Sabo Maximizing GT3 Seat Time in Dual SRO America Campaign

Elias Sabo said his dual SRO America campaign with Flying Lizard Motorsports is all about “being able to maximize seat time” in his second year of GT3 racing.

This year, Sabo is tackling the full GT America powered by AWS season in a BMW M4 GT3 EVO, with co-driver Andy Lee joining him for a full GT World Challenge America powered by AWS effort.

The pair ran a full Pro-Am GTWC America season in 2024, with a partial GTA campaign for Sabo.

“I think getting used to a GT3 car is a lot,” Sabo told Sportscar365. “They’re physically a lot more demanding.

“The race is longer, and with getting used to the format of it and the competitors, it made sense for me only to go into the World Challenge races [last year]. I had only been in a GT4 car prior to stepping up last year.

“But now that I’ve done that for a year, being able to maximize seat time and have both GTA and World Challenge, I get double the practice time, and double the race time.

“It’s really efficient to be able to do that, and I get a lot of progression by having more seat time at each of the tracks.”

The solo-driver format in GT America means Sabo only has to share driving duties with Lee during World Challenge sessions and races, providing him maximum running time in his first full season in M4 GT3 machinery.

“[I like] being able to run all of the tracks, and all the extra seat time out there,” Sabo said. “Being able to run against really world-class competitors. It’s really exciting to be out there and for me to be able to do it myself.

“You’re not sharing the car. It’s a lot of seat time, and it’s what I really enjoy when I get out there, being able to go and put myself in the line of battle.”

Sabo stepped up to GT3 competition for the first time in 2024, with the Darren Law-run team switched from Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo to BMW GT3 machinery mid-season in both GTWC America and in GT America.

Sabo said he and Lee have so far been pleased with the performance and feel of their BMW GT3 cars since making the switch.

He finished second in the first of two GTA America races at Sonoma Raceway and currently sits third in the SRO3 points standings ahead of this weekend’s pair of races at Long Beach.

“Every one of these GT3 cars has its way that it wants to be driven,” said Sabo. “The more that Andy and I both come up the curve on the car, the more we love it. It is a beautifully put-together and designed race car.

“It’s incredibly well-balanced. It’s got amazing torque, especially at low range, which is what we like coming off corners. The car is really compliant and well-balanced, and it does everything well, so I couldn’t be happier with the switch.

“We love the car. I think it is set us up really well for this year, and we’re really happy to be in the BMW.

“So far in Sonoma, our pace was there. We feel pretty good about the opportunity this year. We’ll take every race, one race at a time, and just focus. It’s corner by corner.

“Our long-term goals are [to get back to] where Andy and I were in GT4, which were championship runs.

“We want to get back to the same place in GT3. There’s a lot of great teams in GT3 right now. It’s about just continuing to progress, and our long-term goals are to get back to the top where we were.”