gmg racing

New Look for Alec Udell in Alabama

Date	April 21, 2016

With the Pirelli World Challenge in full swing headed to this weekend’s double-header at Barber Motorsports Park, Global Motorsports Group’s Alec Udell will head to the scenic Birmingham, Alabama circuit with a new look and intensified focus on the GT-Cup category championship. Revising his No. 17 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to carry the same signature colors as his GT category teammate James Sofronas, Alec’s all-new blue livery looks to re-energize the team as they head in to the busy mid-season. Sofronas, meanwhile, has a schedule conflict that will force him to sit out this weekend’s event.

“I absolutely love this new look,” stated the Woodlands, Texas native. “I’m very excited to fly the GMG colors on the Porsche Cup Car. It’s been a few weeks for our class, so I can’t wait to get back in the seat and race hard at Barber, a track that is a blast to drive. We should have a competitive package in store, and with the real championship swing in front of us, I want to show well for all of our partners at Euroworld Motorsports, M Performance, Panther Pipeline and Amsource Capital. The guys have been working very hard to get us prepared, and I’m confident we can deliver.”

Following the first four rounds, Udell has proven to be a constant challenger at every event. Boasting not only one victory, but podiums in every event so far in 2016, the 20-year old currently sits second in GT-Cup category standings, facing what looks to be a very tightly contested championship. Knowing that victories will be the key to ensuring his title challenge, all focus for this weekend’s events will be on taking the top step of the podium.

Last year’s event served as a bit of a comeback for the Clemson University engineering student. Having sat out the two previous rounds due to extensive car damage, Alec returned to Barber with a completely rebuilt car, unsure of what to expect as he headed in to the weekend. Making instant work of the 2.38-mile, 15-turn circuit, Udell was immediately on pace, scoring repeat podium finishes and proving that he was right back where he left off.

With the team continuing to find improvements and speed with every weekend, the crew at GMG is cautiously optimistic on the weekend’s potential, with a full understanding that victories will be vital to regain his championship lead.

Official practice begins tomorrow, April 22, with Race One taking place at 2:45PM ET on Saturday, April 23. Race Two will follow the next day at 10:15AM, with live coverage at world-challenge/streamvideo

Holden, GMG Take Podium at Long Beach

Date	April 19, 2016

Following a hard-fought, caution-filled event during Sunday’s ReplayXD Grand Prix at Long Beach, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) Brent Holden was able to turn a clean drive in to his first podium at the historic event. Not putting a scratch on his car despite multiple incidents around him, Holden would take third in the series’ GTA category.

“It’s great to be able to leave the weekend with a podium, this is something every driver aspires to at Long Beach,” stated Holden. “Any time you visit a street course, you know that patience is usually rewarded, and that was our strategy this weekend. I picked up a lot of tire buildup during the first yellow and the car was crazy loose for a while. Fortunately, the tires came back and I ran some laps close to my qualifying time. My focus was just on trying to keep it on the track and bring home my first ever Pirelli World Challenge podium. I send out my thanks to James, Nev, Ruben, Frank, Aki and the rest of my friends at GMG.”

Driving the No. 44 Audi R8 LMS ultra, this would serve as the seventh visit to Long Beach for Holden. A resident of Southern California himself, the race presented a rare opportunity to drive in front of several friends and guests on hand, with the scenic street-course providing an ideal venue for event hosting.

Starting from the 10th row, Brent took the green flag with a cautious approach, knowing the tricky confines of the course are notorious for creating incidents and caution flags, which would prove true after just three laps. Biding his time through the assorted cautions, the race would resume with Holden focused firmly on the field in front of him, slowly working his way up the grid as the race progressed. With a series of yellow flags continuing to bring the field together, the race’s attrition was high as usual, with the No. 44 avoiding incident and eventually finishing third.

Meanwhile, for James Sofronas in the team’s lone GT category entry, the No. 14 Mobil 1 / The Thermal Club / Spyder Porsche 911 GT3 R would fall victim to the circuit’s challenges, with early contact forcing the team to retire early. Starting from the ninth row, the Villa Park, California resident was off to a strong start, pushing hard to chase down the field in front of him during the opening laps. Unfortunately, during the third lap Sofronas would make a rare error, clipping the inside barrier as he turned in to the tricky Turn Eight, which in turn pushed the car straight and in to the No. 6 McLaren of Austin Cindric, forcing the Mclaren in to the wall and Sofronas with damage to his machine. James would pit for immediate repairs, and while the team would send the car back out once they felt it was safe to continue, Sofronas eventually elected to retire the car due to the extent of the damage.

“This was a tough one, but I have to accept full responsibility,” stated Sofronas. “I just got it wrong. We were all pushing hard, and when we came in Turn Eight I just barely clipped the corner; that was all it took. I immediately went over to apologize to everyone at K-Pax Racing as well as Austin, as he did nothing wrong. It’s a tough way to go out, especially being our home race, but these things happen and we’ll just get on with it. Thanks to all of the guys and everyone who work so hard to make this event what it is, we’ll get them next year.”

With another Long Beach Grand Prix in the history books, the team has little time to reflect as the series heads to its next event in less than one week, with the entire Pirelli World Challenge heading to Birmingham, Alabama, competing at the scenic Barber Motorsports Park. A full release, including team lineup, will come shortly.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kirk Keiser and Circle Porsche

GMG Ready for Home Race at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Date	April 13, 2016

Located just a few miles from Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) world headquarters in Santa Ana, California, this weekend’s 42nd Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach promises to deliver a fantastic weekend for not only the team’s two-car driver lineup, but for the many guests and clients who will be on hand to join in the festivities.

“The Grand Prix of Long Beach is an event unlike any other,” stated GMG team owner and driver James Sofronas. “It’s an amazing gathering of racers from all types of disciplines, and always an incredible weekend for the fans. Obviously as a Southern Californian team this holds a special significance for us. We’re so lucky to have a great group of partners supporting our organization, putting them front and center in the middle of the Long Beach Convention Center is a great opportunity for all involved. We encourage anyone coming out to stop by and see what our program is all about, we’re always happy to talk cars. Heading in to the third weekend of the series, I think we have a lot to look forward to. Brent always runs strong here, and having won there a couple times myself, it’s a special place to drive.“

With the entire Pirelli World Challenge paddock located in the famed Long Beach Convention Center for the treacherous street course, the crowd will have a rare opportunity to get an up-close look at the series’ GT3 machinery, with marques including Audi, Bentley, BMW. Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Porsche and more. Being the local team, GMG will have center placement, with not only the team’s Porsche and Audi racing vehicles on display, but a number of their project cars which fans can get an up close look at as well. Additionally, the team will feature displays from many of their partners, a perk for some of the organization’s long-standing alliances.

On the track, the team will be highlighted by two entries in two categories, and with two different vehicles.

Competing in the series’ top-tier GT category will be James Sofronas in the No. 14 Mobil 1 / The Thermal Club / Spyder Porsche 911 GT3 R. Having won the event in 2009 and 2013, Sofronas is no stranger to success at Long Beach, and with the team quickly acclimating to the all-new Porsche, optimism is high for the resident of nearby Villa Park, California, to deliver his best result of the year.

Additionally, competing in the series’ GTA category, Brent Holden will take to the field with the team’s lone Audi R8 LMS ultra. Driving the No. 44 machine, the Southern Californian will return for his seventh race at the event, a rare opportunity to drive in front of his home crowd.

“Any time you can compete in front of your friends and family, it always adds to the excitement,” stated Holden. “The series has really jumped in competitiveness; GT cars only, mainly top professionals and only a handful or so of remaining amateurs in the GTA category. Still, we have a lot of experience with the Audi, I know most of my competitors and it should be a tight battle for the GTA podium.”

Practice for the event begins this Friday, April 15, with Sunday’s race occurring at 10AM to kick off the final day of festivities. Throughout the weekend, the team will also be active within the Long Beach Convention Center, which is open from 8AM-6PM daily.

Udell, GMG Sweep Podium at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Date	March 15, 2016

One year after a devastating accident that ruined any championship hopes for the Pirelli World Challenge GT-Cup category, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) Alec Udell would complete a successful weekend on the streets St. Petersburg, Florida, with a series of second-place finishes during both rounds of the weekend.

“I’d be lying if I said I’m entirely happy with two second-place finishes, we came out to win,” stated Udell. “However after a difficult practice, we’re still pleased with what we were able to achieve. The guys had a lot of work in front of them with some of the damage we took on Thursday, so getting on the podium was entirely in tribute to them. I did enjoy the racing, and I think we showed our strengths on Sunday, which should prime us well for Long Beach. We’re looking forward to it.”

Driving the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsports / Panther Pipeline / Amsource Capital Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the 20-year old came in to the weekend with strong ambitions for victory, looking to redeem a start-line accident suffered in the first race last year. Unfortunately, the weekend did not go as planned when Alec would suffer damage in a practice accident on Thursday, cutting his day short and forcing the team to work quickly on repairs. While the damage was repairable, the Clemson University student would have to sit out Friday’s qualifying session, meaning he would start at the back during Saturday’s Race One.

Starting from the back, Alec would waste little time in Race One working his way up through the field, pushing hard to get himself in to a podium position and eventually taking second. He would also set the second-fastest time in class, meaning he would start in second for Sunday’s festivities.

Making a strong start during Sunday’s Race Two, it was clear that Alec had the pace to make a challenge at race leader Sloan Urry, however a long series of caution periods would mean that Udell had little opportunity due to limited running under green flag periods. As the checkered flag fell, Alec would cross the line just behind the race winner, officially listed as three-tenths behind. Demonstrating his pace, the Texas native would also set the fastest lap of the race in their class.
While ultimately not a victory, Udell’s successive string of second-place finishes would keep him solidly in the championship hunt, and his pace demonstrated his pace and potential for the rest of the season.

Following back-to-back events to open the season, the entire GMG team will get a small amount of reprieve as the series will not return until one month’s time, competing in the team’s backyard at The Grand Prix of Long Beach. Practice begins Friday, April 15, with the race taking place on the morning of Sunday, April 17.

Udell, GMG Return to St. Petersburg in Search of Redemption

Date	March 11, 2016

Following a devastating accident in 2015 that saw his weekend ruined before ever completing the first lap, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) Alec Udell will head to this weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in search of redemption in his 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GT-Cup campaign.

“We definitely want to erase the memories of last year,” stated Udell. “Getting caught up in an accident that wasn’t our doing was extremely frustrating, and it obviously had a major impact on the rest of the season for us. Luckily with the new starting procedures of the Pirelli World Challenge, the chances of a repeat incident are at least reduced, and we’re all very confident heading back. We had a good start to the season at Circuit of the Americas, but we definitely needed to find a bit more speed and I’m confident that we can improve in St. Petersburg. Thanks to everyone for the hard work to get the car turned around, I’m excited to get going.”

In 2015, Alec and the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsports / Panther Pipeline / Amsource Capital Porsche 911 GT3 Cup became a victim of a start-line incident that would end up having a major effect on the rest of his season. During the series’ signature standing-start, the GT-Cup category would start behind the GT field, and a multi-car incident in front of Udell would leave him with no room to get by, with a careening Lamborghini slamming in to the nose of the 20-year old, pinning his car against a wall and causing severe damage to his machine.

The repairs were so heavy that the team would be forced to sit out the second race of the weekend, and ultimately several more races in the season.

With standing starts eliminated for 2016, the likelihood of such an incident in front of him will be reduced.

With the start of the season occurring in Austin, Texas last weekend, the entire team at GMG has had a matter of days to get the car turned around for this weekend’s third and fourth rounds at the notorious street circuit located in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a full-time engineering student at Clemson University, Alec has had the unique challenge of travelling between races while also taking mid-terms, proving a time management ability well beyond his years. Following a win during the opening race of the season, and a close second during the subsequent round 24 hours later, the challenge is definitely on as they pursue the series championship.

Official practice continues today, with Saturday’s Race One occurring at 9:35AM ET. Sunday’s Race Two will occur at 3:15PM ET, with live streaming available for both via www.world-challenge.com/streamvideo.

Udell, GMG Take Victory in Pirelli World Challenge Season Opener

Date	March 6, 2016

Continuing the momentum gained in the second half of 2015, Global Motorsports Group’s (GMG) own Alec Udell made a commanding statement on the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GT-Cup category with a victory during today’s season opening round at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

“This is a fantastic way to start the season, I couldn’t be happier,” stated Udell. “We’ve been showing strong pace all weekend, and even though we didn’t take the pole, I think we all felt that we had a car capable of winning. Thanks to everyone at GMG for helping me put together a program to come back this season, as well as everyone at Euroworld Motorsports, Panther Pipeline and Amsource Capital for making this possible. I really enjoyed the fight out there, and it’s a tremendous way to begin everything, but obviously we have more racing tomorrow.”

After just missing out on pole position during this morning’s qualifying session, the driver who grew up in nearby Woodlands, Texas was off to a strong start in the No. 17 Euroworld Motorsport / Panther Pipeline / Amsource Capital Porsche 911 GT3 Cup as the field went green. Alec immediately began his chase for pole-sitter Sloan Urry throughout the opening laps, repeatedly turning the fastest laps in the category. Having won three races in the category last season, Alec knew that patience would be his key, and as the 50-minute race carried on it was clear that not only would speed be key, but car management as well. Just before the halfway point, Alec’s opportunity would come in the form of traffic, as Urry and and Udell would encroach on a series of cars in front of them. As the duo approached, Alec would see his opportunity, making a clean move for the lead and never looking back.

It would serve as Udell’s fourth victory in the series and a strong opening to his title campaign.

Meanwhile, the team’s other GT-Cup competitor, Alex Welch in the No. 08 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 991, would run a quiet race to finish fifth. A seasoned veteran of competition both with the team and in the series, the Colorado native was solid in his first race in the GT-Cup category, setting a series of strong lap times to position himself well for tomorrow’s festivities.

The team’s lone GT entry, however, would suffer a challenging day. Running the first race in the all-new No. 14 Mobil 1 / The Thermal Club Porsche 911 GT3 R, driver and team owner James Sofronas was developing a strong pace over the course of the weekend, however when the green flag fell the Californian would fall victim to an incident in front of him. With the No. 67 Aston Martin of Duncan Ende spinning due to contact with a competitor, Sofronas was left with nowhere to go, damaging his front bumper and splitter in the process. Immediately pulling in to the pits for repairs, the team did a heroic job of getting the car back in shape, tapping in to their experience despite a new car to get their Porsche back in tact to see the finish. Despite the extent of the repairs, Sofronas was still able to set the 14th best lap time in the race, a strong showing of the team’s ability to cut zero corners in their process.

“Today is all about celebrating Alec, but what an amazing job by our entire crew today,” stated Sofronas. “Alec and everyone in support of him has worked tremendously hard to put this program together, and it’s great to see it come together. He made a great statement on his championship hopes and we hope to see it through for the rest of the season. Today was obviously frustrating on my end, what an incredible job by our guys. There was a palpable ‘never give up’ sense within the whole team, and it was impressive that they were able to not only get the car back together, but a fast car at that! Everyone should be proud of the job they did, and we look forward to tomorrow’s events.”

With little time to celebrate, the entire series will go back to competition in less than 24 hours, with racing action beginning at 3:15 ET. Live coverage can be found via webstream at world-challenge.com/streamvideo