Three rounds into the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) America powered by AWS season, GMG Racing’s Tom Sargent has established himself as the benchmark in the SRO GT Academy North America battle. While nine eligible drivers continue their pursuit of a fully funded Silver Cup seat at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the Australian has rapidly emerged as the clear early favourite.
After dominant performances at Sonoma Raceway and Circuit of The Americas, Sargent arrived at Sebring International Raceway carrying maximum momentum. Crucially, he delivered once again and completed a third consecutive perfect weekend to further strengthen his championship advantage.
Challenging Qualifying session still yields strong result
Unlike the previous rounds, Qualifying at Sebring proved less straightforward. A red flag during the opening 15-minute segment significantly impacted the combined Qualifying format and disrupted several drivers’ preparations.
Nevertheless, Sargent once again extracted the maximum from the session when it mattered most. Driving the No. 32 Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, he posted a 2:00.760 lap to secure the fifth-fastest overall time and third in the Pro-Am category.
More importantly, he comfortably outpaced the rest of the SRO GT Academy field, ensuring another strong points haul before the race even began.
Race pace underlines Sargent’s dominance
Sargent then converted that Qualifying speed into another commanding race performance. Among the GT Academy contenders, he recorded both the fastest average race pace and the outright quickest lap of the event with a 2:01.169.
In addition, he topped the category by almost half a second over his nearest rival, underlining the consistency and outright speed that have defined his campaign so far. As a result, Sargent collected another perfect 36-point score. After three rounds, he now leads the standings on 108 points and holds a commanding 50-point advantage over the driver in second place.
‘A dream start’ to the season
Reflecting on his form, Sargent described the opening phase of the season as exceeding expectations.
“The season has basically been a dream start so far,” said Sargent. “We’ve taken two wins from three starts, and been the most competitive car on the grid consistently. It’s our third year in the series and to see the time and effort payoff is exciting. There were a lot of unknowns for everyone coming into the new format, but I think we’ve taken to it really well.”
At the same time, Sargent believes the strongest part of the season may still lie ahead.
“I’ve always felt that the tracks at the back half of the season suit us better so that’s also a boost of confidence knowing that the best is yet still to come.”
Sebring breakthrough marks major progress
Despite the dominant scoreline, Sargent viewed Sebring as an especially important milestone because of the team’s previous struggles at the circuit.
“I think Sebring was almost a better round for us than in Sonoma, which is funny to say after how successful we were at Round 1,” he explained. “But I’m looking at it in an aspect where Sebring is historically our worst track of the year, but we made it one of our best.”
Furthermore, he highlighted the improvements made by both the team and co-driver Kyle Washington throughout the event.
“As a team and driver combination, we never fully gelled with this track, so to come here and have a successful result just shows that what we’re doing is working. Kyle had a huge weekend with two races in one day and handled it like a champion. Super proud of him and I think that shows a lot of growth and improvement from him.”
Focus shifts towards Spa dream and Road Atlanta
Although Sargent will not compete in this year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the possibility of earning a funded return in 2027 continues to fuel his motivation.
“With this year’s Spa 24 right around the corner, it’s sad not to be making a return this year,” he admitted. “But the thought of the possibility of winning the SRO GT Academy and the ability to return puts a smile on my face. It’s the greatest GT3 race in the world and is everyone’s goal to compete at and win. I’ll keep pushing and collecting as many points as possible to help me achieve this.”
Meanwhile, the battle behind Sargent continues to evolve. Ryan Yardley has climbed into second place in the standings aboard the No. 31 Wright Motorsports Porsche with 58 points. Lorcan Hanafin now occupies third position on 42 points in the No. 27 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Next, the SRO GT Academy contenders head to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta from 12-14 June for round four of the season. The event marks GT World Challenge America’s return to the circuit for the first time in more than a decade, setting the stage for another crucial chapter in the championship fight.
