Sebring Friday Notebook

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

***The No. 32 GMG Racing Type-991.2 Porsche 911 GT3 of Kyle Washington has been withdrawn from the remainder of the GT America powered by AWS weekend after the car sustained rear-end damage from an accident in the closing minutes of Friday’s second practice session.

***Washington will now turn his full attention to his Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS commitments in a separate, Type-992 Porsche he shares with Tom Sargent.

***The Fanatec GT America grid has be reduced to 12 cars, with Jason Bell electing not to take part in the pair of 90-minute races in his No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo and instead focus on the GT America rounds this weekend.

***Bell and Aston Martin factory driver Henrique Chaves, who is filling in for Michael Cooper as Bell’s driving coach this weekend, turned laps in the car in Fanatec GT America practice to gain extra track time.

***The No. 91 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Philip Ellis and Jeff Burton, which is now under the Regulator Racing banner, is expected to utilize the same reverse driver strategy this weekend as they did last month at Sonoma Raceway, thanks to the opening of the rules that allows teams to nominate Driver 1 and 2 for this year.

***It will mean that Ellis will qualify the car for Race 1 but with Burton starting the first 90-minute race of the weekend, with the roles reversed for Race 2.

***RS1’s Porsche 911 GT3 R is the same chassis that Jake Pedersen ran in last year’s Indianapolis 8 Hour powered by AWS with Rearden Racing. Pedersen is undertaking three different sports car racing programs this year, with entries also in Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup North America, where the 19-year-old is racing this weekend.

***Turner Motorsport was fined $2,500 on Thursday evening due to a report from the race director that alleged the crew refueling its GT America-entered BMW M4 GT3 while on pit lane without correctly attired clothing.

***Additionally, the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, competing in Pirelli GT4 America, was found to have had a live video streaming device installed in the car in Friday’s opening practice, resulting in a $5,000 fine, with $2,500 suspended provided no further infraction occurs.

***ACI team owner/driver Curt Swearingin said he’s found benefits to running GT America for the first time this year, in addition to his GT4 America Pro-Am class program with co-driver Kay van Berlo. The team is utilizing separate Porsche GT4 chassis for the dual-series effort.

***Swearingin told Sportscar365: “By being here, doing it, the way we’re doing it now, Kay gets more time in the one car and I get a lot of time in the other car, it helps me grow. Being a gentleman driver, it takes a little bit longer to get up to speed, so it helps me by getting the extra track time at the event.”

***While not currently driving in SRO America competition this year, Ryan Dalziel has returned to the paddock as a driver coach for GT America points leader Jason Daskalos. Dalziel missed Long Beach but is understood to be committed for the remainder of the season with the CRP Racing-run Mercedes-AMG squad.

***The No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Kevin Boehm and Kemton Koch overcame a fuel pump issue in testing on Thursday, which limited their running. The car has since been repaired and completed the pair of GT4 America practice sessions on Friday.

***With TPC Racing driver Alan Grossberg also entered in a MINI Cooper in the TCA class of TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School this weekend, it means Grossberg is driving in the class with the most (GT2) and least (TCA) horsepower.

***Newly formed Orlando Motorsports Services makes its GT4 America debut this weekend, fielding a McLaren Artura GT4 for Kaia Teo and Nick Longhi, who teamed up in a Crucial Motorsports-run Arura GT4 for the Road America and Sebring races last year.

***Longhi said: “I’m super grateful for the efforts put in by our partners Renzo Gracie Fort Lee, McLaren Orlando, and Ottomanellis Sporting Arms to give us this opportunity. The outings we had with McLaren last season were primarily defined by mayhem in the races, so hoping for some clean running above all at Sebring.”

***The common link between OMS and Crucial is the McLaren Orlando dealership and Paul Holton, who is a co-founder in the new team alongside Steve Parmee and Eric Burch. OMS plans to also contest the GT4 America races at Road America and Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has plans to field multiple cars in the new-for-2025 McLaren Arura Trophy America series.

***RySpec Racing, another new team to GT4 America, is committed to at least this weekend and Circuit of The Americas in two weeks’ time, but could contest up to two additional weekends that don’t clash around Danny Dyszelski’s USF Pro 2000 schedule. Dyszelski, a former Radical Cup driver, currently sits 10th in the USF Pro 2000 standings with a podium at St. Pete to his credit.

***It’s understood that Smooge Racing is expected to field a second Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO by as soon as the next round at COTA.

***Samantha Tan’s recent GT America debut in ST Racing’s BMW M4 GT4 at Long Beach will serve as good practice for the Canadian driver’s outing in Belgium later this year, with Tan set to take part in the the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club at Spa-Francorchamps, also in a BMW.

***Additionally, Sportscar365 understands that at least one current Fanatec GT America team will be on the grid for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, with an announcement forthcoming.

***Qualifying action for GT America gets underway Saturday at 8 a.m. EDT, followed by Fanatec GT America qualifying at 9 a.m. and GT4 America qualifying at 10:20 a.m. Race 1 for GT America is scheduled for a 12:55 p.m. start time, followed by Fanatec GT America Race 1 at 3:05 p.m. and the first GT4 America round of the weekend at 5 p.m. (all times EDT).

***Coverage of Fanatec GT America qualifying and all three races, along with race action from TC America powered by AWS, will be streamed on SRO’s GT World YouTube page and also on Twitch, featuring the commentary team of Ryan Myrehn, Calvin Fish and Amanda Busick.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John