- GMG Racing, Sofronas, Execute Flawless SRO3 Win
- Rotek Racing, Sherman, Collects Ninth GT4 Victory
- Race 2 Provisional Results
Race 2 in the GT America powered by AWS championship unfolded on a cool Sunday morning at Road America, but the on-track battles were red hot. Competitors in the SRO3 and GT4 classes were fighting hard for podium positions throughout the entirety of the sprint race, using every inch of the track in an effort to gain an advantage.
James Sofronas drove flawlessly to clinch his first win of the season in the SRO3 class, while Isaac Sherman returned to victory lane once again in the GT4 category, further extending his championship points advantage.
SRO3 Class
James Sofronas started from pole position in the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 and was in full control of the race, but he still had his hands full as Justin Rothberg was all over his rear bumper, looking for any opportunity to overtake in his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3.
The two were neck and neck lap after lap, with Sofronas executing brilliant defensive driving to keep his challenger at bay. At the halfway mark, Rothberg launched an attack but ran wide in the process, giving the leader a little bit of breathing room.
A few laps later, Rothberg had regrouped and closed the gap once more, but GT4 class traffic came into play, resulting in Sofronas dropping a wheel off-track in order to maneuver past as they ran three-wide.
Rothberg tried with all his might, but Sofronas was perfectly poised, leading from start to finish as he went on to take the checkered flag, claiming his first win of the season in the process. Rothberg had to settle for second, but the strong points haul from his weekend at Road America has brought him into championship title contention. Johnny O’Connell had a smooth and untroubled race, completing the podium in third, but retaining the overall championship lead.
"I’ve been coming here since ’94, so this feels really good,” said James Sofronas after the race. “We’ve had the pace, earned poles, led laps, and honestly, this year has been tough. But the team has done an incredible job, and that’s what truly matters. To get the win today—especially with Rothberg coming at me like a freight train—means a lot.”
“The Audi in Sector Two is amazing, so I just had to hold him off through the Kink and pray he didn’t get too good of a run. Hats off to him; he drove great, but the GMG guys did an outstanding job. We were done by 7 PM last night, and Kyle treated about 40 of us to dinner, which is where I saw Ryan and told him, ‘I’m due. I need to make this happen.’ After that, it was head down, full focus.”
“The GMG, Audi, Kyle, and all the guys—Mobil 1 has supported us since ’94. My son is racing in GR Cup now, and I get emotional thinking about it because I want him to follow in my footsteps but be even better. I don’t have many years left in racing, so I need to get these wins under my belt. This one is for my wife and my kids."
GT4 Class
Action unfolded in the GT4 class as Grey Newell spun out on the first lap, falling down the running order after originally starting in second place. The driver of the No. 25 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 spent the remainder of the race clawing his way back up the field.
Meanwhile, Isaac Sherman was unstoppable in the No. 098 Rotek Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Right from the opening lap, he didn’t lose any time moving from fourth to second place, before shifting focus and putting pressure on Curt Swearingin, who was in the lead while commanding the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.
The two drivers went wheel to wheel, offering a nail-biting show to all the spectators sitting trackside. Sherman was able to grab the lead from Swearingin, which later translated into another victory, with the ACI Motorsports Porsche bringing home second place.
Grey Newell put his head down, slowly making his way back towards the pointer end of the field. He had a remarkable fight with Nicholas Shanny in the No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M4 GT4 and Farhan Siddiqi in the No. 95 FAST MD Racing with Remstar Audi R8 LMS GT4. The drivers went three-wide for several corners, each eager to overtake the other. Eventually Newell got the best of them, and Siddiqi was forced down pit lane due to an issue.
Newell’s last battle to win was against Todd Parriott, who was sitting third in class. The Heart of Racing Team driver and the No. 31 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 driver went nose to tail with only 6 minutes remaining in the race. Newell eventually prevailed and claimed the last spot on the podium.
Up Next
The GT America Powered by AWS field will be back on track at Barber Motorsports Park from September 6th to 8th. Tickets are available for purchase and package options can be found here.
To follow the action from home, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels.