The Fast Track Racing team fields two strong driver lineups, led by former sports car series champions, this weekend (April 15-17) at Sonoma Raceway in the Pirelli GT4 America doubleheader events which kickoff the 20220 SRO America road racing series at the famed 2.52-mile, 12-turn road circuit.
The Texas-based racing organization, sponsored by Sewell Automotive Companies, brings two BMW M4 GT4 sports cars to Sonoma Raceway with a pair of impressive driver combinations set for the two 60-minute, one-pit stop races scheduled for Saturday (April 16) at 4:55 p.m. PDT and Sunday (April 17) at 9:30 a.m. PDT.
Fast Track Racing’s past success in the Pirelli GT4 America tour has included overall and class race victories in recent seasons and early testing runs have proven the team’s speed could repeat those performances in the 2022 14-race campaign.
“We are very excited to field two solid BMW M4 GT4 teams in this year’s Pirelli GT4 America series,” said Toby Grahovec, team manager for Fast Track Racing. “We have two former sports car champions, Raphael Matos and Greg Liefooghe, leading our lineups in 2022, and we are planning to contend for race wins and a series championship in driver, team and manufacturer classes. Early testing has been very good and, while all four of our drivers are new to Fast Track Racing, they have shown good speed.”
Making their debut in the Fast Track Racing BMW M4 machines at Sonoma Raceway will be the pairing of paraplegic driver Tim Horrell of Coral Springs, FL, and multi-time sports car champion Matos of Boca Raton, FL, in the specially prepared No. 10 BMW M4 GT4 car, which features hand controls for Horrell. Tim was severely injured in a 2011 road accident but moved into karting and sports cars in recent years.
Matos, the Brazil native, is a two-time Trans-Am TA2 series champion after a spectacular open-wheel career which included championships in the Barber national tour (2003), Star Mazda Pro Series (2005), Champ Car Atlantic Championship (2007) and Indy Lights (2009). In addition, Raphael was named the Indianapolis 500 ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2009. He was also the fastest rookie Indy 500 qualifier in 2009.
Liefooghe, a San Francisco veteran racer, is a former Pirelli GT4 America series champion and will team up with Canadian driver Damon Surzyshyn in the No. 11 Going Pro – SRO America/Nomad Digital BMW M4 GT4 machine when the duo make their Fast Track Racing debut this weekend.
Liefooghe has a successful sports car racing career that includes the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Am class title and the 2019 SRO Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am championship. Surzyshyn finished seventh in last year’s Pirelli GT4 America Am point standings. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, driver has competed in the TC America series in previous seasons.
A special ‘behind-the-scenes” television series, “Going Pro -- SRO America,” will follow Liefooghe and Surzyshyn throughout the Pirelli GT4 America tour in 2022 with an inside look at the Fast Track Racing operation. The TV documentary series will air on the CBS Sports Network.
“The recent Sonoma test went great,” said Horrell, who’ll make his first Sonoma Raceway competition. “I was learning a new track and then getting down to respectable lap times. I have a little bit more to go, but I should be able to accomplish that during race week. It has been fun teaming up with Rafa in the BMW M4, and I hope we have a successful season with Fast Track Racing.”
"I think this first race will be important to see how we stack up with our competitors,” said Matos. “Tim did a really nice job at the test, and I got a good feel for the car as well. We are still absorbing a lot more since it's our first time racing in the GT4 class. The whole team has been very supportive to Tim and I and that's a very important to us. We are still working on our pit stop dynamics and we are hoping to get everything dialed by the first race."
While some Fast Track Racing drivers are making their Sonoma Raceway debut this weekend, Liefooghe is one of the most experience racers at the Sonoma track in the Pirelli GT4 America division. Not only has Greg competed many times at the track, he also serves as a driving coach to racing students at Sonoma.
"I'm really looking forward to kicking off the season with Fast Track Racing and Damon,” said Liefooghe.
“As my home track, Sonoma is always a special place for me with lots of friends and family coming to watch us in action. I wish the BMW was a bit more suited for the track, but we'll try to minimize mistakes and score as many points as we can to build some momentum in our championship run!"
“I'm really excited to get the season started,” said Surzyshyn. “We've been doing some testing and I'm really impressed with the BMW M4 GT. The car is going to be really fun to race. I love Sonoma Raceway. It's such a challenging track with the elevation, low grip and so many subtleties to put a lap together. My goal is to just learn as much as I can about the car in race conditions and get as close to Greg's lap times as possible.”
Fast Track Racing will also field four TCX BMW M2 cars in the TC America competition at Sonoma Raceway in addition to the two Pirelli GT4 America entries this weekend in the SRO season opener.
Action begins for the Pirelli GT America class Friday with practice rounds scheduled for 12:10 p.m. PDT and 5:10 p.m. PDT with qualifying set for Saturday at 10:50 a.m. PDT. Each driver will record a qualification time Saturday. The 60-minute, two-driver races will be held Saturday and Sunday.
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ABOUT FAST TRACK RACING: Fast Track Racing was founded in 2005. Fast Track Racing has sold 117 BMW factory race cars to our customers in the past five years. Fast Track Racing has earned six championships in the SRO World Challenge series, and two S.C.C.A. National Championships. Fast Track Racing is the first and only United States team to win the BMW Sports Trophy. In total, Fast Track Racing has earned 26 professional wins and over 100 total wins, including 22 poles and 113 podiums, with 23 of the fastest laps in SRO competition. As BMW Motorsport experts, Fast Track Racing also races these vehicles and knows them inside and out. Fast Track Racing is tenured, with track-tested experience. Fast Track Racing has engineering expertise and provides coaching and consultation to ensure a driver’s performance is maximized.