- Jason Daskalos Clinches the Win in SRO3
- Aaron Farhadi Winner in GT2
- Isaac Sherman Victorious in GT4
- Final Results
Race 1 delivered an electrifying showcase of skill and determination across all three classes, with the GT America Powered by AWS field powering around Sonoma Raceway in the 40-minute sprint race event.
Jason Daskalos emerged as the triumphant victor in the SRO3 Class, with Aaron Farhadi taking the win in the GT2 category, and Isaac Sherman taking the top spot in the GT4 Class on his series debut.
SRO3 Class
Jason Daskalos kickstarted the 40 minute sprint race from pole position in the No. 27 CRP/Daskalos Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 and continued to stretch his lead over the rest of the field as he sped around Sonoma Raceway.
Meanwhile, George Kurtz had begun gaining positions steadily in the No. 04 Crowdstrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Johnny O'Connell following closely in the No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3. As time elapsed, both Kurtz and O’Connell gradually began to close in on Daskalos, but soon found themselves in a tight battle with each other with podium positions up for grabs.
The pair remained neck and neck as they challenged for second place. With less than 5 minutes remaining on the clock, O’Connell made the overtake on Kurtz to slot himself ahead.
Daskalos went on to clinch the victory in Race 1, followed by O’Connell in second place, with Kurtz claiming the final spot on the podium in third.
Jason Daskalos was understandably emotional getting out of his car after the race. “With everything Sheldon, my crew chief, is going through this year, we’re thrilled to get this win. We want to win the Championship for him.”
He continued stating that, “the traffic helped a lot. George (Kurtz) was on me through most of the first part of the race. I got through with a little bit of traffic, then got some clean air and was able to pull a gap.”
GT2 Class
Aaron Farhadi swept the day by clinching the fastest lap time in Practice 2, then the win in Race 1. He commanded his No. 127 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 brilliantly around the winding hills of Sonoma Raceway.
Brent Holden, in his No. 44 GMG Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2, came in second place but set the fastest lap of the race. Alan Grossberg, Farhadi’s teammate at TPC Racing, rounded up the GT2 Class podium, commanding his No. 102 Lamborghini Huracan.
“We knew we would have great pace coming into this race,” explained Aaron Farhadi. “We were able to establish a big lead at the start and drove a safe race in order to take home the win.”
GT4 Class
Isaac Sherman had an impressive debut in the series, claiming pole position in his opening race in the GT4 Class. He went on to maintain a healthy lead over the rest of the field and drove a very controlled race on board his No. 098 RotekRacing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
Multiple battles soon emerged behind him, with Curt Swearingin and Gray Newell dueling in the No. 7 CI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and the No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Newell continued to apply pressure, eventually maneuvering his way up into second place.
Todd Coleman soon joined in on the action with his No. 69 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and was able to complete the overtake for the final spot in the Top 3, claiming the hard charger award of the race in the process.
Sherman went on to clinch the win, with Newell securing second place, followed by Coleman in third.
“Teamwork and consistency got me in this position,” expressed Isaac Sherman. “This is my first time competing in GT America, and I’m so glad we pulled off a great performance.”
Let’s Get Racing
The GT America Powered by AWS field will return Sunday, April 7th for Race 2 at 8:55 AM PDT.
If you can’t make it to Sonoma, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTSonoma.