SRO Motorsports America has released the 14-car entry list for next weekend’s races at Sebring International Raceway, on 3-5 May.
These 14 cars include the anticipated debut of DXDT Racing’s #08 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R driven by Scott Smithson and Bryan Sellers. Sellers tested the car at Sebring last week alongside Tommy Milner, who was driving the team’s second Corvette, the #63, which will appear later this season.
It will mark the worldwide SRO debut of the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which has already competed in IMSA and FIA WEC.
Also competing in the Pro-Am category are two new cars. One of them is the #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R from MMG (Montreal Motorsports Group), driven by past Porsche GT3 Cup Canada champion Jean-Frederic Laberge and IndyCar Series veteran Alex Tagliani.
The all-French-Canadian squad is now ready to make its debut as planned. MMG appeared on the provisional entry list at Sonoma – which proved to be premature for the upstart team.
Flying Lizard Motorsports has also expanded its GT World Challenge America efforts as Jason Bell is scheduled to run his new #2 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the series for the first time. Bell will drive alongside Aston Martin works driver Henrique Chaves, a previous class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a past champion in GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup.
In the Pro category, the big news is the return of RS1 (Rennsport One) to the series after winning the Pro class title with Eric Filgueiras and Stevan McAleer.
Absent from Sonoma, RS1 has brought its Porsche 911 GT3 R back, now carrying the #85 and driven by Spencer Pumpelly and Trent Hindman. Pumpelly drove the first half of 2023 for ACI Motorsports in a previous-generation Porsche, and among his long list of accolades, he is a previous race winner in GT4 America and Pirelli World Challenge.
Hindman was the Silver class champion in the pandemic-affected 2020 GT World Challenge America season, driving for Racers Edge Motorsports.
All 11 returning entrants from Sonoma are unchanged. This includes the #91 Mercedes-AMG GT3 for Philip Ellis and Jeff Burton, which is now operated by Regulator Racing, a satellite team of DXDT. Esses Racing’s #19 Mercedes-AMG GT3 will return for Circuit of the Americas as planned.
Images © SRO Motorsports America, Montreal Motorsports Group, Chad Engle
