Whether it’s relocating from Australia to America, or overtaking every car in the field, Tom Sargent is no stranger to making big moves. After uprooting his life back home to chase his dreams, what began as a bold solo endeavor gradually evolved into something much bigger, and soon enough he would find himself on a meaningful journey that would start to shape the trajectory of his stateside career.
He is now halfway through his second season of competition in the GT World Challenge America series, co-driving the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R with teammate Kyle Washington in the Pro-Am class. They have scored podium finishes at some of the most challenging stops on the calendar, but their history goes back a little further than that.
“It’s an interesting story,” Sargent began. “I met Kyle at a Road America Carrera Cup race in 2023. That was my debut year competing in the United States. I was running with McElrea Racing, an Australian team, and my engineer at the time knew Kyle’s engineer. He approached us and asked if we’d be willing to step in and help out a bit, as I was running in the Pro class and Kyle was in Pro-Am.”
All it took was five minutes together, and a few tips and tricks, for the relationship to start to be firmly established. From there, the two began speaking more consistently throughout the remainder of the year, and as the following season loomed, Sargent devised a plan.
After initially examining the possibility of doing a follow-up Carrera Cup campaign in 2024, the funding and logistics were proving to be a touch out of reach. Instead, he changed tactics and pitched the concept of partnering up with Washington in GT World Challenge America, accompanied with coaching him across his other endeavors to continue his driver development. The idea stuck, and with Washington competing across half a dozen different series in North America, they have certainly kept themselves booked and busy.
The efforts have paid off, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. This season has seen Washington turn it up a notch, consistently achieving wins and podiums in GT America, where he is now in championship contention. For Sargent, it’s incredibly rewarding to witness the progression.
“When you're so close to the situation it can sometimes be very hard to see the change,” he explained. “I've noticed a difference from when we first started working together to now a year and a half later, which is just awesome. The step up he had over the off-season was massive. He made good progress last year and then now he's come in this year and he's like a completely new man. He has really upped his game, and that's shown in his GT America results for sure. He’s in contention for the championship and it’s really close. He is also one of the fastest amateurs in GT World Challenge America, which has been great for us.”
“It’s really confidence-inspiring,” he continued. “I think it starts a snowball effect where he sees the positive results, he sees the improvement, and that just drives him to want to do more. He’s a very fun, outgoing, lovely person, so to see him get these rewards is fantastic. It's a really cool partnership and something I hope goes on for a long time.”
While they have accomplished a great deal together in a relatively short period of time, their biggest milestone came at VIRginia International Raceway in 2024 when they made it to the top step of the podium. Evidently, their maiden win in the series has remained a standout moment for everyone involved.
“To get a win was a breakthrough for us and to be honest, I feel like it was a bigger win for the team rather than for Kyle and I,” Sargent reflected. “It’s a big undertaking to pull a team together and form a GT3 program, especially with how many series Kyle is running in. Everyone works tirelessly day and night to make this happen. The fact that we could put all the pieces together and get a win was mega. We got a little bit lucky, some fortune went our way. But you need that in motorsports sometimes. Some things didn't go our way in other races that affected us, but everything lined up for us at VIR. It was the first time either of us had been there, so to go out there and win in our first outing is definitely not something that normally happens.”
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While the victory was certainly a highlight on its own, he made no secret of his fondness for VIR as a whole, sharing how “It just clicks for me. I really love this track, every time I come back it feels like home for me. In a way, it kind of is since I live two hours down the road in North Carolina. It’s a high-commitment track, I feel in tune with the car when I’m here and I’m able to hit the ground running straight away.”
The 2025 season has seen them maintain a race-by-race approach with the objective of maximizing results at each event and opportunity, but they do have one big goal in the back of their minds: the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Sargent is feeling confident in knowing that they will have a strong lineup, and is eagerly looking forward to capitalizing on unique circumstances.
“Being a Silver-rated driver myself, it’s a very rare opportunity that we have to actually get to bring in a factory driver for the Indy 8 Hour,” he elaborated. “It gives us a significant advantage versus the other teams who run a Gold or Platinum driver throughout the year and have to bring in a Silver. Getting to work alongside a Porsche factory driver and learn from them is really cool for me as well, it’s helpful for me at this stage in my career. Also, it only helps me help Kyle. I'm able to apply what I learn in my own driving, then in turn bring it over to him to help with his development.”
In addition to his efforts with GMG Racing, Sargent has also stepped up into an additional endurance racing program with the likes of Wright Motorsports, another proven team with winning-caliber. Co-driving alongside the 2024 GT World Challenge America Pro class champions Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer, he kickstarted the year with a second-place finish in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and more recently the trio competed in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
“Spa was a dream come true,” he exclaimed. “It’s an event that every driver wants to compete in. It was a big ‘pinch me’ moment, a very mind-blowing experience to be there. It really puts everything in perspective when you're driving against three-hundred or so of the best GT3 drivers in the world. The best of the best are in that field, it is the pinnacle of GT racing.”
However, he stressed that the learning curve was steep. It was a first across the board, with the team and drivers alike making their debut in the 24-hour race, which makes the outcome all the more impressive: “We rolled up as a team that had never done that event before, with three drivers that had never driven that track before, and we had a seriously good result. We were fourth in class, and sixteenth overall out of 74 entries, which I think is an even bigger achievement.”
“We definitely weren't the fastest car, but we ran the best race we could,” he added. “We maximized everything we had, with no penalties of any sort and no issues. We executed 23 perfect pit stops and it showed in the results.”
Since making a life for himself in America just a couple of short years ago, opportunities like the 24 Hours of Spa have been popping up more frequently as he continues to establish himself as a rapidly rising talent in the industry. Fortunately, the right people are taking note.
Earlier in April, Sargent was named to the prestigious Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver program, which is designed to elevate emerging professionals by providing direct manufacturer support, expanded race opportunities, and mentorship across GT and endurance racing platforms.
“That was a very surreal phone call to get,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been solely driving with Porsche since 2022, so to be recognized by them and brought on board for that program is incredible. They provide me with a parts credit, which is super nice, and it helps me achieve deals that I can lock in. But for me it’s more about the other stuff that comes with it. Porsche helps with finding drives, and being able to be under the Porsche name and actually have a title is really special. Becoming a factory driver is ultimately my goal, and this is a step in the right direction.”
In the meantime, he emphasized that he has greatly enjoyed his 2025 experience so far: “I really like running in GT World Challenge America a lot, and I’ve added more to my schedule this year. I love the format, I enjoy that both drivers get an opportunity to qualify and that we both get the chance to start one race and finish the other. That’s an element that a lot of other series lack, so for me to go from 40-minute sprint races, to now doing 90-minute races with an eight-hour finale is really cool.”
An aspect he has also been appreciative of is the level of camaraderie in the paddock and becoming friends with his competitors: “It’s been nice getting to know everyone. It can be hard when you’re friends with them outside of the car, then on track it’s a very different experience. But I love the series and the tracks that we go to, it’s a great schedule.”
The feeling appears to be mutual for his teammate: “I think Kyle feels the exact same way, since he’s obviously extra committed to doing GT America and GT World Challenge in the same weekend. He’s putting in a lot of time and effort to be here, and it shows that he also enjoys it as much as I do. Who knows where we’ll be and what we’ll be doing next year, but I’d love to be back.”
Tom Sargent and Kyle Washington will reunite behind the wheel for GMG Racing at Road America for Rounds 9 & 10 of the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season. To witness them in action firsthand, get your tickets now!