From racing around the Grenfell Kart Club to taking on some of America's most iconic circuits, Tom Sargent is continuing to make a name for himself on the international stage.

The 22-year-old Grenfell product has surged to the forefront of the 2026 GT World Challenge America season standing on the top step of the podium alongside teammate Kyle Washington in the opening round at Sonoma Raceway late March.

Beyond the race win Sargent's performance has positioned him as the early driver to beat in the newly introduced SRO GT Academy, a competition within the championship offering a a fully funded Silver Cup seat at the 2027 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

The Sonoma season opener marked the North American debut of the GT Academy with nine eligible drivers under 30 assessed not just on results but on raw performance indicators such as qualifying pace, average stint times and racecraft.

In those metrics, Sargent proved unmatched.

Tom Sargent crossing the finish line. PHOTO: Tom Sargent Facebook page

Driving the number 32 GMG Racing Porsche, the Aussie delivered a standout qualifying lap which was the fasted time overall across both Pro and Pro-Am fields.

He carried that speed into the race recording an average lap time more than four-tenths quicker than his closest competitor, while also setting the fastest lap of the race.

His dominance over the weekend resulted in a perfect score of 36 points in the GT Academy standings, opening a 13 point lead over next best.

Now in his third season in the championship, Sargent's already boasts experience at Spa-Francorchamps having competed in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2025 where his team entered in the Gold Cup and finished fourth in class and 16th overall in a field of 76 cars.

Speaking after the opening round Sargent said the opportunity presented by the academy adds extra motivation to an already competitive season.

"It's a great program that SRO is offering to help Silver drivers take the next step in their careers," he said.

"We're off to a very good start this year and hopefully we can continue that momentum."

With a long season ahead the Grenfell driver now turns his focus to the second round at Circuit of the Americas later this month from 24 to 26 April where he will look to extend his early championship advantage and continue an impressive charge toward one of GT racing's biggest prizes.