Sebring Thursday Notebook

Photo: Brian Cleary/SRO

***Philip Ellis was quickest in Thursday’s pair of test sessions for Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS competitors at Sebring International Raceway in the newly named Regulator Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The Mercedes-AMG factory driver reeled off a best time of 1:59.863 in the closing moments of the afternoon’s session, improving on his chart-topping time from the morning.

***Sister team DXDT Racing’s debuting Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R clocked the 14th quickest time, combined with GT America powered by AWS competitors, in the opening session and was followed up by the 11th best lap in the afternoon.

***The No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport of John Capestro-Dubets and Eric Filgueiras led the way in GT4 America testing, thanks to a 2:10.518 lap time set in the morning session. Kay van Berlo was quickest in the afternoon for ACI Motorsports, meanwhile.

***The Fanatec GT America entry has been reduced by one car, with the No. 92 MMG Porsche 911 GT3 R of Alex Tagliani and Jean-Frederic Laberge again being a no-show for the second consecutive event, despite the Montreal-based team’s recent launch and intentions to complete the season.

***DXDT Racing had a “super productive” test at Sebring last month with its pair of new Corvettes according to Bryan Sellers, where both cars ran trouble-free.

***Sellers told Sportscar365: “Our main goal in that test was just be able to familiarize and get laps in with it being a new car, to let our guys get their hands on it. We were able to do that extremely successfully. We put quite a few miles on, which was our big goal. We were also extremely happy with how the car rolled off the trailer.”

***Scott Smithson, who is on the GT America entry list this weekend with the No. 08 DXDT Corvette, will not contest the pair of 40-minute races has been registered as an “insurance policy” according to Sellers, owing to the fact of the possibility of utilizing additional track time in Friday’s practice sessions.

***Sellers and Smithson became the first non-factory Corvette drivers to get into Pratt Miller’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulator with the Z06 GT3.R prior to their test at Sebring, which Sellers said was primarily used as a driver familiarization session.

***The GT America entry list is effectively down to 16 cars for the races, and only one GT2 entrant, following the withdrawal of the No. 127 TPC Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 that had listed two-time class winner and points leader Aaron Farhadi. A team representative told Sportscar365 that Farhadi had never planned to contest the Sebring races, amid his partial season program.

***Both GMG Racing and ACI Motorsports are pulling double duty between SRO America action at Sebring and this weekend’s pair of Porsche Carrera Cup North America races at the Miami International Autodrome, in support of the F1 Miami Grand Prix.

***GMG Racing team principal James Sofronas said: “We are up for and honestly excited about the dual events in Florida this weekend. Running parallel programs is familiar to everyone at GMG Racing. Whether it’s at the same track running multiple cars in different series, or doing the same thing at two different tracks a couple hundred of miles apart, it doesn’t change the focus or at-track approach.”

***Sofronas revealed that Kyle Washington, who is again competing in both Fanatec GT America and GT America this weekend in Porsche 911 GT3 Rs, was slated to also contest the Carrera Cup North America races in Miami until a late schedule change by SRO America ruled out such a possibility.

***He added: “Doing the Sebring/Miami double with Kyle was always our intention, but a recent change that moved the Sunday GT World Challenge race up to an earlier start time really threw a monkey wrench into the plan. It basically made doing the Sunday races in both Sebring and Miami impossible, and we had to choose Sebring as Kyle is contesting his first full season of major competition this year in GT World Challenge.”

***While GMG has a pair Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars entered for Carrera Cup action for Sofronas and new client Ofir Levy, ACI has entered a total of five cars in the one-make series, alongside its Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports in GT4 America and GT America for team owner Curt Swearingin, who is joined by Porsche North America Selected Driver van Berlo in the GT4 America races.

***Swearingin and van Berlo currently sit fourth in the GT4 America Pro-Am points standings after their runner-up class finish in Race 2 at Sonoma Raceway.

***Jake Pedersen is set to contest the remainder of the Fanatec GT America races this season in the No. 85 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R alongside Trent Hindman but is on Carrera Cup North America duty with Kellymoss instead. The 19-year-old Silver-rated driver, who owns the Type-992 Porsche, is undertaking programs in three different sports car racing series this year, all in Porsches. Spencer Pumpelly is in the car with Hindman this weekend.

***Hindman told Sportscar365: “Jake will be with us starting at COTA but fortunately he was gracious enough for us to get going on the program and have Spencer in the car to help kick-start the learning process for all of us.”

***Michael Cooper, who has also prioritized his Carrera Cup North America drive this weekend, will return to Blackdog Racing’s Nissan Z NISMO GT4 at COTA. Max Root is filling in for Cooper in the GT4 America entry this weekend.

***Johnny O’Connell’s SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II sustained “extensive” front-end damage in GT America Race 2 at Long Beach, which led to a “herculean” effort by the Atlanta-based team to repair the car in time for this weekend’s rounds according to team owner Kent Hussey.

***Hussey explained: “We are so grateful to Philip Creighton and Alton Henry for their herculean efforts this past week getting the car repaired. The transporter arrived back at the shop on Thursday and they worked tirelessly through the weekend to have the car back to race shape and loaded for Sebring.”

***O’Connell is the winningest driver at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with eight class wins, having been inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame in 2012.

***Friday’s track action kicks off with a 30-minute Bronze test session at 8 a.m. EDT followed by a pair of practice sessions for all series.

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