2025 International GT Racing Season – From Crash To Champ

By Tom Kirk

Encouraged by Ron Zitza and with my wife Cyndie’s reluctant blessing,  I decided to dive back into Porsche racing, securing a license with International GT (IGT) for the 2025 season. This wasn’t a repeat of my 2018 stint with Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), where I raced a 1995 Porsche 911 against a mixed bag of Mustangs, BMWs, and Corvettes due to class structures.  IGT, a North American series, features three championships for late-model Porsches and Ferraris: Stuttgart Cup (Caymans), Mission Foods GT3 Cup (911 Cup cars), and Maranello Cup (Ferraris).  I raced a Porsche Cayman GT4rs Club Sport, competing against similarly prepared GT4 and GT4rs Club Sports, leveling the playing field so driver skill, not car brand, would decide the outcome.

The 2025 IGT calendar spanned twelve events nationwide, each packed with three 30-minute sprint races and a 1-hour enduro.  The Stuttgart Cup championship hinged on points from your best five enduros plus your best fifteen sprints.  I targeted tracks I knew well, aiming to maximize points: Sebring, Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, Virginia International Speedway, Barber Motorsports Park, and Circuit of the Americas.  The deal with myself—and Cyndie—was simple: take it one event at a time, deciding whether to continue based on performance.  But the first race nearly ended my season before it began.

At Sebring, on the very first lap after the green flag, I dive-bombed a slower car into turn 10, causing a wreck that took us both out.  It wasn’t a major crash, but the video clearly showed it was my fault.  I was put on probation—any further contact could mean suspension or revocation of my racing license, ending my season.  Confidence shattered, I faced three more races that weekend.  With tough love and guidance from my coach Ron Zitza, I learned when to push and when to hold back.  Starting from the back in sprint race 2, I carved through slower cars to finish second in both sprint 2 and 3, then clinched first in class in the enduro.  An emotional rollercoaster: ready to quit after the first DNF, but victorious by the end.

I was racing at Road Atlanta next.  Road Atlanta saw just one other Cayman GT4rs Club Sport in my class.  I beat him in all four races, earning first-in-class points each time. He took second, trailing by just 2.5 points per race.  This rivalry would fuel a season-long championship battle. Buoyed by success, I pressed on.

Mid-Ohio brought the largest class of five GT4rs Club Sports.  Disappointing fourth-place finishes in sprints 1 and 2 pushed me to be more aggressive.  I climbed to third in sprint 3 and, with co-driver Ron Zitza, secured second in the enduro.  My closest competitor and I split victories evenly.  Halfway through, I trailed the leader by just 6.5 points.  The fire was lit—I HAD to keep going.

Watkins Glen, a quaint New York village steeped in racing lore, was a weekend of extremes.  More confident and aggressive, I faced fierce competition.  After a fourth-place sprint 1 finish, I braved a downpour in sprint 2—the only driver in my class to do so—earning first-in-class points by simply finishing. Sprint 3 was dry, and I finished second.  Then came Sunday’s enduro: I wrecked, breaking my rear suspension and more, resulting in another DNF.  Luckily, my closest rival was absent, so I took the points lead despite having completed only three races.   But with two DNFs now, I needed to replace those results to stay in championship contention.  Repairs loomed before Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in two weeks.

With travel from New York to Orlando and then to VIR, we had just eight days to source parts and fix my broken rear suspension, damaged left front fender, ruptured radiator, and supporting brackets.  I expected to miss VIR—maybe the season was over.  But Zotz Racing pulled off a miracle, with parts in-house and the rest arriving just in time.  Thanks to Ron Zitza and the Zotz crew!

At VIR, my car ran well, but I made a tactical blunder.  Letting my rival follow me for laps allowed him to study and match my line.  I qualified and finished third in all four races—still podium finishes—but he edged me out in second place each time, chipping away at my lead. Grrrr!

Only two weekends remained: Barber Motorsports Park (BMP) and Circuit of the Americas (COTA).  Holding a slim points lead, I needed strong BMP finishes to clinch the championship. I dominated, winning first in class in all four races. No matter how well my rival did at COTA, he couldn’t catch me. I skipped COTA, saving money and avoiding risk.

What a season! Several times I thought it was over, only to have opportunity reopen.  I didn’t win every race but finished consistently enough to claim the championship, with podiums in all but four races out of twenty-four starts.  It took immense time, talent, and resources from me and the Zotz Racing Team to compete all season.  I’m deeply grateful for this journey and outcome.

Post Script – Ten laps into my very next event at the November Suncoast HPDE at Sebring, my engine seized due to an oil pump failure at speed.  I’m bummed my engine needs replacing, but thankful it lasted through my championship run.

Photos – 2025 International GT Racing Season – From Crash To Champ (the season review in pictures)