Kyle Washington and GMG Racing completed a remarkable 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) America powered by AWS campaign, securing the Pro-Am Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships following a historic victory at the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Washington, Riccardo Pera and Ayhancan Güven delivered the team’s first major endurance racing triumph, taking overall victory aboard the #32 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.
The achievement marked the culmination of a closely contested championship campaign that saw Washington and regular teammate Tom Sargent overcome several setbacks, including a costly retirement at Road America. Despite losing the championship lead during the second half of the season, the pairing recovered at Barber Motorsports Park before GMG Racing delivered a decisive performance at Indianapolis.
The result also carried wider significance, with GMG becoming the first Pro-Am team to win the Indianapolis 8 Hour outright while contributing to Porsche’s fourth Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) Manufacturers’ Championship.
Washington and Sargent build on established partnership
Washington entered the 2026 season with considerable experience in SRO America competition, having spent several years developing his skills alongside longtime coach and teammate Sargent. Their established partnership provided a strong foundation as GMG Racing prepared for another Pro-Am championship campaign.
Furthermore, Washington continued gaining experience through his parallel GT America programme, allowing him to develop his racecraft and familiarity with Porsche machinery across different competitive formats.
The 2026 campaign also introduced a significant change to GTWC America, with the championship adopting a three-hour race format for its regular rounds. Consequently, teams faced greater demands in strategy, tyre management and driver changes, placing additional emphasis on consistency throughout each event.
Nevertheless, Washington and Sargent approached the season with confidence, drawing on their previous experience and the technical expertise of GMG Racing. Their preparations quickly produced results as the championship began at Sonoma Raceway.
Sonoma victory establishes early championship momentum
GMG Racing began its campaign with a Pro-Am victory at Sonoma Raceway, immediately establishing Washington and Sargent as championship contenders.
The pairing demonstrated its ability to adapt to the revised three-hour format, securing maximum points and establishing an early advantage over their rivals. However, the following round at the Circuit of The Americas proved more challenging.
Washington and Sargent finished fourth in Pro-Am, narrowly missing another podium as Wright Motorsports’ Dave Musial Jr. and Ryan Yardley secured victory. The result allowed their closest competitors to reduce the championship deficit, increasing the importance of maintaining consistent performances.
Nevertheless, GMG Racing responded strongly at Sebring International Raceway, where Washington and Sargent claimed their second class victory of the season.
The pairing subsequently added third place at Road Atlanta, extending their podium tally to three across the opening four rounds. Consequently, GMG entered the summer break with a strong championship position and considerable momentum.
Road America retirement disrupts GMG Racing’s championship challenge
The championship picture changed dramatically at Road America, where Washington became involved in a multi-car incident during the opening stages.
The collision eliminated several competitors and forced GMG Racing’s #32 Porsche into retirement, ending its opportunity to collect valuable championship points.
Meanwhile, Wright Motorsports capitalised on its rival’s misfortune, securing another podium through Musial and Yardley. The result allowed the pairing to take the Pro-Am championship lead for the first time in 2026.
Although the difference remained relatively small, the retirement represented a significant setback for Washington and Sargent, who had established themselves among the most consistent competitors during the opening rounds.
Furthermore, only two events remained on the calendar, leaving GMG Racing with limited opportunities to recover its lost advantage. With the double-points Indianapolis finale approaching, the team needed a strong performance at Barber Motorsports Park to maintain control of its championship prospects.
Barber podium returns GMG Racing to championship lead
GMG Racing arrived at Barber Motorsports Park determined to recover from its Road America disappointment. However, the penultimate round presented another challenging contest as Washington encountered difficulties during the opening stages.
Despite those setbacks, Sargent delivered a strong recovery drive to secure third place in Pro-Am. The result proved particularly important as Wright Motorsports could not match GMG’s points haul.
Consequently, Washington and Sargent overturned their three-point deficit and reclaimed the championship lead, establishing a six-point advantage heading into Indianapolis.
Washington subsequently acknowledged the importance of the result, particularly after the team’s difficult previous outing.
“We clearly needed this result after the shunt in Road America,” Washington said. “We’d been thinking about it all week leading up to the Barber. We sacrificed the GT America race so we could focus on performing well. We got unlucky in the first little bit of the race, but Tom did what he had to do.”
Sargent’s absence creates additional Indianapolis challenge
Despite reclaiming the championship lead, GMG Racing faced another complication ahead of the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Sargent could not participate in the season finale because of a scheduling conflict involving his European Le Mans Series commitments.
His absence forced the team to adjust its driver line-up for the most important race of the season. However, GMG secured the services of experienced Porsche drivers Riccardo Pera and Ayhancan Güven, strengthening its prospects against a competitive international field.
Both drivers brought extensive GT3 experience, while Güven entered the event as the reigning DTM Champion. Their addition provided Washington with two accomplished professional teammates capable of challenging for both class and overall honours.
Nevertheless, Sargent’s contribution throughout the campaign remained central to GMG’s championship position. His partnership with Washington had delivered two victories and several important podium finishes, giving the team the six-point advantage it carried into Indianapolis.
GMG demonstrates qualifying pace before technical setback
The newly formed GMG Racing trio demonstrated encouraging pace during the opening Indianapolis sessions, with Güven establishing himself among the fastest competitors.
The team’s performance continued into qualifying, where Washington, Pera and Güven secured a place in the Superpole shootout.
Güven subsequently delivered a 1:22.807, finishing just 0.002s behind Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley and initially securing second overall and Pro-Am pole.
However, post-session technical inspections revealed that the Porsche did not comply with the minimum ground-clearance requirements. Officials therefore deleted its Superpole time, forcing the team to start further down the grid.
The setback complicated GMG’s championship challenge, particularly with Wright Motorsports still in contention for the Pro-Am title.
Nevertheless, the team’s qualifying pace demonstrated the Porsche’s potential. However, Washington and his teammates remained confident that they could recover positions throughout the eight-hour contest, provided they avoided incidents and executed their strategy successfully.
Washington completes crucial opening stints at Indianapolis
Washington took the start from the midfield, facing the challenge of navigating traffic while protecting the team’s championship ambitions.
The opening hours proved particularly demanding as several leading competitors encountered difficulties. Although other Pro and Pro-Am teams challenged for the overall lead, Washington concentrated on maintaining consistent lap times and avoiding unnecessary risks.
His approach allowed the #32 Porsche to remain competitive while several rivals suffered mechanical problems or became involved in incidents.
Importantly, Washington completed a double stint during the opening stages, fulfilling his mandatory driving requirements before handing the car to Pera and Güven.
The decision provided GMG with greater strategic flexibility throughout the remainder of the race, allowing its professional drivers to concentrate on recovering positions and challenging for victory.
Although the Porsche remained outside the overall leading group when Washington completed his stint, the team retained its position on the lead lap and preserved its chances of securing the championship.
Alternative strategy transforms GMG Racing’s Indianapolis challenge
GMG Racing adopted an alternative pit-stop strategy during the middle stages, moving away from the conventional approach that several leading teams continued following.
Rather than maintaining the same pit-stop sequence as its rivals, the team brought the Porsche in earlier, creating an opportunity to optimise its remaining stints before the chequered flag.
Initially, the strategy placed the #32 car out of sequence with the leaders. However, the approach gradually began delivering an advantage as other competitors completed their scheduled stops.
Meanwhile, Pera and Güven maintained strong pace, allowing the Porsche to move into contention for the Pro-Am lead while continuing its progress through the overall classification.
Their consistency also helped GMG capitalise on the changing order, particularly as rivals encountered difficulties or lost time in traffic.
Consequently, what had initially appeared to be a recovery drive developed into a genuine opportunity to challenge for overall victory, significantly exceeding the team’s immediate objective of securing the Pro-Am championship.
Güven secures historic Indianapolis victory
GMG Racing entered the final stages in a commanding position after its alternative strategy delivered the advantage the team had pursued throughout the race.
With one hour and four minutes remaining, the Porsche completed its final scheduled pit stop and emerged with a substantial advantage over its closest competitors.
Güven subsequently controlled the closing stages, maintaining consistent pace while ensuring that the team avoided unnecessary risks.
The Turkish driver eventually crossed the finish line 56.209s ahead of Archangel Motorsports, securing both the overall and Pro-Am victories.
The result established the largest winning margin in Indianapolis 8 Hour history and made GMG Racing the first Pro-Am entrant to claim outright victory in the event.
Furthermore, the triumph secured Washington’s maiden GTWC America Pro-Am Drivers’ Championship and delivered the corresponding Teams’ title to GMG Racing, completing a remarkable recovery from the setbacks of Road America.
Washington credits collective effort behind championship success
Washington’s championship victory represented the culmination of several seasons of development, during which he had continued refining his abilities alongside Sargent and the wider GMG Racing operation.
Although Pera and Güven played decisive roles in securing the Indianapolis victory, Washington recognised that the team’s success depended on far more than the performances of its drivers.
Following the race, he reflected on the collective effort required to operate a competitive professional racing programme, highlighting the contributions of the mechanics, engineers, strategists and other team personnel.
Washington also acknowledged the importance of preparation and consistency throughout the season. Although circumstances occasionally worked against GMG, the team repeatedly demonstrated its ability to recover and maximise its opportunities.
The Indianapolis triumph therefore carried considerable personal significance, rewarding Washington’s continued commitment to improving as a competitor while recognising the contributions of everyone involved in the championship campaign.
Indianapolis triumph also secures important Porsche milestone
GMG Racing’s victory also carried significance beyond the domestic GTWC America championship, contributing to another major achievement for Porsche in international GT racing.
The Indianapolis 8 Hour formed the final round of the 2026 Intercontinental GT Challenge, with manufacturers competing for valuable championship points alongside the American series’ title contenders.
By securing overall victory, Washington, Pera and Güven helped Porsche claim its fourth IGTC Manufacturers’ Championship.
Furthermore, the result marked Porsche’s first outright Indianapolis 8 Hour victory, adding another milestone to the manufacturer’s extensive endurance racing history.
For GMG Racing, the achievement also represented an important moment during its 20th anniversary season. The team secured its first major endurance racing victory while simultaneously celebrating its Pro-Am Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships.
The result therefore strengthened the significance of a season that had already demanded considerable determination and adaptability.
GMG Racing concludes challenging 2026 campaign with championship glory
Washington’s 2026 GTWC America Pro-Am championship reflects a campaign defined by early success, unexpected setbacks and an impressive recovery during the decisive final rounds.
The partnership with Sargent established the foundations for the title challenge, delivering victories at Sonoma and Sebring before adding important podium finishes at Road Atlanta and Barber. Although the Road America retirement briefly threatened their championship ambitions, the team’s response ensured that Washington entered Indianapolis with an advantage over his closest rivals.
Meanwhile, the addition of Pera and Güven allowed GMG Racing to approach the finale with a competitive line-up capable of challenging for outright victory. The team’s strategic decisions subsequently transformed a midfield starting position into a record-breaking triumph.
Having secured both the Pro-Am championship and the Indianapolis 8 Hour overall victory, GMG Racing concludes its 20th anniversary season with one of the most significant achievements in its history. The success also provides Washington with a foundation for further development following his first GTWC America title.
