Sebring Friday Notebook

***SRO America teams are dealing with hot and humid conditions at Sebring International Raceway, in the first full day of track action for GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and GT America powered by AWS teams. Ambient temperatures have peaked at 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) today.

***Mirco Schultis, in his GT America return with his Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, reported that his cockpit reached 147 degrees Fahrenheit (64 degrees Celsius) in testing. Schultis’ car is not running with any kind of air conditioning systems.

***Multiple GTWC teams are understood to be considering shaking up its driver rotation strategy for Saturday evening’s three-hour feature race. While Pro-Am teams have typically double stinted its FIA Bronze-rated drivers at the start, several competitors are looking to opt for single stints due to the heat.

***Triarsi Competizione’s Riccardo Agostini, however, believes such a strategy would come at too much of a compromise. “If you want to win, you can’t do it,” he said. The Italian is back in the No. 18 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo with co-driver Sebastian Mascaro for the second consecutive event, running in Pro-Am.

***The No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3 EVO of Alex Sedgwick sustained a heavy crash in this morning’s 30-minute GTWC America/GT America test session, with an impact that moved the concrete barriers in Turn 10. While the car had considerable front-end damage, it’s understood the team and Ford Racing are working to find the root cause of the issue, as well as making necessary repairs. Sedgwick escaped injury in the shunt.

***In addition to the No. 37 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 withdrawing due to an engine failure in testing, OGH Motorsports’ McLaren Artura GT4 is a no-show for the weekend after initially appearing on the pre-event entry list. OGH was hit with a $10,000 fine at Circuit of The Americas for running an unauthorized driver in its car during an official test session.

***The No. 40 Off Leash Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4 has also reportedly had an engine failure but has a replacement on-site according to team owner/driver Kevin Clifford.

***In GT America, the No. 26 Ferrano Motorsports Ferrari has been withdrawn from remaining action this weekend.

***As previously revealed by Sportscar365, GT4 America qualifying reverted to two separate sessions, instead of previously determining the grid for Race 2 based on each car’s fastest lap from Race 1. This change, which was debuted at the season opener in Sonoma Raceway, was made to help condense the weekend schedule, although, according to industry sources, didn’t provide a sufficient barometer for Balance of Performance purposes.

***The No. 16 AF Corse Ferrari of Frederik Schandorff and Matias Perez Companc has battled power steering and two driveshaft failure so far, although the team is optimistic to be back on track for this evening’s first official practice session.

***Schandorff’s girlfriend, Nina Ostergaard, is competing in this weekend’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe round at Imola, which is running as a standalone event. Super Trofeo Europe events, run by SRO Motorsports Group, are typically on GTWC Europe Endurance Cup weekends where Schandorff also competes in as part of his triple GT3 program this year. Ostergaard is coming off a LB Cup class win last time out at Paul Ricard.

***Stuart McAleer will get a chance to race with his brother, Stevan, in Saturday’s GT4 America race in the No. 19 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO, as regular driver Roland Krainz will be attending a graduation ceremony for his son, Gerard, Austin’s brother.

***LAP Motorsports team owner Luis Perocarpi revealed the deal for Lawrence and Freddie Tomlinson to drive the team’s Ford Mustang GT4 in the pair of GT4 America races only came together late last week. The Ginetta chairman hasn’t raced at Sebring since finishing fifth in the GT2 class at the 2006 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in a Team LNT Panoz Esperante GT-LM with co-drivers Tom Kimber-Smith and Richard Dean.

***Lawrence and his son Freddie gave the Ginetta GT2 its global debut in last year’s GT2 European Series season finale in Barcelona, finishing on the podium in both races. This weekend will mark the SRO America debut for the car, which Lawrence will race in GT America.

***Jason Bell, who is making his SRO America return in Racers Edge Motorsports’ Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo in GT America, has signaled intentions of completing the season in the class.

***GT America SRO3 points leader Memo Gidley is coming off winning the ROK Sonoma Triple Crown championship last weekend, driving a 125 cc shifter-kart around Sonoma Raceway.

***Gray Newell, who is making his second FIA World Endurance Championship start this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, said that his move to the WEC has been “bitter sweet” after spending a number of years in the SRO America paddock with Heart of Racing Team. “I miss the paddock to be honest,” he told Sportscar365. “I really miss driving with those guys because we had a great group camaraderie and competition going on. Obviously I’m not complaining [being in WEC] but it’s bitter-sweet I guess.”

***Former TC America powered by Skip Barber class champion Eric Powell is also on full-time WEC duty this year, sharing the No. 77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 EVO with Ben Tuck and Seb Priaulx, while 2025 GTWC America Pro-Am championship runner-up Blake McDonald is in his second and final race subbing for the injured Ben Keating in the No. 33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

***Saturday’s action includes GT4 America Race 2 (12:55 p.m. EST), GT America Race 1 (3:35 p.m. EST) and the three-hour GTWC America feature race (4:55 p.m. EST), all of which, along with GTWC America qualifying (2:10 p.m. EST) will be streamed live on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.

***Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish are again joined by Amanda Busick this weekend on the SRO America commentary team.