DART project makes GT4 America debut with Aurora Straus and Zoë Barry securing class Top-5 in Sonoma
- RACERS
- Apr 3
- 3 min read
At the wheel of the DART Car, a new women-led motorsports team that brings together motorsport and contemporary art, Aurora Straus and Zoë Barry kicked off their 2025 Pirelli GT4 America campaign with a promising fourth-place finish in the AM class at Sonoma Raceway.
Aurora Straus and Zoë Barry kicked off their 2025 Pirelli GT4 America campaign with a highly promising fourth-place finish in the AM class at Sonoma Raceway.
The all-female duo represented the newly launched DART Car project, a women-led motorsports team that brings together professional female drivers and leading contemporary artists: DART, short for Driven Artists Racing Team, was in fact founded by entrepreneur Zoë Barry, art advisor Spring McManus, and racecar driver Aurora Straus, aiming to elevate women in motorsports and art—two traditionally male-dominated fields.
The team’s striking McLaren Artura GT4, operated by TPC Racing, was designed by renowned artist Mickalene Thomas, whose work combines elements of Picasso, cubism, and African art. The car's #44 number is a reference to the fact that only 4% of artworks at major auctions are by female artists.
Returning to GT4 America after two appearances since 2021, Straus brought valuable experience to the team. She had recently secured a victory and a third-place finish in the Pro 1340 class of Radical North America Championship, on her return to a full-time program in motorsport, following sparse entries in Michelin Pilot Challenge over the last few years.
Barry, a sportscar newcomer, had previously raced in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and was making her professional series debut on the SRO platform.
The duo showed steady progress in practice: the duo was seventh in class in the first practice session, running a 1:46.516 lap with Straus behind the wheel. She also clocked the 1:45.303 in the second practice which put them eighth fastest in class.
In qualifying, Barry took the wheel for Q1 and steadily improved her pace, ultimately securing P9 in class and 29th overall with a 1:49.056. Straus then took over for Q2, placing eighth in AM and 27th overall after an impressive 1:44.072 lap.
Barry started the first race cleanly from P8 in class and 27th overall, avoiding an opening-lap crash that eliminated multiple AM class cars. She moved up to sixth in class and 23rd overall before a full-course caution was deployed. Another multi-car incident on the restart shuffled the field, but Barry navigated the chaos masterfully, climbing to fifth in class and ninth overall before pitting on lap 15.
Straus took over with 32 minutes remaining, rejoining in the top 20 and fifth in class. She fought hard to maintain position, engaging in a close battle with Lucas Catania. Consistently improving her lap times, she posted a personal best of 1:44.304 and remained within striking distance.
With just minutes left, third-place AM driver Alex Garcia encountered issues, promoting Straus to fourth. Despite a last-lap effort to catch Catania for a podium finish, she crossed the line just four-tenths of a second behind, securing a remarkable fourth-place finish in class and P17 overall.
Heavy rain earlier on Sunday created treacherous conditions for Race 2. Straus was set to start from P25 overall and seventh in AM, but an issue with the #44 TPC Racing McLaren prevented the team from taking the start, bringing an unfortunate early end to their weekend.
Despite the disappointment, the DART Car team had a positive debut, showcasing solid pace in Race 1. With a strong foundation established, Straus and Barry will aim to contend for class podiums as the Pirelli GT4 America season continues at Circuit of the Americas on April 25-27.
