New teams and drivers will be taking center stage alongside returning faces for the upcoming round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS championship, taking place at the historic Sebring International Raceway in what is set to be an electrifying and thrilling race weekend.
Sebring's legendary circuit, spanning 3.741-miles across 17-turn turns, is a highlight on the calendar due to its demanding nature, which always delivers top-tier action on track. The weekend will encompass two 90-minute feature races, with Race 1 taking place on Saturday, May 4th, and Race 2 being held the following day on Sunday, May 5th.
With an open paddock providing up-close access to teams and drivers, in addition to autograph sessions, a Car Corral, and a pre-race grid walk on Sunday, Sebring will have endless family-friendly entertainment for all in attendance.
Pro Class
Wright Motorsports had a picture-perfect start to the 2024 season, with Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer claiming back-to-back wins with the No. 120 Porsche 992 GT3 R, quickly identifying themselves as the frontrunners in the Pro Class.
The new pairing of Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen in the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 have also found their footing with ease, with two second-place finishes slotting them just ahead of Zach Veach and Luca Mars in the No. 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22.
The Pro Class will also be expanding as the field welcomes RS1 back to the competition, this time fielding the No. 85 Porsche 992 GT3 R with Spencer Pumpelly and Trent Hindman behind the wheel. However, this is not unfamiliar territory for this pairing, as Pumpelly has a deep-rooted history in the series, including multiple appearances in last season’s Pro-Am championship. Meanwhile, Trent Hindman is a prior champion, having won the Silver Championship with Racers Edge Motorsports in 2020.
Pro-Am Class
The 2023 Pro-Am Class champions George Kurtz and Colin Braun returned to their winning ways last time out at Sonoma Raceway in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, scooping up the first two victories of the season and further cementing their status as the team to beat.
ST Racing proved to be very strong in the Pro-Am Class as well, as Samantha Tan and Neil Verhagen secured double runner-up finishes in the No. 38 BMW M4 GT3. They were accompanied on the podium by a fellow BMW entry, consisting of Justin Rothberg and Robby Foley in the No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, who sit third in the championship standings.
Meanwhile, Bryan Sellers and Scott Smithson, who are also currently tied for third place in the standings, are about to embark on a new adventure as they prepare to unveil the No. 08 Corvette Z06 GT3.R and set off on an exciting new chapter for the team. This highly anticipated project serves not only as an important milestone for the team, but for the global GT World Challenge umbrella, as the newest Corvette offering makes its worldwide SRO series debut.
However, they won’t be the only ones kicking off a thrilling new venture, as this round will also mark Alexandre Tagliani and Jean-Frederic Laberge’s introduction into the series, equipped with the No. 92 Porsche 992 GT3 R from MMG’s all-Canadian outfit. The driver pairing features a great deal of experience across a multitude of prestigious series, with Tagliani’s prior involvement in the IndyCar series and various NASCAR championships, in addition to Laberge’s time competing in Porsche Cup.
Jeff Burton and Phillip Ellis will be manning the No. 91 Mercedes-AMG GT3, as Regulator Racing takes over the entry while DXDT Racing continues their transition to the Chevrolet program. The final Mercedes-AMG entry for this round belongs to Chouest Povoledo Racing, with Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo co-driving the No. 50 car.
Elias Sabo and Andy Lee will be back on track in the No. 8 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3, and Tom Sargent and Kyle Washington will return in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R.
Let’s Get Racing
The Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS field is set to take to the track for Practice 1 on Friday, May 3rd. Click here for the full schedule of the opening round at Sebring International Raceway.
If you can’t make it to Sebring, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free live streams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTSebring.