Todd Treffert is sixth in the SRO3 Class Driver Points Championship going into the Music City Grand Prix weekend, his first appearance on a street course this season. He aims to take advantage of the nuances and understanding of his fellow competitors to push into the leader standings.
Treffert has the opportunity and momentum to go along with the opportunity to finish on the podium and gain ground in the points championship. His first win of the season came in Race One at VIRginia International Raceway. This finish was accompanied by a sixth-place position in Race Two. In the last four races sixth was Treffert’s lowest finish in the competitive class.
Treffert had a learning curve coming into his first season in GT America powered by AWS racing simply because it is his first season with SRO Motorsports America. Though he had been part of other racing series prior to his arrival, there are years of difference between what he had raced and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 he currently races. Treffert’s main experience comes from vintage racing.
“I have been racing vintage cars for about 14 years,” Treffert said. “I have spent many years racing 70’s era air-cooled Porsche cars. More recently I was fortunate enough to acquire three Nissan R34 GTR cars from Nissan’s heritage museum. These are cars from the early 2000s that used to race in the JGTC series, now called Super GT. These cars have a similar horsepower level to the GT3 cars we run, but without the traction control and ABS driver aids that are in the GT3 machines we run.”
With a racecraft built through vintage racing, Treffert focused on time in the modern Mercedes-AMG to better understand the car. As the minutes counted upward, his race finishes trended upward as well.
“Having come from vintage racing, I have had virtually no experience in a modern racing car, and it has taken me a little longer to adapt than I had expected,” Treffert said. “I have driven similar horsepower cars without the aids of a modern car and the driving style is dramatically different. I think there is still room to improve and expect to be finishing nearer to the front more consistently.”
Part of what brought Treffert to the GT America series is the flexibility of the GT3 car. While the SRO America collection of GT racing offers levels for GT2, GT4 and GT3 Treffert honed in on GT3 racing.
He joined the GT America series as the shallow end to a deep pool of contests for the GT3. He’ll be using his experience in GT America to possibly step into the PRO-AM Class of the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series.
“Racing GT3 thus far with GT America has been a great experience,” Treffert said. “It has been a good learning experience thus far and a good group to get my feet wet in the GT3 category. With the experience from this year, I hope to be able to also run in the World Challenge next year. The GT3 car has always been the next step for me, I did not really ever consider the GT4 or GT2.
“I liked the idea of learning the GT3 and the flexibility it would allow to be able to compete in a wide array of events worldwide. Not only that though, Nick Short with CRP Racing has for years taken good care of my Nissan vintage cars and recently moved his operation down to Sarasota, Florida where I reside. Being close to home and having that existing relationship with Nick made the decision even easier.”
Treffert in the No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 takes to the streets of Nashville, Tennessee starting Friday, Aug. 4 for practice. For those not in attendance follow the GT World YouTube page for live streams of Race One on Saturday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 6.