This is it. The finale of the 2024 IMSA VP Sports Car Challenge season, right here, again, at Road Atlanta. It is a picture-perfect fall day for the final event of the year. It is a chilly morning as we are an hour north of Atlanta, depending on traffic. We talked yesterday about the track and probably the most crucial turn is turn seven onto the backstretch. Two classes, sprint race format, for LMP3 and for GT4 cars in the GSX class. Brian Till and Jeremy Shaw are here again, to take us through all the action. Steven Aghakhani has won the title and won the race yesterday due to Jagger Jones' penalty. If he'd kept the win from yesterday's race, Jagger Jones and his team, FastMD Racing with Remstar, would have had a substantial lead in the championship chase coming into the finale this morning.
Of course, in reality, that isn't what happened. He was demoted to fourth place. MLT Motorsports, based here in Atlanta, are ten points ahead. Whichever car finishes ahead of the other, #87 vs. #6, depending on their finishing order, either of them will win the title. It is a cool morning at Road Atlanta with temperatures in the 50's and shade in many spots on the track. The track temperature is going to be cool, and everyone is out there on stone cold Michelin tires. LMP3 cars vs. the GSX cars, GT4 cars, the same as the cars we are going to see later today in Michelin Pilot Challenge for their season ending race coming up for you, later on.
Next year, VP Sports Car Challenge will expand and include GT3 cars in 2025, just the same as GT Daytona Pro and GT Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship. OK. Down the hill they come. This is it. It is time now, to open the pay window. The finale of IMSA VP Sports Car Challenge in 2024, is underway! Let's go! Jagger Jones pulls the trigger, and he is off like a rocket. Aghakhani leaning on Jones coming down the hill. I don't know why he is trying to do that. That was just not on. Aghakhani loose at the top of the hill. With the cold tires and cold track the downforce of the LMP3 cars will be of massive assistance whereas the GSX cars, the GT4 cars that are production-based, they don't have the trick aerodynamics packages at all.
The GSX boys are going to be skating all over the shop early doors. Miguel Villagomez is now coming under big pressure from Markus Pommer who had a great race yesterday in the second of the two Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Ligier's. Pommer earned a podium yesterday. OK. Miguel Villagomez is being harried by Pommer. The cold weather is going to affect the balance of the car. Aghakhani has the drivers' title, but the team's title is up for grabs. It is critical to see who is going to win here. Jagger Jones has a good first lap, but Aghakhani is all over him like a cheap suit.
In the GSX class, we also see the battle resumed right where it left off in yesterday's motor race with Tyler Hoffman in the #9 Toyota GR Supra for Kingpin Racing being hotly pursued by Patrick Wilmot in the #88 Split Decision Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82). Luca Mars, the champion, he did not start today's race and instead, Bob Michaelian, who is Mars' co-driver in Michelin Pilot Challenge, has been assigned to race the #59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 this morning. He started caboose on the field. Wilmot started on the pole and has been leapfrogged by Tyler Hoffman in the Kingpin Racing Toyota.
Michaelian has motored his way up to fourth place already and is chasing Mark Brummond in the #25 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82). Hoffman and Wilmot have resumed their battle. They do have a bit of a rivalry, but the deal is they are great friends and race each other cleanly. Heading for turn six, Michaelian is doing everything to try and answer Brummond's riddle right now. Brummond was battling yesterday with Scott Blind in the highlighter yellow Aston Martin and Sean Quinlan in the orange and blue Ford Mustang GT4 and guess what? Scott Blind and Sean Quinlan are the next cars in this serial, so we are really seeing a battle here from third through sixth spot.
Bob Michaelian drawing alongside Mark Brummond down the backstretch, trying to make a move. Quinlan had a great drive, in race one yesterday as Scott Blind has already clinched the 2024 Bronze Cup GSX championship. Jagger Jones leads the motor race by 6/10ths of a second over Steven Aghakhani. In GSX, Hoffman leads Wilmot by 8/10ths of a second. We are used to seeing Tyler Hoffman in IMSA in Lamborghini Super Trofeo. He does drive a GT4 spec Toyota Supra in a different sports car racing championship, though. He knows the car well and his team wants to show what they can do.
Hoffman is an owner/driver for Kingpin Racing. They have a very fast Toyota, and we are seeing a wonderful battle. Patrick Wilmot continues shadowing Tyler Hoffman. These are two privateer teams both Kingpin and Split Decision. We think Split Decision will be back in VP Sports Car Challenge in 2025. Of course, our hearts go out to everyone affected by the hurricanes that have been happening in the southern United States especially in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton have really hit hard.
Farther down the order in GSX we can see the battle continues between Mark Brummond and Sean Quinlan. Quinlan giving Brummond all he can handle. No pit stops in these short races and hopefully no Full Course Yellows either. Great to see GT3 cars coming into this championship for VP Challenge. Lamborghini, and some other brands, are excited that the GT3's are going to be in VP Challenge because Lamborghini currently does not field any kind of GT4 spec sports car. They have their Super Trofeo spec cars, their GT3 cars, and of course, the SC63 LMDh GTP prototype.
Wow! Steven Aghakhani is loose, out of turn seven, and off the road, in the dust! His transgression means he loses a spot to Miguel Villagomez! Villagomez, the Ecuadorian racer is gaining ground. Aghakhani will need to scrub the red Georgia clay off his tires. Anyhow, Lamborghini does not have a middle ground between Super Trofeo and then GT3. Could they find an avenue in VP Challenge for next year with the inclusion of GT3 cars? We'll see. Villagomez and Aghakhani continue their battle and Villagomez might soon begin chasing down Jagger Jones! He does! He has a head of steam and is pressing Jones for the lead!
The top five in LMP3 are close together. It is three Duqueine cars, and two Ligier's. Jagger Jones, Miguel Villagomez, Steven Aghakhani, Markus Pommer, and Valentino Catalano. Jones working through traffic as Bob Michaelian steers clear of the LMP3 battle, very wisely. Pommer and Catalano drove together to with the German Prototype Cup which is an LMP3 championship. Down through the esses to turn five, Aghakhani has dropped back from Miguel Villagomez, again, for the teams' title. Aghakhani needs to pass Jagger Jones if indeed MLT Motorsports wants to win the title. Jagger Jones did not race at the opening events at Daytona. He was not available. FastMD Racing with Remstar put young Canadian Marco Kasic in the car for those two race, way back in January.
Kasic ran fourth and second at Daytona. Meanwhile, Markus Pommer, a veteran driver, a former German Formula 3 champion. His protege Valentino Catalano is giving him everything he can handle as Sean Quinlan is motoring ahead of Mark Brummond in GSX as Quinlan is steering the Ford Mustang GT4. Scott Blind in the Aston Martin is also in this picture. 1/3rd of the race now completed. Some drivers are older and run in both the Bronze Cup and the overall title. Oh dear! Miguel Villagomez in the pit lane with trouble!
He seems to have a flat tire! The left rear tire is flat. He cannot believe what is happening to him! Is it a puncture? Or is the suspension broken? #23 is out of contention. Steven Aghakhani can make a move, but he needs to catch up to and pass Jagger Jones for the title, and he is four and a half seconds behind. We still see Pommer and Catalano battling each other, the two Gebhardt team cars. Villagomez is back in the race. It was a puncture. But the Ecuadorian is out of contention. If you are a historian of the sport, Gebhardt Racing fielded the Momo liveried Porsche 962 in the first iteration of GTP back in the early 1990s.
Oh dear! Sean Quinlan has spun at turn seven! This is where we saw Frank DePew spin in yesterday's race. Momentarily he stalls the motor. I think he got an assist from Mark Brummond. Miguel Villagomez is now back on the pit lane. There must be damage to the underside of the car. Jagger Jones has extended his lead to 4.2 seconds over Aghakhani, coming up to lap Mark Brummond's BMW for the second time, running fifth in class in GSX. Game over for Miguel Villagomez and the Escuderia Abro team.
Jagger Jones looking to make amends for his start in race one yesterday. He had a mechanical problem found in post-race tech scrutineering at Mosport and made a mistake in race one yesterday. Jagger Jones and Steven Aghakhani who are very much part of the future of the IMSA paddock. We could very well see them graduate to the WeatherTech Championship in the near future. They have the talent. They have the maturity level to manage their driving talents. Jagger Jones, the grandson of Parnelli Jones, the son of P.J. Jones. P.J. Jones was so successful for Dan Gurney and Toyota in IMSA GTP and in IndyCar. Mark Brummond serves an incident responsibility drive through penalty for his fracas with Sean Quinlan.
Mark Pommer and Valentino Catalano are still in their own battle for third, the teacher, being Markus Pommer, and the pupil, Valentino Catalano, racing on a scholarship from the ADAC, the German automobile club which is the equivalent of AAA here stateside and also sanctioning motor racing in Germany. We are into the second half of the final race of the year. This is a very fast track with little room for error, a hard place to learn to race at, but Valentino Catalano is passing the test with flying colors. In the meantime, Steven Aghakhani is still looking to challenge Jagger Jones as we are into the second half of the race by now.
There is traffic ahead as Jagger Jones is coming up on the #86 LMP3 car of Jonathan Hirshberg. Hirshberg, out of Manhattan Beach, California, is driving for Forte Racing in a Ligier. Hirshberg battling the Canadian racer George Staikos at the wheel of the #61 Ave Motorsports Ligier. Hirshberg and Staikos have been scrapping for the entire race. Jagger Jones maintaining the four plus second gap to go for the team's title for FastMD Racing with Remstar. Jones wants to test an LMP2 car and race in LMP2 at the Rolex 24 at Daytona if possible. I think Steven Aghakhani would do the same thing and impress people. Will that come to fruition?
For Jonathan Hirshberg he too is looking to advance his career. Hirshberg is another Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver. The Lamborghini has huge speed but the aerodynamics and chassis stiffness not the same. The LMP3 cars have far more cornering capability. Now then, Aghakhani is pressing his way through this battle for sixth between the two lapped LMP3's of Staikos and Hirshberg. Aghakhani makes his move in turn three on Hirshberg, but he was delayed a wee bit. The LMP3 cars are absolute rocket ships. Bob Michaelian has move up to third in GSX in the #59 Race for RP KohR Motorsports Mustang closing hand over fist on Patrick Wilmot in the BMW.
Michaelian, from Long Beach, California, he will co-drive this afternoon in the Michelin Pilot Challenge finale with Luca Mars in an identical Ford Mustang GT4 for the same team. Again, that is a program note. You will not want to miss the action in store from Michelin Pilot and the curtain closer for their championship, later today. Trust me. We have a Full Course Yellow on the circuit, not sure why. Ah. Here's why. George Staikos has spun and is off, beached in the kitty litter. That's why the yellow is out. He is buried in the gravel trap and they are designed to arrest the car and keep it from clobbering the wall.
He just lost it, looping to the outside of the final two turns losing a spot to Jonathan Hirshberg. 15 minutes to go, so we are now 2/3rds of the way through the finale. 15 minutes to go in the season and we should have a ten-minute shootout to determine the winners. We should have a short yellow here to rescue George Staikos and he can continue in the race. Aghakhani will have a chance to close back up to Jagger Jones. However, he still has those pesky Gebhardt team cars right on his six, with Catalano and Pommer. They will be giving him all he can handle, as I said earlier. Pommer is no slouch and nor is Valentino Catalano. The LMP3 deal, the battle will be hot. These boys are getting ready to turn it on.
The same is true in GSX. Bob Michaelian surely will have a good shot to mix it up with both Patrick Wilmot and Tyler Hoffman, so we could see a three-way battle for victory here in the final third of this race. Bob Michaelian recorded the fastest lap of the motor race in GSX, and he is going to be chasing Hoffman and Wilmot for sure. Catalano's best lap at 1:17.402 is faster than that of Aghakhani. Good to see the fans at the track here. It is breakfast time. Coffee and tortillas for a breakfast burrito and I saw a fan tucking into what appeared to be a gigantic breakfast sandwich on a bun. Delicious! Enjoy the food and the racing, folks.
Some fans have literal armchairs out of their living rooms. Hang onto your Barka lounger! Where do you see living room chairs at a racetrack and how on earth did you get them to the track? It seems like you'd have to use a moving van! Very cool race seats! Just about 11 minutes to go in the season and so we will have plenty of time for a grandstand finish. The action is going to be hot and heavy! Green flag! We're back racing! Jagger Jones flashing down the hill and he has the green flag! Look for the battle behind. Steven Aghakhani needs to get in front of Jagger Jones for the championship. It is all about pride now.
Jagger Jones, another win is all he wants. In the GSX class, Tyler Hoffman continues to lead, and Patrick Wilmot is negotiating one of the LMP3 cars, and it is George Staikos who lost a couple laps after being stuck in the gravel trap. Grab a time advantage on colder tires after the restart. Patrick Wilmot is still being chased by Bob Michaelian. Michaelian, filling in for Luca Mars, and started right at the back of the GSX field. Bob Michaelian giving it a good drive as Steven Aghakhani is just 6/10ths of a second behind Jagger Jones. Catalano closing the gap to Pommer in LMP3. Bob Michaelian now right on Patrick Wilmot's decklid.
Michaelian is probing, looking for an opportunity, while Tyler Hoffman now leads by 1.3 seconds. The Toyota seems to handle better in cooler conditions than the BMW or the Mustang. Steve Aghakhani continues hunting down Jagger Jones. Jones is just over a second ahead. Michaelian has gone from last all the way up to second in GSX! Holy cow! The Ford Mustang has a real turn of speed and poor old Patrick Wilmot is a sitting duck. Wilmot looking towards turn six. Wilmot not close enough to duplicate the move he made in race one yesterday.
Michaelian will be able to stretch the legs of that Ford Mustang with the 5.4-liter Coyote V8 motor in it over the turbocharged inline six in the BMW M4 GT4. Aghakhani wriggles out of turn four and loses time. Pommer and Catalano, the two Gebhardt LMP3 teammates were momentarily side by side. Nothing doing as far as a pass. Aghakhani ran wide making a lunge to the inside on a GSX car and slid wide onto the grass down the hill and thankfully maintained control! That was so close! For the team's title, Aghakhani needs to stay within striking distance of Jagger Jones.
But he has dropped back by over three seconds, 3.2 seconds down on Jagger Jones. Four minutes to go. Catalano right on Pommer's tail for third spot. Car #31 penalty, ten second post-race penalty for a pass under yellow. Pommer should be told what is going on. Trying to find ten seconds will be hard. Both of them finished on the podium yesterday in race one due to Jagger Jones' penalty. Aghakhani sees Jagger Jones' rear wing getting smaller. He desperately wants the team's title for MLT Motorsports. Ir's not over until it's over. Two minutes remaining in the season.
For Tyler Hoffman, he is possibly about to win in GSX in VP Challenge in just his second race. You cannot touch the car on the pit lane before they are allowed to and that is the same rule for all the championships, VP Challenge, Michelin Pilot, WeatherTech Championship. Jagger Jones dealing with the GSX traffic, passing by Bob Michaelian down the hill. White flag. One lap to go around Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Jones can win in the final event and have a great season despite missing the opening doubleheader at Daytona. Jagger Jones on his way to his eighth win of the 2024 season, the youngster originally from Scottsdale, Arizona.
Another win for Jagger Jones in VP Sports Car Challenge! Number eight! In only his second VP Challenge race, Tyler Hoffman takes Toyota and Kingpin Racing to victory lane! Michaelian second, Wilmot third. Scott Blind takes second spot in the Bronze Cup. What a wonderful race! What a wonderful season! Tyler Hoffman will celebrate big time. A great race between Hoffman and Wilmot!
Overall/LMP3: #87 Jagger Jones FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08 Nissan
GSX: #9 Tyler Hoffman Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO
So, that's a wrap for VP Challenge in 2024! Jagger Jones is the overall champion! He joins his late grandfather, Parnelli, and his father P.J. as a champion! It's been a pleasure to have your company this whole season for the VP Challenge races here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog. Looking forward to doing it all again, next year. We'll see you in January at Daytona International Speedway, everyone. For now, enjoy the offseason. Bye bye.
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