Tom Sargent qualified first in Porsche Carrera Cup North America Race Brew qualifying at the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Friday – continuing his amazing recent run of success across the globe in Porsche machinery.
The Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver’s recent successes include a podium finish in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Sebring with Wright Motorsport, a GT World Challenge by AWS class win with GMG Racing at Sonoma Raceway and a European Le Mans Series victory at Barcelona with Proton Competition – all aboard the new 2026-spec Porsche GT3 R.
In his first event with the Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2), Sargent posted the fastest time of one minute, 19.679 seconds – topping his fastest practice time earlier in the afternoon by .148 seconds.
It’s the Australian’s first appearance in the Porsche single-make series since finishing runner-up in the Pro class standings in 2023, the same year the series last visited southern California.
“There is always pressure,” said Sargent who was drafted into the GMG Racing machine for the weekend.
“To be honest, once I moved on from Carrera Cup, I didn’t think I was going to be back here. but it’s nice to be back…at one of the greatest street circuits there is.
“It was quite tight there in the end. I’m really happy with the laps, but a little bit of traffic hindered maybe some more performance we had. But, I think our racecar is really good and that is exciting.”
Starting behind Sargent will be Callum Hedge (JDX Racing) in second and Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss) in third.
Patrick Mulcahy ran atop all Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class charts on Friday, culminating in the pole position. The ACI Motorsports driver finished first in both practice sessions earlier in the day, and was more than a second ahead of the rest of his field.
“This is my home track, my office is just right across the street,” said Mulcahy, the Pro-Am class championship leader.
“I have my whole entire family, friends, and customers here celebrating an amazing race here at Long Beach. It feels amazing.
“They’re doing a tough job there at ACI. Adam is an awesome engineer, Ryan Yardley is an amazing coach, and we’ve got an amazing program there. Big kudos to them, the team did great and it’s my job to deliver.”
Making his season debut and starting second at Long Beach is Steve Wetterau (Kellymoss), followed by Josh Conley (Kellymoss) in third.
In the Solairus Aviation Masters class, Marco Cirone followed his recent pair of Sebring victories to score the pole for this weekend at Long Beach for ACI Motorsports.
Cirone followed Scott Blind in second place during both practices, but ran quicker by .528 seconds at the checkered flag.
“Everything went well, the team gave me such an amazing car,” said Cirone.
“The track got better and better, and we just learned. My coach, Dan Clarke, is doing a wonderful job telling me what to do and it seems to be working.”
The Carrera Cup races at Long Beach are scheduled for Saturday at 9:05am PT and Sunday at 11:20am.
All Porsche Carrera Cup North America races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America & IMSA YouTube channels. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by following Porsche Motorsport North America on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter, and by subscribing to the newsletter.
RESULTS.
Qualifying
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tom Sargent #32
- Callum Hedge #9
- Aaron Jeansonne #24
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy #54
- Steve Wetterau #58
- Josh Conley #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Marco Cirone #88
- Scott Blind #45
- Chris Bellomo #68
Practice 1
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tyler Maxson #77
- Tom Sargent #32
- Cole Kleck #78
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy #54
- Steve Wetterau #58
- Josh Conley #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Scott Blind #45
- Marco Cirone #88
- Chris Bellomo #68
Practice 2
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tom Sargent #32
- Callum Hedge #9
- Tyler Maxson #77
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy #54
- Steve Wetterau #58
- Josh Conley #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Scott Blind #45
- Marco Cirone #88
- Chris Bellomo #68
