GT World Challenge Delivers Competitive Action to Fans at VIR

For the first time since the March 2020 weekend at Circuit of The Americas, GT World Challenge hosted unrestricted fan access for the latest round at VIRginia International Raceway. Even with the typical oppressive heat that permeates VIR during the summer, sports car racing proved irresistible and the fans were treated to incredible action across several classes of motorsport.

 

SRO America assembles professional racing from production-like touring cars to purpose-built GT cars, and several stages in between. GT3 is the premier class running 90-minute races with a pair of drivers, with GT4 separately running its two-driver races as well. Touring cars range from the Honda Civic to the BMW M2 CS, and compete in single-driver races with each class running alongside each other. For the VIR weekend, the paddock also welcomed the Porsche Sprint Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo, delivering nonstop racing action throughout the weekend.

 

 

The perennial Porsche powerhouse of Wright Motorsports knows how to set up a 911 GT3R to compete for wins against anyone. Despite running in the Pro-Am class against a number of full Pro teams, the #20 GT3R stayed at the sharp end of the field throughout the weekend whether it had the relentless Jan Heylen or Fred Poordad at the helm. Starting 5th overall in Race 1, Poordad kept the #20 in the top 5 until the driver change, where Heylen took over and maintained the top 5 standing until the end, earning P2 in the Pro-Am class. Race 2 began with Heylen behind the wheel, who pressured the overall leader during his entire stint before Poordad hopped back in and cruised to a comfortable P4 and second in class once again as attrition claimed a number of competitors throughout the weekend. With these results in hand, the Wright team cushions its season points lead in the Pro-Am division.

 

 

BMW’s GT3 competitor is scheduled for imminent replacement, but Turner Motorsport is proving that the outgoing M6 is still more than capable of delivering results. The Pro tandem of Robby Foley and Michael Dinan steered clearly and consistently for a second overall finish in Race 1 and landed on the class podium in Race 2 as well. With the M4 GT3 on the horizon, the front-engined M6 is still powering its way onto podiums across the world.

 

 

In the first four rounds of GT4 America, the #47 Cayman GT4 of the Nolasport team was the example of dominance, winning overall each time out. After taking overall pole for Race 1 at VIR, it seemed those winning ways were destined to continue. This time, the overall winner was the #72 Mercedes of Murillo Racing, but the Nolasport Cayman came to the checker right behind it and still earned a class win to make it a perfect 5-for-5 on the season. But the unpredictability of a massive GT4 field, along with the unforgiving nature of VIR, meant that incidents would keep the #47 Cayman off the top step of the podium, settling for P2 in class and third overall. It’s certainly not a result anyone would complain about, but for a team so used to being the one to beat, second place can be tough to swallow.

 

 

In a spec field, which is essentially what TCX is as it consists solely of the BMW M2 CS, driver talent shines above the supposed advantages or disadvantages of BOP or a certain car. This alone make’s Jacob Ruud’s streak of success this season so much more remarkable. Every round of the 2021 season has ended with Ruud’s #81 M2 leading the pack and often by a considerable margin, and the story remained the same at VIR, though Race 2 shows as a tight gap simply because the race was concluded early by a red flag.

 

Luck rings true in shortened GT America sprint

 

The GT America series places a single driver against the field for 40 minutes, though Race 1 at VIR saw significantly less race time than that. Due to a variety of incidents, including a major one prompting a lengthy safety car period, the pole-sitting 911 GT3R of Charlie Luck found itself at the front of the field when the red flag turned to checkers. The win was Luck’s first overall this season, but adds to numerous class victories on the season including another in Race 2 of the weekend.

 

 

The multi-class nature of GT America makes for unpredictable moments, but the BMW M4 GT4 of Sean Quinlan stayed up front and out of the drama, winning both races from pole over the weekend. Quinlan pulled double duty in the #119 M4, also securing a second in class finish in Race 1 of GT4 America.

 

 

The Porsche Sprint Challenge offers aspirational racers a visible and accessible platform to hone their skills with factory race machines such as the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and the Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The series visits some of the most famous tracks in North America, but Round 4 at VIR saw the biggest turnout of the season thus far, with more than 30 cars taking the green for the race sessions. The field is divided between the 991.2 Cup car (Platinum), the 991.1 (Gold) and the Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Silver), but driver experience varies significantly among the field. Nonetheless, Alan Metni claimed overall victory in both races with Grant Talkie taking the Gold class, and Ben Waddell and Eric Filgueiras splitting the weekend in Silver.