Good morning, everybody, and welcome back to Daytona International Speedway as we prepare for race two of the weekend for the new IMSA VP Sports Car Challenge. This is the appetizer. Save room, because the main meal and dessert of this day of racing is coming up soon with qualifying for the Rolex 24 and the debut of the new IMSA GTP cars! I cannot wait for that! Watch it on IMSA TV or on Peacock and we shall discuss it, later this afternoon in a recap. Yesterday in VP Challenge, to recap, we saw wins in LMP3 for Dan Goldburg in LMP3 and Billy Griffin in GSX. Will they repeat? Will we see new winners today? Stay tuned to find out.
A good book makes you want to turn the page to the next chapter. Ditto for the VP Sports Car Challenge. This is going to be a fun race to watch just as it was yesterday. Race one yesterday was fabulous. We join Brian Till and Jeremy Shaw once again for today's race and many drivers have made their first professional racing start in yesterday's race. Today they are a little more relaxed but charged up to get ready to go. We have LMP3 and GT4 cars in this race today. 45-minute sprint race with one driver and no scheduled pit stops. If you come to the lane in this race, you are in a spot of bother.
For the GSX drivers the next rung on the ladder is the Michelin Pilot Challenge and for LMP3 it would be the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship in LMP3. So, once more, Dan Goldburg is at the top of the shop. Yesterday, Bijoy Garg made a pig's breakfast out of the first corner. However, he shall do better today, certainly. Okie dokie then. We are set to race. Safety car to the pit lane. Green flag and away we go! Goldburg gets the jump and into turn one for the first time, Courtney Crone slides inside Bijoy Garg for second. Lance Willsey went across to the inside before the start/finish line.
Again, you cannot do that. A clean start for the GSX cars. The ambient and track temps are warmer today than they were yesterday, and sunshine rather than clouds. So, Lance Willsey dropped out of his column before the start/finish and the stewards shall have a Captain Cook at that. Dan Goldburg leads the motor race and oh, someone is buried in the tires. #54 in turn six. He has crunched the tire wall. That is the #54 of British driver and New York City native, Adrian Kunzle. Full Course Yellow and the wind is up at ten knots to the south gusting to 21 knots!
The handling is going to be a bear, pinning the nose under braking and getting loose in the corners into the Bus Stop/Le Mans chicane. That shall be something to look at as we have a crisp and sunny Sunday morning here at Daytona Beach. The LMP3 cars have a fixed gear cluster but they will carry less speed in the trioval and more speed down the backstretch and into the chicane. The GSX cars will dance around more into the corners. Adrian Kunzle has GT4 experience. But this is his first weekend in a prototype. The safety crew rescues the car. Kunzle is back on his merry way and maybe that marshal could be a cricket player. A very athletic bloke.
In GSX, Sebastian Carazzo in the Kelly Moss #27 Porsche Cayman leads in class after starting third on the grid, the Puerto Rican driver, followed by Moisey Uretsky in the Aston Martin and yesterday's winner Billy Griffin in the Mustang in fourth place. Fourth on the board is James Walker Jr. in the BMW M4 GT4. Billy Griffin is using his head again today just as he did to win the motor race yesterday. He was a skosh quicker than Moisey Uretsky and Sebastian Carazo got together with Todd Coleman early doors yesterday.
Sebastian Carazzo raced Porsche Carrera Cup with IMSA for a few years and now is in a GT4 car. He also ran in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. Courtney Crone is right on Dan Goldburg's gearbox as we restart the motor race. You can go as soon as the green is out and poor old Lance Willsey is dropping like a stone, getting together with Mirco Schultis. The German driver has run well in Prototype Challenge and in other championships as well. Now then, Sebastian Carazo passes Scott Neal. Scott Neal has spun out of turn six and clanged the wall.
Moisey Uretsky is giving Sebastian Carazzo a tough run for his money and Carazzo dips a wheel and Uretsky is right on his six, look. Through the banking they go and here comes Billy Griffin in the Ford Mustang as well. Cayman, Aston Martin Vantage, Ford Mustang. Todd Coleman in another Aston and Rob Walker in the BMW M4 GT4 are right in the frame as well. Dan Goldburg, car #73 continues leading the motor race as we look again at the Schultis and Wilsey shemozzle and somehow or other, Wilsey was caught napping while Brian Thiennes had a head of steam in the US Racetronics #77 entry. Bijoy Garg has gone around Courtney Crone.
Brian Thiennes is pressing hard, two California-based drivers. Patrick Willmot too, scored a podium yesterday but then he was disqualified for non-homologated part in the GT4 Aston Martin by the IMSA stewards. Willmot in another BMW M4 GT4. This is a thrilling battle between about eight GT4 cars. Vincent Barletta in the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 is also right there. You have a Mustang, an Aston Martin, and at least two iterations of the BMW M4 GT4. The G82 model vs. the F82. From the front you can tell them apart and from the back with the rear wings being completely different. Whoops! Coleman and Walker both off the road and now back into the gas pedal but he lost three spots througn the Le Mans chicane.
Goodness me. Goldburg leads Garg by 1.3 seconds and the GT4 scrum is right together. These blokes are really fighting hard, and they have to. Willmott is looking to latch onto Coleman's tail. Tim Probert and James Walker Jr. are also in the fight. The tough part is being patient, but it is hard to be patient in a short race like this one. Meantime, Brian Thiennes has a mirror full of Lance Willsey and Courtney Crone is up ahead. Moisey Uretsky is giving Sebastian Carazo a tough run for his money and the same is true with Billy Griffin. Griffin has run these GT4 spec Mustang's for a good while.
Hold the phone, folks. The scoreboard says checkered. Don't believe that. It is not done yet. We continue to watch this GSX battle. Lap times similar for these leaders but the cars make the lap times different. The Cayman and Mustang have the straightaway speed. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses on track. Where do you attack? Where do you defend and protect your line? Sebastian Carazzo has far more experience than he used to. OK. 26 minutes left to go. The clock is working again. Carazzo has driven several different Porsche's over the years.
Todd Coleman now sixth in class, the car is very strong under braking. Maybe the Aston Martin has better power delivery. You need a car on corner exit that has the power when you mash the gas after the Le Mans chicane. Nearly halfway home as we watch this chess game on wheels. Criminy! Here comes Griffin! He really wants it! That's a tall drink of water, though, mate. Uretsky wants by Carazzo. This is really simmering nicely in GSX, thank you. Willmott is closing in and fast. Check this out!
In LMP3, the leaders are close together. Dan Goldburg has uncorked fastest lap of the motor race leading Bijoy Garg by nearly two and a half seconds with Courtney Crohn in third spot. Wilmott is in the four-car scrap for the GSX lead. Dan Goldburg though, he is once again on a Sunday drive although he clipped the curb and maybe hit some debris. Maybe a dive plane came off a GSX car. That is not Goldburg, it is Garg, as Walker takes the scenic route to an advantage like Jim Farley in the Mustang did yesterday. Goldburg clipped a dive plane that fell off a GSX car, one of the production cars.
Moisey Uretsky is reeling in Sebastian Carazzo hand over fist. Meanwhile, Sebastian Carazzo is playing this one smart and wants to maximize the points haul he is going to get as the season continues. Patrick Wilmot is coming in a hurry trying to pass by Griffin. Both the Mustang GT4 and BMW M4 GT4 are coming to the end of their competitive lives having been around since 2017. There will be a new Mustang GT4 coming as well as seeing the new GT4 BMW as we have today. Patrick Wilmot had a loose rear toe link on his car yesterday and the team had to fix it. The springs on the car were not the proper homologation which was a total mistake from the team.
Yikes! Billy Griffin slides into the Le Mans chicane and almost clobbers Moisey Uretsky! Uretsky was a lucky chap! He loses spots. Patrick Wilmot says, "thanks, mate. I'll take that spot." Dam Goldburg leads Bijoy Garg by just over a second as they work through the lapped GSX traffic. This formula with the LMP3 and GT4 cars running together really works well with the single driver and are not sharing a car with a second driver like some of the other IMSA championships. Bijoy Garg wants an opportunity to give Dan Goldburg a run for his money.
In GSX, speaking of a run for the money, Billy Griffin tries Sebastian Carazzo againa nd poor old Griffin goes wide. Carazzo keeps the lead and now, Frank DePew in the #72 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R has a flat tire! That's not good. DePew also competing next weekend in the season opener for Michelin Pilot Challenge, and you will read all about that race coming up on Friday of next week, so stay tuned. Bijoy Garg has a massive crunch in Free Practice and it needed to be reapired and Garg spins off the road! Goodness me!
That was out of the Le Mans chicane, also known as The Bus Stop. The LMP3 cars have traction control but the drivers turn down the settings and feel they don't need t use it. A four-way GSX lead battle. look. Carazo, Willmot, Uretsky, and Griffin and contact for Willmot getting biffed by Moisey Uretsky through the International Horeshoe! Egad! Willmot was doing nothing wrong and so he will be discouraged by that. Game over. He cannot be happy. Simmer down, Patrick. What a heartbreak for the Split Decision team. Crone, Thienes, Willsey, second, third, and fourth in LMP3. Big trouble for Uretsky with a loose diffuser under the car.
Just over 12 minutes left in the motor race and Dan Goldburg wants the race to stay green. Goldburg leads Thienes by 12 and a half seconds, and he cannot afford a Full Course Yellow. Not now. Mustang, BMW, Aston Martin in GSX. Jim Farley, the Ford CEO is moving up and fast. He s scrapping with Francis Selldorff and Moisey Uretsky. Farley owns a Lola prototype, a Ford GT40, and a Shelby Cobra. A total car guy. Moisey Uretsky will cop a penalty for the fracas with Willmott. Farley's driver coach Scott Maxwell says he did everything right.
In vintage racing you pass cars but wheel to wheel racing is frowned upon. He is learning quickly how to be a semi-professional gentleman driver. Uretsky serves his drive through penalty as car #18 spins, Mirco Schultis, in the International Horseshoe. He got into the clag and dropped a wheel in the grass. With the bodywork off the left front, that car cannot be handling well and must be steering like a pig. Farley scrapping with the BMW M4 GT4 #19 of Sean Quinlan. The LMP3 streaks past. Farley must learn to use the faster cars as a pick and he is learning that right now as we speak.
Courtney Crone in third place. Bob Stallings and Gainsco, support Courtney Crone in this race. They were a fixture in the first couple seasons of the WeatherTech Championship many moons ago. Courtney Crone was a west coast short track racer and is now in sports car racing. She is doing all she can to chase down the US Racetronics entry with Brian Thiennes at the wheel of it. Griffin vs. Carazo in GSX. Mustang vs. Porsche Cayman. Griffin has the straightline speed while Carazo will have the handling in the Porsche. The Cayman is well balanced and has momentum. This is a horses for courses situation.
Some cars will be suited to different tracks better than others. Drivers want to win. Which is more important? Championships or wins? Risk everything for a win. You have to put the whole thing together to earn a title. That is how motor racing works, the formula and the type of car, notwithstanding. Brian Thiennes used to race open wheel cars, Formula Atlantic and Star Mazda. By trade, he is a civil engineer, who will celebrate his 60th birthday, next week. Courtney Crone is 21 years old and just starting her racing career. Meantime, Rob Walker is being monstered by Tim Probert.
BMW M4 GT4 vs. Mercedes AMG GT4. Just over four minutes on the board before this race ends. There is a GSX manufacturer's cup. Ford, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Chevrolet. American muscle cars vs. European exotics. Quinlan and Farley scrapping into the chicane. Farley holds off Quinlan through the turn. He is chasing Francis Selldorff in another BMW. Farley is now improving and learning his race craft. Multimatic Motorsports will really help him, working with veteran driver Scott Maxwell.
Maxwell has raced the Rolex 24 and drove a Ferrari with Larry Holt, 25 years ago, in the Rolex 24, so, about 1998. Probert still wants by Walker with two minutes left. I think we might see the same winners we had yesterday. We'll see. Walker eking out a gap on Probert. Walket to the low side and Probert to the high side. The new BMW has a larger tire than the F82 model. One lap to go here at Daytona and Dan Goldburg will break out the broom and sweep if he keeps it clean. Dan Goldburg is a builder by trade but loves to race sports cars.
The Duqueine suits him better than the Ligier chassis. It fits him well. IMSA has a great formula in the VP Sports Car Challenge and Goldburg does the double! Ditto for Billy Griffin!
Overall/LMP3: #73 Dan Goldburg JDC Motorsports Duqueine D08 Nissan
GSX: #14 Billy Griffin KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4
Farley and Selldorff continue their scrap and we saw these chaps scrapping yesterday, too. It is deja vu all over again to quote baseball legend Yogi Berra. Two in a row for Billy Griffin and two in a row for Dan Goldburg! For third spot, Tim Probert is held off by Jameds Walker and Farley is held off by Selldorff. So, that wraps up the doubleheader for VP Sports Car Challenge from Daytona. Next time out we will see you for two races at Sebring International Raceway on March 11th and 12th, actually, the weekend before the Super Sebring weekend and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Looking forward to covering more VP Sports Car Challenge on the blog for you all. Five brands in the top five in GSX. Great racing today! See you in Sebring, and now, stay tuned for Rolex 24 qualifying. Talk soon about that.
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