Looking forward to SRO America opener at Sonoma (UPDATED)

Tuesday, March 02, 2021

 


Having grown from looking forward to just two GT4 races over a race weekend sees this season grow into a mighty six races to look forward to as the SRO GT Series in America has attracted an incredible array of Aston Martin Racing Customer and Partner teams to their trio of GT World Challenge America, GT America and GT4 America Series.

Kicking off this weekend at the Sonoma Raceway in California, the entry lists have now been finalised for the opening two rounds where we will witness the first new evolution of AMR Vantage GT3 compete in what’s become the GT World Challenge America Series for the first time with the Ian Lacey team and drivers Frank Gannett and Drew Staveley.


Having swapped from their Ford Mustang GT4 in the GT4 America Series last year, their Pro-Am entry will represent a steep learning curve for the Bronze/Silver line up in their two 90-minute races of the weekend in a field of 14 other GT3 race cars. The Ian Lacey team will also benefit this weekend with the presence of a small engineering and team managerial contingent from the AMR factory team having flown in today from the Middle East where they were with the AMR teams competing in the Asian Le Mans Series.

New for 2021 is the return of the GT America Series of racing where single crewed GT3 and GT4 race cars will compete in their two 40-minute races but at least all of the AMR teams have come prepared with two Vantage GT4 cars apiece for their dual GT America and GT4 America commitments as the Series winning Flying Lizard team did last season.


Matt Dalton in his #00 Notlad Racing by RS1 AMR GT4 heads the 21-car entry list for the inaugural GT America races this weekend with AMR convertee Jason Bell in his new GMG Racing prepared #2 AMR alongside. Whilst they have several seasons of racing behind them, the third and final AMR entry within this Series is that of a racing newcomer in the form of Gray Newell in his #25 Heart of Racing car.

Passing us by the first time around, that Newell is the son of Gabe Newell, the owner of the Heart of Racing team and the man who has put his cash behind their USA and New Zealand GT3 programmes to raise funds for local children’s charities. 


We understand that his development programme moved up a gear last summer after they acquired their two AMR GT4’s but whilst he’s racing solo in this Series, he will be joined by Ian James in the GT4 America races. The grid will comprise of eight GT3’s and thirteen GT4’s over the three available classes.

Finally, comes the thirty-two car entry for what is now the GT4 America Series which will see two drivers per car (we think we may have listed that incorrectly in previous posts) in their two 60 minutes pit stop punctuated races.


Six Aston Martin Vantage GT4’s form their part of this entry list for what is still being listed as the Sprint X races where Matt Dalton is joined by Pat Gallagher, Jason Bell joined with Andrew Davis and Gray Newell with Ian James as mentioned.

They are joined by Bryan Putts BSport Racing team with Kenton Koch again alongside as well as two new entries from Dexter Racing with Ryan and Warren Dexter, and WR Racing for a returning Paul Terry (after his split from Rearden Racing) and former TRG-AMR racer Brandon Davis. All AMR teams bar the Dexter crew will be racing in Pro-Am whereas they will race in the Silver class.


Track sessions for all begin on Thursday ahead or official Free Practice on Friday. As usual, they begin Saturday with two Qualifying sessions in the morning ahead of their respective races later in the day. Sunday sees them straight into their final race of the weekend.

The ladies and gentlemen from CSJ Motorsports will again be in attendance at each round of the season – something that has taken a bit of a hit today with the postponement of their Canadian Tyres Motorsport Park round in late May where COVID-19 and cross border travel has again come at a cost.



We wait to see just how the HoRT, WR Racing and Dexter Racing cars will look in the flesh but in the meantime, wish them all well - well look above!!!

Photo credits - Teams / Social media
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