Twenty-Seven Cars Line Up To Kick Off 2020 Pirelli GT4 America SprintX Season At COTA

Twenty-Seven Cars Line Up To Kick Off 2020 Pirelli GT4 America SprintX Season At COTA

One of the most popular and competitive GT4-based series in the world starts next weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas with 27 challengers taking to the track.  After a successful 2019 season, the two-driver, 60 minute format sees growth and rise in competition.

Defending Pro-Am champions Sean Quinlan and Gregory Liefooghe return with their #19 Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4.  The duo took six wins in 2019 and look to keep the momentum going in 2020.

Jason Hart and Matt Travis, two drivers racing in their home state of Texas, also return with their #47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 after coming up just four points shy of the Pro-Am title in 2019.  Travis and Hart had a whopping seven wins in 2019, but look to take the next step forward as a rough weekend at Watkins Glen allowed their Cameron Racing rivals to jump them in the standings and never look back.

Bimmerworld brings an exciting entry for their #82 BMW M4 GT4 with James Walker Jr and BMW legend Bill Auberlen behind the wheel.  Walker raced in TC America’s TCR category last season finishing on the podium three times and claiming two fastest laps.

Vesko Kozarov and Jeff Burton, who claimed the West Am Championship in 2019, team up once again, but move up to Pro-Am competition in their #91 Rearden Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4.  The pair claimed five class wins last season out of eight races.

Andretti Autosport and the #36 McLaren 570S GT4 brings a powerhouse team with Colin Mullan and Jarrett Andretti driving.  The pair swept the weekend at Las Vegas to close out the 2019 season and looks to take that momentum in 2020 where they will be one of the favorites to fight for the title.  

Flying Lizard Motorsports enters the #30 McLaren 570S GT4 for Erin Vogel, who ran one Sprint round last season, and Michael Cooper, the factory McLaren driver who will compete in both the Sprint and SprintX championships.  

Flying Lizard Motorsports brings a second car with the #21 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Michael Dinan and Robby Foley, who finished fourth overall in 2019.  The duo switches from Porsche to Aston Martin machinery.

Murillo Racing will also return with the impressive lineup of Matt Fassnacht and Christian Szymczak in the #34 Mercedes AMG GT4.  The team ran a partial-season effort in SprintX West Pro-Am last season, taking three wins in four races.  The duo looks to build off that success and take a run at the 2020 championship this season.  

ST Racing will bring the #38 BMW M4 GT4 for Samantha Tan and Jon Miller.  Miller won the SprintX West Pro-Am title in 2019 with Tan coming home second.

GMG Racing returns with Jason Bell and Andrew Davis in the #2 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.  Florida-native Bell ran a partial SprintX Pro-Am season in 2019 landing on the podium twice.

A second Pro-Am GMG machine goes to Elias Sabo and long-time World Challenge competitor Andy Lee who will run in the #8 Audi R8 LMS GT4. Lee and Sabo paired together in the inaugural GT4 SprintX season in 2018.  

After running in TC America’s TCR category for the last two seasons, Bryan Putt makes the jump to GT4 competition after winning the TCR DSG Championship in 2019.  Putt will drive the #15 BSport Aston Martin Vantage GT4 with Kenton Koch.

TRG will run the #23 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 for Spencer Pumpelly, who finished third in the Pirelli GT4 America Sprint Pro championship last season, and Craig Lyon. 
 
Classic BMW returns with the #26 BMW M4 GT4 for Toby Grahovec of Celina, Texas and John Rader.  Grahovec finished third in the 2019 SprintX Pro-Am championship after landing on the podium five times in only eight races.

RS1 enters two cars for a run at the Pro-Am Championship with Matt Dalton and Patrick Gallagher in the #33 Aston Martin Vantage GT4, and Charlie Belluardo and Jan Heylen in the #37 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.  

Long-time SRO team Black Swan Racing brings the #54 Porsche Cayman CS MR for Tim Pappas and Jereon Bleekemolen in what should be one of the favorites on the grid despite using the previous-generation Porsche.  

In the new-for-2020 Silver Cup class, Dexter Racing will bring their #63 Ginetta G55 for Warren and Ryan Dexter, who each ran partial seasons in 2019.

Marco Polo Motorsports make the switch from Sprint to SprintX with their #71 KTM XBow.  Nicolai Elghanayan and Mads Siljehaug, who raced together at Zandvoort in the GT4 Europe Series last season, will drive.  Siljehaug would claim the GT4 Europe Championship.

ST Racing’s second car, the #28 BMW M4 GT4, will be driven by Nick Wittmer, who finished second in the TCA Championship last season, and 2019 SprintX West Pro-Am Champion, Harry Gottsacker, who also hails from Texas.

TRG’s second entry sees Derek Deboer and James Rappaport join forces once again in the #17 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 after finishing third overall in the 2019 SprintX West Am class.

GMG Racing’s third entry brings Alex Welch and Michael McGrath into the #14 Audi R8 LMS GT4 to make a run at the Am division title.  Welch recently competed in the SRO Winter Invitational Series final round where he swept the weekend in the GT4 category.

Motorsport USA will field an Am entry for Michael McAleenan and Dan Rogers in the #3 McLaren 570S GT4.  

CCR Team TFB will run the #25 BMW M4 GT4 for Cole Ciraulo and Tim Barber in the Am division.  Ciraulo also ran in the SRO Winter Invitational Series, finishing in the GT4 class top five in the final two rounds.

NOLASPORT brings two Am-classed entries with the #46 Porsche Cayman CS MR for Austen Smith, of Houston, Texas, and John Dubets, and the #7 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 for Sean Gibbons, of Argyle, Texas.  

Long-time World Challenge competitors Compass Racing bring the #77 McLaren 570S GT4 for Anthony Geraci and Richard Golinello.

Race 1 for the 2020 Pirelli GT4 America season goes green on Saturday, March 7th at 12:15pm local time, streaming live at https://www.gt4-america.com/live.

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