Flying Lizard Motorsports heads to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend, continuing its three-series campaign in GT America powered by AWS, GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, and McLaren Trophy America. Coming off a strong season opener at Sonoma Raceway, followed by a successful weekend at Long Beach, the Lizards are dialed in for another competitive outing on the flowing Texas circuit.
“COTA is a tricky track with a mix of high speed and low speed sections that takes a compromise as far as the set-up of the car,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “We had a great test with the 511 Tactical BMWM4 GT3 car last week and look forward to implementing what we learned. For our McLaren Trophy program, both George and Brandon are learning and making great progress, they were both able to get some additional seat time between events at our home track Apex Motor Club and I am looking forward to watching their growth each weekend.”
GT World Challenge America
In GT World Challenge America, Elias Sabo and Andy Lee return behind the wheel of the No. 8 5.11 Tactical BMW M4 GT3. After a hard-fought pair of races at Sonoma, where the duo showcased strong recovery drives and overtaking skill, the pair looks to climb further up the Pro-Am ranks at COTA in the next two rounds of the championship. The weekend will feature two 90-minute races with a mandatory driver change, giving both Sabo and Lee ample time to shine this weekend and continue to build on their strong performance at Sonoma Raceway.
GT America
Sabo will also continue his solo campaign in the No. 80 BMW M4 GT3 in GT America. A second-place podium and a fourth-place finish in mixed weather conditions at Sonoma established him as an early contender in the GT3 class. He followed it up with a third-place finish in race two at the Long Beach Grand Prix and now sits fourth in the championship standings. With his growing confidence and familiarity with the new EVO platform, Sabo will look to push for another top finish in this weekend’s pair of 40-minute sprints.
McLaren Trophy America
After a promising debut in the new McLaren Trophy America series, Flying Lizard’s McLaren Artura Trophy Evo entries return to the track with sights set on podium contention. In the No. 3, rookie George Lawrence III pairs with Spencer Bucknum, while the No. 18 is driven by Brandon Kreutz and Canaan O’Connell. Both pairings showed competitive speed and composure in their series debut at Sonoma, with the No. 18 earning a fourth-place class finish. Race two was canceled due to dangerous weather conditions, and this weekend, the McLaren field will make up the postponed race, having a total of three races this weekend.
With the second round of the season taking place at one of the most technically demanding tracks in North America, the team’s young drivers will aim to build on their initial success and continue gaining critical experience in the Pro-Am class. Three 50-minute races are scheduled for the weekend and will be broadcast live on the McLaren YouTube channel.
Schedule and Coverage | All Times Central
Fans can catch live coverage of all three series on YouTube, hosted live and free on the GT World YouTube Channel.
Thursday, April 24
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM McLaren Trophy Practice 1
Friday, April 25
8:45 AM – 9:15 AM GT America Practice 1
9:30 AM – 9:45 AM McLaren Trophy Practice 1
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM GTWCA Practice 1
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM GT America Practice 2
2:15 PM – 3:05 PM McLaren Trophy Make Up Race
3:20 PM – 4:20 PM GTWCA Practice 2
Saturday, April 26
8:05 AM – 8:20 AM McLaren Trophy Qualifying for Race 1
8:30 AM – 8:45 AM GT America Qualifying for Race 1
9:20 AM – 9:35 AM GTWCA Qualifying for Race 1
9:40 AM – 9:55 AM GTWCA Qualifying for Race 2
11:20 AM – 12:20 PM GT America Race 1
1:05 PM – 2:35 PM GTWCA Race 1
2:50 PM – 3:40 PM McLaren Trophy Race 1
Sunday, April 27
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM McLaren Trophy Qualifying for Race 2
10:05 AM – 10:45 AM GT America Race 2
11:05 AM – 11:55 AM McLaren Trophy Race 2
2:15 PM – 3:45 PM GTWCA Race 2