Endurance... the sports car racing blog: August 2017

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Blancpain GT Sprint @ The Hungaroring

Coverage of last weekend's Blancpain GT Sprint races from the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary.

Strakka Reduces to Three Cars; Kodric to Make McLaren Debut

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/strakka-reduces-to-three-cars-kodric-to-make-mclaren-debut/

WRT Audi's Quickest in Opening Practice at Hungaroring
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/wrt-audis-quickest-in-opening-practice-at-hungaroring/

Vanthoor Sweeps Friday Practice Sessions
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/vanthoor-sweeps-friday-practice-sessions/

Vanthoor Secures Qualifying Race Pole at Hungaroring
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/vanthoor-secures-qualifying-race-pole-at-hungaroring/

From pole, to a race win. Marcel Fassler and Laurens Vanthoor win the qualifying race at the Hungaroring.

Fassler, Vanthoor Claim First Blancpain GT Win
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/fassler-vanthoor-claim-first-blancpain-gt-win/

Hungaroring Weekend Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/hungaroring-weekend-notebook-2/

Break out the broom! Laurens Vanthoor and Marcel Fassler sweep both races in Hungary!

Fassler, Vanthoor Survive Six-Car Lead Battle to Sweep Weekend

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/fassler-vanthoor-survive-six-car-lead-battle-to-sweep-weekend/

VIDEO: Hungaroring Main Race Highlights
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-hungaroring-main-race-highlights-2/

One more race remains in the Sprint championship for Blancpain GT. It will be held at the Nurburgring in Germany, in a shade over two weeks. Plus, at the beginning of October, will be the season finale for the Endurance Cup in Spain at Circuit de Catalunya Barcelona. Stay tuned for coverage of both of those races right here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog.

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

FIA WEC news headed into Mexico this weekend

As the FIA World Endurance Championship is poised for it's race in Mexico City, Mexico this weekend, there is a lot of news to take a look at, particularly, an idea that has been floated about having the WEC race during the winter months. Plus, the schedule may be set to be reduced from it's current total of nine races.

Perrin LMP1 Project Falls Through, Shifts Focus to Garage 56 Entry

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/perrinn-lmp1-project-falls-through-shifts-focus-to-garage-56-entry/

Doonan: DPi Would Be "Logical Step Forward" for WEC
http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/doonan-dpi-would-be-logical-step-forward-for-wec/

McLaren Evaluating DPi Program; Brown Pushing For Global Platform

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/mclaren-evaluating-dpi-program-brown-pushing-for-global-platform/

WEC Poised for Reduced Schedule, Possible Shift to Winter Calendar

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/wec-poised-for-reduced-schedule-possible-winter-calendar-shift/

Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Race Broadcast

The race broadcast of the Michelin GT Challenge from Virginia International Raceway, with commentary from IMSA Radio. Enjoy.

https://imsatv.imsa.com/video/082017/2017-michelin-gt-challenge-vir-broadcast

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

IMSA post-race news after VIR

Monday, August 28, 2017

Winner & highlights of the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway

It is a GT championship race today with only three races left in the championship. Risi Competizione is back despite the flooding and hurricane conditions in Houston, Texas. All the GTLM manufacturers are in it and so is GTLM. We’re green in the Michelin GT Challenge. Alex Sims and Joey Hand are pressing each other as a Lexus spins with Jack Hawksworth at the wheel. Daniel Morad and Kenny Habul are off the road. Alex Sims gets around Joey Hand. This is a legendary speedway that opened in 1957. They head to Oak Tree corner for the first time and Giancarlo Fisichella got swamped early on.

Alexander Sims is flying braking for the Roller Coaster downhill for the first time. Jeroen Mul in the Lamborghini gets around Laurens Vanthoor in the #912 Porsche and Giancarlo Fisich=lla is playing dodge ‘em cars with the Ford GT of Richard Westbrook. He’s fjghting Wrestbrook and Alex Sims is loving this because on cold tires he is trainlengthing everyone! Yikes! We watch in replay and Jack Hawksworth got tagged by and Audi and, crunch! It’s a racing incident. Lexus has had great speed but they can’t get the victory just yet.

Jeroen Mul has opened a gap on the #33 Mercedes of Jeroen Bleekemolen. The BMW is on softer compound Michelin tires, and then, the Ford is on another. Ben Keating is not here this weekend because of the Texas flooding. Trent Hindman is the stand-in driver in the Mercedes AMG GT3. Jesse Krohn is pressing and so is Sage Karam followed by Andrew Davis and Madison Snow. Jeroen Mul has the Change Racing Lamborghini in the class lead. Ooh! Karam slides and Davis makes the pass. This is really tight racing. Don’t run wide or you’ll pick up clag on your tires.

The BMW has less torque than the other GTLM cars do like the Corvette, or the Ford GT. Sims is three seconds to the good over the rest of the field so far.

Madison Snow is pushing and the Stevenson Audi has a major spin with Andrew Davis at the wheel of it. Yikes! Stevenson is back in contention for the championship. Davis may have a left rear tire cut down. The two Acura's are battling. Ozz Negri and Katherine Legge have cleared the #73 Park Place Motorsports Porsche. Andy Lally and Katherine Legge, have won two races so far this year. Davis is limping the Audi around. It's crabbing, suggesting suspension damage to the automobile. No action taken for the contact at the start by the marshals. Giancarlo Fisichella is pressing on and Toni Vilander says there may be more pace for the Ferrari at this stage before he takes the car over a bit later on.

Fisichella is dirt tracking the Ferrari, pushing to the limit after the argy bargy earlier. Poor old Fisichella is in a hole, but he'll come back after it ASAP. The #57 Audi is in pit lane to get the left rear tire change when the tire delaminated through the s curves on the back part of the circuit. They were on pace after the car was unloaded. But they have to fix this bodywork, suspension, and brake line damage, shoring up the left rear of the automobile. Fuel management is major. How far can the cars go on a full fuel tank? 55 minites. Two hours and 40 minutes is the time frame of the race. Tire compound, and track position are big. There is a sealer on the pavement and it magnifies things if you lose traction. This track is special at 3 and a quarter miles.

Lots of elevation and lots of overtaking spots. Down Madison Avenue at 170 miles an hour, and through the Roller Coaster, dropping elevation away. Manage the throttle and ride the curbs. Through Hog Pen, and back down the front straight down to turn one. Brake at the 150 foot marker. Squeeze power on, and the into a left hand bend. Use the curbs and all the road through The Snake, flying back through the esses again, grab top gear and fly at 158 miles an hour! This is an amazing ride! This track is something special. Fisichella and Laurens Vanthoor headed to the Rollercoaster, there was some contact. We saw an amazing finish here in 2014 of course.

Jeroen Bleekemolen fends off the challenge of Jesse Krohn in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3. He is racing here at VIR for the first time along with Jens Klingman. Neither of them had seen Road America last time out, nor had they seen this speedway. But they are doing a great job at the moment. These blokes are great racing drivers, and can adapt to any situation. VIR is another gorgeous speedway with well manicured runoff areas and lush green forests. Ohh no. The #24 Team RLL BMW M6 GT is headed for the house. John Edwards and Martin Tomczyk have tried and tried to win, but they just haven't been able to get things accomplished. They lost power steering fluid and thus the system went out. Alexander Sims in the sister BMW is pushing like no tomorrow, but he went off the road in the process. What a great young driver Sims is. This chap is a racer.

We have a steaming battle in GT Daytona with Patrick Lindsey, Jack Hawksworth, Ozz Negri, and Katherine Legge. Christina Nielsen has fifth, while Karam wants it. We also see the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes AMG GT3. Not sure who is at the wheel of that car. Will check. Daniel Morad is really going for it. Katherine Legge is complaining of aero wash on the Acura behind the Lexus. The GT3 cars are very aerodynamically dependent. Something got stuck under the gas pedal on the #73 Porsche. The team is not sure what is behind the pedal. Daniel Morad has a new seat that helps him feel what the car is doing while he's driving. Patrick Long brought a new seat for the both of them. The most important sensors for a driver, well... you know. It's the seat of your pants, literally.

Jan Magnussen is being chased by Richard Westbrook. Chevrolet is at an advantage over Ford right now. Richard Westbrook is Joey Hand's wing man. Tommy Milner and Antonio Garcia are both going for it. Milner could be holding up Magnussen at this stage. The next race is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California and more details on that race will come after we finish this one. VIR suits Lamborghini, although Change Racing and PMR, they haven't gotten it fully together this year. Jeroen Bleekemolen is still ending off the challenge from Jesse Krohn. Trent Hindman will take over from Jeroen Bleekemolen. Ben Keating is of course making sure his home is safe in Hurricane Harvey right now. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ben Keating and his family and with others surviving the storm.

But this is a wonderful opportunity for Trent Hindman. Hindman thought he would be a BMW junior driver. He ran in Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. So, he's had a REALLY busy weekend this weekend. Acura are in pit lane now after some crash damage. Many cars are carrying a Texas Strong decals. Katherine Legge got a good run into Oak Three but coming over on Sage Karam, things very nearly went pear shaped. Karam's hood flies up and Jack Hawksworth in the sister Lexus passes. Yes. Oh dear. Correction. Legg'e bonnet on the Acura flew up. Clag on the tires, and some dodge 'em cars. Legge cannot be happy with the Lexus boys.

Why is he playing games with me? That's the question Legge asks inside her helmet for sure. The stewards will review the incident. Jeroen Mul and Change Racing have dominated GT Daytona, along with his team mate Corey Lewis now driving the car. This is Mul's first race at VIR. Their sponsor, Lamborghini of the Carolina's is proud of their team in thir home race. For BMW fans, the #24 BMW Team RLL entry is back on track. One point separates the top two manufacturers in GT Daytona at the moment. Giancarlo Fisichella is making his way back through the field. Richard Westbrook says this track is very demanding and he's right. It requires 110% commitment. Daniel Morad is off the road. He slides on the grass and... crunch! Sage Karam has a penalty for unavoidable contact or an unavoidable accident. Morad went super deep into the corner, couldn't make the turn, and he slid into the Virginia dust, slamming the wall.

More off roading for MSR. The #3 Corvette tagged the Acura. Jan Magnussen into the brake zone, sticks the car down the inside, and spins the Acura which goes off into the tire wall. This race is really, really heating up. Yikes! Is there damage to the Corvette, leading GT Le Mans points? Porsche has really struggled and they didn't test the new mid engined car here. The 2016 notes are useless because the car is brand new of course. Sage Karam mistakenly went to his pit box and then realized he had to go to the penalty box farther down the pit lane.

The #25 BMW of Alex Sims continues to lead this race, and he's building a lead. Both factory Porsche's are pitting early to gain track position. Take a gamble. Alexander Sims is in the lane, too for full service and a driver change as Bill Auberlen takes over the car. Four new Michelin tires, and fuel, too. Sims and Auberlen want another win. Ford GT #66 won the most recent race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Alessandro Balzan and Scuderia Corsa are also in the lane. Balzan is in the car taking over from Christina Nielsen. Pit lane is a busy place. Here comes Ford #66 from the race lead. The #96 BMW is also in the lane with Jens Klingman now getting into the car. They wanted to regroup and take a few races off but don't have to.

Dirk Mueller takes over the #66 Ford. The Ford boys have three fewer liters available for their fuel tank for this race due to Balance of Performance adjustments. Corvette #4 the lane and so is Giancarlo Fisichella who locks the brakes into the lane! Whoa! Four new tires, and Toni Vilander will be at the wheel, as the data logging computer card is removed from the car. Oliver Gavin takes over the #4 Corvette from Tommy Milner. Ferrari passes Ford. Vilander vs. Mueller. Make hay while the sun shines. Risi Competizione uncorked a great stop as they fly through The Snake. Data is taken from race lap performance and Risi Competizione of course went out on lap one at Long Beach and Circuit of the Americas back in April and May.

Dirk Mueller is running on harder Michelin tires. The #4 Corvette of Oliver Gavin gets slammed by Ryan Briscoe in the #67 Ford GT. This is a huge championship battle. Release the brakes, squeeze, set up for The Snake, and it was definitely contact. Sad news for MSR. Game over for BOTH Acura's! 158 miles an hour through the esses and keep your foot on the throttle all through turn ten. There are villas that can be rentd to watch the races. Oh no! The #911 Porsche 911 RSR is off the road with Patrick Pilet at the well of it. He understeers straight off the road, and crunch! There's some sure damage for the Porsche. Mike Shank, team owner of MSR is none too happy with Sage Karam as a driver after the biff and barge with the Acura and the Lexus.

Just two races will remain after we are done here. Ooh! The #73 Porsche has a left rear tire down and grass in the front radiator grille which could cause overheating. It's high speed and poor old Jorg Bergmeister nearly didn't save that car. Sage Karam says he had traction issues and there was a squeeze play between both the Acura and the Lexus. Karam claims Legge ran into him, in an unintentional manner. But there are consequences for this incident. Karam claims it was not his fault. When Legge moved over, he also moved over crossing the line. Karam was penalized by the stewards. Temper your enthusiasm as a driver.

An intense conversation between Sage Karam and Mike Shank. Strong driving by both drivers in that earlier contretemps. Dirk Mueller is going for it. Toni Vilander into Oak Tree, and Dirk Mueller follows, by has a slip, going down another gear, while Antonio Garcia could smell blood and try to pass. Dirk Mueller has a loose condition in that Ford, bounding over the curbs. Whoa. This is intense racing. Oh! Mike Skeen has gone off the road in the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes AMG GT3. Not sure who his co-driver is. It could be Dan Knox. Bill Auberlen and Alexander Sims have great chemistry as a driver pairing. Just over an hour left to run in this race. Anything can happen. Two races remain after this one is done and dusted.

The Lexus team has the pace in the car but has a few other niggling problems. Pruett is throwing sand onto the road. Less than a half hour to go. Some of these teams are going to need a splash and dash with no yellow unfolding. Corey Lewis leads in the #16 Lamborghini, but Jens Klingman in the #96 BMW is closing and so is the #33 Mercedes of Jeroen Bleekemolen. Sadly, Bleekemolen is not in contention and is farther down the order. Alexander Sims leads this race by 12.2 seconds, and he's saving fuel, managing the gap to his rivals. The #62 Ferrari has dropped to sixth with Giancarlo Fisichella at the wheel of it. The Corvette is now second overall. Corvette could still be in the fight to win this race, along with BMW. The big picture is what drivers must think about.

It's great to see Risi Competizione back. But of course, Giuseppe Risi, being based in Houston, Texas, has also been affected by the hurricane and has to keep his shop safe. Ryan Briscoe is fifth in the overall in the #67 Ford. Martin Tomczyk is running well for BMW and he will race in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year for BMW with their new factory M8 entering sports car competition next year. Alexander Sims, though, he is the magic bullet in the sister RLL BMW to get to the end of this race. Lift and coast, that's how you save fuel in a race car. Bryan Sellers and Alessandro Balzan continue to battle in GT Daytona, but Sellers is low on fuel. Ooh! Alexander Sims and his competition,l get squeezed by the Park Place Porsche coming out of pit lane. Our leader has cleared traffic. Corey Lewis only just leads Jens Klingman in the #96 BMW M6 GT3.

Klingman wants to see Corey Lewis make a mistake, but Lewis is a top driver. We have under 15 minutes to go in the race now. the Balance of Performance in GT Daytona is working very well now. Dirk Mueller in the meantime is bounding over the curbs into Hog Pen on the front straightaway. There's a bonus point for fastest lap. Giancarlo Fisichella has run fastest lap at 1:41.2 and Tommy Milner and Dirk Mueller are banging on each other and the two crash into each other! Oh my! This is not good! Problems for the #25 BMW and a tire issue. It looks like the Ford and the Corvette are on track again, but there's lots of grass in the radiator grille for the Ford. In replay, we see boom... boom... screech! A spin for the Corvette as they touch, and Milner loses the rear end, turns ahead of Mueller, and bang!

Can Corey Lewis fend off Jens Klingman and Jeroen Bleekemolen? We'll find out as this race comes to a dramatic conclusion. Lewis is still withstanding the pressure from Klingman. We have just five minutes left to run now. Klingman closes under braking into The Roller Coaster. Poor old Bryan Sellers has to make a splash and dash fuel stop and a precautionary left rear tire change. The shakeup in the championship after this race will be pretty big. It will be just a two point swing, with two rounds remaining. There will be additional GT Daytona entries when we get to the finale at Petit Le Mans at the beginning of October at Road Atlanta. Stay tuned for that one as well.

There's some great stuff unfolding for 2018. As we saw earlier in the week, Penske will race for Acura next year. Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron will race in one of the cars. Pippo Derani is back with ESM. The Porsche Rennsport Reunion also returns next year. We see Jeroen Mul in the Lamborghini will a lot of pace. Toni Vilander uses Jeroen Mul's draft and here come Dirk Mueller and Antonio Garcia as well. Garcia does not want to force the issue as he is the GT Le Mans championship leader. Mul knows these blokes are in a championship fight. Bill Auberlen in the #25 BMW is pressing on well after Alexander Sims having a wonderful stint earlier on.

Young drivers get up to speed very well even in modern race car simulators. Virginia International Raceway is quite the challenge. This track has great natural topography for viewing the racing as well as grandstands. There is a fan friendly environment here, too. Toni Vilander vs. Dirk Mueller vs. Antonio Garcia. Vilander has a lot of body roll in the Ferrari, along with good traction. The Ford handles differently, and maybe a shade better than the Ferrari does. Garcia is not happy with Jeroen Mul in the Lamborghini. He fell back through lapped traffic. Gunnar Jeanette in the Porsche tried to let Garcia by but he still wasn't getting by right. The kids out watching the races are enjoying bouncy houses and slides, and having a lot of fun. Hmmm. Would the racing drivers want to slide down a slide or jump around in a bouncy house or "jolly jump"? Odds are, yes, and no. Don't land too hard on your throttle foot. Or, your braking foot for that matter.

Jack Hawksworth has his hands full with Bryan Sellers. Lamborghini vs. Lexus. Ooh! Three wide! Here comes the Lexus and Hawksworth can hit the bye bye button. Scott Pruett will take over Lexus #15 soon. Just over an hour to go. Trent Hindman is doing a superb job, keeping the #33 Mercedes AMG GT3 clean. Patrick Long is down a lap to the Hindman piloted Mercedes. The minimum drive time in GT Daytona is 45 minutes. Into the lane comes BMW #25. Bill Auberlen, out. Alexander Sims, in. Will these boys make it to the end on this fuel load? Bryan Sellers is in to fix a flat tire and replace it. It's an unscheduled stop. We have an hour to go now. Using the curbs may be playing into the tire issues we've seen in this motor race.

The Ferrari and the Ford GT pass the GT Daytona spec Ferrari 488 GT3. Can Corvette leapfrog the Ford's on fuel when they hit pit lane? We'll see. Fuel management and fuel mileage was a big deal we talked about before this race began. Corvette got more power and more room in the air inlet restrictor. IMSA said "we'll give you more fuel for more power. But you have to manage it." Jeroen Mul was out in the dirt and almost hit the WeatherTech Porsche! You can lose grip and get behind in your steering with the sealer on the track surface here at VIR.

The #16 Lamborghini is in the lane, and Jeroen Mul has handed the car over to Corey Lewis who says the team has to stay out of their own way in order to get to the finish. Mercedes #33 is in the lane, and so is the #62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE. There's a driver change for the Ferrari. There's a lot going on with the stop, so it won't be ultra quick. The fuel took a shade more time. Jeroen Bleekemolen is now at the wheel of the #33 Mercedes taking over from Trent Hindman. Dirk Mueller had more temperature in his tires on his outlap. Check that. The Ferrari's tires were warmer, while Mueller was out on stone cold Michelin's. Corvette now in the lane, both cars. They have the larger fuel restrictor for more power. Tires on for #3 and waiting on the fuel. But there's a stack up with the two team cars in the lane at the same time. Waiting on fuel on the #4. It works, but here comes Vilander!

This is the championship battle on the line! Garcia vs. Mueller. Through turn ten, and Garcia has the advantage. Mueller is looking, looking, looking. But Garcia has the advantage. The Corvette has the straightaway speed over the Ford, Ferrari, and Porsche in GT Le Mans with the air inlet change made by the IMSA stewards. Corvette wants to bury the Ford. The Ferrari is of no consequence to those boys. Will we see argy bargy? Last year, Ford and Corvette, the boys ran qualifying laps to get into a battle for the win. But BMW might be the winners this year. We'll find out in 45-46 minutes. The #15 Lexus of Scott Pruett and the #48 Lamborghini of Bryan Sellers are still fighting each other and there's a little love tap between the two of them.

The Lexus carries 93 liters of fuel, but they are missing five liters of fuel in the tank. 88 liters as opposed to 93 liters. Scott Pruett knows he'll have to make an extra pit stop... a splash and dash, before the end of the race. Scott Pruett and Bill Auberlen are the only two drivers racing here at VIR who have three wins to their credit, in sports car racing's modern era at this track. Dirk Mueller continues to push, putting in his fastest lap time of the race as there's more scuffling between the Lexus and the Lamborghini. Giancarlo Fisichella is only 15 seconds behind Alexander Sims. Corey Lewis' margin is just three seconds to the good over his competition. Jeroen Mul always drives in the simulator with no traffic, for practice, qualifying, and a race, at a technical college's race car simulator in his home country of the Netherlands.

Change Racing has had great pace, but horrid luck in 2017. Can they change that today? Alessandro Balzan tries to get on the power and goes slightly off the road as Scott Pruett is the target he is chasing. Scuderia Corsa has put more downforce on the Ferrari, but it hurts in traffic with the aerodynamic wash and a lack of grip in the twisty bits with multiple corners flowing into each other here at VIR on this incredible track. Oh no! At Oak Tree, Scott Pruett has crashed the #15 Lexus RC F GT3 into the barriers. He is pressured, gets sideways, and spears off the road... ker-runch!, into the tires.

If the Lamborghini #16 wins, it will be the eighth different winner in nine GTD races. Dirk Mueller got a warning after that fracas with Tommy Milner earlier on. The stewards have spoken. Hard racing that went pear shaped. Giancarlo Fisichella has rebounded after his off course excursion. He is still chasing Ryan Briscoe. We have the white flag next time by and Corvette may become the first brand to repeat as a winner here at Virginia International Raceway. Ferrari, Porsche, and Corvette, have all won here. Corvette could score two in a row. White flag to Corvette. One more lap of this lovely venue at VIR. Corvette put together a brilliant pit stop. Corey Lewis has also stretched the lead in GT Daytona. Stretch out your rubber band.

Ooh! Klingman will be close for the finish here as Lewis was balked by the Corvette. That rubber band just snapped for Lewis, perhaps. Garcia and Magnussen win at Virgina International Raceway! It's a repeat! The battle is still at a boil in GTD. But it looks like Change Racing will score the victory! Lamborghini win it!

Overall/GT Le Mans: #3 Garcia/Magnussen     Chevrolet Corvette C-7-R-
               GT Daytona: #16 Mul/Lewis Lamborghini Huracan GT3

Surely there were some incidents of beating and banging, but there were no full course yellow flags during this race. The next race of the championship, it will be the penultimate round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, coming up in a little less than three weeks.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

VIDEO: A Lap of VIR with Giancarlo Fisichella

Go for a lap of Virginia International Raceway with the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 GTE of Giancarlo Fisichella. Video is in the link. Stay tuned. A race report from VIR is coming soon.

http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-a-lap-of-vir-with-giancarlo-fisichella/

Saturday, August 26, 2017

What's the buzz at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday?

The latest news before tomorrow's race at Virginia International Raceway including reports from qualifying in both GT Le Mans and GT Daytona.

Hindman "Never Imagined" GTD Debut in Last-Minute Call Up
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/hindman-never-imagined-gtd-debut-in-last-minute-call-up/

Vilander Quickest in Practice 3 at VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vilander-quickest-in-practice-3-at-vir/

Mul Storms to GTD Pole at VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/mul-storms-to-gtd-pole-at-vir/

Hand Takes Ford, CGR to Fifth Pole of Season
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/hand-takes-ford-to-vir-pole/

VIDEO: VIR Qualifying Replay
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-vir-qualifying-replay/

Keene Leaves MSR for New Role at Action Express
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/keene-leaves-msr-for-new-role-at-action-express/

VIR Saturday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vir-saturday-notebook-3/

Stay tuned for a race report from Virginia International Raceway, coming soon. If there is late breaking pre-race news, it will be posted here, in the morning.

Friday, August 25, 2017

more IMSA headlines headed to VIR

More news and previews as we look ahead to IMSA and the GT classes (GT Le Mans and GT Daytona), racing at Virginia International Raceway this Sunday.

The latest Michelin GTLM Insider.

Michelin GTLM Insider: Counting Points
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/michelin-gtlm-insider-counting-points/

Continental Tire Keys to the Race: VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/ctscc/continental-tire-keys-to-the-race-vir-3/

VIDEO: VIR Preview
http://sportscar365.com/features/videos/video-vir-preview-4/

VIR Thursday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vir-thursday-notebook-4/

Acura has completed the first test session in the United States for it's new Daytona Prototype International race car.

Acura DPi Completes First U.S. Test
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/acura-dpi-completes-first-u-s-test/

More afternoon updates from Friday at VIR. This post, is being updated, in the evening.

Milner Quickest in Opening Practice at VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/milner-quickest-in-p1/

Hindman to Sub for Hurricane-Bound Keating
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/hindman-to-sub-for-hurricane-bound-keating/

Garcia, Corvette Top Friday at VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/garcia-corvette-tops-friday-at-vir/

VIR Friday Notebook
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/vir-friday-notebook-5/

Stay tuned for more news on Saturday, from VIR.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Grand PrixView Says Virginia Is For Grand Tourers

A preview of this weekend's IMSA GT action at Virginia International Raceway from nasportscar.com.

http://nasportscar.com/grand-prixview-says-virginia-is-for-grand-tourers/

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

sports car racing coverage the next two weekends

Yours truly, will do his best to have race coverage of this Sunday's all GT IMSA event from Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Virginia, with a full race report. As for next Sunday's FIA World Endurance Championship race in Mexico City, Mexico, there seems to be (at this time) just a two hour bloc of coverage for that one. Not sure the entire event will be televised, so, the race report for the 6 Hours of Mexico itself, could be slightly abbreviated. Will update if things change.

Rowe Withdraws Damaged No. 99 BMW from Hungaroring

A crash last weekend in VLN competition in Germany, forces Rowe Racing, to withdraw their second BMW M6 GT3 from this weekend's Blancpain GT Sprint series round at the Hungaroring in Budapest, Hungary. The car is too extensively damaged after the wreck, and therefore, drivers Antonio Felix da Costa and Phillipp Eng won't be able to race.

http://sportscar365.com/sro/blancpain-gt/rowe-withdraws-damaged-no-99-bmw-from-hungaroring/

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

more IMSA headlines

More headlines as we prepare for this weekend's IMSA GT racing action at Virginia International Raceway.

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo is set to start the second half of it's season at VIR this weekend.

Lamborghini ST Set to Kick Off Second Half of Season at VIR

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/lamborghini-st/lamborghini-st-set-to-kick-off-second-half-of-season-in-vir/

The latest Double Stint Podcast.

Double Stint: News Roundup; John Doonan Interview (8-22-17)
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/double-stint-news-roundup-john-doonan-interview-8-22-17/

...and

Magnussen, Garcia Seeking Repeat Victory at VIR
http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/magnussen-garcia-seeking-repeat-victory-at-vir/

Monday, August 21, 2017

Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway To Feature 25 World-Class GT Race Cars From IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship

For the second and final time in the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, the series’ two GT classes – GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) – will be in the spotlight throughout the two-hour, 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 27.

https://www.imsa.com/news/082017/michelin-gt-challenge-virginia-international-raceway-feature-25-world-class-gt-race-cars

Sunday, August 20, 2017

news from IMSA & the FIA WEC

A mishmash of news from both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Corvette Gets Power Increase for VIR

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/corvette-gets-power-increase-for-vir/

WeatherTech Racing to Continue with Porsche at VIR

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/weathertech-racing-to-continue-with-porsche-at-vir/

This news broke a few days ago. But, Acura is stepping up their involvement in IMSA next year, introducing their new DPi race car.

Acura Unveils ARX-05 DPi Contender

http://sportscar365.com/imsa/iwsc/acura-unveils-arx-05-dpi-car/

One sole article from the FIA World Endurance Championship as well. A driver lineup shift will occur for Manor's FIA WEC operation at their upcoming race in Mexico in a couple of weeks.

Hanley, Rao Join Manor for Mexico in Driver Shakeup

http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/hanley-rao-join-manor-for-mexico-in-driver-lineup-reshuffle/