GT America: Washington dominates, Chouest and Schultis steal the show, McIntosh sweeps the weekend

The Florida heat was no match for the intense on-track action as GT America powered by AWS delivered another thrilling contest under the blazing Sebring sun on Sunday morning. With championship points on the line and pride at stake, both the SRO3 and GT4 fields put on a masterclass in hard-fought battles and strategic racing.

SRO3 Class

At the drop of the green flag, Kyle Washington launched his No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R off the line with authority, immediately taking control of the race. Despite early pressure from Memo Gidley in the No. 56 SKI Autosports Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII, Washington remained unfazed, setting blistering sector times and stretching his lead with every lap.

Behind them, the most captivating battle of the race unfolded between Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Mirco Schultis aboard the No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Callaway Corvette Z06R GT3. Schultis made a bold move on Lap 5 to snatch fourth place, but Chouest wasn’t ready to concede. Lap after lap, Chouest stayed glued to Schultis’ rear bumper, applying relentless pressure and forcing the Corvette driver into small errors.

More SRO America

RACER Debrief: Regulator Racing’s Jeff Burton and Philip Ellis

Random Vandals, Turner Motorsport scorch GT World Challenge field in Race 2 at Sebring

Random Vandals, BimmerWorld BMWs double up in Pirelli GT4 America Race 2 at Sebring

With just two minutes left, the tension reached a boiling point as Chouest closed the gap to mere tenths. In a dramatic final push, Chouest attempted to reclaim the position, but Schultis held firm, crossing the line with only 0.274 seconds separating them.

Out front, Kyle Washington cruised to victory, finishing with a commanding 7.6-second lead over Gidley, while Justin Rothberg secured the final podium position in his No. 29 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

GT4 Class

Pole-sitter Michael Fitzpatrick in the No. 89 89x Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 initially controlled the GT4 field, but Anthony McIntosh in the No. 69 JTR Engineering Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 kept him within striking distance.

As the laps ticked down, McIntosh made a daring attempt to dive past Fitzpatrick, ratcheting up the pressure. In a costly mistake, Fitzpatrick put a wheel off into the grass, sending his Aston Martin into the tire barriers. Though he managed to limp the car out of harm’s way, his day was effectively over.

McIntosh inherited the lead and never looked back, taking the checkered flag to sweep the Sebring weekend in dominant fashion.

"Being in a one-horse race turned out to be a blessing in disguise since we’re racing in GT4 America later today,” explained Anthony McIntosh. “ We used the opportunity to run ABS sweeps, traction control tests, and check the brake bias. Honestly, it was an excellent session for me. It gave me time to really push the pace and see what else I could get out of the car. I’m really grateful for how it played out."

"Before Michael retired, he was doing an amazing job. He had a great start, and their setup was spot on. Their straight-line speed was phenomenal, and even their corner exit speed was impressive. He drove perfectly, about as good as anyone could drive that car. He just made a critical error at exactly the wrong time, but aside from that, he ran a flawless race."

Up next

The GT America powered by AWS field will return for the ninth and tenth rounds of the season at VIRginia International Raceway from July 18-20.

SRO America races from Sebring stream live on the RACER+ app. CLICK HERE to sign up.