GMG Racing Press Release
After a long, hard-fought effort to stay in the top ten throughout much of the 62nd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, a late race incident would force Global Motorsports Group (GMG) to ultimately cross the finish line in 11th place. Though the end result would place the team just outside of their target finish, the effort and scope of the team’s run was in many ways a victory.
“I just hope everyone understands how hard this crew worked to get us there,” stated James Sofronas, team owner of GMG. “This is a small team that’s used to sprint racing, and to come into Sebring, have some of the fastest pit stops out there and rebound from an accident after only a few minutes in the garage, is just amazing. We really wanted to deliver a strong top ten for Alex and all of the guys, but at least we can walk away knowing we can be proud of the effort we put in. We made very few mistakes within our control.”
Qualifying as the top Audi, yet mired back in 16th spot, the team was aware of the uphill battle that was about to unfold. With a clear balance-of-performance gap between the top speed of Audi entrants versus the other marques, the No. 32 GMG / Morgan Adams Foundation Audi R8 LMS would have to take a safe, consistent approach in order to reach the team’s aim for a top ten.
With Marc Basseng taking the green flag, the experience of the German took shape quickly as the No. 32 immediately began making work of the field in front of it.
Driving a strong opening stint, by the time the extended series of yellow flags wrapped out, the No. 32 machine found itself threatening the top ten with Basseng handing the vehicle over to co-driver Alex Welch in strong contention. Getting to speed quickly, Welch’s strength in the Audi paid immediate dividends as the Colorado resident continued the pace that Basseng had set. Unfortunately, midway through his stint, Welch was served a penalty for an alleged team pit infraction, placing the Sebring sophomore slightly down the order as he resumed.
Without further incident, it was up to Sofronas to carry the reigns, and he did so without error running a double stint of his own and setting some of the best times among Audi machines in the field.
As attrition carried on, the goal for their first top ten seemed easily attainable by the time the race reached its halfway point with the team sitting between eighth and tenth as pit stops cycled through.
One significant contributor to the team’s pace came in the form of pit stops. With an unusually high number of caution periods, the majority of pit stops performed were under yellow flag conditions putting an emphasis on quick stops as teams were forced to go head-to-head with others pitting at the same time. As it all added up, the preparation by the GMG crew played significantly as they made a number of gains in the pits eventually putting them comfortably in eighth.
Unfortunately, with just over an hour remaining, driver Marc Basseng made late-race contact with the DeltaWing in the tricky turn 13 causing significant damage to the right front of the Audi. Instantly knowing the issue, Basseng brought the car around to the paddock for repairs, and the team immediately went to work on a number of suspension components.
Within 15 minutes the crew had not only made the necessary repairs, but also had the car aligned and ready to race. With the car now in 11th, and with 10th place too far ahead to be able to catch, it was up to James Sofronas to simply drive the remaining 30 minutes to the checkered flag which he did without error.
The No. 32 would take the checkered for the first time in the short history of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, and for that team owner James Sofronas is very complimentary of his crew.
“It’s really impressive to get the car turned around as quickly as they did,” stated Sofronas. “When I went back out for the end, I couldn’t believe how good the car was, you wouldn’t have known it was even in an incident. Full compliment to these guys, they deserved to see the finish.”
“We had a special pledge drive for the Morgan Adams Foundation, and in that sense every lap literally did matter,” stated Welch. “It was great to see this car run the whole way and something we really needed after Daytona. Marc showed a lot of pace, and everyone here did a great job of navigating a crazy race. Now that we have a finish under our belt, a top ten is next and I’m confident it’s just a matter of time.”
Finally, despite the late incident, Marc Basseng was proud of the effort.
“We had a good last two stints, the car was awesome,” stated Basseng. “Unfortunately, I was braking on my line and the DeltaWing had already opened the door and I was actually behind in the apex and she still hit me, so she completely out braked herself. It’s too bad, we made some progress with the guys and we had it planned so James could finish the race, but now we’ve ruled out a top-ten finish. I’m sorry that it happened, but I don’t feel that it was my fault.”
With Sebring now behind them, GMG will turn their attention to their efforts in the Pirelli World Challenge championship that will begin in St. Petersburg, Florida in two weeks. The team will announce their plans shortly.
About GMG
Founded in 2001 by James Sofronas and Fabryce Kutyba, GMG has quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning and racing facility. What began as a small 1200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a 30,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility located in (Orange County) Santa Ana, California. The staff’s experience, attention to detail, and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts world wide. Whether you want to maximize the performance of your street car, or race wheel-to-wheel on both amateur and professional racing series across North America, GMG’s reputation for service and quality is unmatched.
Learn more at www.gmgracing.com
About Spyder
Spyder was founded by avid skier and outdoor athlete David Jacobs. He rose to world-class rankings as a competitive skier, and stayed connected to the sport he loves by coaching, designing related products, and building one of the most powerful brands in the industry. His dedication to the sport of skiing and the Spyder brand is as inspiring as it is intriguing. Spyder’s growth exploded over the turn of the century, and the company is now the largest ski-specialty brand in the world. David has recently discovered the adrenaline rush in racing classic Formula One cars, finding success – not surprisingly – in this new pastime. For a man who’s thrived on sports, technology, and professional advancement, the world is sure to see David go a few more times around the track.
Learn more at www.spyder.com
About The Thermal Club
The Thermal Club is the premier private motorsports facility in the world. In addition to 4.5 miles of members-only racetrack, the Club facilities include a fully amenitized Clubhouse and Village unrivaled in the motorsports world. All 4.5 miles of our exquisite racetrack are designed to push both amateurs and professionals to their limit, giving members the thrill of driving at peak performance amidst the endless desert skies. Featuring three different private circuit configurations, trackside villas, a motorsport village with a state-of-the-art clubhouse, tuning shop, a fuel island, as well as member storage garages, The Thermal Club will bring the country club lifestyle to Southern California’s diverse car culture. More information can be found at www.thethermalclub.com.
About Lasso
Lasso is a request-based, sharing network predicated on a very simple idea: You have something that I want—and you may not even know it until I ask for it. With so much content cluttering our phones, tablets, PCs and social networks, it can be difficult to seek out and find the specific items of interest to you. Friends or colleagues may not share this content with you directly because they’re drowning in data overload themselves. Often, these friends aren’t sure exactly what you want. Lasso makes it easy for you to round up the digital content you want from friends—simply by asking for it. By putting the onus on the requester, instead of the person holding the content, you’ll be in a much better position to actually receive the digital content you’re interested in.
Learn more at www.lasso.me
About Morgan Adams Foundation
The Morgan Adams Foundation raises money and awareness on behalf of children affected with cancer. Working with leading physicians, MAF directly funds pediatric cancer research and therapies that will drastically improve survival rates and reduce the devastating side-effects cancer treatments have on our children. The foundation is named for the daughter of founders Steven Adams and Joan Slaughter, who lost their 6-year-old daughter, Morgan to brain cancer in 1998. Learn more at www.morganadamsfoundation.org
Photo credit: GMG Racing
