Robby Foley and Justin Rothberg returned to Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., as reigning GT World Challenge America champions eager to defend their title in their sophomore season together. The duo started the season in style with a win in race one and a third-place podium finish in race two.
The team introduced its new LATICRETE BMW M4 GT3 EVO to the SRO paddock and started race one from fourth in class, with Rothberg taking the opening stint. The 2024 Rookie of the Year gained a spot in the opening lap. Foley worked his way to the front, crossing the finish line more than three seconds ahead of second place. For race two, Foley started from third and quickly built a substantial gap over the car in fourth. Rothberg finished the stint strong to bring the No. 29 BMW home in podium position.
In GT America, Rothberg started race one from sixth place. He made a pass to move up a position to earn a top five finish to start the season. On Sunday morning, rained soaked the track creating treacherous conditions for race two. The Turner BMW started from fourth in class and moved up to second, but most of the 40-minute sprint was run under caution. Rothberg kept his BMW M4 EVO out of trouble and took the early checkered flag unscathed, finishing second on the podium.
“I’m very happy with how this weekend went,” said Rothberg. “I wasn’t sure how it would go since I hadn’t been in the car since Indy last October, but Turner gave me a great car, and Robby was amazing.”
“We had a great weekend at Sonoma to kick off the year,” said Foley. “Justin did a fantastic job getting up to speed, and we had great cars all weekend. The team did a great job providing us with fast cars. A win and a third-place finish for a double podium weekend in GT World Challenge plus a podium in GTA is a solid start to the season. We leave here with strong points.”
The SRO season continues for GT America in Long Beach, Calif. from April 11-13. GT World Challenge will resume at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas from April 25-27.