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GMG Racing and The Racer’s Group Post Early Entries For SRO California 8-Hour GT Race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Topics:  Mazda Raceway California 8 Hours

GMG Racing and The Racer’s Group Post Early Entries For SRO California 8-Hour GT Race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Tom Blattler
Pirelli World Challenge
25 August 2017

For Immediate Release

Porsche GT3, Aston Martin GT4 Machines Set for SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge

Calvert Udell at VIR 2017 TRG Aston at MRLS

SALINAS, Calif. (August 25, 2017) – California-based GT teams – GMG Racing and The Racer’s Group (TRG) -- are early entries for the upcoming California 8-Hour SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge event set for Oct. 13-15 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca featuring GT3 and GT4 homologated sports cars in the third of the four-race SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge series around the world.

The Intercontinental GT Challenge series, which debuted in 2016 in four different continents, began this year in Australia in February with the famed Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-Hour event followed by the 24 Hours of Spa in July and the tour finale is set for December 9 with the Motul Sepang 12-hour classic.

This new GT concept is aimed at manufacturers, who are encouraged to use local teams to represent them in the international events for a more cost- and time-effective to fly engineers and drivers around the world rather than cars and equipment. Many of the teams and cars from the North American-based Pirelli World Challenge will be part of the 8-hour sports car contest on the legendary 2.238-mile, 11-turn MRLS road circuit.

The first of the Pirelli World Challenge regulars scheduled for the California 8-Hour race is the successful Southern California-based (Santa Ana, Calif.) operation of Global Motorsports Group Racing (GMG), a team with 17 PWC wins overall in 2016. Led by team principal James Sofronas who has scored six wins himself this year, the GMG team will bring two entries to MRLS including the trio of Michael Lewis, Andrew Davis and Preston Calvert in the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 R. The team will announce its second driver lineup in the near future.

The Northern California-based contingent (Petaluma, Calif.) of The Racer’s Group (TRG) has also entered two machines for the California 8-Hour contest. Led by veteran racer and team owner Kevin Buckler, the TRG effort will include two Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars with driver lineups of Craig Milzcik, Brandon Davis and Derek DeBoer in one of the Astons with Craig Lyons, Kris Wilson and Thomas Merrill in the other.

Among other PWC GT4 entries expected at MRLS include the Racer’s Edge Motorsports team with its race-winning SIN CAR 1 GT4 machines and the famed Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR cars.

Several international teams have already sent their entries to the SRO office in Europe including teams from Australia and Germany and those lineups will be announced in the future. The entry deadline for the California 8-Hour SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge is set for August 31.

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Contact: Tom Blattler, Pirelli World Challenge, tblattler@wcvision.com; 317.525.5692