Virginia International Raceway – Page 2

Corvette Racing wins again at VIR, PMR closes in on IMSA GTD title

Vasser Sullivan Racing and Corvette Racing looked pretty evenly matched on pace in GTD PRO, so it was pit stop strategy and execution on which the Michelin GT Challenge for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship ultimately turned to the favor of the No. 3 C8.R and delivered victory at VIRginia International Raceway to Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia. The boost to their championship hopes was small, however, as Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth finished second in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 and carry a 144-point lead into the final two races.

GTD, on the other hand, was another flag-to-flag romp for Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3, Snow taking a 12.187s victory over a fuel-saving Robby Foley in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. In the process, the team set a record of five wins in GTD during a season, and all but clinched the Sprint Cup Championship, which would make them the first team to score back-to-back Sprint Cups.

“It’s amazing. It’s really wonderful,” said team owner Paul Miller. “I’ve just given everybody a hug on the team. It’s an unbelievable record. We’ve never won anything like that. We’ve never won more than one or two races in a season, so it’s crazy!”

Sellers and PMR even had the No. BMW in the overall lead after the first round of pit stops, but eventually the two leading GTD PRO cars would get back to the front, with Snow and Sellers finishing third overall.

In a race interrupted by only two cautions, and neither coming at a time when it would have any real effect on strategy, the first indication that maybe this wasn’t going to be a cruise for the polesitting No. 14 Lexus came after the first round of pit stops. Taylor took over the No. 3 C8.R from Garcia, dispatched Jules Gounon in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG rather quickly and immediately started knocking out fast laps. While Barnicoat would eventually take the fast lap back, it was an indication that Taylor had the bit between his teeth and intended to close the GTD PRO points gap to the Vasser Sullivan team.

Taylor’s first attack came as Barnicoat saw an opening to get by overall leader Bryan Sellers in Oak Tree. The move slowed Sellers enough for Taylor to also scoot past, but it also left Barnicoat vulnerable due to a lower corner exit speed. Taylor got alongside, had the inside line for Turn 14, but Barnicoat held the braking just a bit later and maintained the lead.

“I didn’t have a ton of confidence going there,” Taylor explained. “I think a lap before I braked kind of late and had a bunch of ABS interaction and almost hit the back of him. That lap I was going to be offline, so I wasn’t 100 percent confident that I would make the corner had I braked when he did on the inside. And yeah, he kind of did the exact same thing to me the last year when I had a similar run, so I knew he was going to go deep. At that point in the race, I knew had we got track position, it who would have transformed the race for us, but I also didn’t want to throw it away.”

Taylor would have to wait for the second round of pit stops to take the point. Corvette Racing brought Taylor in first, with just under an hour to go. The undercut strategy was compounded by the No. 14 Lexus stalling as Barnicoat was leaving the pits. He got it going quickly, and emerged from the pits ahead of Taylor; but Taylor was at full speed, and passed Barnicoat easily going into Turn 1. Barnicoat slid wide on cold tires, giving Taylor more of a buffer. Barnicoat kept the gap around 2s to Taylor until the end, but could never really close and attack, finishing second by 2.068s. It was a nice comeback from what was almost a sure win in the previous race at Road America, ruined by a penalty for insufficient fueling time.

“Pretty much that whole race I was pushing, even on the first cycle, just to close the gap to the Lexus and to see if we could make them make a mistake,” explained Taylor. “So when the [second] yellow came out, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen – those guys restarted really strong. The guys made an amazing call to kind of shortfill, get us out front track position-wise and then it was just down to saving fuel, managing tires and maintaining the gap. I was counting down the laps from about 25 to go, so I was very happy to see that checkered flag.”

The earlier stop left Taylor needing to save fuel, and he was denied his requested post-victory burnout because the team didn’t believe he had a sufficient supply to roast the rear tires and still get back to the pits.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

“It was amazing,” declared Taylor, whom his teammate compared to a Swiss watch. “That’s down to Corvette Racing, calling that strategy, getting us that track position. And then when they told me that fuel number, I was definitely worried. But the car was so good in fuel save mode, it actually helped me save the tires.”

The victory was the 115th for Corvette, 29th for Garcia and the 33rd for Taylor in IMSA competition as Taylor enters his final two races for the team. Next year he moves back to Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport to drive the team’s second Acura ARX-06 GTP car with Louis Deletraz. For Garcia, who moved the Corvette into second during the first stint, consistency was key to victory.

“Yesterday, we tried to do something different in qualifying, because everybody seemed to be so close,” he explained. “So that probably gave us some indication on how to set up for today and the car was pretty good. So I’m glad that during the first stint the car was where it needed to be. I was able to close to second. The Lexus was very, very strong today. So in a way we we kind of managed to stay in contention. We just had to be there and put pressure and at some point somebody will make a mistake, and it wasn’t us. Then Jordan worked really, really good for the rest of the race. Another great example of pure consistency and very, very well executed.”

Klaus Bachler and Patrick Pilet in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports was a distant third in GTD PRO. Their run was aided by a strategy that had the No. 9 topping off fuel during the second full-course caution, leading to a shorter second stop. But what really secured the podium for them was Bachler having a bit of contact with the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG driven by Jules Gounon a little past the halfway mark of the race. The Porsche suffered minor damage, but the Mercedes needed a long stop to get bodywork back in a position so that the car could continue.

For Paul Miller Motorsports, the dream season continues. Snow put the No. 1 BMW on pole in yesterday’s qualifying, and never faced a serious challenge during the first stint. Sellers took over the car for the middle portion of the race, and because PMR was one of the first teams to pit and thus took less fuel, Sellers had the overall lead with PRO cars giving him a buffer behind. A slight bobble in Oak Tree let Barnicoat in the Lexus and Taylor in the Corvette get through, but the No. 1 never faced any real threat from another GTD car, either while Sellers was in the car or when Snow took it back over.

“If there was a secret, I definitely wouldn’t be trying to give it out,” said Snow of the team’s success this year. “But it’s really the team. We just worked really well together. We’re always trying to improve, we’re always helping each other out. But having grown as a co-driver really makes that possible. And Brian doesn’t get nearly enough credit for

how hard he works and how hard he brings the whole team together, but also car setup and strategy and everything else.”

But Snow was the driving force behind the victory today, countered Sellers.

“What [Madison] has stepped up and done this year has been has been unbelievable,” he said. “Like today, he, pardon my language, but he really saved my ass today. I didn’t feel well all weekend and I had to tell him last night, ‘Listen, if I don’t get better, I’m going to need you.’ You just have that trust in him all the time.”

The best opportunity for any team to stop the PMR juggernaut was Inception Racing. Frederik Schandorff was charging in the No. 70 McLaren 720S and had the car up to second. But during the final round of pit stops, a wheel nut rolled under the car and a mechanic reached under to retrieve it. Doing any work under the car during refueling is violation of IMSA rules, and the team was handed a drive-through penalty. Schandorff got the car back up to seventh, but a far cry from what might have been possible.

It was a BMW one-two on the GTD podium as Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher finished second in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport M4 GT3. Gallagher was saving fuel during his first stint, and like PMR, Turner brought both the No. 96 and the No. 97 M4 of Bill Auberlen and Chandler Hull into the pits after only 50 minutes, 15 of which had been run under yellow. The shorter fill time helped propel the No. 96 from sixth to third, and eventually into second as Frankie Montecalvo in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 faded.

It was nearly a full BMW podium, until Philip Ellis pushed the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG into third past Auberlen in the No. 97. The BMWs were clearly strong at VIR.

“I think it’s a combination of things,” said Sellers when asked why the BMWs were so good here. “The BMW was obviously fantastic today and Madison did a great job. You know, I think one of the things that fits it the most is the high-speed nature of the track. There are a lot of places where it’s small and tight and the cars struggles, but here at VIR, where it’s wide and sprawling, it really stretches its legs so we’re super happy to be a part of it.”

For third-place finisher Winward, it was a nice change for last year’s winners Ellis and Russell Ward. The team has had its struggles this season, so a podium was quite welcome.

The two caution periods were both caused by single-car crashes, the first coming only 10 minutes into the race when David Brule crashed the No. 92 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 911 GT3 R in The Snake. The second occurred when Misha Goikhberg, attempting to get the No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracán back to the pits after a malfunctioning ABS system had sent him off course in Turn 1, lost the car under braking for Turn 14 and buried the Lamborghini in the tire wall. Neither driver was injured in their respective incidents.

RESULTS

Thomas declared MX-5 Cup winner after wild finish at VIR

Reigning Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires Champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) was declared the round 12 race winner after an incident on the final lap led to a post-race penalty. He extended his points …

It was difficult to keep up with the number of lead changes during the 45-minute race. There was never a clear leader — instead, a pack of 11 cars broke away from the field, running nose-to-tail.

At the front of the train, Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) and Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports) traded the lead several times, with Max Opalski (No. 2 Copeland Motorsports), Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing) and Jeansonne taking their turns at the front as well.

With 10 minutes to go, the pack of 11 dwindled to a pack of seven. Michael Carter (No. 19 Saito Motorsports) and Thomas were waiting in the wings for anyone to make a wrong move.

Based on Saturday’s finish, most expected the move for the win to happen in the final turn, but this time it happened several turns before. Carter, who was in fifth, bumped into the back of Jeansonne in the Rollercoaster and caused a chain reaction of hits up to the leader. This knocked Wagner, Zilisch and Opalski into the grass.

As Jeansonne scrambled to stay on track, Carter and Thomas sailed past. Jeansonne pulled it together just in time to hold off Cicero and crossed the line in third.

Race officials deemed Carter to be the instigator of the madness and handed him a drive-through penalty post-race, which effectively removed him from the podium and gave the win to Thomas.

“It was a hard-fought battle at the front,” Thomas said. “The leaders were getting pretty dicey and I was hanging out, saving tires and waiting for the end. I ended up being in the right place at the right time. There was some contact at the end and I came across the line in second.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1421]

The win extends Thomas’ lead in the MX-5 Cup point standings with only two more rounds to go. His nearest rival for the 2023 title and the $250,000 prize that comes with it, is teammate Jeansonne, who finished second.

“That was an interesting race,” Jeansonne said. “Both of these races have been the hottest of the year. We had a strong backup car that we were able to put on pole yesterday. I ran toward the front all day and I tried to be smart and pick my spots and think about what I wanted to do for the last couple of laps. When I was told we were coming to the white flag, I knew I had to go for it. I got a push from behind going into Rollercoaster on the last lap. It moved a lot of people out of the way and shuffled things up. It was an interesting finish, but I’m really proud of the team and all the hard work they put in this weekend, so coming away with a good finish is awesome.”

The podium was a relief for Jeansonne who had mechanical issues that ended his race early on Saturday.

“We’ve had a few bad-luck races, so it felt really good to stand on the podium again. It gives us a fighting chance going into the finale at Road Atlanta for the $250,000 prize.”

MX-5 Cup rookies have their eyes on an $80,000 prize for Rookie of the Year. With a win on Saturday and a third-place finish on Sunday, Cicero strengthens his lead in the rookie points.

“We led a couple of laps, which is great,” Cicero said. “I was having quite a bit of fun. It was really tricky with the car overheating as soon as you tried to push anyone. The weekend was a nine out of ten; a great weekend. I love this place and to get these solid results, I’ll take that, but there’s always more to learn.”

Just like Saturday, Opalski barely missed the podium on Sunday, finishing fourth.

Rookie Thomas Annunziata (No. 10 Hixon Motor Sports) completed the top five and stays within striking distance of Cicero for the Rookie of the Year title.

Both races are available to view on the RACER YouTube page.

As expected, the 2023 MX-5 Cup Championship will come down to the final two races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, October 11-13. Both races will be streamed live on RACER.com.

Garg, Seldorff win IMSA VP Challenge race one at VIR

Bijoy Garg continued to build momentum Saturday at VIRginia International Raceway in his quest to become the first ever Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class champion in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Garg (No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320) …

Garg (No. 3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320) dominated the first of two 45-minute VP Racing Challenge races this weekend in sweltering conditions at the historic road course on the Virginia/North Carolina border to extend his lead over Dan Goldburg (No. 73 JDC Motorsport Duqueine D08) in the LMP3 standings to 40 points.

After securing the pole position on Friday, Garg led from start to finish Saturday to earn his third consecutive LMP3 class race win, and fifth on the 2023 season. His margin of victory Saturday was a staggering 31.665s.

“Wow, I didn’t know that!” said Garg when informed of the comfortable gap he built. “I think we’ve always had the pace this weekend, and that confidence really helped me throughout the race. I was able to get through traffic a lot better and it was really well-executed from the whole team. I was gap managing the last 15 minutes.

“I think you’re seeing what we can really do.”

Garg, 21, from Atherton, California, also swept both races of VP SportsCar Challenge doubleheader weekends earlier this year at Sebring International Raceway and Lime Rock Park.

“We’ve always had the speed, it was just a question of putting it all together and not making any mistakes,” he said. “The car has been really good all year. Now we just need to execute and win a couple more, and we should be good.”

Goldburg scored his fourth second-place finish of the season to go along with his three wins. “One mistake and I’ll get him, but the kid is driving great,” said Goldburg. “Bijoy has really improved a lot this year. I’m giving it my all, trying to take it to him, because I really want to win it.”

Courtney Crone (No. 99 Forty7 Motorsports “Red Dragon” Duqueine D08) passed Brian Thienes (No. 77 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Ligier JS P 320) for third place with 10 minutes remaining and held him off down the stretch in the best LMP3 battle of the race.

“It was a hot one today in the Red Dragon,” remarked Crone, the 2023-24 IMSA Diverse Driver Development Scholarship recipient. “There wasn’t a lap where I could really rest; it was a constant battle with Brian. He was very respectful, and we both had a great race. Just super stoked.”

GSX: Seldorff records first victory in Turner BMW

Francis Selldorff (No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4) earned his first victory Saturday in GSX class competition for the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.

Selldorff, 22, led every lap of the opening race of a doubleheader weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. He withstood intense pressure from Gregory Liefooghe (No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4) throughout the second half of the 45-minute contest, ultimately winning by 0.221s.

Vin Barletta claimed third place in another Turner Motorsport BMW, 14.291s back.

The result extended Selldorff’s lead over Sebastian Carazo (No. 27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS) from 90 to 210 points after Carazo encountered trouble and finished one lap down in 8th place on Saturday.

Selldorff, who started on the outside of the front row, was rightfully proud of his achievement.

“That was super hard, super stressful,” he said. “The track was getting greasy, and we had the (LMP3) prototypes coming through. I was just trying to get good corner exits, that’s all I could do. He was faster than me, obviously, but I knew if I just got good runs where I needed to, I’d be fine.”

The result allowed Selldorff to turn his focus to becoming the first GSX class champion in VP Racing Challenge history.

“That win was huge, and now it’s just trying to be consistent with three races to go,” Selldorff noted. “That was just awesome, really cool.”

Liefooghe, who boasts two wins and two second place finishes in his four VP Racing Challenge starts in 2023, claimed the pole position but lost several places on the opening lap. He quickly rebounded to second place, but could never force his BMW past Selldorff’s similar car.

He came closest with about three minutes remaining, only to run off course in VIR’s Climbing Esses.

“I washed out a little bit wide at the bottom,” Liefooghe said. “I thought maybe I could go around the outside of the first right hander, and it was so dirty that I had no grip and I had to straighten out the whole esses.

“I tried something, but he defended really well and drove a great race,” he added. “It was impossible to pass him. For sure I was not going to touch him. I was going to keep it as clean as possible, and we both managed to do it.”

The second VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race of the VIR weekend takes place Sunday at 11:25 a.m. ET, with live coverage streaming on Peacock and IMSA.com.

RESULTS

Vasser Sullivan Lexus, Paul Miller BMW nab IMSA poles at VIR

The current points leaders in both GTD PRO and GTD demonstrated a good part of the reason they’re at the front by taking the Motul Pole Awards for Sunday’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway. In high temperatures that produced different track conditions than the drivers had seen so far this weekend, Jack Hawksworth took the GTD PRO and overall pole for the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus squad, bringing his total pole count to 10. He would have tied Madison Snow in that statistic, but Snow added another to his total by putting the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 on the GTD pole, qualifying fourth overall.

Hawksworth’s best lap of 1m44.780s — 112.35mph around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit — didn’t match the quick times from Saturday morning’s session and were well off the 1m43.356s record held by Ross Gunn, thanks to the hot weather. It was enough, though, to snatch the pole by 0.096s from Daniel Juncadella in the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG.

“Can’t get better than pole, right? So that was good,” declared Hawksworth. “Mega weekend so far. It’s been brilliant and the boys have been fantastic and the car has been working really well. Heads down for tomorrow now, but very happy with it.

“The temperature outside is absurd. The track grip was a lot different than we had in practice two. It was greasy and I just tried to put a clean lap together. The guys obviously gave me a really fast car; the Lexus was working really well. Just tried not to make any mistakes. It was easy to overdrive, I think.”

For Juncadella, who was quickest in the morning session after the No. 79 suffered a fire yesterday, the results were a disappointment.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

“First, great job by the crew to get the WeatherTech Mercedes-AMG GT3 back together after what happened yesterday,” Juncadella said. “I didn’t have the smoothest qualifying session. I think Road America was better. It was so close to pole that it hurts. Third time this year I have just missed out on pole. I made a small mistake, then on the last lap I was able to get close. It’s a shame to miss out on pole by such a small margin.”

Antonio Garcia was third in the No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R with a 1m45.133, the last PRO car before six GTD cars. Patrick Pilet (No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R) and Gunn (No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3) were 10th and 11th overall, respectively.

Snow’s 11th pole position, and second of 2023 – the only GTD driver to have more than one so far this season – came courtesy of a 1m45.225s lap to best Aaron Telitz in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 by 0.153s. Telitz’s second attempt at a flyer was hurt by running wide at the exit of Oak Tree. Loris Spinelli qualified the No. 78 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 third with a 1m45.416s lap.

“The track was definitely slippery out there,” Snow explained. “I had two mock qually runs in the first practice, so I definitely went into qualifying knowing exactly where my brake points were and what I needed to do. [At] he beginning of qualifying, I went out on my first good lap and immediately went wide in [Turn] 1 and realized, ‘OK, I’m going to need to reevaluate what I’m doing out here.’ Just accept the track for what it was, and it was slippery. Super hot, but that is what it is. It was about not making mistakes and just putting a lap together.”

Mike Skeen (No. 32 Team Korthoff Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3) and Patrick Gallagher (No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3) completed the top five in GTD. Gallagher had been near the top of the time sheets in the two previous practice sessions, but an off-course excursion during qualifying likely scuttled his chances for pole.

Up Next: A 20 minute warmup at 8:15 a.m. ET ahead of a 2:10 p.m. race start.

RESULTS

Cicero breaks through for first Mazda MX-5 Cup win at VIR

The latest Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Shootout winner, Nate Cicero (No. 83 McCumbee McAleer Racing), proved the judges made the right choice by earning his debut win at VIRginia International Raceway on Saturday. The rookie beat reigning series champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) to the line in a photo finish of 0.057s.

Connor Zilisch (No. 72 Hixon Motor Sports), who is Cicero’s predecessor when it comes to winning the MX-5 Cup Shootout, controlled most of the 45-minute race. Starting from outside the front row, Zilisch took the lead almost immediately and headed a 10-car train for the first third of the race. He traded the top spot with Max Opalski (No. 3 Copeland Motorsports) and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 Spark Performance) briefly, but always took the lead back.

The first and only full-course caution of the race came out near the 15-minute mark when Selin Rollan (No. 87 Hixon Motor Sports) needed assistance removing himself from the Turn 17 tires. He was able to continue once pulled free but came to a stop and retired shortly thereafter.

The DNF is a blow to Rollan’s championship hopes and he wasn’t the only title contender to suffer on Saturday. Shortly before the yellow, Aaron Jeansonne (No. 24 Spark Performance) begin to fall down the order with mechanical issues, eventually falling to 23rd by the end of the race. And during the yellow, Wagner came onto pitlane with a car issue that the team tried to fix on pit lane but had to send him back out before he went a lap down. He would eventually finish 17th.

This left Thomas, the 2022 series champion and current point leader, as the sole championship contender still in contention for a podium.

As time ran out, the lead pack of five became a pack of four, when Robert Noaker (No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing) got crossed up in the famous Oak Tree turn.

When the white flag came out, Opalski made his move for the lead on the back straight and brought Thomas and Cicero with him. The quartet fanned out exiting the final turn and drag raced each other to the line. Zilisch ran out of room and chose to bump Cicero, which just may have been the boost the rookie needed to take the win by 0.057s over Thomas.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1421]

“I got my first podium here last year, in Spec MX-5,” Cicero said. “This place has a good flow; I love this place. I managed to stay with the group and get it at the end. I saw Max [Opalski] had a bad exit out of the last corner after we got Connor [Zilisch] on the back straight away and I thought we could actually win this. I got down to the inside and we went three-wide. Connor actually gave me a nice push.”

After a tough race weekend at VIR last year, Thomas more than made up for it by going from sixth on the grid to second at the finish.

“It was definitely not the start of the race that I wanted, but I kind of just settled in,” Thomas said. “My spotters and crew chief were keeping me updated on what people were doing. I stayed patient and got the car in a good position at the end and it was a drag race to the finish line. I think Opalsky kind of set Zilisch up in Oak Tree and then the drafts on the straights here are so big, so we went by him. I didn’t expect to get a run to go three-wide, but I did, and it paid off.”

Zilisch beat Opalski for the final podium spot by 0.033-second.

“At first, I was kind of waiting for them to get impatient with the temperatures, especially with how hot it was,” Zilisch said of his time at the front. “I feel like as I race in this series more and more, I have gained experience in how to control the race and make it really hard for them to get by me. I wanted to stay out front and control the race and that’s what I did. I made one mistake on the last lap and that’s all it took. I had a really fast car; it was just driver error that cost myself the race.

“We have a few things that we can work on to make things a little easier on me. I didn’t block Opalsky along the back straightaway like I needed to and he was able to get by me, which made it easy on him. Tomorrow I will know what to do differently.”

Opalski had the lead exiting the final corner but was fourth by the time he got to the finish line. Noaker completed the top five.

Sunday’s round 12 race will begin at 10:25 a.m. ET and be streamed live on RACER.com. Zilisch is provisionally slated to start from pole.

Vasser Sullivan Lexus sets early pace in IMSA GT Challenge at VIR

Vasser Sullivan Lexus, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTD PRO points leaders, asserted their intent to extend that lead by posting fast times in the first practice session for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway. This weekend’s round features the GTD PRO and GTD classes only, with Ben Barnicoat claiming the top time overall with a 1m45.201s lap in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, an average of 111.9mph around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course.

Barnicoat’s teammate Jack Hawksworth had held the top time in GTD PRO in the No. 14 before Barnicoat, in his second race weekend at the track, bettered his co-driver’s time. It was a clear step forward for the team after they struggled at VIR last season.

“I’m not going to lie and say it was a good track for me last year because it wasn’t,” Barnicoat said before the start of the weekend’s activities. “I knew that and we’ve been working hard away from the track. We’ve got great simulators and tools…to work with and use to help us improve. We’ve done a lot of simulator running, probably moreso for this event than we have any other event this year, along with our offline tools, and we feel like we’ve made really good gains there to help push us forward. I feel like going back to the track for a second time should should help me a lot to take another step. Can’t say too much, or give away too many details, but we’re feeling much more confident heading back.”

The top time of the session was held briefly by Patrick Gallagher in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. His 1m45.234 (111.86mph) was only 0.033s off Barnicoat’s best to lead the GTD field. With conditions likely close to what they will be for qualifying Saturday, the Turner crew sent Gallagher out on fresh sticker Michelins to see what he could do, and he rewarded them with the second-quickest overall time.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1406]

“The Turner guys have it working good,” said Gallagher. “We still have a little work to do – qualifying is always quicker than these practice sessions, but the Turner guys have done a great job and they got this working good and we’ll keep rubbing on it. Hopefully we progress with everyone else and have a shot at pole.”

GTD cars took the next three spots on the time sheet, Aaron Telitz in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus falling 0.160s short of the best time in the class. Philip Ellis took third in GTD with a 1m45.422s lap for defending VIR winners Winward Raacing in the No. 57 Mercedes AMG. Frederik Schandorff (No. 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S Evo) and Bryan Sellers (No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3) completed the GTD top five.

After the No. 12 Lexus, the rest of the GTD PRO runners were sprinkled throughout the field. The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, winners here last year with Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell, was second in GTD PRO and sixth overall in the hands of Patrick Pilet, whose best lap was 1m45.895s. Antonio Garcia was third, ninth overall, for Corvette Racing with a 1m46.023s in the No. 3 C8.R.

With only a few off-track excursions, there were no red-flag interruptions of the 90-minute session. The most serious incident came at the very end, when the No. 79 WeatherTech Racing Mercedes AMG caught fire in the pits. Daniel Juncadella was already part way out of the car, ready to hand over to Jules Gounon, when the fire started. It was extinguished quickly, but the extent of the damage is unknown.

All cars in the event (19) turned laps during the session. The entry list originally included 20, but Andretti Autosport withdrew the No. 94 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for Jarett Andretti and Gabby Chaves.

Up Next: 1h45m split practice session beginning at 10:20 a.m. ET.

RESULTS

BMW motors to weekend sweep of GT4 America at VIR

While the first half of Pirelli GT4 America’s second race at Virginia International Raceway was punctuated by a lengthy yellow flag, there was certainly no shortage of action as drivers fought tooth and nail across every lap of green flag running, …

Silver Class
The Silver Class were ready to make some big moves as soon as the green flag waved, notably with Michai Stephens getting a great launch around the first corner to move up into third overall in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Frontrunners Kenton Koch and JC Dubets were back at it again in their No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 and No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4, running nose-to-tail in first and second.

Yellow flags were brought out just four minutes into the hour-long endeavor, with just under half of the time on the clock remaining once the green flag running resumed. The second portion of the race was pivotal, as drivers put the hammer down to gain some ground before handing off their machines to the teammates waiting patiently for their turn.

Koch showed his pace on the restart as he powered ahead and established some distance between himself and Dubets, while Stephens held off a lunge from the PRO-AM competitors fighting for overall positions. They all jumped into pit lane at the end of the lap to allow Boehm, Anderson, and Webb to take over.

Boehm and Anderson ran side by side with neither party wanting to back down, but as Anderson moved down the inside and kept the No. 51 dialed in, he was able to find just enough room to squeeze past Boehm, who was now falling into the clutches of a charging Webb just before another yellow flag brought them back into formation again as the race ended under yellows, allowing Auto Technic Racing to secure the win, while Random Vandals Racing and Conquest Racing followed in second and third on the podium.

PRO-AM Class
Tyler McQuarrie went on his way, leading the pack in the No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4, but this time around Jason Hart was driving with all his might to stay within striking distance in his No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

As the pit window opened, the class leaders opted to stay out a bit longer. Aaron Povoledo took the opportunity to close up and take some time out of the class leaders in his No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.

McQuarrie handed over the reins to James Walker Jr., but it was Matt Travis in the NOLASPORT beast who came out in front for the second half of the race, as Walker Jr. was now under threat of Johan Schwartz in the No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

As the trio ran three-wide, Schwartz and Travis made contact, sending both drivers off into the grass and bringing out the second full-course caution of the race with 10 minutes remaining. This promoted Walker Jr. back into the lead to pick up the team’s second win of the weekend, with Curt Swearingin bringing home second place in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, and Ross Chouest closing out the race third.

AM Class
With a strong qualifying performance working to his advantage, James Clay had a comfortable buffer in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW G82 M4 GT4, with a few PRO-AM cars separating him from Juan Pablo Martinez in the No. 83 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

Clay swapped with Charlie Postins early, while Martinez took a gamble by running a bit longer before handing the wheel over to Nelson Calle, but the team fell to fourth in class once the driver changes were all settled. Meanwhile, Chris Allen was making his way up the grid, running in third in the No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4 before Robert Mau jumped in the driver’s seat and moved up another spot into second, with the No. 72 KRUGSPEED Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO of Anthony Geraci now took over the third spot.

Up Next
All eyes turn to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the CrowdStrike 24 hours of Spa, taking place from June 29th to July 2nd. The Pirelli GT4 America powered field will be back in August as they pay a visit to the National Park of Speed, Road America.

RESULTS

Aust takes second consecutive TC America win at VIR

Maddie Aust and Clayton Williams swept their respective classes in TC America powered by Skip Barber, while PJ Groenke earned his first win of the 2023 season in the TCA Class Sunday at Virginia International Raceway. TCX Class Pole sitter Lucas …

TCX Class
Pole sitter Lucas Catania, Colin Garrett and race one winner Aust resumed their battles from a day ago.

Early in the race, Aust, in her No. 09 Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS, moved to lead. Passing Catania and Garrett as Garrett maneuvered his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS around the No. 26 Rigid Speed Company BMW M2 CS of Catania.

Catania would come back to best Garrett and take over second place. He set his sights on overtaking Aust. Garrett eventually rejoined the battle and the boys had a bit of back and forth for second place. Aust pushed forward hoping to build a gap. There was never more than a second between the three.

On the final lap traffic changed the look of the top three. Aust and Garrett passed lapped traffic while Catania lost out. Aust and Garrett took off for a battle of their own. Garrett was never far off Aust’s bumper but smooth racing gave Aust the edge to keep her lead. She won the battle and the race with Garrett taking second and Catania third.

TC Class
Pole sitter Jeff Ricca in the No. 78 Genracer Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra looked to dominate race two, a sweet redemption after Saturday’s mechanical issue. Race two turned into a sour déjà vu, though. Ricca came into the pitlane with just under 30 minutes remaining and was unable to continue.

Williams in the No. 60 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro inherited the lead. A win for Williams gave him a weekend sweep and four wins in a row. Celso Neto has been ever steady over the weekend, keeping his nose clean to take second in Sunday’s race — a one-position improvement over his third-place finish Saturday.

It took Sally McNulty in the No. 780 Genracer Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra five years to earn her first TC America podium finish but when it rains, it pours. Her savvy driving and execution in traffic allowed her to take home third place for her second career podium.

TCA Class
Devin Anderson in the No. 22 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ slowly reeled in and overtook PJ Groenke in the No. 62 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW. He seemed to have another win in the bag when he spun on his own allowing Groenke and third-place Spencer Bucknum past him.

Bucknum in the No. 5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si was on a mission of redemption after a spin in race one ended his race early. Anderson’s TechSport teammate Shaoyi Che in the No. 23 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ capitalized on his woes moving into third place. Che recovered nicely from his own off-course excursion that took place on the open laps of the race. Off track and on podium, Che celebrated his race one podium finish by proposing to his long-time girlfriend.

Anderson spent the last 10 minutes of the race turning the 3s gap to Che into a pass. He would come back and overtake Che just in time to take the third step of the podium before also taking the checkered flag. Canadian Groenke went on to win the race with a 12s gap back to second place Bucknum.

Up Next
All eyes turn to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the CrowdStrike 24 hours of Spa, taking place from June 29th to July 2nd. The TC America powered by Skip Barber series will be back in action at Road America August 18-20.

RESULTS

BMW takes amazing clean sweep in GT4 America at VIR

The Pirelli GT4 America field took to the Virginia International Raceway grid to close out Saturday’s action-packed running with their first race of the weekend. BMW was the manufacturer of the day, taking home the wins in the Silver, PRO-AM, and AM …

Silver Class
The Silver Class got their elbows out from the moment the green flag waved, with Zac Anderson and Kevin Boehm even taking their No. 51 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 and No. 92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 off-roading for a brief moment, but kept their machines under control. It wasn’t long before they were bumper-to-bumper, waiting for one or the other to falter first and succumb to the pressure.

Jesse Webb was held up by some PRO-AM and AM Class cars, but was running a solid race as he sat third in class and fourth overall in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 shortly before the pit window opened.

A traffic-filled pit lane added to the intensity of the driver changes, although the running order remained the same at the end of the swaps for the time being, before Michai Stephens went off track, tumbling down the leaderboard before eventually returning to the track.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1436]

As JC Dubets and Kenton Koch took over from their teammates, the gap between the two teams dwindled, putting their offensive and defensive driving skills to the test. While their machines got a little dirty as they rode the fine line between the track and the grass, the two racers kept their driving clean.

Koch was relentless, but Dubets would not concede, forcing the Random Vandals Racing to use every ounce of power in his arsenal to pull off the move for the top spot, which he finally completed with just over 10 minutes remaining. While Dubets gave it his all to reclaim the lead, Koch was able to hold on to the very end, crossing the finish line first just mere inches separating the two. Chandler Hull made it an all-BMW podium as he secured third in the No. 88 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4, an impressive feat after starting the race from pit lane with Harry Gottsacker.

PRO-AM Class
James Walker Jr. had a strong and clean start in his No. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4, running first in class and third overall. With the overall and Silver class battle raging on ahead of him, and two other cars separating him from the next-closest PRO-AM competitor, James held a comfortable buffer for the class lead.

Johan Schwartz opted to jump into the pits almost immediately after the pit window opened to hand over his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to teammate Colin Garrett. However, it was Tyler McQuarrie and Jason Hart who exited pit lane with the advantage, as McQuarrie retained the lead for BimmerWorld, and Hart moved the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport up into second position, dropping Garrett down to third by the halfway mark.

McQuarrie solidified the win, adding another great result to the team’s strong performances this weekend, with Hart and Garrett completing the podium.

AM Class
Charlie Postins started first in class, but he certainly had overall positions in mind as well as he muscled past Silver and PRO-AM class competitors around the opening turns in his No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW G82 M4 GT4. As he handed over the reins of his speedy beast to teammate James Clay, their advantage only grew as he set sail and focused on the road ahead.

Satakal Khalsa and Rob Walker kept it cool, calm, and collected, but their No. 253 Auto Technic Racing BMW G82 M4 GT4 soon came under threat as Chris Allen was charging forward in the second half of the race in his No. 438 STR38 Motorsports BMW G82 M4 GT4.

Allen soon swept into second place, with the No. 253 beginning to fall behind, which allowed the No. 98 Random Vandals Racing of Paul Sparta and Al Carter to move up into the final podium position in the closing stage of the race.

The series will be back on track for race two at 10:55 a.m ET. Fans can follow progression with Griiip Live. The studio makes it easy to follow class battles, lap times, and pit strategy for the five SRO America series. Stream the races live on the YouTube page, GT World, or join the conversation on Twitch with Daniel Gilligan.

TR3 pair take debut GTWC win at VIR while Kurtz, Braun continue post-Le Mans win streak

Race one of the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS at VIRginia International Raceway featured a few bumps and bruises but remained green as drivers fought for points and pride. In the PRO Class Kenton Koch and Daniel Morad proved they belong, taking home a win in their debut as teammates for TR3 Racing. In the PRO-AM Class, George Kurtz and Colin Braun kept their win streak alive as they paired their class win from the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a VIR win Saturday.

PRO Class
Koch, in the No. 9 TR3 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, had a lovely drive around the circuit as he led the entirety of his stint before passing off to Morad. Not without issue, Koch stopped early in the pitlane before finding his way to the TR3 pit box.

Morad joined the race door-to-door with Auberlen and Jan Heylen in the No. 45 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. On his out lap, Morad encountered equipment issues in the cockpit that forced his TR3 Racing machine off the track. This opened the door for Auberlen, who took over for Chandler Hull in the No. 94 BimmerWorld MBW M4 GT3, and quickly built a 2s lead. However, Auberlen would have an off minutes later and Morad would regain the lead and keep a firm grip through to the checkered flag.

Seth Lucas and Trenton Estep in the No. 53 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R earned another third-place finish. The duo may not be the flashiest pairing but they’ve become a reliable entry to earn a podium. Manny Franco and Alessandro Balzan in the No. 21 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 followed in fourth with Eric Filgueiras and Steven McAleer in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 911 GT3 R finishing fifth.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1436]

Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher in the No. 93 Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 had a rough ending to an otherwise quiet race. The final 25 minutes of the race saw Farnbacher go wide into a turn causing him to drop a tire where a piece of the car went flying off and cutting a tire sending him into pit lane for an extra pit stop. They finished sixth in class.

“First of all the three-stop strategy was fabulous. Great call by Kenton,” Morad said. “No seriously, TR3 did an amazing job. We were limited in our practice time. Kenton got maybe six laps before the race. It was a little bit adversity filled but we delivered the win.”

PRO-AM Class
Kurtz didn’t have any formal foe around him for his stint as he rolled off the line in the No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 as the only PRO-AM entry on the front two rows. Kurtz was pacing PRO Class competitors as he put more than a 15s gap between him and Samantha Tan who ran second in class at the time.

Braun had a clean handoff from Kurtz and settled into the lead. Neil Verhagen looked like he had been in the ST Racing BMW all season as he made himself right at home chasing down Braun. Verhagen finished the race three seconds behind Braun but had over an 8s gap to Ryan Dalziel.

Running third was the No. 33 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 of Justin Wetherill and Daziel. The teammates steadily moved up the field from their ninth place starting position. In the race of attrition, Wetherill and Dalziel kept their car and drove clean to earn their first podium finish of the season.

The No. 007 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 took a few hits while Derek DeBoer was in the cockpit however DeBoer was unfazed and pushed forward to hand off the car to Valentin Hasse-Clot who brought the TRG Aston Martin in fourth. They were followed by the new driving pairing of Anthony Bartone and Adam Christodoulou in the No. 43 RealTime Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 in fifth, having jumped into the PRO-AM Class from the AM Class making this the team’s first top-five finish.

“It’s great. You know we just try to keep the momentum going,” Kurtz said. “We struggled to get the car where we needed it to be. This morning it looked a little bleak, but we got it where we needed to be to get the win. It’s an honor to drive with a guy like Colin.”

Race two takes place Sunday at 3:10 p.m. ET. Fans can follow progression with Griiip Live. The studio makes it easy to follow class battles, lap times, and pit strategy for the five SRO America series. Stream the race live on the YouTube page GT World or join the conversation on Twitch with Daniel Gilligan.

RESULTS