First in class and second overall for Porsche at Sonoma

In Saturday afternoon's Round 5 GT World Challenge America powered by AWS race at Sonoma Raceway. The GMG Racing Porsche team of James Sofronas and Jeroen Bleekemolen finished second. Am division team Fred Poordad and Max Root running the Wright Motorsports Porsche finished first in class and third overall in the race. 

The 90-minute contest was held under sunny, 76-degree Fahrenheit weather conditions. At the drop of the green flag the two Porsche Teams  

Pole sitter the number 93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 brought the field to green and launched successfully into the lead ahead of Pro/Am driver Sofronas, who started second in the number 14 Porsche 911 GT3 R (991) while Poordad, slotted in fourth behind them in the number 20 Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.II). 

The race leader pulled away and grew his lead to over 15 seconds over Sofronas, while Fuentes maintained striking distance to the driver in the number 14 machine. Behind Poordad who held fourth,  

During the pit window  Sofronas entered second to change over to Bleekemolen. Poordad came in third to change over to Root. At the end of the pit window, the charts showed Hindman in the lead, but officials then ordered the Racer's Edge Acura down pit road to serve an 87-second penalty for the early pit stop infraction. 

This moved Baptista in the Ferrari into the overall lead, with Bleekemolen second, Root third. Baptista then went to work building up a 14-second lead, but with just over 15 minutes remaining officials issued a full-course yellow to clean up debris through turn 9. Baptista's lead evaporated and the field bunched up for the restart of the race. With under 10 minutes remaining in the contest, Baptista led the field back to green and launched successfully into the lead. Action behind him was heated as Bleekemolen successfully thwarted Root's challenge through turn 2. Root then in turn had to fend of challenges from Colin Braun, who had taken over the reins of the #04 machine from Kurtz. With battles raging behind him Baptista built his lead to 3.2 seconds and at the checkered, crossed the line 2.074 seconds ahead of Bleekemolen. 

"We are trying to shoot for overall podiums," said Root. "The Wright Motorsports car was fantastic today. We had an opportunity today and we took it to finish on the podium."