New Manufacturers and Teams Debut in 2025 GT World Challenge America
Prepare yourselves, this is my first attempt at writing GT3 motorsports articles, this will be a long one. All images included are sourced from the GT World Challenge America website.
A New Season Begins
The 2025 GT World Challenge America will officially kick off this weekend, now featuring 8 iconic sports car manufacturers with 17 different teams representing them, all battling for supremacy at some of the most challenging circuits in North America.
With this year adding two new manufacturers to the series, new teams to go along with them, and a few driver lineup changes to previous participants, in this post we're going to take a look at all of the manufacturers that will be competing, and the teams that will be representing them, throughout the 2025 GTWC America season.
Manufacturer Overview
Several manufacturers will be returning to the field for the 2025 season including Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche, and my personal favorite Chevrolet – who made their first appearance with the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R as a late-entry last year (and completely dominated the races they attended in the Pro Class).
As for the new manufacturers joining the GT World Challenge America this year, both Ford and McLaren will be making their debut, having the Ford Mustang GT3 and the McLaren 720S GT3 EVO being represented for the first time in the series’ history.
From these 8 manufacturers, 17 teams have been entered for the season with a total 19 cars lining up on the grid across three different driver classes. These driver classes include the ‘Am’, ‘Pro-Am', and ‘Pro’ Classes.
The ‘Am’ driver class only has 1 team entered this year, which guarantees them the Amateur Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship – unless another team decides to enter mid-season and dominate. I wonder if any other teams have a few amateur drivers they can put together for a contention opportunity?
The ‘Pro’ class will have a little more competition, with 3 manufacturers’ teams entered, but one of those teams has 2 separate car and driver lineups. This might make the Pro Teams' Championship fight a little more one sided, but this will definitely make the Pro Drivers' Championship more interesting!
As for the ‘Pro-Am’ class, they will see the most competition in the series with a total of 14 teams entering the fray. All 8 manufacturers will be represented amongst them, but Ford, Ferrari, and McLaren will all be at a disadvantage with only one team to compete for them. But hey, everyone loves an underdog story, right?
Team Lineups
Well, we've talked about the brands, now let's talk about the teams that will be representing them this season. All of the teams and drivers on this list are from the United States, unless specifically stated otherwise.
Am Class Lineup
Ferrari - No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3
Ferrari will be the only manufacturer represented within the Am Class this year, with the Brazilian Ferrari team Blau Motorsports-AF Corse entering the No. 163 Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by reigning Am Champions Jay Schreibman and Brazilian driver Oswaldo Negri. Without anyone to contend with them, Schreibman and Negri will be taking home back-to-back Am Championships this year, which makes for a hollow victory if you ask me.
Pro Class Lineup
The Pro Class will have 4 cars competing against each other from 3 teams and manufacturers, giving the most experienced drivers some fierce competition in this year's Championship fight. Unfortunately, reigning Pro Champions Wright Motorsports will not be defending their title this year, leaving this one up for grabs.
Porsche - No. 18 Porsche 992 GT3 R
Porsche will be getting some representation within the Pro Class, with the RS1 team entering the No. 18 Porsche 992 GT3 R sponsored by PT Autosport, Porsche Naples, RS1, and Sabelt. With a new driver lineup consisting of British driver Alex Sedgwick and Belgian driver Jan Heylen, RS1 will be trying to get back to their winning ways, and reclaim the Pro class title they once held in 2023.
Mercedes - No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3
Mercedes will be represented in the Pro Class by the Canadian team JMF Motorsports, who are new to the series this year, who have entered the No. 34 JMF Motorsports/STAHLWILLE Mercedes-AMG GT3. Driven by rookie GT3 driver Michai Stephens and Canadian driver Mikael Grenier, JMF Motorsports will be hoping to prove themselves as they make the jump from from GT4 to GT3 this year with the help of Grenier’s experience within the series.
BMW - No. 51 BMW M4 GT3
With the scales tipped slightly in their favor, BMW will be represented for the second year running by Random Vandals Racing, who have entered two BMW M4 GT3’s into the Pro Class this year. The No. 51 Franck Muller/Vbrick Systems BMW M4 GT3 will be driven by Varun Choksey and Bill Auberlen, who raced together last year under ST Racing.
No. 99 BMW M4 GT3
Meanwhile, the Random Vandals second entry is the No. 99 Vbrick Systems BMW M4 GT3 and will be driven by returning teammates Kenton Koch and Connor De Phillippi, who I'm sure will be trying to outscore their sister team to take the Drivers’ Championship this year.
Pro-Am Class Lineup
Containing the biggest class on the grid this year, the Pro-Am drivers will have their hands full as they battle it out for GT3 supremacy with all of the new teams and manufacturers that will be attempting to prove their worth and skills within the series.
Ford - No. 6 Ford Mustang GT3
Entering the GT World Challenge America for the first time, Dollahite Racing will be introducing the No. 6 Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 to the series. With Scott Dollahite and Anthony Lazzaro at the helm, who are both new drivers to the series, the Dollahite team will have their work cut out for them this year as they go head to head with the rest of the Pro-Am contenders on the grid.
Chevrolet - No. 11 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Back for their 6th full season in the GTWC America, DXDT Racing was the first team to introduce Chevrolet as a competitive manufacturer in the series. This year, DXDT hopes to see increased success as they have added British driver and seasoned veteran Matt Bell to their lineup, and returning DXDT driver Blake McDonald as his second, in the No. 11 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
Chouest Povoledo Racing will be back for their second season in the series, but will be ditching the Mercedes-AMG GT3 and making their debut with the Bowtie this year, adding the second Corvette to the grid for the 2025 season. This year, team owners and driving partners Ross Chouest and Aaron Povoledo have entered, and will be driving, the No. 50 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, sponsored by Westport Yachts, ECO, and Sparco. I can only imagine they have switched manufacturers for one reason, with the hopes of beating out Povoledo’s old team - DXDT. Now this is an intra-brand rivalry just waiting to happen!
###McLaren - No. 88 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO
Making their debut within the GTWC America this year is McLaren, who have teamed up with Archangel Motorsports to enter the No. 88 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, giving the brand its first American representation in history. Driven by new team members Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz, who are also making their driving debut in the GTWC America, Archangel will have to hit the ground running if they plan on bringing home the championship this year if you ask me.
Ferrari - No. 16 Ferrari 296 GT3
The amateurs won't be the only class to represent Ferrari this year, as Brazilian team Blau Motorsports-AF Corse have entered the No. 16 Ferrari 296 GT3 into the Pro-Am Class to be driven by the Brazilian driving duo of Marcelo Hahn and Allam Khodair, who are both new to the series, and new teammates as well. While the amateurs seem to have the Championship claimed before the season starts, AF Corse have a challenge ahead of them if they plan on winning Pro-Am as well.
Porsche - No. 32 Porsche 992 GT3 R
Porsche will have two teams representing them within the Pro-Am Class this season, with GMG Racing returning for their fourth season in the series. Entering the No. 32 Porsche 992 GT3 R, teammates Kyle Washington and Australian driver Tom Sargent will be driving the Porsche for their second season with GMG Racing.
No. 92 Porsche 992 GT3 R
Bringing the second Porsche to the Pro-Am Class is Canadian team LAB Motorsport by GT Racing by entering the No. 92 Porsche 992 GT3 R this season. After racing for Montreal Motorsport Group last season, Canadian driver Jean-Frédéric Laberge decided to establish his own team, keeping Canadian teammate Kyle Marcelli as his second driver for the second year running.
Aston Martin - No. 2 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO
Aston Martin will be another brand that has two teams representing them within the Pro-Am Class this year. RacersEdge Motorsports have returned to the grid, but after Audi decided to focus their efforts on F1, they will now be entering the No. 2 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO. Thanks to a new partnership deal with Aston Martin Racing, and sponsored by Anello, Meat Market, and Aston Martin Racing, the No. 2 Aston Martin will be driven by new teammates Jason Bell and Michael Cooper, who are both making their debut in the series with RacersEdge.
No. 24 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO
Meanwhile, the No. 24 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO will be making its debut this year, being entered into the Pro-Am Class by Heart of Racing Team. While both drivers are new to the series, Gray Newell will be stepping up from the Vantage AMR GT4 after 4 years of racing and making his debut in the upgraded GT3. His teammate, British driver Darren Turner, has been driving for various Aston Martin Racing teams since 2007 and is known as “Aston Martin's Winningest Le Mans Driver”. I think that puts Heart of Racing at a huge advantage over RacersEdge, but we'll just have to see how the season plays out to know for sure.
BMW - No. 8 BMW M4 GT3
After starting last season with Aston Martin, Flying Lizard Motorsports ended up switching to BMW after round 4, and it looks like they will be back with the beemer again this year. Entering the No. 8 BMW M4 GT3 for the second year, and driven by returning teammates Elias Sabo and Andy Lee, Flying Lizard will be attempting to dethrone the reigning Pro-Am champs in their own vehicle.
No. 29 BMW M4 GT3
Coming back to the series for their 5th year, Turner Motorsport is still an exclusive to BMW, entering the No. 29 BMW M4 GT3 sponsored by both Latricrete and Turner Motorsport. Back in the saddle for the second year running are Justin Rothberg, who's been racing in the series with Turner Motorsports since 2020, and Robby Foley. Both Rothberg and Foley will be looking to defend their title this year and become back-to-back Pro-Am Champions, so be sure to keep an eye on them this season.
Mercedes - No. 04 Mercedes-AMG GT3
First on the list of Mercedes teams are the seasoned veterans, Crowdstrike Racing by Riley Motorsports, who are back for the 5th consecutive year in the GTWC America and entering the No. 04 Crowdstrike Mercedes-AMG GT3. Driven by Crowdstrike founder George Kurtz, and his teammate Colin Braun, the Crowdstrike team are poised and ready to take back the Pro-Am Championship they last won in 2023.
No. 27 Mercedes-AMG GT3
Making their debut this year, CRP Racing will join the field with the No. 27 Vintage 423/Supercuts Mercedes-AMG GT3. Seasoned GT America veteran Jason Daskalos will be leading the team with Isaac Sherman making his debut in GT3 as his second, both of which are coming off of an outstanding 2024 season in their respective car classes, and will be hoping to carry over their success into the World Challenge America series.
No. 91 Mercedes-AMG GT3
Last but not least, we have Regulator Racing coming back to the grid, once again entering the No. 91 Burton Lumber Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Jeff Burton and Swiss driver Philip Ellis, who have been racing together since 2023 with DXDT Racing. Last year, Burton and Ellis started the season racing the Mercedes for DXDT, but after the team introduced the Corvette GT3 during a round 4 brand swap, both drivers continued to race together under the Regulator Racing name as a sister team.
Looking Forward
Rounds 1 and 2 are being held at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, where these teams are now preparing themselves, and their vehicles, to qualify on the 2.5 mile long course known for its steep elevation changes, tight corners, and limited opportunity for overtaking.
Historically speaking, the Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW brands have all performed very well at Sonoma within the series in the past, with Ferrari showing the potential to beat both Mercedes and Porsche in the 2022 GTWC America. But this is the first year we get to see the Chevrolet, Ford, and McLaren machines race at Sonoma, so it will definitely be an exciting one to watch.
Most race weekends consist of two 60 minute Practice Sessions, two 15 minute Qualifying Sessions, and two 90 minute Races in which both drivers must perform at least one stint per race. Normally, these teams will also have a few testing sessions before practice begins, just to make sure everything is running smoothly with the car beforehand.
Rounds 1 & 2 Schedule
You can find the complete schedule for Rounds 1 and 2 of the GT World Challenge America below, which will be available to live stream for free on the GTWC America YouTube Channel. All times are listed in Pacific Daylight Time.
Friday March 28th, 2025 -
Practice 1: 10:45 - 11:45 am – Completed
Practice 2: 4 - 5 pm – Completed
Saturday March 29th, 2025 -
Driver Qualifying 1: 9:35 - 9:50 am
Driver Qualifying 2: 9:55 - 10:10 am
Race 1 (Round 1): 3:15 - 4:45 pm
Sunday March 30th, 2025 -
Race 2 (Round 2): 3 - 4:30 pm
Closing Thoughts
With all the different teams and manufacturers being represented at the GT World Challenge America, do you have a favorite manufacturer or team? And if so, who do you think will come out on top this season?
Personally, when I'm playing Assetto Corsa Competizione (or ACC, the official game/sim of the GT World Challenge) I prefer to use the Ferrari 296 GT3 and the McLaren 720S EVO, so those will be the two manufacturers that I’ll be watching pretty closely this season. With that being said, my favorite car on the grid this year has got to be the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which we're still waiting for in-game on ACC, but that's who I'll be rooting for to win this season!
Thank you all for taking the time to check out my post! All of the information and pictures provided have been sourced from the GT World Challenge America website, and official Team websites found through the GTWC America Wikipedia page, as well as my own thoughts and opinions.
Again, thank you all for reading, and I hope you have a good one. God bless!