Sonoma Friday Notebook

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

***All of the cars involved in incidents in the opening race of the Pirelli GT4 America season on Friday are expected to be repaired in time for Saturday’s Race 2. However, several teams, including BimmerWorld, which retired its Am class No. 36 BMW M4 GT4 EVO after the right-side door came off in an incident, appeared to overlook a change in the qualifying procedure for Race 2 for this season, where the grid is determined according to the fastest laps from Driver 2 in the first race and not a dedicated qualifying session.

***Making matters more complicated was the fact that BimmerWorld’s paddock setup is located in the infield, between the final set of corners, which is only accessible by a tunnel adjacent to the pit lane. Roughly a dozen GT4 teams are located in the outpost, essentially isolated from the rest of the teams.

***SRO America issued a modified version of repair and pit lane procedures for GT4 America competitors on Thursday evening, due to the “unique paddock configuration” at Sonoma Raceway. Click Here to read the modified procedures, which are applicable for this weekend only.

***The No. 5 GMG Racing McLaren Artura Trophy EVO car will be ready to go for tomorrow’s McLaren Trophy America qualifying session, and opening race of the weekend, after an accident for Randy Highland in Turn 4 in Friday’s one-and-only practice session. Only nose damage was sustained in the crash, which brought out a red flag.

***Two additional GT World Challenge America powered by AWS drivers have had their FIA driver ratings derogated to Bronze* this weekend: Brayton Williams (TR3 Racing) and Dave Musial Jr. (Wright Motorsports). Neither derogation has resulted in a change to their cars’ class (Pro-Am), unlike Nicolai Elghanayan, whose Bronze* derogation has allowed Chicago Performance and Tuning Co. to move its Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 from Pro to Pro-Am.

***The No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Marc Miller and Allen Patten has been permitted to compete this weekend, despite not running in the latest homologated aero configuration. The Stewards approved the car to race at the Sonoma event only, on the count that the team was unable to acquire the updated wing due to a “supply chain issue” with the supplier.

***Mercedes-AMG’s newly created subsidiary, Affalterbach Racing GmbH, took over customer and parts support as well as future GT race car programs, over the winter from longtime partner HWA, which is understood to have caused backlogs primarily with spare parts supply. A number of customer teams worldwide took measures into their own hands by bringing entire spare cars with them to early season races.

***An influx of entries has brought a number of fresh and dynamic new liveries, primarily from Porsche customers. The No. 242 Wright Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Thomas Merrill and Therese Lahlouh, is sporting a vibrant yellow, blue and black design, nicknamed “Electric Dory.” Both of Wright’s sister entries, spearheaded by father-and-son Dave Musial, also feature multi-colored designs, including Musial Sr.’s purple Porsche that has the ‘Joker’ from the Batman franchise on the hood and side.

***The No. 88 Kellymoss Porsche, which was withdrawn following an accident by Todd Gilliland on Wednesday, features a cow-inspired livery, while the sister No. 017 car, driven by Colin Braun and Michael Clarke, features a knitted pattern design and the Riley Dickinson and Todd Parriott-driven No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche has a striking pink and black livery.

***Additionally, two-time Pro-Am class champions Turner Motorsport, which steps up to the Pro class with its BMW M4 GT3 EVO for Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg, is sporting a split white/black design, in a similar offset that’s seen on the team’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD entry which is 50 percent yellow/blue and 50 percent white/blue/red.

***Nine GTWC America drivers are eligible for the newly expanded SRO GT Academy initiative, which will provide one series competitor a fully funded seat in next year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Candidates must be under the age of 30 on Dec. 31, 2026 and hold FIA Silver driver rating for the season.

***Eligible drivers will be judged using SRO GT Academy’s assessment-based criteria, which is aimed at eliminating external factors such as co-driver performance, reliability and luck in order to evaluate true ability. The process places a focus on attributes such as qualifying pace, average stint times and a driver’s conduct off the circuit, with unforced errors and unsporting behavior penalized.

***Four drivers, one each from GTWC series in Europe, America, Asia and Australia, plus the British GT Championship in GT3, will make up the lineup at the wheel of an yet-to-be-named outfit for the 24H Spa, described by SRO as “an accomplished professional team.”

***GTWC America is understood to be the series with the second-most eligible drivers. They include: Rothberg, Riley Dickinson, Alex Sedgwick, Matias Perez Companc, Zachary Vanier, Lorcan Hanafin, Ryan Yardley, Tom Sargent and Hampus Ericsson.

***By comparison, only two drivers from GTWC Australia meet the criteria for eligibility.

***Sportscar365 understands there could be as many as four additional GTWC America entries on the grid for next month’s round at Circuit of The Americas, including the debut of Rebel Rock Racing’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo for Robin Liddell and Frank DePew, plus a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo for Lone Star Racing, likely running in the Am class.

***Once the Aston rejoins the series, it will result in a record nine different GT3 brands represented in the series. The manufacturer-based global GTWC contest, meanwhile, has ten manufacturers committed, with only Audi, which is no longer producing GT3 cars, not on the GTWC America grid.

***Mercedes-AMG will be seeking its eighth consecutive global GTWC title this year, following a close fight with BMW last year. “We aim to build on this success in 2026,” said Head of Mercedes-AMG customer racing Stefan Wendl. “This championship is an excellent platform for demonstrating the breadth and capabilities of our customer racing program.”

***The German manufacturer officially took the wraps off its next-generation GT3 car, based on the new Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series road car, earlier this week. The new GT3 race car, which began a testing program mid-2025, could enter selected races in un-homologated from later this year, ahead of a targeted official debut in 2027.

***Porsche Motorsport North America’s Selected Drivers, Sargent and Yardley, are competing in SRO America full-time this year. Sargant is back for his third in GMG Racing’s entry in the GTWC America Pro-Am ranks while 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America champion Yardley will be pulling double duty between GTWC America (Kellymoss) and GT4 America (ACI Motorsports), both in Porsche machinery.

***Both drivers are graduates of Porsche’s highly competitive single-make series. “It’s super important because every driver after Carrera Cup wants to step up into GT3 racing and that’s the ladder and the program we’re supporting,” Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO Volker Holzmeyer told Sportscar365. “The selected drivers have some network duties to do, but for sure, we want to put the spotlight on them to give them a shot to become a factory driver.”

***While having scaled back to a single BMW for the full GTWC America season, in the Pro-Am ranks, Random Vandals Racing is targeting to return to the Pro class with a second M4 GT3 EVO for October’s Indianapolis 8 Hour according to team owner Paul Sparta. The team’s sole GT3 focus is on a Pro-Am class BMW for Derek DeBoer and Hampus Ericsson, the brother of NTT IndyCar Series star, Marcus.

***Sportscar365 understands that Marcus Ericsson will complete the car’s lineup for the Indy 8 Hour and is expected to attend several other races in support of his brother, who is the reigning Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Pro class champion.

***Sparta revealed to Sportscar365 that he isn’t driving in either SRO America or IMSA competition this year due to the team having no available BMW M4 GT4 EVOs amid a surge of customer participation within his team, which took three championship titles out out a possible four last year. The Vandals, who have five GT4-spec BMWs, with three deployed in GT4 America, were among Sportscar365’s top teams of 2025.

***Racers Edge Motorsports, which was purchased by longtime crew members Jim and Nick Pattin, has recently undergone a branding update ahead of an expected effort in GT4 America later this season. The team appeared on the full season entry list with an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo. Former team owner Jon Mirachi, meanwhile, has moved to the southern coast of Italy and told Sportscar365 that’s “really enjoying” his retirement.

***The BMW M2 Racing is making its North American debut this weekend, with a single entry from Team DRS for driver Rob Bellevue in TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School competition. The car was announced to serve as a single-make class for the new IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge, although its introduction has been delayed until the second event of the season at Circuit of The Americas in May.

***Michael Edwards, the 14-year-old son of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Carl Edwards, is in his first season in GR Cup competition, having come off a pair of top-20 finishes at Arlington in his Eagles Canyon w/Fast Track entry. The former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion is again on-site this weekend, serving as a spotter for his son.

***Pre-event ticket sales are up by more than 80 percent for this weekend’s event according to SRO America’s VP, marketing communications and business development Robbie Montinola, who revealed that car corrals are already sold out.

***SRO’s new ‘GT Rivals’ car show series debuts this weekend, which will feature tuner cars, while ‘Fast Lane Drive’ will be bringing 50-plus super and hypercars to Sonoma Raceway this weekend. GT Rivals will also be featured during the May 8-10 event at Sebring International Raceway.

***Circuit of The Americas, the next stop on the SRO America calendar, has given TSA agents at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport free passes to this weekend’s MotoGP event, including free parking, event entry, and food and beverage credits. It comes amid the partial U.S. government shutdown that had seen agents go six weeks without pay, leading to significantly longer airport security lines across the nation. As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Senate-passed DHS bill, likely extending the shutdown.

***Longtime Grand Prix of Long Beach promoter Jim Michaelian passed away last weekend at the age of 83. The Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President and CEO, one of the founding staff members of the event, was due to retire from his post on June 30. SRO America’s series have been regularly part of the Long Beach event, most recently with GT America last year.

***SRO America President and CEO Greg Gill said: “Jim was a true competitor at heart and a cherished friend to both our organization and the broader motorsports community. Beyond his exceptional leadership that has forever cemented his legacy in the paddock, he was also a passionate figurehead whose spirit and drive was impactful beyond words. Jim’s presence, both at Long Beach and the sport as a whole, will be profoundly missed.”

***Saturday’s action includes Race 2 for GT4 America (1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST), Race 1 for Trophy America (3:05 p.m. PST/6:05 p.m. EST), GR Cup (4:15 PST/7:15 p.m. EST) and GT America (5:20 p.m. PST/8:20 p.m. PST, which will all be broadcast on SRO’s GT World YouTube channel and on Twitch, as well as McLaren and Toyota channels for its respective races.

***Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish will anchor the GT4 America and GT America races, with Myrehn and Jonathan Grace in the booth for the GR Cup round, while Grace and McLaren Automotive’s Tom Baker will be calling the McLaren Trophy America race. Amanda Busick will be on pit lane for all races, meanwhile.

***In a new deal for this year, FOX Sports 1 will air highlights of the GTWC America and GT4 America races from Sonoma on Sun. April 5 at 12 p.m. EST. Busick will serve as the host of the one-hour highlights show.

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