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