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2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

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The layout of Virginia International Raceway, where the race was held.

The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on August 25, 2024. It was the ninth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Background

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Preview

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Virginia International Raceway, where the race was held.

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2023.[1] It was the eleventh consecutive year the IMSA SCC hosted a race at Virginia International Raceway. The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was the ninth of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2024 by IMSA.[2] The race was held at the seventeen-turn 3.270 mi (5.263 km) Virginia International Raceway on August 25, 2024.[2]

Balance of performance

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Ahead of the event, IMSA published a bulletin regarding the latest balance of performance (BoP) changes in the GTD Pro and GTD classes.[3] The Acura was given a 1-liter increase in fuel capacity to accommodate the 11.5 horsepower gained across all power levels. Additionally, the Lamborghini saw an increase in weight of 15 kilograms. This was countered by an increase of 5.3 horsepower across all power levels, and a 2-liter fuel capacity increase. Finally, the Ferrari saw an increase of 10 kilograms in weight, with no adjustments to the power level.[3]

Standings before the race

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Preceding the event, Laurin Heinrich led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2256 points, 76 points ahead of second-placed Ross Gunn. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth sat in third place, a further 97 points behind.[4] The GTD Drivers' Championship was led by Philip Ellis and Russell Ward with 2396 points. They had lead of 268 points over second-placed Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher. Parker Thompson sat in third, 526 points behind Ellis and Ward.[4] The Manufacturers' Championships were led by Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, respectively, whilst AO Racing and Winward Racing led the Teams' Championships.[4]

Entry list

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The entry list was revealed on August 14, 2024, and featured 23 entries: 9 entries in GTD Pro, and 14 entries in GTD.[5] Klaus Bachler replaced Julien Andlauer in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche, to race alongside Laurin Heinrich. Furthermore, Kyle Marcelli re-joined Danny Formal in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini, after missing the previous round due to an arm-related injury.[6] Both the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione and No. 35 Conquest Racing Ferraris did not appear at the start after one-off appearances at Road America.[7]

No. Entrant Car Driver 1 Driver 2
GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro) (9 entries)
1 United States Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 United States Bryan Sellers United States Madison Snow
3 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Spain Antonio García United Kingdom Alexander Sims
4 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Netherlands Nicky Catsburg United States Tommy Milner
9 Canada Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo United Kingdom Oliver Jarvis Germany Marvin Kirchhöfer
14 United States Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 United Kingdom Ben Barnicoat United Kingdom Jack Hawksworth
23 United States Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo United Kingdom Ross Gunn Spain Alex Riberas
64 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 Germany Mike Rockenfeller United Kingdom Harry Tincknell
65 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 United States Joey Hand Germany Dirk Müller
77 United States AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Austria Klaus Bachler Germany Laurin Heinrich
GTD (GT Daytona) (14 entries)
12 United States Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 United States Frankie Montecalvo Canada Parker Thompson
13 Canada AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R United Kingdom Matt Bell Canada Orey Fidani
27 United States Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Canada Roman De Angelis Canada Zacharie Robichon
32 United States Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Canada Mikaël Grenier United States Kenton Koch
34 United States Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Spain Albert Costa United States Manny Franco
45 United States Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Costa Rica Danny Formal Canada Kyle Marcelli
55 Germany Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 Italy Giammarco Levorato United States Corey Lewis
57 United States Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Switzerland Philip Ellis United States Russell Ward
66 United States Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 United Kingdom Stevan McAleer United States Sheena Monk
70 United Kingdom Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo United States Brendan Iribe Denmark Frederik Schandorff
78 United States Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Canada Misha Goikhberg Italy Loris Spinelli
86 United States MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Denmark Anders Fjordbach China Kerong Li
96 United States Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 United States Robby Foley United States Patrick Gallagher
120 United States Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) United States Adam Adelson United States Elliott Skeer
Source:[5][6][7]

Practice

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There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday, one on Friday afternoon and one on Saturday morning. The first session on Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes while the second session on Saturday morning lasted 105 minutes.[8]

Qualifying

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Saturday's afternoon qualifying session lasted 15 minutes, with one combined session for the GTD Pro and GTD cars. The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars.[8] The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order.[9]

Qualifying results

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Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and with ‡.

Pos. Class No. Entry Driver Time Gap Grid
1 GTD Pro 1 United States Paul Miller Racing United States Madison Snow 1:43.206 1‡
2 GTD Pro 3 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Spain Antonio García 1:43.346 +0.140 2
3 GTD Pro 64 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports United Kingdom Harry Tincknell 1:43.630 +0.424 3
4 GTD Pro 65 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports United States Joey Hand 1:43.729 +0.523 4
5 GTD Pro 4 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports United States Tommy Milner 1:43.745 +0.539 5
6 GTD 55 Germany Proton Competition Italy Giammarco Levorato 1:43.900 +0.694 6‡
7 GTD 32 United States Korthoff/Preston Motorsports United States Kenton Koch 1:44.106 +0.900 7
8 GTD 120 United States Wright Motorsports United States Elliott Skeer 1:44.118 +0.912 8
9 GTD Pro 14 United States Vasser Sullivan United Kingdom Jack Hawksworth 1:44.177 +0.971 9
10 GTD Pro 9 Canada Pfaff Motorsports United Kingdom Oliver Jarvis 1:44.297 +1.091 10
11 GTD 27 United States Heart of Racing Team Canada Zacharie Robichon 1:44.362 +1.156 11
12 GTD 96 United States Turner Motorsport United States Patrick Gallagher 1:44.392 +1.186 12
13 GTD Pro 77 United States AO Racing Austria Klaus Bachler 1:44.417 +1.211 13
14 GTD Pro 23 United States Heart of Racing Team Spain Alex Riberas 1:44.499 +1.293 14
15 GTD 45 United States Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Canada Kyle Marcelli 1:44.504 +1.298 15
16 GTD 12 United States Vasser Sullivan United States Frankie Montecalvo 1:44.541 +1.335 16
17 GTD 78 United States Forte Racing Canada Misha Goikhberg 1:44.793 +1.587 17
18 GTD 57 United States Winward Racing United States Russell Ward 1:44.855 +1.649 18
19 GTD 70 United Kingdom Inception Racing United States Brendan Iribe 1:45.020 +1.814 19
20 GTD 66 United States Gradient Racing United States Sheena Monk 1:45.069 +1.863 20
21 GTD 34 United States Conquest Racing United States Manny Franco 1:45.348 +2.142 21
22 GTD 86 United States MDK Motorsports China Kerong Li 1:46.754 +3.548 22
23 GTD 13 Canada AWA Canada Orey Fidani 1:47.306 +4.100 23
Sources:[10][11]

Race

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Post-race

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The final results of GTD Pro meant Heinrich continued to lead the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship, but his advantage was reduced to 17 points by third-place finisher Gunn. Sellers and Snow jumped from fifth to third.[12] Ellis and Ward's third-place finish allowed them to extend their advantage over Foley and Gallagher in the GTD Drivers' Championship.[12] Porsche and Mercedes-AMG continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while AO Racing, and Winward Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships with two rounds remaining.[12]

Race results

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Class winners are in bold and ‡.

Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Laps Time/Retired
Engine
1 GTD Pro 1 United States Paul Miller Racing United States Bryan Sellers
United States Madison Snow
BMW M4 GT3 86 2:40:49.112‡
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
2 GTD Pro 64 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports Germany Mike Rockenfeller
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell
Ford Mustang GT3 86 +3.368
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
3 GTD Pro 23 United States Heart of Racing Team United Kingdom Ross Gunn
Spain Alex Riberas
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 86 +4.199
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
4 GTD Pro 65 Canada Ford Multimatic Motorsports United States Joey Hand
Germany Dirk Müller
Ford Mustang GT3 86 +11.688
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
5 GTD 32 United States Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Canada Mikaël Grenier
United States Kenton Koch
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86 +16.103‡
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
6 GTD Pro 9 Canada Pfaff Motorsports United Kingdom Oliver Jarvis
Germany Marvin Kirchhöfer
McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 86 +16.404
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
7 GTD Pro 14 United States Vasser Sullivan United Kingdom Ben Barnicoat
United Kingdom Jack Hawksworth
Lexus RC F GT3 86 +18.620
Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8
8 GTD 78 United States Forte Racing Canada Misha Goikhberg
Italy Loris Spinelli
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 86 +19.086
Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10
9 GTD Pro 77 United States AO Racing Austria Klaus Bachler
Germany Laurin Heinrich
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86 +19.754
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
10 GTD 57 United States Winward Racing Switzerland Philip Ellis
United States Russell Ward
Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86 +20.017
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
11 GTD 96 United States Turner Motorsport United States Robby Foley
United States Patrick Gallagher
BMW M4 GT3 86 +20.311
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
12 GTD Pro 4 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Netherlands Nicky Catsburg
United States Tommy Milner
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86 +22.410
Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8
13 GTD 34 United States Conquest Racing Spain Albert Costa
United States Manny Franco
Ferrari 296 GT3 86 +24.110
Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6
14 GTD 13 Canada AWA United Kingdom Matt Bell
Canada Orey Fidani
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86 +24.433
Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8
15 GTD 55 Germany Proton Competition Italy Giammarco Levorato
United States Corey Lewis
Ford Mustang GT3 86 +27.346
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
16 GTD 120 United States Wright Motorsports United States Adam Adelson
United States Elliott Skeer
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86 +28.220
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
17 GTD 12 United States Vasser Sullivan United States Frankie Montecalvo
Canada Parker Thompson
Lexus RC F GT3 86 +57.555
Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8
18 GTD 86 United States MDK Motorsports Denmark Anders Fjordbach
China Kerong Li
Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 85 +1 Lap
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
19 GTD 45 United States Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Costa Rica Danny Formal
Canada Kyle Marcelli
Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 85 +1 Lap
Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10
20 GTD 66 United States Gradient Racing United Kingdom Stevan McAleer
United States Sheena Monk
Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 72 +14 Laps
Acura JNC1 3.5 L Turbo V6
21
DNF
GTD 70 United Kingdom Inception Racing United States Brendan Iribe
Denmark Frederik Schandorff
McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 68 Engine
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
22 GTD 27 United States Heart of Racing Team Canada Roman De Angelis
Canada Zacharie Robichon
Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 86 +17.000[R 1]
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
23 GTD Pro 3 United States Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Spain Antonio García
United Kingdom Alexander Sims
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 57 +29 Laps
Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8
Source:[14]
  1. ^ The No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin was moved to the back of the GTD class since non-homologated parts were used during the event. It originally finished 7th overall, and 2nd in class.[13]

Standings after the race

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  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.

References

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  1. ^ Bradley, Charles (August 4, 2023). "IMSA reveals 2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar". Motorsport.com. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "2024 IMSA Schedules Revealed at Road America". imsa.com. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Dagys, John (August 14, 2024). "Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 Gets Power Increase for VIR". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. August 7, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Michelin GT Challenge at VIR – Pre-Event Entry List" (PDF). imsa.com. IMSA. August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Dagys, John (August 14, 2024). "23 Entries for Michelin GT Challenge at VIR". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  7. ^ a b O'Connell, RJ (August 14, 2024). "23 Cars Entered For IMSA VIR GT Challenge". Dailysportscar. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "2024 IMSA Official Schedule and SR VIR REV 081524 V1" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "2024 IMSA Sporting Regulations and Series Supplementary Regulations" (PDF). imsa.com. International Motor Sports Association. November 1, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "03_Results_Qualifying.PDF" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  11. ^ "01_Grid_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. September 9, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Euwema, Davey (September 9, 2024). "Heart of Racing Stripped of VIR GTD Podium". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "03_Results_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.


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