2022 GT Challenge at VIR

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Track map of VIR Virginia International Raceway - Full Course.svg
Track map of VIR

The 2022 GT Challenge at VIR (known as the 2022 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR for sponsorship reasons) was a sports car race sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). The race was held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia on August 28, 2022. The race was the eleventh round of the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the eighth round of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.

Contents

Background

Virginia International Raceway, where the race was held. American Le Mans Series Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIR October 2013 (10295564514).jpg
Virginia International Raceway, where the race was held.

International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2021. [1] It was the ninth consecutive year the event was held as part of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The 2022 GT Challenge at VIR was the eleventh of twelve scheduled sports car races of 2022 by IMSA , and it was the last of eight rounds held as part of the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. [2] The race was held at the seventeen-turn 3.270 mi (5.263 km) Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia on August 28, 2022. [3]

As in previous years, it would be the second of two GT-only rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship, in which only the GTD Pro and GTD classes competed. [4] After the previous years edition was moved to October, the race returned to its traditional date of August. [5] [6]

The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports entry entered the event as defending GTD-class winners, while the GTD Pro class would compete at Virginia International Raceway for the first time in class history.

Before the race, Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2793 points; the duo held a 227 point lead over Ben Barnicoat. [7] With 2329 points, Stevan McAleer led the GTD Drivers' Championship by 36 points over Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen in second while Roman De Angelis was third with 2285 points. [7] Porsche and BMW were leading their respective Manufactures' Championships while Pfaff Motorsports and Gilbert Korthoff Motorsports each led their own Teams' Championships. [7]

Entries

A total of 18 cars took part in the event split across two classes. 5 cars were entered in GTD Pro and 13 in GTD. [8] In GTD, Magnus Racing and Team Hardpoint made their first appearances since the Watkins Glen round. Jules Gounon joined Cooper MacNeil in the WeatherTech Racing entry. No changes happened in GTD Pro.

Practice

There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday; one on Friday and one on Saturday. The first session on Friday afternoon ran for 60 minutes while the second session on Saturday morning lasted 90 minutes. [9]

Practice 1

The first practice session took place at 3:50 pm ET on Friday and ended with Connor De Phillippi topping the charts for BMW M Team RLL, with a lap time of 1:45.196. [10]

Pos.ClassNo.TeamDriverTimeGap
1GTD Pro25 BMW M Team RLL Connor De Phillippi 1:45.196_
2GTD32Team Korthoff Motorsports Mike Skeen 1:45.348+0.152
3GTD16Wright Motorsports Jan Heylen 1:45.390+0.194
Source: [11]

Practice 2

The second and final practice session took place at 10:40 am ET on Saturday and ended with Jack Hawksworth topping the charts for Vasser Sullivan Racing, with a lap time of 1:43.984. [12]

Pos.ClassNo.TeamDriverTimeGap
1GTD Pro14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Jack Hawksworth 1:43.984_
2GTD51 Rick Ware Racing Aidan Read1:44.518+0.534
3GTD96 Turner Motorsport Bill Auberlen 1:44.610+0.626
Source: [13]

Qualifying

Ross Gunn (pictured in 2021) took the overall pole position for Heart of Racing Team. Ross Gunn Heart Of Racing.jpg
Ross Gunn (pictured in 2021) took the overall pole position for Heart of Racing Team.

Saturday's afternoon qualifying was broken into one session for the GTD Pro and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes. [9] The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars, with the Pro-Am (GTD) class requiring a Bronze/Silver Rated Driver to qualify the car. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. [14]

Ross Gunn took overall pole for Heart of Racing Team, while Russell Ward and Winward Racing scored pole in GTD. [15]

Qualifying results

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

Pos.ClassNo.TeamDriverTimeGapGrid
1GTD Pro23 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ross Gunn 1:43.953_1‡
2GTD Pro3 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing Flag of Spain.svg Antonio Garcia 1:44.667+0.7142
3GTD Pro9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pfaff Motorsports Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matt Campbell 1:44.719+0.7663
4GTD Pro25 Flag of the United States.svg BMW M Team RLL Flag of the United States.svg Connor De Phillippi 1:44.791+0.8384
5GTD Pro14 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Hawksworth 1:44.890+0.9375
6GTD57 Flag of the United States.svg Winward Racing Flag of the United States.svg Russell Ward 1:45.010+1.0576‡
7GTD51 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Ware Racing Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aidan Read1:45.077+1.1247
8GTD1 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Miller Racing Flag of the United States.svg Madison Snow 1:45.081+1.1288
9GTD39 Flag of the United States.svg CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Flag of the United States.svg Robert Megennis 1:45.155+1.2029
10GTD32 Flag of the United States.svg Team Korthoff Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Mike Skeen 1:45.328+1.37510
11GTD27 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Roman De Angelis 1:45.402+1.44911
12GTD96 Flag of the United States.svg Turner Motorsport Flag of the United States.svg Robby Foley 1:45.490+1.53712
13GTD12 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Racing Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Montecalvo 1:45.830+1.87713
14GTD42 Flag of the United States.svg NTE Sport/SSR Flag of the United States.svg Jaden Conwright1:45.965+2.01214
15GTD79 Flag of the United States.svg WeatherTech Racing Flag of the United States.svg Cooper MacNeil 1:46.648+2.69515
16GTD16 Flag of the United States.svg Wright Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hardwick1:46.763+2.81016
17GTD99 Flag of the United States.svg Team Hardpoint Flag of the United States.svg Rob Ferriol1:47.266+3.31317
18GTD44 Flag of the United States.svg Magnus Racing Flag of the United States.svg John Potter 1:47.905+3.95218
Sources: [16] [17]

Race

Post-Race

With 3173 points, Campbell and Jaminet's victory allowed them to extend their advantage to 265 points as García and Taylor took over second position in the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship. [18] As a result of finishing second place, De Angelis took the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship with 2630 points while McAleer dropped to second. Ellis and Ward jumped to fourth after being sixth coming into Virginia International Raceway. [18] Porsche and BMW continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships, while Pfaff Motorsports kept their advantage in the GTD Pro Teams' Championship. Heart of Racing Team took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with 1 round remaining. [18]

Race Results

Class winners are denoted in bold and ‡.

PosClassNo.TeamDriversChassisLapsTime/Retired
Engine
1GTD Pro9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pfaff Motorsports Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matt Campbell
Flag of France.svg Mathieu Jaminet 		Porsche 911 GT3 R 862:40:37.906‡
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
2GTD Pro3 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing Flag of Spain.svg Antonio García
Flag of the United States.svg Jordan Taylor 		Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD 86+0.823
Chevrolet 5.5L V8
3GTD57 Flag of the United States.svg Winward Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Philip Ellis
Flag of the United States.svg Russell Ward 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86+4.463‡
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
4GTD27 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Roman De Angelis
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Maxime Martin 		Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 86+10.799
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
5GTD1 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Miller Racing Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Sellers
Flag of the United States.svg Madison Snow 		BMW M4 GT3 86+12.960
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6
6GTD12 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Racing Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Montecalvo
Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Telitz 		Lexus RC F GT3 86+14.475
Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8
7GTD16 Flag of the United States.svg Wright Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hardwick
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Jan Heylen 		Porsche 911 GT3 R 86+15.136
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
8GTD79 Flag of the United States.svg WeatherTech Racing Flag of the United States.svg Cooper MacNeil
Flag of France.svg Jules Gounon 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86+15.545
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
9GTD Pro14 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ben Barnicoat
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Hawksworth 		Lexus RC F GT3 86+18.029
Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8
10GTD96 Flag of the United States.svg Turner Motorsport Flag of the United States.svg Bill Auberlen
Flag of the United States.svg Robby Foley 		BMW M4 GT3 86+25.791
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6
11GTD Pro23 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ross Gunn
Flag of Spain.svg Alex Riberas 		Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 86+43.249
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
12GTD32 Flag of the United States.svg Team Korthoff Motorsports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stevan McAleer
Flag of the United States.svg Mike Skeen 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86+46.179
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
13GTD Pro25 Flag of the United States.svg BMW M Team RLL Flag of the United States.svg John Edwards
Flag of the United States.svg Connor De Phillippi 		BMW M4 GT3 86+54.079
BMW S58B30T0 3.0 L Twin Turbo I6
14GTD51 Flag of the United States.svg Rick Ware Racing Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Eversley
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aidan Read		 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 86+1:10.978
Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6
15GTD99 Flag of the United States.svg Team Hardpoint Flag of the United States.svg Rob Ferriol
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge 		Porsche 911 GT3 R 86+1:11.397
Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6
16GTD39 Flag of the United States.svg CarBahn with Peregrine Racing Flag of the United States.svg Robert Megennis
Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Westphal		 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 86+1:38.629
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
17GTD44 Flag of the United States.svg Magnus Racing Flag of the United States.svg John Potter
Flag of the United States.svg Andy Lally 		Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 85+1 Lap
Aston Martin 4.0 L Turbo V8
18

DNF

GTD42 Flag of the United States.svg NTE Sport/SSR Flag of Germany.svg Marco Holzer
Flag of the United States.svg Jaden Conwright		 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 1Did Not Finish
Lamborghini 5.2 L V10
Source: [19] [20]

Standings after the race

References

  1. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (August 6, 2021). "IMSA's 2022 schedule signals a return to normalcy". racer.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ Allaway, Phil (August 6, 2021). "IMSA Reveals 2022 Schedules, Changes". frontstretch.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  3. ↑ Beaver, Dan (August 7, 2021). "IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series announces 2022 schedule". nbcsports.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Ryan, Nate (August 28, 2022). "IMSA SportsCar Championship at VIR: How to watch, TV, start times, streaming, entry list". motorsports.nbcsports.com. NBC . Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ Dagys, John (August 6, 2021). "CTMP to Return in Largely Unchanged 2022 Schedule". sportscar365.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  6. ↑ Allaway, Phil (August 6, 2021). "IMSA Reveals 2022 Schedules, Changes". frontstretch.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. August 9, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ Lloyd, Daniel (August 17, 2022). "18 Entries for VIR as Magnus, Hardpoint Commit". sportscar365.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  9. 1 2 "2022 IMSA Official Schedule and SR VIR 081722 V1" (PDF). results.imsa.com/noticeBoard.php. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ Lopez, David (August 26, 2022). "VIR IMSA: BMW and Mercedes lead first practice". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ "03_Results_Practice 201.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. August 26, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Dagys, John (August 27, 2022). "Hawksworth Quickest in Second Practice at VIR". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ "03_Results_Practice 202.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. August 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ "2022 IMSA SPORTING REGULATIONS and SERIES SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Gunn Scores Pole At VIR For Heart Of Racing". dailysportscar.com. August 28, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  16. ↑ "03_Results_Qualifying.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  17. ↑ "01_Grid_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "00_Championship Points - Official.pdf" (PDF). results.imsa.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  19. ↑ "03_Results_Race_Unofficial.PDF" (PDF). results.imsa.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  20. ↑ "2022 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR". racing-reference.info. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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