This past weekend, IMSA made a pit stop at VIRginia International Raceway. On tap were the WeatherTech Championship Michelin GT Challenge, VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, and Mazda Mx-5 Cup.
TRACK DETAILS
For those new to IMSA or VIR, here are some quick facts. The track is located in the small town of Alton, Virginia which is found along the Virginia/North Carolina State Border.
VIR offers five track configurations, two of which can be run simultaneously.
The Full Course is 3.270 miles in length while the Patriot Course stretches for 1.100 mi. The Patriot Course is entirely inside the Full Course.
The North Course is 2.250 mi and the South Course covers a distance of 1.650 mi. Both consist of a portion of the Full Course and short connecting sections. These sections connect to portions of the Patriot Course to produce the two courses that can be run simultaneously.
IDEMITSU MAZDA MX-5 CUP
On Saturday, the weekend kicked off with the Idemitsu Mazda Mx-5 Cup where one rookie rose to the top. Nate Cicero, running the No. 83 for McCumbee McAleer Racing, made his rookie debut. Here he beat out the entire field, along with the reigning series champion Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering).
Cicero capped this win off with a photo finish where he won by a small margin of only 0.057 seconds against Thomas.
The first and only full-course caution of the race came on Lap 15 when the No. 87 of Selin Rollan with Hixon Motor Sports got himself caught up in the tires of Turn 17.
MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE
In the Michelin Pilot Challenge, it was the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R fielded by drivers Robin Liddell and Frank Depew who took it home in the first position.
WEATHERTECH CHAMPIONSHIP
In the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, the GTD and GTD Pro classes were the only classes of the WeatherTech Championship making laps around the circuit. However, it was the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTD PRO of Jordan Taylor along with Antonio Garcia who brought home a victory at VIR for GTD Pro.
Finally, in the GTD class, it was the No. 14 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 that brought in a win.Â
NEXT IMSA EVENT
Next, IMSA will be making its long-awaited return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course since it was last there in 2014. This will take place on the weekend of September 15th-17th.
Racing at the famous Racing Capital of the World will be three IMSA-sanctioned classes: the WeatherTech Championship, the Michelin Pilot Challenge, as well as the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup of North America.
