GMG Racing’s Kyle Washington took the lead on the first lap Sunday morning (March 30) when CrowdStrike Racing by Riley Motorsports’ George Kurtz spun on his own. From there, he held on to win GT America powered by AWS Race No. 2 at Sonoma Raceway, his first career GT America win.
“It was super wet out there, very sketch,” Washington told SRO America’s Amanda Busick after the race. “There was carnage [and] puddles. It was a war of attrition.”
Turner Motorsport’s Justin Rothberg was second, then Mishumotors’ Mirco Schultis. Van der Steur Racing’s Max Hewitt was fourth, while JTR Motorsports Engineering’s Anthony McIntosh was fifth.
The top-three finishers were the top-three cars in the SRO3 class. Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Elias Sabo was was fourth in class, then Kurtz.
Unlike Saturday, Sunday morning dawned rainy in Sonoma. Teams had some time in the wet during practice on Friday, so the conditions weren’t a complete unknown. That said, the start was done single-file instead of double-file on safety grounds.
By virtue of setting the fastest lap in Race No. 1 Saturday, Kurtz started from the pole in his Mercedes. He had the fastest car in the dry, but also had the advantage of clear vision.
However, even if you have clear vision, that doesn’t mean much if you can’t keep your car under control. Entering the Esses on the first lap, Kurtz spun out on his own.
That allowed Washington to take the overall lead in his Porsche. At the end of the first lap under green, Flying Lizard Motorsports’ Elias Sabo spun in turn 12 all on his own, likely after hitting a patch of standing water. Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest locked up his brakes and spun as well, nosing into the wall. That brought out the safety car.
At the same time, Kurtz pulled off the course at the end of the dragstrip before turn 7. The day was over for Saturday’s winner.
Full course yellow 🟨
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The restart wasn’t much better. Sabo spun again in turn 12 under the same circumstances. However, he was able to resume.
Further up the hill, ACI Motorsports’ Curt Swearingin and Fast Track Racing’s Denny Stripling collided and spun off the track in turn 3. They slid through the wet and muddy grass and into the tire barrier to bring out another caution. Both drivers were ok.
Ultimately, there were significant repairs to the tire barrier that were necessary after the crash. That, combined with the terrible conditions, resulted in officials shortening the race by six minutes.
In GT4, JTR Motorsports Engineering’s Anthony McIntosh started on pole in his Toyota. As the drivers tip-toed their way around the 2.52-mile circuit, van der Steur Racing’s Max Hewitt got past NOLAsport’s Matt Travis for second and immediately took the fight to McIntosh for the lead.
In turn 7, Hewitt got to the inside of McIntosh for the lead. The two battled through the Esses with Chouest more or less in the way. Exiting the chicane at turn 9, Hewitt was able to make the pass stick.
Shortly afterwards, the caution came out for the Sabo-Chouest incident. That gave the field some time to relax.
On the restart, Hewitt was able to open up a gap on McIntosh that lasted just long enough for the yellow to come out again. Once that happened, Hewitt rode around under yellow until the checkered flag came out to give him his first GT4 victory.
McIntosh ended up second, then Travis. ProSport Competition’s Tim Savage was fourth, while Paradaime Performance Engineering’s Mark Crigler was fifth.
GT America powered by AWS: Sonoma Race No. 2 Results
GT America powered by AWS teams will take a couple of weeks off. They are scheduled to be back in action in Long Beach on the undercard of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Race No. 1 is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET on April 12. The race will be streamed live on the GT World YouTube channel.
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.