- Johnny O’Connell and SKI Autosports Fastest in SRO3
- Dan Knox and Lonestar Racing On Top in GT2 Class
- Isaac Sherman and Rotek Racing Continue Strong Momentum in GT4
- Provisional Results
The GT America Powered by AWS field took to the streets of Long Beach bright and early on Friday morning to get familiarized with the twists and turns of the circuit in Practice 1. As the sun began to break through the clouds, the city came to life with the roar of engines echoing off the concrete walls to kick off the action in the Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by 5.11 weekend.
23 cars across three different classes soared around the track in the 30-minute opening session, and it was Johnny O’Connell who went fastest in SRO3, while Dan Knox was quickest in GT2, and Isaac Sherman emerged on top in the GT4 Class.
SRO3 Class
Johnny O’Connell and James Sofronas rose to the top of the leaderboard early on, as the two were separated by the finest of margins in their respective No. 3 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 and No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 machines. As the session progressed, it was O’Connell who continued to assert his dominance around the narrow corners of the street circuit, setting the fastest time in Practice 1 with a lap time of 1:20.458.
Jason Daskalos also began to set some highly competitive laps later in the session in his No. 27 CRP/Daskalos Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, rising up to second on the timesheets with just a few minutes remaining. He squeezed just ahead of Sofronas in third, with the two separated by a mere 0.217 seconds.
Justin Rothberg, in only his second round of competition in the series, was also confidently in the mix, setting the fourth quickest time on board his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. Kyle Washington completed the Top 5 in class in his No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R.
GT2 Class
The GT2 field remained incredibly close, with the running order on the leaderboard changing lap after lap as the time on the clock ticked away. Dan Knox was quick to make his presence known in the No. 10 Lonestar Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2, with a lap time of 1:22.724 earning him the top spot in class. Aaron Farhadi remained in close pursuit, following in second in the No. 127 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2, continuing his strong momentum following a weekend sweep in the prior round. Brent Holden also remained in the hunt in his No. 44 GMG Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2, setting the third quickest time.
CJ Moses made his return to the GT2 Class in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2, accompanied by Alan Grossberg in the No. 102 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 rounding off the Top 5.
GT4 Class
Isaac Sherman asserted himself at the top of the GT4 Class in his No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, further proving himself as one to watch following his back-to-back victories in the opening round.
Gray Newell got up to speed quickly as well in his No. 25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, sitting just a mere 0.048 seconds behind Sherman. Robb Holland was also in contention in his No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, setting the third fastest time in the GT4 Class.
Curt Swearingin and Todd Coleman also remained close in the Top 5 in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and No. 69 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, demonstrating that the GT4 Class promises to deliver intense competition once again.
Let’s Get Racing
The GT America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Practice 2 on Friday, April 19th at 11:30 AM PDT.
If you can’t make it to Long Beach, 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 #GTLongBeach.