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McLaren Trophy America Thrives With Exciting Races At COTA Triple-Header
The McLaren Trophy America series recently took place at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, marking the second weekend of its inaugural season. The event featured three thrilling races at the US Grand Prix venue. Teams and drivers had ample opportunity to familiarise themselves with the new 2025 McLaren Trophy EVO, especially with the rescheduled second race from Sonoma held on Friday.
A sudden rainstorm during the first race disrupted proceedings, causing several drivers to slide off track before a Safety Car was deployed. Once racing resumed, competitors navigated through a wet but drying section on slick Pirelli tyres. James Li and Casey Dennis emerged victorious, defeating John Capestro-Dubets (JCD) and his new teammate Andre Solano.
Alexandra Hainer delivered an impressive performance in qualifying, securing pole position in the Pro-Am class for race two. Starting sixth overall, she achieved her first Pro-Am victory alongside teammate Jesse Lazare. Meanwhile, JCD and Solano clinched their first of two wins over the weekend, while GMG Racing's James Sofronas converted his pole position into a second win.
The gap between the top two qualifiers on Sunday was a mere 0.020 seconds, setting up an exciting final race battle. Sofronas edged out Kevin Madsen from Race for RP-backed team. As the race began, GMG cars quickly took first and second positions, maintaining them except during pit stops to secure Pro and Am class victories.
Rafa Martinez made his American series debut with Lancaster in the Pro-Am class. Despite limited testing, they secured victory in the final race after Hainer and Lazare received a penalty for a pit stop infraction. This second-place finish strengthened Hainer and Lazare's lead in the Pro-Am championship standings by 10 points over their closest rivals.
In the Pro class, Li and Dennis maintain a slim four-point lead over Cooper Broll and Tommy Pintos. James Sofronas leads the Am title battle, but Colin Harrison is just six points behind after consistent performances across three races.
Upcoming Races
The championship now pauses for ten weeks before resuming at Virginia International Raceway on July 19th and 20th. Teams and drivers will continue their quest to become the first McLaren Trophy America champion.
"With three races, it was a busy weekend for everyone in Texas," said Rob Bell, Sporting Director at McLaren Automotive. "We've had some really great, close racing. It does mean that the competitive order is starting to take shape." He added that they look forward to rounds five and six at VIR while anticipating the start of McLaren Trophy Europe at Brands Hatch next weekend.
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