VIRginia Worldwide Raceway hosts the lone GT-only IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship occasion of the 12 months, with 23 automobiles – 9 GTD PRO and 14 GTD – able to sort out the three.27-mile, 17-turn highway course for a 2h40m race, the ultimate dash race of the season. The Michelin GT Problem at VIR is scheduled for a inexperienced flag at 12:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Drivers typically love VIR, particularly those who have had success there, together with Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia.
“I personally like this racetrack,” stated Garcia, who holds 4 of Corvette Racing’s six victories at VIR, together with a GTD PRO victory with Jordan Taylor final 12 months.
“Corvette Racing has at all times been profitable there. I don’t know if it’s solely as a result of we solely run alone there as a GT-only race, and that in all probability helps to maintain every part tidy so far as technique and the courses aren’t shuffling the order an excessive amount of. It suited the C7.R. It positively suited the C8.R. So I’m trying ahead to going again there and seeing the place we’re.”
This would be the first time for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R at VIR in IMSA competitors, however DXDT Racing scored a pair of victories on the observe in Fanatec GT World Problem America this summer time with the automobile, courtesy of Garcia’s teammate Tommy Milner and Alec Udell.
For the Michelin GT Problem, Milner will pair with Nicky Catsburg within the No. 4, whereas Garcia and Alexander Sims search for their second win of the season within the No. 3.
Garcia and Sims shall be hoping to maneuver up from the present fourth within the standings, at present led by Laurin Heinrich within the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Heinrich shall be joined in ‘Roxy’ at VIR by Klaus Bachler.
Ross Gunn is at present second within the GTD PRO factors standings, 76 factors off Heinrich. Gunn, co-driver Alex Riberas and the Coronary heart of Racing Group have but to see victory for his or her Aston Martin Vantages at VIR, however Gunn holds the distinctive place of getting the observe document in each GTD PRO and GTD on the observe. He set the GTD document in 2021, and the GTD PRO document the next 12 months after the creation of the GTD PRO class.
“We’re entering into the enterprise finish to the season, so getting factors is a large precedence for the weekend,” stated Gunn. “I at all times love racing at VIR; it’s Uphill Esses is my favourite a part of the observe. It at all times makes for an excellent race as properly, particularly with the race being GT solely. We’ve been on a great run lately, the place we have been in a position to shut a little bit of the hole within the championship. The intention is to maintain closing that hole this weekend.”
Contemporary off their first victory as driving companions for Turner Motorsport, Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher want to solidify their second-place place within the GTD factors and hopefully lower the margin to leaders Russell Ward and Philip Ellis for Winward Racing. The excellent news for them is that the BMW M4 GT3 and its predecessors have typically been sturdy at VIR – Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow received at VIR final 12 months for Paul Miller Racing within the No. 1 M4. In fact, WInward has success on the observe as properly, Ward and Ellis taking victory in 2022.
“I feel heading into VIR, we’ve at all times been sturdy there, BMWs particularly,” Foley stated. “I feel with the GT solely race, it adjustments the dynamic just a little bit – in all probability much less prone to have yellows and issues like that. So hopefully we will play to our strengths with our with our M4 GT3 and and have a robust weekend there.”
VIR is considered one of Foley’s favorites, because of the technicality of the circuit and the variability it presents.
“It’s one of many old-school American tracks that’s excessive pace with fairly excessive dedication,” he stated. “However it’s additionally technical. Generally the faster tracks – like, I like Street America as properly, it’s additionally considered one of my favorites, however I’d say it’s not fairly as technical as VIR.
“VIR positively retains you busy. Your automobile must be actually type of dialed to several types of corners: excessive pace, low pace. You want a very particular type of stability there to be fast. So for me, I like the primary sector that leads into the Essess and the Higher Esses; tremendous technical, and also you get into some quicker corners. For me, the observe has every part. And I at all times identical to the best way the observe races. It’s tough to move, like it’s wherever as of late in these these automobiles. However I feel that observe at all times produces fairly good racing.”
The weekend for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opponents will get underway on Friday afternoon, with the primary free apply scheduled for two p.m. ET. The second apply takes place on Saturday morning, with qualifying at 4:50 p.m. Saturday, streamed reside on Peacock and on IMSA.television. The 2h40m race shall be carried reside on USA Community and streamed on Peacock starting at midday Japanese, in addition to on IMSA.television and YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial outdoors the U.S. IMSA Radio could have commentary throughout choose periods on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com, and SiriusXM reside race protection begins at midday (XM 206, Internet/App 996).
