Colin Braun, Felipe Fraga and Ian James who is a friend and has helped me a lot. I’ll be there with Bill Riley and team embedded with SPS, who I’ve run with before, but to have Bill and the team from the U.S. there supporting us is going to be outstanding.
“Overall, we’re looking forward to it. We always know it's going to be a big challenge, especially with the weather. There can be rain in one corner and sunny in the other. We’ll try to take the momentum we have from past races and bring that to Spa.”
Samantha Tan brings her talents abroad with the No. 44 ST Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3. Tan and her team run the PRO-AM Class in her second attempt. Tan is joined in the car by Isaac Tutumlu, Jon Miller and Leonard Weiss.
“After two great days of testing during the official Spa24 test days, I feel confident heading into the race later this year in July. I can’t wait to experience the festivities and the energy from the fans again. It was such a blast last year, complete with the rave shooting flames across from pit lane at 2 a.m. as we zipped by, and it’s truly crazy how there’s going to be 72 cars this year. I’m honored to be a part of it again, and I’m looking forward to climbing higher in the standings at the biggest GT3 race in the world.”
James Sofronas and the No. 132 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R join the list of PRO-AM Class competitors. The GMG entry is piloted by Sofronas, Kyle Washington, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Patrick Long. Patrick Long is a former Porsche Factory Driver who makes his return to the 24 Hours of Spa after a year of retirement.
“Let’s just say I am always looking to challenge myself while looking for exciting opportunities for my clients,” Sofronas said. “Spa is probably one of the hardest races in the world due to the fact that there will be 72 GT3 spec cars, all capable of the same speed, vying for the top spot in their respective class. There is no rest at Spa, there will always be cars around you on every lap. You have to push all 24 hours. In the end, Spa is another event in my life where I push myself beyond my limits against the best drivers in the world.”
K-Pax Racing, based in Sonoma, California takes on the PRO Class with the No. 6 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2. The American team won the PRO Class Driver Championship with Andrea Caldarelli in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series just last year. Sandy Mitchell, Marco Mapelli and Franck Perera join K-Pax Racing on track.
Winward Racing and the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 compete for the Gold Class win. Winward Racing has spent 2023 focusing its efforts abroad after spending previous years in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America series. The driver lineup includes Russell Ward, Indy Dontje and Philip Ellis.
SunEnergy1 Racing runs the American flag in the Bronze Class. The No. 75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been running all over Europe and returns to the United States for the Indianapolis 8 Hour. The historic track hosts the final rounds of racing for SRO America and the penultimate race for the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli. The driver lineup at Spa includes Kenny Habul, Chaz Mostert, Martin Konrad and Nicky Catsburg.
Americans can catch many of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa competitors at the Indy 8 Hour. GetSpeed was the first to join the entry list. The team runs the No. 2 Mercedes-AMG GT3 PRO-AM Class and No. 3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the Bronze Class at Spa. Once the twice-around-the-clock classic comes to completion the Indianapolis 8 Hour will be the main focus for American teams wanting another taste of endurance competition.
Last year they were ‘protected by CrowdStrike’, this year its Title Partner