GMG survives street fight in Long Beach to finish second in ALMS GTC

Rebounding from a disappointing result at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring, GMG Racing let the teams of the American Le Mans Series know they mean business by running up front in GT-C throughout the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach.

Qualifying second for the 100-minute sprint race, the No.32 GMG / Spectra Resources Porsche 911 GT3 Cup ran in second place for the early part of the race as Curtis, who started the race, drove impressively with the race leaders even through lapped traffic.

A pitstop cycle saw the GMG Porsche drop to third place, as Curtis exited the car and Sofronas re-entered the race in third position. Running right behind the two leading cars throughout the final portion of the race, Sofronas was able to move up to second place and finish the race right on the bumper of the winner. In only their third start in the ALMS, the GMG Racing team found the podium.

“Bret drove a great race, especially when you consider that this is only his second season of racing,” said Sofronas. “He was in it and doing his best to get through some lapped traffic that was holding us up. In these street races, you have to balance aggression with patience because we can’t afford to lose a radiator, but at the same time, we can’t just sit behind a slower car and wait until a pit stop. The car was in great shape when I got in it and it was really fun to bring it home and get a good result for the guys on the crew.”

The result propelled Curtis and Sofronas to third place in the competitive GTC championship after two races.

“To achieve this kind of success so early in our ALMS program is a testament to Bret, James, and all the guys on the crew,” said Fabryce Kutyba, VP of Global Motorsports Group. “Our experience on this track paid off, as did the GMG performance parts on the No. 32 GMG /Spectra Resources Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. We’re happy for the guys and looking forward to the next one.”

© RIF|ALMS