| August 21, 2020 By Jeff Olson IMSA Wire Service  ALTON, Va. – Practice Under Way at VIR The first practice session for the Michelin GT Challenge is already in the books. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship machines took to the 3.27-mile, 17-turn layout at VIRginia International Raceway bright and early, with an hour-long practice session from 8-9 a.m. ET Friday. Laurens Vanthoor posted the quickest overall and GT Le Mans class (GTLM) lap of the session in the No. 912 Porsche GT Team 911 RSR-19 at one minute, 41.550 seconds (115.922 mph). He was 0.386 seconds quicker than his next closest competitor, teammate Nick Tandy in the No. 911 Porsche. WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) points leader Jack Hawksworth led FP1 for the GTD class, running a best lap of 1:45.264 (111.832 mph). He was a scant 0.076 seconds quicker than Patrick Long in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R and just 0.148 seconds quicker than Bryan Sellers, who was third in the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3. The WeatherTech Championship machines return to the racetrack for another practice session from noon-1:15 p.m. ET. Qualifying for the Michelin GT Challenge is scheduled for this evening at 5:35 p.m. ET and is streamed live on IMSA.com. VIR’s Familiar Vibes Suit Porsche Team VIRginia International Raceway reminds Nick Tandy of home. “It’s one that reminds me of the tracks in Europe and especially the U.K. that I grew up on – in the trees, up and down on the hills, quick, fast and flowing,” said Tandy, a native of Bedford, England. “(It’s) really nice to drive on. Typically, it’s been a racetrack that has suited the Porsche team previously.” That’s the hope this weekend as Tandy and his Porsche GT Team teammates return to the road course in Alton, Virginia. Tandy will team with Fred Makowiecki in the No. 911 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR-19 in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, while Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor will share the team’s No. 912 car. Bamber and Vanthoor are 10 points behind the No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C8.R co-driven by Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in both the driver and team standings in the GTLM class. They’ve recorded two podium finishes this season. “We’re there,” Vanthoor said. “We have the speed. We seem to be fighting against the Corvettes most of the time, but we’ve had our share of mistakes and not executing 100 percent. We understand why and are more motivated than ever to turn it around and start beating everyone.” The No. 911 car is fifth in GTLM standings after the first four races of the 2020 WeatherTech Championship season, with a top finish of third in the IMSA WeatherTech 240 At Daytona in July. Returning to VIR, where Tandy and Patrick Pilet drove the No. 911 car to victory last year, provides the team with confidence. “It’s a fast track, so you need downforce,” Tandy said. “But there are some slow-speed turns, as well. Our car is a short wheelbase car against the opposition, but we’ve been good on tight turns. Also, it looks like the new car is good in high-downforce areas. … Everywhere you go, it’s kind of a hot-lap situation, whether you can get a tire working within the window for the track temperature and the track condition.” The GT-only format – the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) and Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) classes have the weekend off – also gives Porsche GT Team enthusiasm. “Obviously, you take the green flag (near the front), and if you’re out front you take the checkered flag up front,” Tandy said. “This is always a really nice feeling. We haven’t had the best run of late in the car, so we’re looking forward to getting back to the racetrack after a little break and getting back into the season.” In the end, it will be all about execution, Vanthoor said. “The good thing about it is that we know we have the tools and the speed and people and team to do it,” Vanthoor said. “Now if we can just execute a little better, I’m sure we can give everyone a very hard time.” Simpson Skipping Spotter’s Stand at Indy for VIR Seat TimeIn any other year and under any other circumstances, Stephen Simpson would be perched high above Turn 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon, talking to JR Hildebrand by radio. Instead, Simpson will be strapped into an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race car at VIRginia International Raceway. Simpson’s streak as one of Hildebrand’s spotters for the Indianapolis 500 will end at four when Simpson climbs behind the wheel of the No. 54 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR on Sunday for the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix. He will team with co-driver Michael Johnson. The change is happening because of the chaos that hit racing schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Normally a May institution, the Indy 500 was moved to August. Simpson was booked to compete at VIR on the same day. Simpson said he’s never experienced a scheduling conflict between his spotting and racing duties. He helped with spotting during Indy 500 practice and qualifying but surrendered the role for Friday’s Carb Day practice and Sunday’s 104th Indy 500 to be at VIR. “I hope this is the last (time it happens),” Simpson said of the conflict. “Having been spotting for practice and qualifying weekend but not being able to do Carb Day and race day is disappointing, but I’m happy I’ll be racing.” Simpson, who left South Africa to pursue a racing career in the U.S. in 2006, is a longtime friend of Hildebrand, a native of Sausalito, California. Hildebrand said he’ll miss Simpson’s skills during Sunday’s race, but is proud of his friend’s racing accomplishments. “We understand that he has a racing career, too,” Hildebrand said. “He is an excellent spotter as he is a racing driver and has that mentality during a race for us. He can see things for me that could be happening in front, behind and next to me on the track.” Simpson’s résumé includes seven seasons in various IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes with JDC-Miller MotorSports, including victories at Daytona, Long Beach and Watkins Glen. He previously competed in the A1 Grand Prix, the Champ Car Atlantic Series and the Indy Pro Series (now Indy Lights). His racing experience helps his spotting skills, Simpson said. And vice versa – spotting helps his racing career. “Being a driver helps me be a better spotter because I can understand what the driver is going through while on track and I can adjust the information, how much and how specific the info I need to give depending on the situation,” he said. “I also think it helps me as a driver because there is always more to learn, and being involved with a team for the Indy 500 and in a role other than driving gives me an opportunity to learn things I wouldn’t be able to if I was in the driver’s seat.” Sunday’s Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold starting at 2:50 p.m. ET. It will be televised on NBCSN on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 5 p.m. ET. Programming UpdateSaturday’s two-hour, 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge is available live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN television coverage airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 10 a.m. ET. |
