After a two-month summer break, GT World Challenge America powered by AWS is back. Refreshed and rejuvenated, the paddock is ready for the championship push. This weekend, the series returns with a 24-car entry list. This marks the biggest single event grid since the series came under SRO management in 2018 (outside the IGTC rounds). Let’s take a look at what’s to come this weekend with GT World Road America, the fifth round of the 2026 season.
PRO: All Still to Play For
With three races remaining, the top three in the Pro championship are separated by just eleven points. After winning the first two races, it appeared JMF had this season on cruise control. But a mechanical failure at Sebring along with penalties at Road Atlanta have kept the chasing pack close. AF Corse USA comes in eight points back of the lead fresh off taking class honors at Road Atlanta back in June. Despite their DNF last time out, Turner Motorsport also is still in striking distance.
Back to AF Corse USA and there will be a slight change. Dane Frederik Schandorff, who has partnered Matias Perez Companc all season, has a clash with GT World Challenge Europe and is out for Road America. Drafted in to replace him is Ferrari factory driver Miguel Molina. With all his experience in GT World Challenge Europe, IMSA and WEC, you will be as surprised as I am to learn this will be the Spainard’s GT World Challenge America debut. But make no mistake, AF Corse know who they are putting in so this will be a very rapid car from the word go on Friday.
JMF won the second race at Road America last year so that should bode well as the team looks to get back on winning ways. But as COTA and Atlanta have proven, the threat for overall victory is not just in their own class. As the last race proved, it’s in the same building across the shop floor.
PRO AM: Deeper Depths
Last time out at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Philip Ellis returned to GT World Challenge America and put on a show. His drive through the Pro field to secure overall victory was just Philip being Philip if we are being honest. What was thought to be a one-off sub appearance as Lorcan Hanafin, the Pro driver for the first three races, was at Le Mans has turned to more. Ellis is back partnering Jason Daskalos in JMF’s Pro-Am entry. And there is good reason for this. Ellis helped Regulator Racing score overall honors in Race 1 at Road America last year. Before that, he swept both races here with Winward in 2022. Did I mention he also won his IMSA visit to Road America just four weeks ago? Yea, I don’t blame John Farrow and Danny Kok (JMF CEO) for keeping him in there with that track record.
To win this weekend, however they will have to beat the most stacked Pro-Am field the series has seen in quite a while. In addition to the regular establishment, there are returning faces and a new team joining the fun. Triarsi Competizione and Chicago Performance Tuning are back for their third and second weekends respectively. Both teams return with unchanged driver line-ups. Chouest Povoledo Racing is back on the entry list with their Corvette. However, the car will likely not take part in the weekend past the practice sessions as it had done earlier in the season. Finally, HP-Tech Motorsport will make their GT World Challenge America debut. Tony Davis, who has been the team’s driver in their first season of GT America, will co-drive with Aussie GT veteran Scott Andrews in the team’s No. 04 Ferrari 296.
Back to the Regular Establishment
Unlike in Pro, Pro-Am looks to be a little more established in terms of points. Despite their overall win at COTA, Wright enters Road America fifteen points behind GMG Racing. GMG with their two wins this season have been the class of the field so far. Tom Sargeant continues to come into his own and Kyle Washington remains a steady amateur hand. This duo continues to click and improve with each weekend.
Furthermore, since both of last year’s class winners are absent, there is an open door for the Pro-Am field and GMG looks more than ready to fill the void. Behind JMF and GMG, RS1 is also a team onlookers must keep an eye on. A heavy crash early in Atlanta struck a hammer blow to their championship aspirations. RS1 looks to rebound at Road America, but will do so with half their regular lineup missing. JP Martinez is out for Road America, replaced by 18-year old Danny Dyszelski IV making his GT3 debut. Dyszelksi is no stranger to the SRO paddock, spending the last two seasons in GT4 America.
In total, seventeen cars will line up for Pro-Am. Unpredictability will be a plenty at America’s National Park of Speed.
AM: Some Seconds
For the second time this season, AF Corse will have competition in the Am category. Scuderia Corsa, former IMSA champions and Ferrari Challenge mainstays, return for their first appearance in GT World Challenge America since 2019. Moreover, they are bringing some Ferrari Challenge friends with them. Mitchell Green and Jon Morley will make their GTWC America debuts as they experience multi-manufacturer competition for the first time.
This will also be the second time this season Oswaldo Negri will be missing. The Brazilian, who has been nursing an injury since early June, has not been cleared to race at Road America. Subsequently, AF Corse USA has called on the services of Benny Simonsen to again partner Jay Schribeman in the team’s No. 163 Am entry.
GT World Challenge America On-Track Schedule (All times CT US)
Friday
- 8:05-9:35am: Test Session
- 1:00-1:30pm: Bronze Test
- 5:00-6:00pm: Free Practice 1
Saturday
- 10:55-11:55am: Free Practice 2
- 2:25-2:55pm: Free Practice 3
Sunday
- 9:10-9:45am: Qualifying
- 2:00pm: Race (3 Hours)
SRO America Programme
A full slate of on-track action is in store for GT World Road America. In addition to GT World Challenge America, the rest of the weekend will include
- Pirelli GT4 America (Rounds 9 & 10)
- Toyota GR Cup North America (Rounds 9 & 10)
- TC America (Rounds 9 & 10)
- GT America (Rounds 9 & 10)
- McLaren Trophy America (Rounds 7 & 8)
SRO America Race & Streaming Schedule
All Races (and GTWC America Qualifying) throughout the weekend will be streamed live on GT World YouTube
Friday
- 12:50pm ET/9:50am: TC America Race 1
- 4:00pm ET/1:00pm PT: Pirelli GT4 America Race 1
Saturday
- 11:05am ET/8:05am PT: TC America Race 2
- 2:10pm ET/11:10am PT: Pirelli GT4 America Race 2
- 4:10pm ET/1:10pm PT: McLaren Trophy America Race 1
- 5:15pm ET/2:15pm PT: GT America Race 1
- 6:10pm ET/3:10pm PT: Toyota GR Cup North America Race 1
Sunday
- 10:10am ET/7:10am PT: GTWC America Qualifying
- 11:00am ET/8:00am PT: McLaren Trophy America Race 2
- 12:05pm ET/9:05am PT: GT America Race 2
- 1:00pm ET/10:00am PT: Toyota GR Cup North America Race 2
- 3:00pm ET/12:00pm PT: GTWC America Race
International viewers, check YouTube for streaming times in your area.
Stay tuned for our weekend on-track notebooks for all the racing action from Road America.
Headline Photo: Road America Race 1 Start 2025 Photo Courtesy: Fabian Lagunas/SRO Motorsports Group
