Welcome, everybody, to the penultimate race of the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Time is of the essence as the championship is winding it's way towards it's conclusion. This is the first race of two this weekend, once again, featuring the production-based cars of IMSA. Grand Sport (GT4) and TCR touring cars, are ready to go. We have all the same usual suspects in the starting grid and on the entry list that you would expect for an MPC event in both classes. Familiar cars, and familiar driver lineups, that we have seen pretty consistently throughout the 2022 season. Let's have a look at our class pole sitters before we get up and running here at VIR.
In Grand Sport, it is Murillo Racing and their #72 Mercedes AMG GT4 on pole position while in TCR it is a Hyundai, but not the ones you would expect. It happens to be the #19 car, the van der Steur Racing Hyundai Veloster N TCR in the hands of Tyler Gonzalez who has taken the class pole, sharing of course with Rory van der Steur. The cars are on track, as we anticipate a start to this motor race. It's a major weekend of sports car racing as we have 33 cars ready to race. Leigh Diffey and Calvin Fish are in the booth. Trent Hindman mentioned how hot it will be but that the drivers and the cars will be tested indeed. Volt Racing have moved over to run with Wright Motorsports of course and Hindman and co-driver Alan Brynjolfsson have a lead, but not much of one over Eric Foss.
Murillo Racing have won three of the last five races. Jeff Mosing is back in the #56 Mercedes for the first time since Sebring. In qualifying he went off the road in the grass and crunched the wall. He will start from 20th place after having his qualifying times deleted after the shunt. 11 manufacturers among the 33 cars. Reporting from pit lane today we have Matt Yocum, who explains that Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis in TCR, they will have to deal with some very aggressive drivers. Kevin Lee, also in the pit lane to report today, the KMW TMR Alfa Romeo team, they are in this fight too, fighting the other Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai's.
The Alfa won both long endurance events this season as Roy Block is the starting driver. Okie dokie then. VIR is located just outside Danville, Virginia. Three and a quarter miles with 17 corners. Watch the elevation changes and the high speed segments. Turn one is a critical overtake spot and so is Oak Tree in turn 12. Down Madison Avenue and then from the Rollercoaster and into the final turn at Hog Pen, these are the key places to watch as we have many onboard cameras we will be enjoying the views of today.
The grid is formed up and calm, but things wll get extremely spicy as they already have been so far this year, in this penultimate race of the championships. Splitting the start of course. GS first, and then TCR. Cinch down those belts, we are underway on this 91-degree day in Virginia! Green flag and away we go! To the lead of the motor race is the Mercedes as Dillon Machavern slots into second and Michael McCann Jr. and Luca Mars are pushing and the TCR cars have their start. Tyler Gonzalez leads in class.
Oh dear. Michael Johnson in the #54 Hyundai Elantra with Stephen Simpson, he got pushed off into the grass. He had to check up and lost the rear end. Cold rear tires on a front wheel drive car. Kenny Mirllo leads Dillon Machavern and Michael McCann Jr. as Luca Mars is pushing his way down Madison Avenue chasing Matt Travis in the #47 Nolasport Porsche Cayman. The Mustang has the horsepower and it handles well and has good brakes. Alfredo Najri in the #14 Riley Motorsports Toyota Supra is also making inroads. Travis deep on the brakes, he has tho tuck in and now, Najri makes a pass on the Porsche driver. Problems early doors for Vinny Barletta in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4.
He can get the car back on track, but he and co-driver Robby Foley will be on the back foot. Jeff Mosing gives him a little nudge. In TCR, Tyler Gonzalez leads Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi as the van der Steur Racing Hyundai Veloster leads the two Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra's. So much downforce on the TCR cars, they fly through the corners and the overlap between them and the GS cars, is making things fascinating to watch. Hyundai have been very successful globally with the TCR formula. Phil Howard, David Brown, Bryan Herta, quite the group of people at BHA.
Trouble through for Mark Wilkins in the #33 BHA Elantra, starting caboose on the field. Into the lane he comes. The bonnet is being opened because there is a water leak. Fluid all over the windscreen. I wonder if this is a radiator leak and the team is investigating. Michael Johnson has good temperature and thankfully did not get grass in his radiator. Feast or famine for the boys in the #33 car. Driver and car fatigue attributed to hot temperatures in the dog days of summer, are what we are going to see as the Hyundai team is still trying tof igure out what on earth is wrong with the radiator. Also to the lane comes one of the Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4's.
There's eight side corner damage to the #56! Oh dear. This is Eric Foss and Jeff Mosing's car, in trouble early doors with only seven minutes of the race gone. Machavern challenging Mars down Madison Avenue here, look. Who gives way first? Mars goes back in front and says "I will keep that spot, sunbeam. Thank you very much." In replay, we can see Gonzalez getting balked by a Porsche Cayman and being passed by Harry Gottsacker as that Porsche Cayman was surely the cork in the bottle.
Again, lots of wide-open space here at VIR and lots of grass. Track limits? Track limits are the grass here, ladies and gentlemen. So, one false move and well, you are going for a ride. Down through The Rollercosaster they come. Back out on Maidson Avenue the TCR scrum is single file for the time being. We can see Gonzalez falling into the clutches of Gottsacker it appears. At the top of the shop in TCR, of course, Gottsacker is the one who has moved to the front. The Porsche Cayman that was the cork in the bottle that we saw, was the #66 car for Kelly Moss driven by Alec Udell and David Brule.
Murillo still leading Mars after earning his second 2022 pole. The fuel stint on the GS cars is 55 minutes. Manage the tires because it is tires that will have to be managed. Best qualifying effort of the year for Michael McCann in the #8 Porsche Cayman GT4. Mosing was the bloke who turned Vinny Barletta around and the damage is major but thank heavens did not get into the radiator. Kenton Koch, who filled in for Jeff Mosing, he is back here at VIR, supporting the team. Their home base is in Charlotte, North Carolina. Going for one, Jeff Mosing got one and a half for one. Koch has reassured himself as a driver this year competing for Murillo Racing in Michelin Pilot Challenge while Jeff Mosing was recovering.
Mosing is back racing today. Three wins for the Murillo team this year so far. But, for the #33 Hyundai, the Wilkins/Wickens car is headed for the house. Wickens wants a championship but it seems he might just have to wait until next year to restart his campaign. The car is overheating according to team manager, Phil Howard. Man oh man. What a heartbreak! It could be game over for them today and I think it is. Such emotion of the sport. The preparation, the simulator time, and you might not even get any seat time and your championship hopes go up in a plume of steam.
Jeff Mosing loses a piece of bodywork and they will have to fix the car during scheduled pit work. The sister Murillo Mercedes will have to make up some sort of difference. Poor Robert Wickens won't even get a chance to drive today and he will just have to watch from behind the pit wall, up on the Pratt perch. Gottsacker is leading TCR now by 1.1 seconds over the #99 Honda Civic of Victor Gonzalez as we see some argy bargy here ebtween Gonzalez and the #77 BHA Hyundai Elantra, Mason Filippi at the wheel of it. Luca Mars continuing to charge after Kenny Murillo in Grand Sport.
So, with nearly 20 minutes on the board, nothing has changed at the top of the shop yet. The dyno run down Madison Avenue once again, and now we see a battle developing between McCann and Travis and one between the #21 Mercedes AMG GT4 for Riley Motorsports and the #43 BMW M4 GT4 of Stephen Cameron Racing. Anton Dias Perera and Scott Andrews sharing the Mercedes and the BMW being shared by Sean Quinlan and Greg Liefooghe. Luca Mars has pushed his way to second and so we have Murillo, Mars, Machavern, McCann, and Travis, the top five.
The battle rages for sixth between Alfredo Najri who has it and Alan Brynjolfsson who wants it. Brynjolfsson is quicker than Najri but he has to do what he can and let Trent Hindman finish this motor race strong. 15 cars covered by 15 seconds in GS as Murillo Racing tapes the front end with Bear Bond on the #56 and fuels the car. The #56 is back on track now. Mark Wilkins has gone behind the wall with the #33 Hyundai. Robert Wickens says they cannot diagnose the proper issue yet, to take a deeper dive and hopefully they can get back out and Wickens can also learn more about how his hand control system works before the finale at Road Atlanta.
The stars could very well align at the finale at Road Atlanta which will be run at the very end of September. Wickens says that this deal is something they can't control and will just have to push. Wickens put in training in a sauna, doing neurocognitive training to overcome the constraints of his disability and acclimating his body, staying in a sauna for 45 minutes or so. He is very fit. Alan Brynjolfsson wants to go the long way past the Toyota which is slowing! Alfredo Najri is slowing. Something is wrong with the Toyota Supra. He is in a higher gear and cannot accelerate out of low speed turns.
What is the scoop with the Toyota Supra? We will have to see. Is it a probable tire problem? He slides into the turn under braking just fine and now the electronics on the car are playing up, reducing power in the engine. The excessive heat is making the car stall. Stay in clean air to cool the car down. That is the key. We are starting to see the attrition storyline. These production-based cars have safety measures to deal with the extreme heat that causes the engines to lose power. The drivers and cars are quite literally feeling the heat here in Virginia. That is for dead sure. Najri is indeed being passed left, right, and center.
Murillo, Mars, Machavern, Travis, Brynjolfsson, McCann, Plumb, Pesek, Najri, Galante, and Monk, the top 11 in Grand Sport. AMG Mercedes', Ford's, BMW's, Porsche's, and so on, all in the fight. Plus, the languishing Toyota Supra. TCR sees the top three as a Hyundai parade. Honda also in the fight and so far, we haven't heard a squeak out of the Audi's yet. Wondering where they are in all of this. Eric Rockwell in the #15 Belgard & Techniseal car is the highest placed Audi in the TCR serial. The #5 KMW TMR Alfa Romeo Giulietta is also back there, someplace. James Pesek, meanwhile, he is reeling in one of the Porsche Cayman's.
The man from Missouri is driving for his family team. They had a major win at Sebring, Pesek sharing with Chad McCumbee. Joey Hand is Pesek's co-driver today. He ran the NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen and he will be back for the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval later in the year. Joey Hand is sure he can win. Good to see Joey Hand in the race today and is also driving for Ford in NASCAR Cup. Things are tightening up at the front between Kenny Murillo and Luca Mars. Vinny Barletta is off the road in turn one, sktittering through the dust, going into the turn too deep.
So, he is back on the road trying to keep it clean. It has been a scrappy, scruffy weekend for a lot of drivers who have not been able to get much laps in Free Practice. Tons of grip in a GT4 car compared to a NASCAR Cup car even though the new Cup cars are quite similar to a sports car in terms of their handling. Kenny Murillo is also a young driver, who is an engineer and has worked with his family's team for a decade, since age 15. He wants to win as a driver and believes the Mercedes is built for this track. Luca Mars, at age 16, he wants to hand the car over in good shape to his co-driver, Billy Johnson. Bret Mars, Luca's father, he raced with Dean Martin and this Ford Mustang team at KOHR Motorsport. Billy Johnson has raced all over the world and says Luca Mars is the fastest co-driver he has worked with.
Mars was on pole at Road America just a few weekends ago. The Murillo Racing Mercedes continues on in the race lead while Harry Gottsacker for Hyundai is on his merry way in TCR. We can see a battle now continuing in Grand Sport between Sheena Monk in the Mustang and Michael Galante in the Porsche Cayman. JG Wentworth/PF Racing vs. Hardpoint. We've elapsed 40 minutes of the motor race and so in another 20 minutes this thing will be half over. How about that?! Mars is keeping in touch very much so, with Murillo in P1. This lead battle in Grand Sport has been the big kahuna for the whole race thus far, look.
Mars though, is about 4/10ths of a second quicker in lap time than what we see from Murillo. He is coming in a big hurry. They round Oak Tree corner. Son of Oak Tree is a mere sapling and is still growing. VIR is the place to be this weekend and the lead arm wrestle is getting hotter and hotter. No one is begging for mercy yet. Driver changes are now possible as we have passed the 40 minute mark and we see one of the Turner Motorsports cars, the #96 has been handed over to Robby Foley and in #95, now it is Bill Auberlen into the #95. The BMW M4 GT4's struggle in this heat and humidity as Don Salama, the "Ice Man" is working the strategy for Turner Motorsports, a driver himself in the past.
Alan Brynjolfsson, if things go so well, they could lock up the Grand Sport championship today. They would have an insurmountable lead headed for the season finale at Road Atlanta during Petit Le Mans weekend. Slicing the cake, with an hour and 15 minutes to go, 55-60 minutes is the target. Trouble for the #7 Aston Martin! Out of petrol! Alan Brynjolfsson is crawling and is a long way from home! He is down at turns one and two! Jeepers creepers! He is stuck. Legendary team owner and strategist, Kevin Doran, is assisting the Wright Motorsports/Volt Racing team. So, this is the second championship contender to hit trouble today!
Any of these GS cars ought to be able to go a good distance on petrol! The championship leader is dead in the water! Ouch! That really hurts! Feeling the sting of a dry fuel tank. Full Course Yellow, now. Full Course Yellow. Alan Brynjolfsson is now on the back of the tow truck as we see pit stop time for Grand Sport. The Murillo Mercedes is in the lane with Kenny Murillo handing over to Christian Szymczak. Billy Johnson has a chance to become the all-time winningest Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport driver. He wants a victory. He really does. Once car for this team instead of two as Luca Mars moves over to the #59 and they have leapfrogged the #72 in the lane! Wow!
Billy Johnson is serviced and sent. The Volt Lighting Aston Martin now crawls to the lane on the end of a tow rope behind one of the safety trucks. The top runners in TCR are Harry Gottsacker, Tyler Gonzalez, NMason Filippi, Victor Gonzalez, Taylor Hagler, A.J. Muss, and Michael Johnson and all of those cars bar one, are Hyundai's. Victor Gonzalez is the odd man out in the Honda Civic FK7 TCR as the TCR cars are in the pit lane for service, for tires, fuel, and driver changes. Now then, we see the #19 van der Steur Veloster and one of the Bryan Herta Autosport Elantra's as wel as the Belgard & Techniseal Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
Roy Block in the Alfa Romeo is the erstwhile class leader, but that might just change here in a lap or so. Rory van der Steur is now second in class. It appears the wave around past the safety car is happening and in replay, yikes! One of the race cars nearly makes contact with the bright yellow Porsche 911 safety car! Mama Mia! That was close! The Volt Racing Aston Martin has finally crawled it's way to the pit lane. The lollipop man on the crew points the car into the pit box. No real urgency which tells me that this may be game over. Wait. Never mind? The crew are changing tires. So now, the field assembles just behind the Porsche safety car.
We are ready to get back to racing but the Volt Racing Aston Martin are surely in a spot of bother. Poor Alan Brynjolfsson is baking in the heat inside that car and emotionally he must be fried as well. This is excruciating! We are into the race's second half. One hour down and now less than one hour to go. Bill Auberlen now assumes the Grand Sport lead. Auberlen, Hart, McAllister, Liefooghe, Johnson, Szymczak, Plumb, Davis, McQuarrie, and Pumpelly. So, we are getting closer to a restart. Different drivers now at the wheels of these cars.
The Volt Racing Aston Martin is now back on track with Trent Hindman at the controls. Alan Brynjolfsson must be spent. He will have to get some fluids and chill out as best he can. He has gone into the media center to get some air conditioning. Wow. He's hot. Everyone is. Trent Hindman will fight on and now, Billy Johnson and Bill Auberlen are going to be pushing and Jason Hart wants by Auberlen already. Green flag. Auberlen leads the motor race as the top four are on a different fuel steategy than everyone else. Johnson defends from Christian Szymczak. Joey Hand and Robun Liddell are pushing and so is Kyle Marcelli.
Look out as Owen Trinkler in the #64 TGM Porsche Cayman, there's hip and shoulder all over the shop here. Yikes! This is Michelin Pilot Challenge at it's best, and everyone has their elbows out. Sean McAllister being chased by Greg Liefooghe as someone drops a wheel in The Rollercoaster. Billy Johnson drove Ford Mustang's with Jack Roush Jr. many moons ago and he wants to break the wins tie with Matty Plumb. He is doing all he can to rattle Greg Liefooghe as Eric Rockwell goes off the road throug the exit of Hog Pen!
Wow. So, he picks up the curb and he swishes and sweeps across the grass as Bill Auberlen has Jason Hart right on his six. These two have raced each other in GT4 for many years. They are not in the championship fight. Both drivers just want to win this mot0r race. That's what they want. Rory van der Steur, Parker Chase, and Karl Wittmer, the top three in TCR. Hyundai Veloster vs. Hyundai Elantra vs. Honda Civic. The #98 BHA Elantra could have a fluid leak. You can see the different bodywork. Hatchback vs. sedan. Something is coming out of the overflow pipe from under the car.
Is that petrol? Is it water? Rory van der Steur now has rear end damage and he is losing downforce and he can't dreive the car. Now then, Parker Chase is monstering van der Steur as they fly down Madison Avenue! Holy mackerel! Will van der Steur go to the lane to get the bodywork torn away? Parker Chase takes the lead and that carbon fiber is now like a parachute on the back of a dragster. Parker Chase has done some stock car racing and so he knows how the argy bargy works and how to use the chrome horn. Bill Auberlen leading overall from Jason Hart and Greg Liefooghe. Poor old van der Steur, that bodywork damage has made a pig's breakfast of his motor race.
Five Porsche Cayman's all in a row from sixth to tenth in GS! McAllister, Plumb, Davis, Pumpelly, and McQuarrie. Billy Johnson in the Mustang also makes his move on Christian Szymczak in the Mercedes. The incident between the #98 and #19 TCR Hyundai's is under review by the stewards. Hart pressing Auberlen down Madison Avenue another time. Wittmer moves past van der Steur into second in TCR. Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler are getting into the picture. No further action on the scrappiness between van der Steur and Parker Chase.
Trent Hindman now back at the wheel of the #7 Aston Martin. Alan Brynjolfsson was devastated when the Aston Martin stalled. He was on his in lap. The engine died because of the heat and the ECU cooked itself. But they will be back at Road Atlanta for the season finale. Brynjolfsson and the team were steaming hot. He is fine now, having cooled off. It was not fuel. It was an ECU issue that cut the power to the car. Meantime, the TCR scrap is spicy as Wittmer is not letting Chase get away while poor old Rory van der Steur goes off in the grass in The Rollercoaster. Rory van der Steur has dropped like a stone from the top to sixth in class.
Denis Dupont, ana mazing driver in the #15 Audi RS3 LMS TCR. His car has the DSG gearbox. In the meantime, Billy Johnson is closing in, in third place as Christian Szymczak is right on his six while he is doing all he can to move around Greg Liefooghe. Luca Mars was having a real battle with the Murillo Racing entry. Circumstances have put Luca Mars into the car with Billy Johnson and now, Luca is working with a real veteran driver and they beat the Mercedes off the pit lane. Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan have won GT4 championships before and Steve Cameron knows these GT4 cars and especially the BMW's like the back of his hand.
Liefooghe has hot air he is running into from behind the other BMW of Bill Auberlen as the #47 Porsche Cayman has plummeted to 25th overall. Parker Chase has Karl Wittmer all over him. VCMG and Honda have won just once, at Sebring, with one race to go, the championship decider at Road Atlanta right at the end of September. Through the Left Hook they go. Chase, Wittmer, Lewis, the top three, with Tyler Maxson next up. The blue cars, the Bryan Herta Autosport cars are pushing and now, Gonzalez makes a mistake and Lewis makes the pass and here comes Tyler Maxson as well, on Karl Wittmer.
All these blue Hyundai's, someone send Bryan Herta cans of different colored spray paint so we can tell his cars apart. Wittmer ran wide and caught it but loses a place turning from Oak Tree onto Madison Avenue. Billy Johnson closing up again, look, on Greg Liefooghe. This is getting spicyu and here comes Christian Szymczak. He too wants to show up at this party, uninvited. This is a mighty scrap for position. Johnson, down Madison Avenue, you know he wants to give Liefooghe the rough end of the pineapple here. This is an intriguing three way fight.
Now, Wittmer loses a couple places to the Hyundai's and that Belgard & Techniseal Audi. The shaodws growing long here at VIR. Liefooghe is being given all he can handle with a BMW 1-2. Auberlen extending his lead as Billy Johnson is monstering Greg Liefooghe still as Christian Szymczak, too, he is pushing very hard. No worries for Auberlen. In terms of strategy, it is hard to tell how much fuel save cars gain under Full Course Yellow. The BMW's might not have enough gas. The top teams might need a splash and a dash before the motor race is done and dusted.
At Murillo Racing, Kenny Murillo, the data engineer, who is watching the race, he believes they are five laps short along with everyone else. So, we could see fuel mileage determine the race outcome. Murillo and company were surprised and now, a spin there for Liefooghe! Oh man! That was bonkers! There's scrapping too for the lead between the BHA Elantra's! In replay, Denis Dupont I think he got caught up with Liefooghe and Johnson and Johnson tags Liefooghe and sends him spinning on ye olde whirligig. Michael Lewis looking over at Parker Chase, "what on earth was that about, Parker? Give me a break!"
Lewis has a bit of damage to the #1 Hyundai as we have half an hour to go. Christian Szymczak is going for it as the stewards have the incident between #59 and #43 under review. #43 to the lane. Liefooghe is in and they wanted fuel but now the car is understeering, and they are now changing all four tires I believe, or only two, and he is down and away. Race Control will penalize Billy Johnson and KOHR Motorsports. In replay, Liefooghe to the inside, he hadn't cleared the apex and Johnson tagged him.
Drive through penalty, and you cannot take service. You have to serve the penalty and pit again next time 'round. Spencer Pumpelly and BGB Motorsports now in the fight. That is the #83 Porsche Cayman. Spencer Pumpelly sharing with Thomas Collingwood. The TCR battle continues on in earnest. Lewis, Chase, Wittmer, Maxson and the rest. The #59 Mustang still must serve it's penalty. Liefooghe now has to work his way through TCR traffic. Auberlen ekes out a gap on Billy Johnson and Liefooghe continues hanging right in there.
Johnson to the lane. Serving his penalty, he brings the KOHR Mustang to the pit lane. This is agony and Johnson will drop to seventh place or so as Joey Hand in the #40 PF Racing Mustang moves up. He comes out ahead of Owen Trinkler in the #64 TGM Porsche Cayman. Christian Szymczak might be bale to make it home but we are not sure. The rear fender is flapping on the left side of the #1 Hyundai Elantra and now, we ncould have a yellow, but the #19 Hyundai is now back on track. That's a wild spin through turn ten for Rory van der Steur! They were coming up aiming for the wine and roses but they will end up with jokers today.
The TCR cars go sideways a lot and the front wheel drive cars can indeed go sideways. Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler, they are looking for back-to-back MPC TCR titles. When will Bill Auberlen hit the pit lane? The winningest driver in IMSA with 65. GT4 in Michelin Pilot though does not count or there would be more victories. Bill Auberlen is just wringing everything out of that car that he possibly can. We don't know if #72, #46, or #83 can make ti to the end and now, Christian Szymczak is all over Bill Auberlen like a cheap suit. 20 minutes left on the board. Pumpelly is 13 odd seconds down on the lead battle.
Auberlen does not want to give up the lead. But here comes Szymczak! He really wants it down Madison Avenue. But Auberlen also needs clean air to the radiator. #72 has not won and they are way down the order and so is Auberlen and Machavern in the #95. Andrews, Plumb, Davis, Hand, Johnson, Owen Trinkler, and Eric Foss, completing the top ten. McCann Racing have had a frustrating 2022 season but they are getting better. How much longer can Bill Auberlen hold down the lead of the motor race? Will he crack under pressure? Will he stay with it? Will Christian Szymczak make further inroads?
Stay tuned to find out. We are approaching an exciting conclusion to Michelin Pilot Challenge here at Virginia International Raceway. Scott Andrews muscles his way past Spencer Pumpelly. Wow. A loose tire carcass now too, look, for the #93 Carbahn with Peregrine Racing Porsche Cayman! It could be game over for Tyler McQuarrie and Mark Siegel. Wittmer passes Chase in TCR as Lewis leads in class by a second and a half while Stephen Simpson is also doing all he can to make a move. Auberlen and Szymczak battling for the lead.
Auberlen is low on gas. Tyler McQuarrie's left rear tire had the carcass escape and so, the safety truck has come to his rescue. The wheel rim cut the tire apart and shredded the carcass off the car as Tyler Maxson is haranguing Parker Chase. The battle of the Hyundai Elantra's. The #65 Murillo Racing Mercedes of Tim Probert has spun after he was biffed by Greg Liefooghe. Liefooghe ran right over him. Probert sharing with Brent Mosing. Topping off the tank is a timed fuel fill and 48 seconds is a full fuel fill on a GS car.
Auberlen back in the race ahead of both Alec Udell and Robby Foley. Foley on a different strategy. Christian Szymczak has to fly and build a margin. Here he comes to the lane and has 12 seconds on Scott Andrews. The pit lane delta is almost half a minute. That includes the stop. So, Sztmczak is now between Andrew Davis and Joey Hand. Scott Andrews, the erstwhile leader in the #21 Riley Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT4 leading Spencer Pumpelly by three seconds with Matt Plumb next followed by Johnson and Hand. The rest of the top ten is Davis, Szymczak, Foss, Marcelli, Trinkler, and Auberlen.
The #22 Hardpoint Porsche Cayman is now stopped on the road as the Murillo car heads to the lane. We should see a late Full Course Yellow. Well, well, well. This shall put the cat among the pigeons before the end. The Hardpoint Porsche is now safely back into the pit lane. But it is game over for the duo of McAllister and Galante. They are back on track but out of contention. Not fully game over, but they are just also rans by now. Sean McAllister was indeed stranded and did get refueled after running the tank totally dry. We will have a major scramble in the closing moments.
Scott Andrews leads the motor race and he and Owen Trinkler pitted two laps later than everyone else. Andrews will be lifting and coasting. Emergency service under Full Course Yellow and if we are under Full Course Yellow in the waning 30 minutes, the lane is closed. It has been a tough year for the Plumb brothers in their Porsche Cayman who is now behind Spencer Pumpelly in the BGB Motorsports Porsche. Bill Riley says that the green flag laps nimber will be really close and they could very well roll the dice since they are not in the championship fight.
Billy Johnson and team boss Dean Martin at KOHR Motorsport are going for it. We are running out of time and we might get a one lap OK Corral shootout to end this thing. Michael Lewis is told his pace is good to the end and they have no fuel worries at BHA. Three and a half minutes to go as light are off atop the safety car. It will be a two lap dash. The #83 Porsche Cayman of Spencer Pumpelly is off the road! This could save the bacon for Scott Andrews because we might stay under yellow. He just pulled off. Is he in a safe haven? We do not know. He was crawling off the circuit. This will be a two lap dash. #83 ran out of gas. Game over.
Green, white, checker? No. Wait a minute. Two to go. This will be wild. Joey Hand is pushing hard and so is Andrew Davis! Christian Szymczak in there. This is going to be hot and heavy. Side by side stuff between Johnson and Davis. This is for the full Monty. The win at VIR. Wittmer running down Parker Chase in TCR as Joey Hand rounds up the #65 Murillo Tacing Mercedes. Hnda second to Andrews. Billy Johnson is running third around Szymczak. Agy bargy in Oak Tree as Tyler Maxson passes Karl Wittmer. Andrews will see the white flag with a swarm of angry contenders right behind.
One lap to go. Wittmer off the road and Maxson spins Wittmer out and he saves it! Wow! Well done Karl Wittmer as Andrew Davis spins out. Foley and Auberlen fighting in the top ten. Anton Dias Perera watching his co-driver nurse this Mercedes to the line. Michael Lewis could win BHA #1's first TCR race of 2022. Joey Hand and Billy Johnson fighting for position in their Mustang's. Johnson will send it past Hand. Everything to play for and the Mercedes is out of fuel! He's out of fuel! Joey Hand vs. Billy Johnson for the win. This is hot!
It's a drag race to the end and James Pesek and Joey Hand win at VIR!
Overall/Grand Sport: #40 Hand/Pesek PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4
TCR: #1 Lewis/Hagler Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Scott Andrews cannot believe his luck. He had to back out of it. Michelin Pilot Challenge, delivers, once again, here at Virginia International Raceway! ...And then, there was one. One more race in the 2022 season, at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia, to settle the championship for 2022 to be run on the Friday of Petit Le Mans weekend, the final day of September. September 30th. Join us in the red clay hills of north Georgia, for the thrilling conclusion to an incredible season. See you soon. Stay tuned too, tomorrow, for the GTD Pro/GTD race for the WeatherTech Championship. That will be a hotly contested motor race as well.
See you tomorrow. For now, good night, from Virginia International Raceway.
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