2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

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The layout of Virginia International Raceway, where the race was held. Virginia International Raceway - Full Course.svg
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.

Contents

Background

Preview

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 (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

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

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

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.EntrantCarDriver 1Driver 2
GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro) (9 entries)
1 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Flag of the United States.svg Bryan Sellers Flag of the United States.svg Madison Snow
3 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Flag of Spain.svg Antonio García Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alexander Sims
4 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Flag of the Netherlands.svg Nicky Catsburg Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Milner
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oliver Jarvis Flag of Germany.svg Marvin Kirchhöfer
14 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ben Barnicoat Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Hawksworth
23 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ross Gunn Flag of Spain.svg Alex Riberas
64 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 Flag of Germany.svg Mike Rockenfeller Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Harry Tincknell
65 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 Flag of the United States.svg Joey Hand Flag of Germany.svg Dirk Müller
77 Flag of the United States.svg AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Flag of Austria.svg Klaus Bachler Flag of Germany.svg Laurin Heinrich
GTD (GT Daytona) (14 entries)
12 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Montecalvo Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Parker Thompson
13 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matt Bell Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Orey Fidani
27 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Roman De Angelis Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Zacharie Robichon
32 Flag of the United States.svg Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mikaël Grenier Flag of the United States.svg Kenton Koch
34 Flag of the United States.svg Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Flag of Spain.svg Albert Costa Flag of the United States.svg Manny Franco
45 Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Flag of Costa Rica.svg Danny Formal Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Marcelli
55 Flag of Germany.svg Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 Flag of Italy.svg Giammarco Levorato Flag of the United States.svg Corey Lewis
57 Flag of the United States.svg Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Philip Ellis Flag of the United States.svg Russell Ward
66 Flag of the United States.svg Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stevan McAleer Flag of the United States.svg Sheena Monk
70 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Flag of the United States.svg Brendan Iribe Flag of Denmark.svg Frederik Schandorff
78 Flag of the United States.svg Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Misha Goikhberg Flag of Italy.svg Loris Spinelli
86 Flag of the United States.svg MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Flag of Denmark.svg Anders Fjordbach Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Kerong Li
96 Flag of the United States.svg Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Flag of the United States.svg Robby Foley Flag of the United States.svg Patrick Gallagher
120 Flag of the United States.svg Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Flag of the United States.svg Adam Adelson Flag of the United States.svg Elliott Skeer
Source: [5] [6] [7]

Practice

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

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

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

Pos.ClassNo.EntryDriverTimeGapGrid
1GTD Pro1 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Miller Racing Flag of the United States.svg Madison Snow 1:43.206—1‡
2GTD Pro3 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Flag of Spain.svg Antonio García 1:43.346+0.1402
3GTD Pro64 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Harry Tincknell 1:43.630+0.4243
4GTD Pro65 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Joey Hand 1:43.729+0.5234
5GTD Pro4 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Milner 1:43.745+0.5395
6GTD55 Flag of Germany.svg Proton Competition Flag of Italy.svg Giammarco Levorato 1:43.900+0.6946‡
7GTD32 Flag of the United States.svg Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Kenton Koch 1:44.106+0.9007
8GTD120 Flag of the United States.svg Wright Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Elliott Skeer 1:44.118+0.9128
9GTD Pro14 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Hawksworth 1:44.177+0.9719
10GTD Pro9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pfaff Motorsports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oliver Jarvis 1:44.297+1.09110
11GTD27 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Zacharie Robichon 1:44.362+1.15611
12GTD96 Flag of the United States.svg Turner Motorsport Flag of the United States.svg Patrick Gallagher 1:44.392+1.18612
13GTD Pro77 Flag of the United States.svg AO Racing Flag of Austria.svg Klaus Bachler 1:44.417+1.21113
14GTD Pro23 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of Spain.svg Alex Riberas 1:44.499+1.29314
15GTD45 Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Marcelli 1:44.504+1.29815
16GTD12 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Montecalvo 1:44.541+1.33516
17GTD78 Flag of the United States.svg Forte Racing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Misha Goikhberg 1:44.793+1.58717
18GTD57 Flag of the United States.svg Winward Racing Flag of the United States.svg Russell Ward 1:44.855+1.64918
19GTD70 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Inception Racing Flag of the United States.svg Brendan Iribe 1:45.020+1.81419
20GTD66 Flag of the United States.svg Gradient Racing Flag of the United States.svg Sheena Monk 1:45.069+1.86320
21GTD34 Flag of the United States.svg Conquest Racing Flag of the United States.svg Manny Franco1:45.348+2.14221
22GTD86 Flag of the United States.svg MDK Motorsports Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Kerong Li 1:46.754+3.54822
23GTD13 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg AWA Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Orey Fidani 1:47.306+4.10023
Sources: [10] [11]

Race

Post-race

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

Class winners are in bold and ‡.

PosClassNoTeamDriversChassisLapsTime/Retired
Engine
1GTD Pro1 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 862:40:49.112‡
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
2GTD Pro64 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Flag of Germany.svg Mike Rockenfeller
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Harry Tincknell 		Ford Mustang GT3 86+3.368
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
3GTD 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 Evo 86+4.199
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
4GTD Pro65 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Ford Multimatic Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Joey Hand
Flag of Germany.svg Dirk Müller 		Ford Mustang GT3 86+11.688
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
5GTD32 Flag of the United States.svg Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Mikaël Grenier
Flag of the United States.svg Kenton Koch 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86+16.103‡
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
6GTD Pro9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Pfaff Motorsports Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Oliver Jarvis
Flag of Germany.svg Marvin Kirchhöfer 		McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 86+16.404
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
7GTD Pro14 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ben Barnicoat
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jack Hawksworth 		Lexus RC F GT3 86+18.620
Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8
8GTD78 Flag of the United States.svg Forte Racing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Misha Goikhberg
Flag of Italy.svg Loris Spinelli 		Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 86+19.086
Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10
9GTD Pro77 Flag of the United States.svg AO Racing Flag of Austria.svg Klaus Bachler
Flag of Germany.svg Laurin Heinrich 		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86+19.754
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
10GTD57 Flag of the United States.svg Winward Racing Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Philip Ellis
Flag of the United States.svg Russell Ward 		Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86+20.017
Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8
11GTD96 Flag of the United States.svg Turner Motorsport Flag of the United States.svg Robby Foley
Flag of the United States.svg Patrick Gallagher 		BMW M4 GT3 86+20.311
BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6
12GTD Pro4 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Flag of the Netherlands.svg Nicky Catsburg
Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Milner 		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86+22.410
Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8
13GTD34 Flag of the United States.svg Conquest Racing Flag of Spain.svg Albert Costa
Flag of the United States.svg Manny Franco		 Ferrari 296 GT3 86+24.110
Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6
14GTD13 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg AWA Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Matt Bell
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Orey Fidani 		Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86+24.433
Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8
15GTD55 Flag of Germany.svg Proton Competition Flag of Italy.svg Giammarco Levorato
Flag of the United States.svg Corey Lewis 		Ford Mustang GT3 86+27.346
Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8
16GTD120 Flag of the United States.svg Wright Motorsports Flag of the United States.svg Adam Adelson
Flag of the United States.svg Elliott Skeer 		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86+28.220
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
17GTD12 Flag of the United States.svg Vasser Sullivan Flag of the United States.svg Frankie Montecalvo
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Parker Thompson 		Lexus RC F GT3 86+57.555
Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8
18GTD86 Flag of the United States.svg MDK Motorsports Flag of Denmark.svg Anders Fjordbach
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Kerong Li 		Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 85+1 Lap
Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6
19GTD45 Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Flag of Costa Rica.svg Danny Formal
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Kyle Marcelli 		Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 85+1 Lap
Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10
20GTD66 Flag of the United States.svg Gradient Racing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Stevan McAleer
Flag of the United States.svg Sheena Monk 		Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 72+14 Laps
Acura JNC1 3.5 L Turbo V6
21
DNF		GTD70 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Inception Racing Flag of the United States.svg Brendan Iribe
Flag of Denmark.svg Frederik Schandorff 		McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 68Engine
McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8
22GTD27 Flag of the United States.svg Heart of Racing Team Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Roman De Angelis
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Zacharie Robichon 		Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 86+17.000 [R 1]
Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8
23GTD Pro3 Flag of the United States.svg Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Flag of Spain.svg Antonio García
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 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

References

  1. ↑ Bradley, Charles (August 4, 2023). "IMSA reveals 2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar". Motorsport.com . Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "2024 IMSA Schedules Revealed at Road America". imsa.com. August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Dagys, John (August 14, 2024). "Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 Gets Power Increase for VIR". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "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. 1 2 "Michelin GT Challenge at VIR – Pre-Event Entry List" (PDF). imsa.com. IMSA. August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Dagys, John (August 14, 2024). "23 Entries for Michelin GT Challenge at VIR". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  7. 1 2 O'Connell, RJ (August 14, 2024). "23 Cars Entered For IMSA VIR GT Challenge". Dailysportscar. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "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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