GT America begins its 2023 season on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, where a field of 23 cars has signed up to enter the first round of SRO America’s multi-class sprint championship on 3-5 March. Supporting the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the field is comprised of 12 GT3 cars competing in the ‘SRO3’ class and 11 GT4 cars.
Defending SRO3 Champion, George Kurtz, returns to the series to pilot the #04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3. After ten wins in 16 races last season, Kurtz enters 2023 as the favourite to repeat as series champion – but he’ll have stronger competition if the more robust SRO3 grid around him is an indication.
Last year’s championship runner-up Jason Daskalos, an SRO America/World Challenge veteran, has retired his first-generation Audi R8 LMS Ultra and reunited with CRP Racing for the first time since 2012 to drive their #27 Mercedes-AMG GT3, part of a growing contingent for Mercedes.
DXDT Racing will enter a pair of Mercedes, one for the returning Scott Smithson in #08, and another for Utah’s Jeff Burton in the #91, his first time representing the Silver Arrows and DXDT Racing.
Long associated with Acura and Honda, RealTime Racing have changed to Mercedes in alliance with Bartone Bros. Racing, fielding the #43 for past Pirelli World Challenge champion and sports car racing legend Andy Pilgrim, and the #427 for Anthony Bartone, son of drag racing champion Tony Bartone.
IndyCar and sports car racing veteran Memo Gidley returns to the series with TKO Motorsports in their new #101 Mercedes. Gidley last raced in GT America in 2021, where he claimed an emotional double victory at Sebring International Raceway aboard a Bentley Continental GT3 – over seven years after his horrific accident at Daytona.
TKO Motorsports’ owner Dave Traitel will drive the team’s Bentley later this season.
While the new 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 R will make its SRO America debut in Sonoma, two versions of the outgoing 991.2 will compete in St. Pete: Series newcomer Alex Vogel drives the #043 P1 Groupe by MRS car, and the returning Andy Wilzoch – a winner in the series in 2021 – will drive Flying Lizard Motorsports’ #460 in the team’s traditional red and silver livery.
Another SRO America mainstay, GMG Racing’s James Sofronas, has returned to GT America to drive the second-generation Audi R8 LMS GT3. He won races at Road America and Nashville in 2021, driving the first-generation R8.
Sofronas will be GMG’s sole representative in St. Pete due to schedule conflicts for Kyle Washington, who will drive a Porsche 991.2, and CJ Moses, returning to drive the Audi R8 LMS GT2 – the only GT2 in the field this year. Jay Logan and Todd Parriott will also drive for GMG later this season in programmes to be announced.
Derek DeBoer will usher in TRG – The Racers Group’s anticipated return to GT3 competition, piloting the #007 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 before stepping up to GT World Challenge America alongside Ross Gunn.
And German journeyman Mirco Shultis, who finished third in last year’s SRO3 standings, will embark on at least one more season in the #70 Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, one of the last Callaway Corvettes in active competition today.
Later in the GT America season, we will see Adam Adelson’s step up to SRO3 driving the #120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, and sports car racing legend Johnny O’Connell in the #58 SKI Autosport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3.
In the GT4 class, Louisiana native Ross Chouest returns to defend his 2022 championship driving the #50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
2022 runner-up and 2021 series champion, Jason Bell, will be one of Chouest’s principal challengers. Bell, a Central Florida local, has changed teams and will drive for Flying Lizard Motorsports in the black and yellow #2 Aston Martin. Team-mate Elias Sabo will join the series later on in the #8 Flying Lizard Aston Martin.
Moisey Uretsky, a two-time race winner in 2022, is another returning challenger in his #55 Accelerating Performance “Baby Bull” Aston Martin. Gray Newell, the son of pioneering video game developer Gabe, is back for his third season in the #25 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin. A winner at Indianapolis in 2021, Newell is hoping to put his massive crash at Road America last August in the rear view.
Todd Coleman, who scored three podiums in a Toyota GR Supra GT4 last season, has made the change to Aston Martin this year driving for Archangel Motorsports – who will also be supporting TRG’s return to GT3 competition. Nick Shanny is back in Carrus Callas Raceteam’s #21 GR Supra GT4 for a second season, and RENNtech Motorsports return to the series fielding the #89 Mercedes-AMG GT4 for Thomas Johnson.
Tom Collingwood has entered the #81 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, recently removed from a runner-up finish in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Daytona.
Team ACP Tangerine, the reigning 24H Series GT4 champions, are entering two BMW M4 GT4s: The #12 for team co-founder Ken Goldberg, and the #152 for Steve Weber.
And, the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R returns to SRO America courtesy of Blackdog Speed Shop and founder Tony Gaples, who will drive the #5 Camaro at St. Pete. Gaples last raced in SRO America in 2020, while the Camaro hasn’t raced in the series since 2018.
