Following a difficult qualifying that set the stage for a strong comeback, James Sofronas and the entire Global Motorsports Group (GMG) team would gain a cumulative total of 13 positions during this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, with Sofronas’ No. 14 machine taking honors as the top Audi finisher during Sunday’s Race Two.

“It was great to race the way we did all weekend,” stated Sofronas. “With such a rough qualifying, it was great to see everyone just keep their heads down and fight back, and our results showed. It’s always nice to finish as the top Audi, and I think with what we learned we’ll only get stronger. It’s great to have the No. 14 in good shape for Long Beach, however all attention will now be on helping Alec turn everything around in time. I feel terrible for the way his weekend went and we all have quite a job to do to get everything ready.”

Following a wet qualifying session and an ill-suited car setup, Sofronas and the No. 14 Spyder / The Thermal Club / Mobil 1 Audi R8 LMS ultra found themselves further back in the field than the multi-time race winner is used to. With dry conditions for Saturday’s Race One, the Villa Park, California resident made instant work of the field in front of him, making a great start and gaining positions nearly every lap. Putting his biggest focus on keeping the car clean and trying to set a fast lap in order to grid for the next day’s race, Sofronas would gain seven spots and manage 13th on the day.

With his qualifying efforts for Race Two hampered by the previous race’s traffic, Sofronas would start from the seventh row and make an excellent start during the series’ trademark standing start. Immediately threatening for the top-10, an extended caution period would somewhat mute James’ charge to the front, however he would still crack the top-10 as the race wore on. Engaged in a fantastic second half battle with the two Bentley entries of Dyson Racing, the Audi was able to hold off their challenge until the end, ultimately finishing as the top finisher for the marque in eighth.

Unfortunately for Alec Udell, driving the No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 911 in the all-new GT Cup category, the weekend would take on a much different tone. During Saturday’s Race One, the Texas native would become an innocent bystander as several cars collected each other in front of him before ever seeing the first turn. With the No. 30 Ferrari stalling at the start, chaos ensued as a variety of cars jockeyed around the ailing vehicle, with the No. 33 Lamborghini being clouted from behind, ricocheting off of the outside retaining wall, and then cutting across the track and directly into Udell.

There was nowhere for the 19-year old to go, and the impact would not only prevent him from ever turning a lap on Saturday, but the damage would prove too severe to return for Sunday’s race as well.

“We had unfortunate luck this weekend to get caught up in an incident we had nothing to do with,” stated Udell. “I’m very disappointed to have shown so well at the first event and not have the chance to run either of the two races at St. Petersburg. We’re working hard to get the car back together and are hoping to be back out on the track again at Long Beach.”

With three weeks until the next round, the team will now return to their Santa Ana, California headquarters where they will begin preparations for their home race, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, taking place from Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19. Having most recently won the race in 2013, this is the crown jewel for not only the team who is located just 30 minutes away, but the Pirelli World Challenge series as a whole.