Welcome, everyone, to a new series for IMSA. Introducing the VP Racing Fuels SportsCar Challenge. This is the first of two single driver sprint races for the championship, to kick off the inaugural season of what used to be known as Prototype Challenge with strictly LMP3 cars. Now, the championship is open to LMP3 prototypes with their Nissan naturally aspirated V8 motors and to GT4 spec cars (similar to those running in Michelin Pilot Challenge, next weekend), but, for the purposes of the new series, they are called GSX cars. We are ready to find out who the first winner will be as this race is about to get underway.
Lots of excitement and a great variety of cars. Save money by eliminating pit stops. Give drivers more drive time, and introduce them to multi-class motor racing. Fans are here to watch the Roar Before the Rolex 24. The Boy Scots and Girl Scouts are here. On pole, is Bijoy Garg, and open wheel racer from Road to Indy making his first ever sports car start for Jr. III. Racing. In GSX, it is Billy Griffin in the #14 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4. Wave the Mustang, BMW M4's, Porsche Cayman's, Chevrolet Camaro's, and more.
Courtney Crohn, the polesitter, is driving a car that has the red livery of the old Bob Stallings Racing, Gainsco Insurance, "Red Dragon" Daytona Prototype from years past. The track is cood and blanketed in cloud. Rain is threatening. Maybe we'll see some sprinkles. Okie dokie. Ready for the start. Green flag! Away we go! We have trouble with cars going three wide as Bijoy Garg spins after some argy bargy with Dan Goldburg, and cold Michelin tires. Bijoy Garg was asked about tire temps and he said they need a couple laps to warm up.
Dan Goldburg leading Lance Willsey and Courtney Crohn. Garg is back on the button. Remain in your column before the green waves. Garg locks up and spins it in turn one. Jeepers creepers! Tim Probert, fastest in Free Practice, pulled out way too soon in the #65 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4. He shall have to visit the sin bin. Aye yaye yaye. Everyone's adrenaline is pumping as Moisey Uretsky goes by in the Aston Martin Vantage, car #44. No worries about the shemozzle in turn one. Dan Goldburg is eking out a gap of two seconds plus over Courtney Crone as we get underway.
Dan Goldburg has run these cars with the Performance Tech Motorsports team but is now racing with JDC-Miller Motorsports as Courtney Crone cannot slow down and poor old Lance Willsey has to take the escape road and his feathers will be ruffled. Probert cops a penalty for a jumped start. I see. Crone tries to make the corner and does not, realizing discretion is the better part of valor. Poor old Tim Probert is serving the drive through for a jumped start. Remain in your column until the start/finish line and Probert cleared Uretsky.
Sebastian Carazzo in the Kelly Moss Porsche Cayman has spun and gotten back underway in car #27, second in GSX. Side by side and the car just spun out through the International Horseshoe. The GSX cars have a wee bit of negative camber. Actually, quite a bit. Lance Willsey is back in the fight trying to make up ground. The stewards reviewing the Crone and Willsey shemozzle. The marshals are making sure the motor racing is fair. Moisey Uretsky wants by Vinny Barletta. Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 vs. Accelerating Performance Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Bijoy Garg has passed all the GSX cars but is still catching up to Dan Goldburg. Billy Griffin is the GSX leader. Todd Coleman and Sebastian Carazzo were the cars that got together a moment ago. Race Director Todd Snyder tells the drivers that the officials need to have a better look at these incidents. No action could very well be the proper call in this instance. Sebastian Carazzo and Todd Coleman continue racing. Wheel to wheel contact like that is fairly common and poor old Sebastian Carazzo is now in the pit lane.
The marshals are reviewing the incident. But we shall see if there is a call. Todd Coleman chasing Billy Griffin right now. In the meantime, Dan Goldburg is doing very well, changing from the Ligier LMP3 to the Duqueine. Goldburg says that the Duqueine handles the same but the cockpit is far more cramped. The Duqueine has electric power steering whole the Ligier has hydraulic steering. Goldburg got carpel tunnel syndrome in his wrists from gripping the steering wheel. Well, the new car is easier to drive, the Duqueine. It is far more forgiving.
Arguing with your race engineer is useless. Just take the pain and go for it. Courtney Crone has now dropped to fourth and Mirko Schultis has gone by into third in the #18 entry. I have to check which car that is. That is the Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine, car #18. Vin Barletta is scrapping with Moisey Uretsky and with James Walker. All three in BMW M4 GT4's. One of them is the newly designed car, which looks very similar to the GT3 M4 from the WeatherTech Championship.
The rear wing is different on the new version as well, look. Car #88 of Patrick Wilmot is doing very well for Split Decision Motorsports from Tennessee. They have been club racing for years and now they are in the professional ranks. Two good friends of this team, nine years ago, were killed in a traffic accident. How sad. But they are into motor racing professionally now. Rob Farley, one of the team members was supposed to come to the Rolex 24, and was prepping a car for a customer and he and that customer were killed in a testing crash.
Lo and behold, Rob's name is on the rear window of car #88. Something is not working for them right now in the corners. Hopefully the handling is better now. God Bless that team after hearing their story. In the meantime, Wilmott in sixth place in class, he is pressing Moisey Uretsky and here is another Aston Martin, the green car, ahead. I think that is Todd Coleman who Uretsky just passed. All these ladies and gentlemen are Bronze or Silver rated drivers. Wouldn't it be amazing if Split Decision Motorsports could finish on the podium.
In replay, ooh, some argy bargy between a Porsche Cayman and a Chevrolet Camaro GT.4. Frank DePew aggressively passes Will Wachs. Rob Walker, in the meantime, is pressing hard while Dan Goldburg is lapping the GSX leaders. Willmott and Goldburg are scrapping hard. Goldburg has an eight second advantage. Be patient. Don't bravely outbrake your competitor. Wilmott now chasing down Vinny Barletta as Lance Willsey spins in turn six and continues. He'd done the hard yards but now has to recover. That is one of half a dozen Ligier LMP3's in this race.
Lance Willsey will be a part of the Sean Creech Motorsports lineup in LMP3 in the Rolex 24. LMP3's work past the GSX traffic as Bijoy Garg is back to fifth place, coming out of open wheel racing. Garg says that he will pass more cars this weekend than in a whole season of open wheel racing and that is true. Manage the motor race. Back to the GSX sceap. Vinny Barletta spins off the road from third spot! Sheesh! He was a tad too fast into the corner and the Aston Martin did not have the power in the hands of Todd Coleman.
Now then, Coleman to third, Willmot to fourth place. Barletta did half a spin and then continued. He got off the brake and the car rotated. Poor old Barletta is going to be kicking himself for that mistake. Oh man! Coleman hangs on over Patrick Willmot who is really pushing. In the meantime, Bijoy Garg wants by Keith McGovern. McGovern driving the Irish flagged car, an Irishman living in Fargo, North Dakota. McGovern in the #28 Kelly Moss Racing with Riley Motorsports Ligier. Meanwhile, GSX time again, look. Keith McGovern is a potato farmer, a pilot, a hunter, and a racing driver. He must lead quite the life.
Coleman in the meantime, is in dire straits. Coleman on the outside and bangs doors with Rob Walker. Aston Martin vs. BMW. Poor old Coleman off in the dirt. Scott Neal, also driving for Kelly Moss and Riley Motorsports, he is Keith McGovern's brother-in-law, also racing. Family ties in motorsports. Who will buy dinner tonight? I wonder. These two chaps are going to be laying down bets all season. Keith McGovern's son Connor McGovern is a former NFL football player for the New York Jets and will find another team to play football with, I am sure.
Keith and Connor McGovern are both weightlifters as well. Wow. Talk about athletes! Mirco Schultis in third for Muehlner Motorsports with Bijoy Garg and Jr. III. Motorsports right on his six. There is still a good chunk of time on the board. But go for it. Keep pushing. Brian Thienes is in second place, the #77 Forte Racing powered by USRT Ligier. Bijoy Garg sets fastest lap of the motor race at 1:45 dead, a tenth up on Dan Goldburg. USRT is U.S. RaceTronics, a team we have seen in other championships before. Keep your head down. Click off fast laps and let the race come back to you.
Brian Thiennes has run well in both Lamborghini Super Trofeo and in Michelin Pilot Challenge that we will see racing next weekend. Billy Griffin in the Mustang continues leading. Jim Farley, Ford Motor Company CEO, he is in this race in a Mustang GT4, naturally. He also races vintage cars like a Lola T298, a Ford GT40, and a Shelby Cobra. Scott Maxwell, the well-known Canadian driver is Farley's driver coach. Farley is moving in on Francis Selldorff in the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 as he is reeling in Todd Coleman who is dropping like a stone in that #69 Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Jim Farley suggested to Larry Holt from Multimatic saying, "hey, please let me drive." Farley is a CEO of a company involved in motorsports, experiencing their own car. We will see more Ford involvement in GT4 and tyey will have a GT3 Mustang next year in the WeatherTech Championship. I have to wonder if Todd Coleman has handling issues. I am right with NBC Sports lead broadcaster, Brian Till, wondering about the handling conundrum. Keith McGovern leads Scott Neal in the LMP3 class for that fifth-place battle in class and in the overall.
Scott Neal wants to go for it. Hey, pal, get out of my way, as McGovern wriggles into turn one! Yikes! McGovern almost spun off there! Ten minutes left on the board. The tires are wearing down and they just probably don't have the heat in them, and the tires could also be overly pressured. Farley wants by the BMW, runs wide, and now, he is catching Francis Selldorff. Selldorff is in his first pro race at age 21. Farley, looming large in his rearview mirror for fifth in GSX. The distinction between the M4 BMW's is the old style is the F82 and the newer car is the G82.
No trouble for Dan Goldburg really. He is 12 seconds ahead but must be wondering even though he is out front and in the clear. Goldburg knows what he is doing with driving an LMP3. Farley tries Selldorff again and this time, no dice. They will have to move aside for Goldburg in the lead of the motor race through the International Horseshoe. Farley will use this race as a learning experience to improve for tomorrow's race and for the rest of the 2023 season. Use lapped cars as a pick. He and Scott Maxwell will have an in depth debrief after this race is over for sure.
Brian Thienes in second is ten seconds down on Dan Goldburg but the gap between him and Bijoy Garg has ballooned quite a bit. Farley side by side in the trioval and he is off the road again over Selldorff. Selldorff stays ahead. Farley is pushing hard. That Mustang is coming alive. The brakes have been a bugbear on that car. But you know Jim Farley is going to keep pushing. Four and a half minutes on the board. Traffic can stymie your lap times depending on how much you catch it. Goldburg is on a Saturday drive. 1:47.4 is a great lap time as he extends the gap to Thienes.
In GSX, Billy Griffin in the Ford Mustang GT4 for KohR Motorsports leads Moisey Uretsky by nine and a half seconds. Griffin runs the Mustang in a different championship but on another different tire. Battling for fifth, Keith McGovern vs. Scott Neal. McGovern, at 1:46.851 uncorks fastest lap of the motor race, scrapping with his brother-in-law. Dan Goldburg remains the race leader. Multi-class sprint racing. That is what this new VP Racing Fuels Sports Car Challenge is all about. Two laps to go.
White flag this time by for Dan Goldburg. Goldburg has won in Prototype Challenge before and has won a NASA GT Championship in the National Autosports Association series. White flag. One to go. Dan Goldburg is really proving himself. JDC-Miller Motorsports is the team he is driving for. A team from Minnesota. Jim Farley still harrying Francis Selldorff. Farley is being too congenial with the LMP3 cars and Selldorff is making them work. Jim Farley must reel in Selldorff and get inside his head.
We have seen some really heady drives in this race. Fortunately, we have not seen yellows today. Very clean racing today. Very clean. Dan Goldburg is your winner! He is the first winner in VP Racing Sports Car Challenge! Race one is done and dusted. Billy Griffin does the same in GSX!
Overall/LMP3: #73 Dan Goldburg JDC Motorsports Duqueine D08
GSX: #14 Billy Griffin KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4
We will see another race from the VP SportsCar Challenge tomorrow. Great racing today. Notice the newly revamped scoreboard at Daytona International Speedway with animated numerals on it. Nice touch. That was a great race to begin VP SportsCar Challenge. We saw some wonderful drives in GSX as well. Split Decision Racing and their team dug deep. Rob Farley, Rest in Peace, God Bless You. You are a winner, mate. Your team is a winner.
Ford CEO Jim Farley, no relation, he has gone to 12th place. He shall improve as the championship goes on. The formula works. We have first-time winners in today's race. Everyone's name will be in the record books as the series grows. Former F1 driver and Rolex 24 racer Tommy Byrne was watching the race today. We'll see you tomorrow for race two. So long for now, everybody. Take care.
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