JMF Motorsports, GMG Racing and AF Corse claim Sonoma wins in GT World Challenge America opener

GT World Challenge America powered by AWS ushered in a new era on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, as the series debuted its new three-hour race format to open the 2026 season. JMF Motorsports carried its qualifying form into race day after earning pole position, with the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 converting that pace into a commanding overall and Pro class victory. Meanwhile, GMG Racing surged to the top in Pro-Am, while AF Corse captured Am class honors after a steady and determined run through the season-opening contest.

Pro class:

JMF Motorsports controlled the early stages of the race in Pro, as Michaï Stephens retained the lead aboard the No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 while fending off pressure from Alex Sedgwick in the No. 6 Dollahite Racing Ford Mustang GT3.

Behind them, the battle inside the class remained intense throughout the opening hour. Michael McCann Jr. lost ground in the No. 8 McCann Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) as Matias Perez Companc kept the No. 12 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 firmly in the lead group. McCann also found himself embroiled in an on-track fight with Pro-Am contender JP Martinez in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche, briefly dropping to seventh before mounting a recovery to reclaim position and work his way forward again.

At the driver change, Mikaël Grenier took over from Stephens and kept the No. 34 out front, though AF Corse remained in close pursuit with Frederik Schandorff taking over the Ferrari.

The final hour brought the race’s strategic turning point as the majority of the field cycled through pit stops within a tight 50-minute window. Turner Motorsports briefly lost ground after pitting under full-course yellow conditions, but Robby Foley mounted a charge back to fourth in class with 42 minutes remaining. Up ahead, Cameron Lawrence held firm in third in the No. 6 Ford Mustang, absorbing heavy pressure from Foley in the closing laps.

Out front, however, Grenier was untouchable. The Canadian brought the No. 34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 home for the first overall and Pro victory of the season, while Schandorff secured second for AF Corse. Lawrence completed the Pro podium after successfully holding off Foley, while fellow Canadian Zachary Vanier completed the top five in the No. 8 McCann Racing Porsche.

“We decided to start on a sticker set to try to stay in front of the Ford because they were super quick, and Sonoma is probably one of the toughest tracks to overtake at,” said Grenier. “It worked, although the first stint was difficult with traffic and I probably used the tires a bit too much. But in the end, it was enough, and the car was really strong.”

Stephens added: “It’s yet another testament to this organization and to the opportunity to be here with JMF Motorsports and Mercedes-AMG. It’s a lovely way to kick off the season. It was a rollercoaster ride for sure, and I certainly made a handful of mistakes that I’ll look to improve on moving forward.”

Pro-Am class:

The Pro-Am category delivered one of the race’s most dramatic storylines, with major recovery drives shaping the final result.

Jason Daskalos led the way early in the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3, running an impressive third overall during the opening hour. Behind him, trouble struck for a pair of BMW entries, as Slade Stewart’s No. 14 Riley Technologies machine was forced into retirement following an incident, while Derek DeBoer’s No. 99 Random Vandals Racing BMW limped back to pit lane for repairs. Thanks to the caution period, DeBoer was able to rejoin at the tail end of the field without losing a lap, setting up an impressive comeback effort. Todd Coleman, meanwhile, managed a double stint while holding second in class.

As pit strategy began to diverge, DeBoer briefly vaulted to the overall lead on an alternate sequence, underscoring the unpredictability of the new endurance-style format.

By the second hour, Jan Heylen had assumed the Pro-Am lead in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992), but his charge was interrupted by a penalty for a pit stop violation. That opened the door for GMG Racing, where Tom Sargent had taken over from Kyle Washington in the No. 32 Porsche and immediately began hunting down Heylen for both the class lead and a place on the overall podium.

The final hour belonged to Sargent, who also earned the Superfuel Hard Charger award of the race.

After making his final stop with 49 minutes remaining, the GT Academy driver charged forward and laid down the fastest lap of the race on his way to the class lead. When the checkered flag flew, Sargent had climbed 10 positions to secure the Pro-Am victory and an outstanding third-place overall finish.

Ryan Yardley also impressed in the No. 31 Wright Motorsports Porsche, gaining seven spots to finish second in class, while Heylen recovered to salvage the final spot on the Pro-Am podium. Riley Dickinson delivered a strong drive in the No. 13 Kellymoss Porsche, climbing six places to finish fourth, with Thomas Merrill and Therese Lahlouh rounding out the Pro-Am top five for Wright Motorsports in the No. 242 Porsche.

“It’s always a box you want to tick,” said Sargent. “The team did an amazing job. The car was lethally quick, the engineers gave us a great setup, and everyone on the crew put it together perfectly. It’s one of the best cars I’ve ever driven, and it’s a privilege to drive it here and come away with the win.

“That’s exactly what we came here to achieve. There were a lot of unknowns coming into this new format, so to do it straight away is a huge confidence boost for the whole team. We couldn’t quite get the win last year, so it’s great to come back and get it done. And Kyle was brilliant, consistent, mistake-free, and fast the whole way. I couldn’t have done it without him.”

In Am, AF Corse put together a clean and composed performance to take the class win with the No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3 shared by Oswaldo Negri and Jay Schreibman.

GT America: Gidley completes sweep, Lecko doubles up in Cup, Lumsden strong again in GT4

In the GT America powered by AWS season opener at Sonoma, Memo Gidley completed a dominant weekend sweep on home soil, while David Lecko and Craig Lumsden once again topped their respective categories.

The race began cleanly at the front, with Gidley in the No. 56 SKI AUTOSPORTS Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II maintaining control, while Kyle Washington in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO came under immediate pressure from Dave Musial Sr. in the No. 72 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) for second.

Early drama unfolded just a few corners into the race, as Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R made contact with Marc Muzzo in the No. 013 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3, sending Chouest into a spin. The Corvette was left stranded on track with rear-left damage, forcing the field to narrowly avoid the incident as they came back around. The contact also impacted several drivers, including Scott Blind in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche, who dropped positions while avoiding the aftermath.

A full course yellow was deployed while the car was recovered, the race resuming with 28 minutes remaining.

On the restart, Mirco Schultis in the No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R moved past Tony Davis in the No. 04 HP-TECH Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 for sixth, allowing him to push in clean air and begin setting competitive lap times. Behind them, Blind recovered ground, eventually clearing Davis after a multi-lap battle.

Further up the field, Muzzo ran wide exiting the carousel, opening the door for Joel Cortes in the No. 19 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) to execute a clean overtake in a tightly contested exchange before setting his sights on Musial ahead.

As the race entered its closing stages, Schultis set the fastest lap with just six minutes remaining and continued his charge forward. On the final lap, he completed a decisive pass on Muzzo in traffic, with both drivers splitting Craig Lumsden in the No. 610 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO on opposite sides in a standout moment of racecraft.

At the front, Gidley remained untouchable, securing his second victory of the weekend and delivering the first-ever weekend sweep for SKI AUTOSPORTS. Washington and Musial completed the podium, with Cortes and Schultis rounding out the top five.

“You know, it’s unbelievable,” said Gidley. “To do this at my home track, with my family here, from my daughter to my mother, we’re all part of this journey. I just happen to be in the driver’s seat.”

The Cup class once again saw David Lecko in the No. 89 RacingSupport Ginetta GTP8 deliver a composed performance to secure his second victory of the weekend.

Joined by Yousuf Nabi in the No. 3 Gotham Motorsports Ferrari 488 Challenge EVO, both drivers brought their cars home cleanly, with Lecko continuing to build momentum in the debut campaign for the Ginetta platform.

“It’s such a beautiful track, fast and flowing,” said Lecko. “We’re still learning the car, but it feels great, very neutral and rewarding to drive.”

In GT4, Craig Lumsden in the No. 610 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82) EVO completed another clean and controlled race as the sole entry in the class.

Pirelli GT4 America also opened its 2026 season at Sonoma Raceway with RAFA Racing Team and Random Vandals Racing emerging as the weekend’s big winners. Westin Workman and Tyler Gonzalez delivered the Silver class victory for RAFA Racing Team, Sam Craven and Kenton Koch came out on top in Pro-Am for Random Vandals Racing, and Judson Holt and Denny Stripling completed a perfect Sonoma weekend in Am for Random Vandals.

In TC America Powered by Kip Barber Racing School, JMF Motorsports' Braydon Arthur and Andre Castro (Ricca Autosport) split the wins in Races 1 and 2.