The GT America Powered by AWS field rolled onto the streets of Long Beach early Friday morning, diving into Practice 1 under clear skies.
The city awoke to the roar of engines as drivers tackled the tight corners and high-speed straights of the iconic circuit, officially kicking off race weekend.

Seventeen cars representing three classes took part in the 30-minute session. James Sofronas topped the charts in SRO3, Adrian Kunzle led the GT2 timesheets, and Judson Holt set the pace in GT4.

SRO3 Class

It was a tight battle in the SRO3 class, with multiple drivers trading the top spot throughout Practice 1. Ultimately, James Sofronas in the No. 14 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII rose to the occasion, narrowly edging out Blake McDonald in the No. 11 DXDT Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R by just 0.136 seconds.

Early in the session, Jason Bell showed strong pace in the No. 2 Racers Edge Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, leading the field before Sofronas surged to the top. What followed was a game of musical chairs in the top five as drivers traded fast laps.

Midway through the session, Gray Newell took over the lead in the No. 24 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO, while Patrick Mulcahy climbed to second aboard the No. 54 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R.
In the closing stages, Elias Sabo delivered an impressive lap in the No. 80 Flying Lizard Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 EVO to slot into second place. But as the checkered flag flew, McDonald reclaimed the second spot, with Mulcahy, Newell, and Sabo rounding out the top five.

GT2 Class

Adrian Kunzle set the benchmark in GT2 with a fast lap of 1:24.454 in the No. 142 MLT Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2.
CJ Moses, returning to the GT2 class in his No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2, did not take part in Practice 1.

GT4 Class

Judson Holt posted the fastest lap in the GT4 class, clocking a 1:27.819 in the No. 188 Fast Track Racing BMW M4 GT4. His effort secured the top spot early in the session.
It was a BMW battle, as Paul Sparta in the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 secured the second-best time in class.
Young rising star Ricco Shlaimoun, driving the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, did not post a time during the session.
The GT America Powered by AWS field will return to the track for Practice 2 on Friday, April 11th at 11:40 AM PDT.

If you can’t make it to Long Beach, be sure to tune-in to SRO’s free livestreams all weekend long on YouTube (GTWorld) and Twitch (SROMotorsports) and follow all the action through our social media channels and the event hashtag #GTLongBeach.