At long last - GMG Racing is ready to blast the first race weekend of 2021 into the stratosphere! So begins the race season in Sonoma, California. Wine Country, you ask? Sure, but there’s no better place than our home state to get the season of sort-of-normalcy underway, especially in the lush greenery of NorCal. After all, Sonoma Raceway is a world-renowned venue, even without the jaw-dropping local scenery.
GMG’s ambition at the season opener goes without saying, at least when series hitter Jason Bell is mentioned. Piloting his new Aston Martin Vantage AMR, Bell is sure to fire on all cylinders. After testing the Aston’s incredible capabilities in the off-season, he’s ready to go full-gas solo in the new GT America Series and sure to test the waters around the weekend’s podium.
It’s also worth mentioning that for 2021, Bell is heading back to his GT4 Sprint X stomping ground with returning sidekick Andrew Davis. It’s their second full season together, and Davis has done more than enough to prove himself as a teammate, co-driver, and coach. His ambition to push the team to its fullest potential is plainly evident, and his passion toward achieving a championship this season is palpable amongst the crew. Bell shapes their 2021 ambitions in no uncertain terms, saying “I’m confident in our preparation and we are ready to contend. I’m excited to be able to share the seat with Andrew, and think we’ll be a powerful combination with both Aston Martin and GMG Racing.”
Davis is equally stoked, elating “We’ve formed a great bond, and chemistry is key to working together so closely...I can’t wait to contend for the championship this year!”
In addition to GMG’s GT America effort is returning force Elias Sabo, who’s also taking his Audi R8 LMS to task with co-driver Andy Lee in the GT4 Sprint X series. Their proven connection is sure to bear results, no matter the series they enter. “The GMG Racing team has worked non-stop during the off-season to give us a real shot at some podium finishes this year. I can’t wait to get it going in Sonoma!”, Lee confidently said.
Sabo added hungrily that “It’s great to be back in action with GMG. Adding a second car will be beneficial and provide more seat time each weekend as we continue to learn and improve. I’m looking forward to a great season.”
It’s easy to get distracted in Sonoma, and we wouldn’t blame you for losing track of relative newcomer Kyle Washington. His passion brings a new energy to the squad, and his strong 2020 run in the GT2 category was...well, remarkable. His leap to GT3 in the Porsche GT3R is something we’ve anticipated for some time, and being able to welcome Porsche Factory Pilot Patrick Long as Washington’s mentor is humbling, to say the least. We’re honored to have Long on board with our team, and doubly honored to have such standing with Porsche Motorsport.
While the past year has been full of challenges, the weekend is our first chance to prove that we haven’t forgotten why we’re here. GMG Logistics Director Joe Foster underscored our motivations clearly, saying “Every race weekend is a massive undertaking for me and one that I welcome. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love it. Our history with Porsche and Audi speaks for itself and I’ve been very impressed thus far working with [new make] Aston Martin...I’m thankful we get to be back to work during these challenging times.” We’ve done the work over the winter, and we can’t wait for the preparation to bear fruit with podiums in Sonoma! Stay tuned.