Hot Times at One of the Coolest Tracks Are Expected
August 24, 2023
By David Phillips
IMSA Wire Service
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – This weekend the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship heads to what many call motorsports’ version of Augusta National Golf Course: VIRginia International Raceway. Since its Y2K rebirth, VIR’s meticulously groomed 1,300 acres have set the gold standard for fan-friendly aesthetics while its numerous road course configurations have challenged amateur and professional race drivers alike.From Friday through Sunday, some of the world’s top sports car drivers will tackle VIR’s 17-turn, 3.27-mile “Full Course” layout in the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, the second and final time the WeatherTech Championship’s GT Daytona (GTD) and GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) competitors take center stage this season. Déjà Vu All Over Again?In July, the Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3s ran the table at Lime Rock Park, with Ross Gunn and Alex Riberas piloting the No. 23 Aston Martin to the GTD PRO win and Roman De Angelis and Marco Sorensen taking GTD honors in the No. 27 Vantage. Is it déjà vu time? Is another Aston Martin sweep in the cards this weekend?It’s a distinct possibility. Although VIR is a decidedly different kettle of fish than 1.5-mile Lime Rock, both Heart of Racing entries factored into last year’s event at VIR, finishing runner-up in GTD and P4 in GTD PRO. And while the No. 27 Aston Martin finished a disappointing seventh in GTD three weeks ago at Road America, its sister car won in GTD PRO.As for last year’s Michelin GT Challenge, the Pfaff Motorsports No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R led Corvette Racing’s No. 3 Corvette C8.R GTD home to the GTD PRO win from the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, with the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 garnering top GTD honors ahead of the No. 27 Aston Martin and Paul Miller Racing’s No. 1 BMW M4 GT3. Given their strong form so far in 2023, PMR’s Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow figure to be the pair to beat this weekend as they look to pad their comfortable lead (205 points) in the GTD standings with a fifth win of the year. Likewise, last year’s third-place GTD PRO finishers at VIR (Vasser Sullivan’s Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat) return atop the ’23 class standings, with a 169-point margin over Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Corvette. The No. 14 Lexus has two wins in ’23, one more than the No. 3 Corvette. If Garcia and Taylor hope to challenge for the GTD PRO title, they would do well to add a second win to their total this weekend. Conversely, Hawksworth and Barnicoat could take a major step toward securing the GTD PRO crown with a win at VIR.An Overdue ‘W’ (or Two)Speaking of GTD PRO, last year’s winners at VIR, Pfaff Motorsports, has just one win so far this season. That’s not a complete surprise given the team features a new driver lineup with Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler piloting the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). That said, the plaid Porsche has four podium finishes to complement its Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring victory and surely must be considered a likely contender this weekend. Similarly, Inception Racing’s No. 70 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO comes to VIR in search of a first “W” in its first full GTD season. The Inception entry has been knocking on the proverbial door lately with a pair of runner-up finishes in the past three races and six top-six finishes in 2023 overall. Few would be surprised should Brendan Iribe and Frederik Schandorff steer their McLaren into victory lane at VIR.Keep Your CoolThe good news is the forecast calls for moderate temperatures on race day of around 85 degrees after starting the weekend in the upper 90s on Friday. Humidity readings are likely to remain high and make for an uncomfortable day in the cockpit and along pit lane; one that will challenge drivers and their crews to keep their cool – physically and mentally.The drivers will also be well advised to keep their Michelin tires, if not cool, then within the range of optimum operating temperatures. Any driver who overcooks one or more of their car’s four contact points with the racing surface will face an uphill struggle to make it to their scheduled pit stop window (or the checkered flag) and make each lap of the Full Course seem much longer than its 3.27 miles. |
