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International Motor Sports Association    Lamborghini Super Trofeo series

International Motor Sports Association 

 

www.imsa.com

 

About the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)

International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, as well as four one-make series: Ferrari Challenge North America, Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and Porsche Carrera Cup North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR family – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

BMW Leads When It Counts At Road America En Route to 1-2 Sweep

AO Racing’s “Spike” Captures Second Straight LMP2 Victory


 

August 3, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – BMW M Team RLL put a season of disappointment and frustration in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship behind it with a 1-2 finish in the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix Sunday at Road America.

 

Dries Vanthoor and Philipp Eng drove the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 to their first win of the season, taking the checkered flag 2.524 seconds ahead of Sheldon van der Linde and Marco Wittmann in the similar No. 25 car.

 

Vanthoor earned pole positions for the first four WeatherTech Championship races of the season, but until Sunday, the best results he and Eng achieved this year were a pair of third-place finishes at the California double on the streets of Long Beach and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The 1-2 at Road America matches BMW M Team RLL’s result last September in the six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

 

Sunday’s race was broken up by five full-course cautions, which rewarded teams that played their energy management strategy correctly. That was the key to the BMW victory.

 

After qualifying second and third, BMW split its strategies and pitted the No. 24 just 18 minutes into the race. With an hour remaining, they ran eighth and ninth. But Team RLL pitted both cars under green with just under an hour to go, making them first to make their final pit stop.

 

The strategy paid off when the race’s final caution flew about seven minutes later. When the other nine GTP competitors pitted, the No. 24 and 25 leapt forward to the front of the field, and they managed the pace in the 21-lap run to the finish – the longest stretch of green flag racing in the 2-hour, 40-minute contest.

 

“It’s been a weird season, with a lot of good and a lot of bad,” Vanthoor commented. “To win now is very nice.”

 

Strategy aside, the victory was far from straightforward for the No. 24 team.

After falling to near the back after the early pit stop, Vanthoor moved quickly back to fourth place. At the next stop, another prototype entry struck one of the BMW team’s mechanics, although Vanthoor indicated post-race he understood the mechanic to be OK.

 

The slow stop turned out to be a blessing, because it motivated BMW M Team RLL to adopt the aggressive tactic of being the first to make their last stops.

 

“The luck has not always been on our side this season, and for sure we also did many mistakes ourselves, which we need to clean up,” Vanthoor said. “Today it just worked out. When you’re in such a bad position, you can take some risks, and it worked out today. At the end, our pace was strong enough to stay in front. We were not on pole position today, but we finally executed a perfect race.”

 

BMW M Team RLL has earned 24 race wins in IMSA competition, including four at Road America. The team’s first victory came at the popular Wisconsin venue in the American Le Mans Series’ GT2 class at Road America in 2009.

 

Eng has driven for BMW M Team RLL since 2018 and he paid tribute to Rahal and the organization. BMW M Motorsport recently announced that Team RLL will not return to operate the IMSA GTP program after this season, but did announce plans to continue in the category with a new provider. 

 

“I got into a groove, and the team did a strategic masterclass, pitting us in the early side of the window,” he said. “I just had to bring it home. The car was fast, it was on rails.

 

“I’m very happy for everybody in Team RLL,” he added. “I texted with Bobby yesterday after qualifying and said, ‘Let’s finish this on a high.’ And here we are! I think I should probably text with him more often.”

 

Motul Pole Award winner Nick Yelloly partnered with Renger van der Zande to finish third in the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Acura ARX-06, followed by Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R.

 

A fifth-place finish for Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 has unofficially extended their advantage in the GTP championship standings to 75 points over their teammates Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr in the No. 7 car, who finished 11th. Eng and Vanthoor now sit third, 181 points in arrears. Acura cut Porsche’s lead in the GTP Manufacturer championship in half from 90 points to 45 with two races remaining.

 

LMP2: AO Loves That Winning Feeling

Like BMW M Team RLL in the GTP class, AO Racing was having a difficult time converting Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class Motul Pole Awards into race wins this year.

 

That all changed in the last round of the WeatherTech Championship in mid-July, as PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron claimed the victory in AO’s purple dragon-liveried No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07 called ‘Spike.’ They made it two in a row Sunday at Road America with their second consecutive triumph.

 

Hyett again earned the pole – his seventh in 11 attempts for an IMSA-sanctioned LMP2 race – and he and Cameron dominated on what Chicago-area native Hyett considers his home (and favorite) racetrack.

 

They won by 4.167 seconds over Connor De Phillippi and Jeremy Clarke in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07, with Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas notching third place in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07.

 

The win was about as straightforward as they come in LMP2 competition, and Hyett and Cameron took the lead of the season point standings in the process. They unofficially lead by 97 points over Daniel Goldburg of United Autosports USA.

 

“It was a dream weekend,” said Hyett. “Home race, winning from the pole – it’s hard to beat what happened here this weekend, to bring home a victory at my favorite racetrack for the AO crew. Amazing.”

 

“Getting the first win (at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) was huge for this program,” added Cameron, who took his 19th win in IMSA competition. “It’s rolling really well right now.

 

“We knew we were good early in the season, but kind of needed to stabilize things a little bit. PJ is driving phenomenally well, which is making my work easier. We got everyone integrated and comfortable and got some procedures in place, and it’s all bearing fruit now.”

 

GTP and LMP2 competitors now enter a late-summer break, as IMSA’s GT classes headline the next event on the schedule – the August 22-24 Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway. The full four-class WeatherTech Championship field reconvenes September 19-21 for the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. 

 

Patience Pays Dividends for Paul Miller BMW’s Verhagen, Snow at Road America

Triarsi Claims First IMSA Win in GTD After Koch’s Late-Race Pass


 

August 3, 2025

By Jeff Olson

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Neil Verhagen had speed, but he also had patience.


 

Knowing the driver he was chasing, Laurin Heinrich, probably had to stop for fuel before the end of the race, Verhagen – with plenty of fuel to reach the finish – patiently waited until Heinrich was forced to the pits.


 

Verhagen’s patience led to a come-from-behind victory for himself and co-driver Madison Snow in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class of the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix on Sunday at Road America.


 

The discipline translated to Verhagen’s first IMSA victory.


 

“I could see that he was fuel-saving a lot,” Verhagen said. “I have to say Laurin did an incredible job. He defended very well. It was very difficult to pass him while he was fuel-saving.”


 

The win was Paul Miller Racing’s 17th in IMSA competition, but the first this season for the No. 1 car.


 

“Maybe things haven’t always fallen our way, but we’ve always had a pretty competitive package,” Verhagen said. “I knew at some point it was going to come our way.”  


 

After starting fifth in the two-hour, 40-minute race, Snow helped the No. 1 BMW remain among the leaders during a chaotic start that saw three caution periods during the first 56 minutes.


 

“It’s really nice being back on the podium,” Snow said. “It’s been a tough year. This GTD PRO class is really competitive.”


 

With 27 minutes remaining, Verhagen began to pressure Heinrich in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), with Sebastian Priaulx in the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 right behind him. 


 

Heinrich went 80 minutes in his stint before being forced to pit with 14 minutes left; Verhagen later noted that after long energy stints ruled the day at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he wasn’t sure what to look for. But once Verhagen took the lead, he held it to the finish to win by 2.915 seconds ahead of Priaulx, who shared the No. 64 Ford with Mike Rockenfeller.


 

To claim his first IMSA win with Snow, who has 16 victories in his IMSA career, was special for Verhagen.


 

“To tick off the first IMSA win is very nice for me, personally,” Verhagen said. “Madison has quite a few of them. It was nice to be able to get this with him.”


 

The No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 co-driven by Albert Costa and Giacomo Altoè finished third after starting on pole and has unofficially moved up to second in class standings.


 

The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims rallied to a fourth-place finish after being sent into the gravel with 90 minutes remaining by another car. That comeback kept them atop the GTD PRO championship standings by 30 points over the No. 81 Ferrari, with the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) unofficially third, 97 back. 


 

GTD: Koch Makes Pass Work for Triarsi's First Win

Kenton Koch passed Alec Udell with six minutes left, completing a come-from-behind conquest in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class and the first IMSA victory for Triarsi Competizione.


 

The win was the first for team principal Onofrio Triarsi and third for Koch, his first since last year’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. Koch was making his second start with Triarsi after running the first half of the season with another team. 


 

Triarsi moved the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 into second place early in the race, then stalked the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 started by Russell Ward and taken over by Philip Ellis and Udell’s No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R until Koch put himself into position to catch Udell and make the pass.


 

Udell had advanced to the lead following the last cycle of pit stops where the No. 36 Corvette car he shared with Robert Wickens leapt ahead of those needing to hit pit lane. But once Koch closed down the gap to make the run into Turn 6, it was a move that involved what Koch considered a fair amount of contact.


 

“(It) was fair based on how (race control) was calling the race,” Koch said. “They made the race interesting, and I hope that was interesting. I certainly had a blast. It was a fun pass.”


 

Triarsi credited Koch with helping the team get its first win.    


 

“Having Kenton onboard definitely helped a lot with development,” Triarsi said. “He did an amazing job at the end of the race to put it up there. We’re definitely going to take advantage of this momentum, and we want to keep this going.”


 

As the race progressed, Udell’s No. 36 Corvette faded to eighth place on the last lap.


 

Mario Farnbacher and Misha Goikhberg finished second in the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, while Daniel Serra and Manny Franco finished third in the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3.


 

All three podium finishers set or equaled their best finish of the season. In Forte’s case, their good karma for helping Pfaff Motorsports out by loaning them its backup Lamborghini chassis came good. 


 

The two GT classes resume with the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway on August 25, 2025.

 

BMW Doubles Down at Road America

BMW M Team RLL Wins GTP; Paul Miller Racing Wins GTD PRO; AO and Triarsi Claim Other Class Wins


 

August 3, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Unofficial Race Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Although BMW M Team RLL only has a handful of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races left to run with its BMW M Hybrid V8, the team is poised to make them count. 


 

Strategy played into their race at Road America today as the team called both cars into the pits with one hour to go in the two-hour, 40-minute Motul SportsCar Grand Prix. When the fifth full-course caution flew seven minutes later, suddenly the tables turned in their favor.


 

It ensured the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Philipp Eng and Dries Vanthoor scored the victory ahead of their teammate, the No. 25 BMW of Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde. It’s the team’s second 1-2 finish in Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), first since the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks last September at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 


 

The Motul Pole Award-winning No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 of Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande finished third on a traditional strategy. Van der Zande made it interesting late, though, as he got within a second of the two BMWs with five minutes remaining. 


 

BMW doubled up with the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Neil Verhagen and Madison Snow claiming the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class victory as well, with the No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 and No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 completing the podium.


 

In Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), a pair of former GTP veterans led the field home in a 1-2 result. Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett won their second straight LMP2 race aboard “Spike,” the No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07, ahead of Connor De Phillippi and Jeremy Clarke in the No. 43 Inter Europol Competion ORECA and Mikkel Jensen and Steven Thomas in the No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA. 


 

The Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class lead changed hands inside the final seven minutes when Kenton Koch made a pass of Alec Udell at Turn 6. Koch took the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 to the win along with Onofrio Triarsi, with the No. 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 of Mario Farnbacher and Misha Goikhberg second and the No. 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari of Daniel Serra and Manny Franco third.


 

Corvette had a bittersweet final five minutes with the Udell and Robert Wickens-driven No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which is equipped with a Bosch electronic hand braking system for Wickens, falling to fourth. The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R also fell off the podium to fourth.


 

The next race is a showcase for the two WeatherTech Championship GT classes with the Michelin GT Challenge from VIRginia International Raceway on August 25. All four WeatherTech Championship classes return to action in the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, September 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

Unofficial Results, Points & Post-Race Nuggets | WeatherTech Championship

Motul SportsCar Grand Prix

Road America - Sunday, August 3, 2025

Unofficial race results available at results.imsa.com.


 

Unofficial points available at pitnotes.org/points.

GTP

No. 24 BMW M Team RLL

  • 24th IMSA class win
  • Last win was at 2024 Indianapolis GTP with car No. 24
  • Third IMSA class win in GTP
  • Fourth IMSA class win at Road America
  • Last win at Road America was in 2012 ALMS GT with car No. 55
  • First IMSA class win in 2025
  • BMW Team RLL’s seventh 1-2 finish, second in GTP
  • BMW Team RLL’s first IMSA win was at 2009 at Road America where they finished 1-2 in GT2

 

Philipp Eng

  • 35 years old from Salzburg, Austria
  • Third IMSA class win in 38th start
  • Last win was at 2024 Indianapolis in GTP, 7 starts between
  • First win at Road America in third start
  • Previous best finish at Road America was seventh in 2024 in GTP
  • First win in 2025 season in seventh start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was third (2 times) last at Laguna Seca in GTP

 

Dries Vanthoor

  • 27 years old from Zolder, Belgium
  • First IMSA class win in 10th start
  • Previous best finish was third (3 times) last at 2025 Laguna Seca in GTP
  • First win at Road America in first start
  • First win in 2025 season in seventh start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was third (2 times) last at Laguna Seca in GTP

 

LMP2

No. 99 AO Racing

  • Eighth IMSA class win
  • Second consecutive win following win for the No. 99 at CTMP
  • Second IMSA class win in LMP2
  • First IMSA class win at Road America
  • Fifth IMSA class win in 2025 (Won Sebring GTD PRO, Long Beach GTD, Laguna Seca GTD PRO, CTMP LMP2)

 

Dane Cameron

  • 37 years old from Newport Beach, CA
  • 19th IMSA class win in 161st start
  • Second consecutive win following win at CTMP
  • Fourth win at Road America in 13th start
  • Last win at Road America was in 2016 in P, 6 track starts between
  • Second win in 2025 season

 

PJ Hyett

  • 42 years old from Naperville, IL
  • Second IMSA class win in 21st start
  • Second consecutive win following win at CTMP
  • First win at Road America in third start
  • Previous best finish at Road America was third in 2024 in LMP2
  • Second win in 2025 season in fifth start

 

GTD PRO

No. 1 Paul Miller Racing

  • 17th IMSA class win
  • Last win was at 2025 Watkins Glen GTD PRO with car No. 48
  • Third IMSA class win in GTDPRO
  • Second IMSA class win at Road America
  • Last win at Road America was in 2023 GTD with car No. 1
  • Second IMSA class win in 2025 (Won at Watkins Glen)
  • First IMSA class win in 2025 for car No. 1

 

Madison Snow

  • 30 years old from American Fork, UT
  • 16th IMSA class win in 112th start
  • Last win was at 2024 VIR in GTDPRO, 8 starts between
  • Second win at Road America in 10th start
  • Last win at Road America was in 2023 in GTD, 1 track starts between
  • First win in 2025 season in seventh start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was third (1 times) last at Sebring in GTD PRO

 

Neil Verhagen

  • 24 years old from Ridgefield, CT
  • First IMSA class win in 12th start
  • Previous best finish was third (2 times) last at 2025 Sebring in GTD PRO
  • First win at Road America in first start
  • First win in 2025 season in seventh start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was third (1 times) last at Sebring in GTD PRO

 

GTD

No. 021 Triarsi Competizione

  • First IMSA class win
  • Previous best finish was fourth (4 times) last at 2025 Watkins Glen GTD with car No. 023

 

Kenton Koch

  • 31 years old from Glendora, CA
  • Third IMSA class win in 26th start
  • Last win was at 2024 VIR in GTD, 8 starts between
  • First win at Road America in second start
  • Previous best finish at Road America was seventh in 2024 in GTD
  • First win in 2025 season in seventh start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was third (1 times) last at Watkins Glen in GTD

 

Onofrio Triarsi

  • 31 years old from Tampa Bay, FL
  • First IMSA class win in 16th start
  • Previous best finish was fourth (4 times) last at 2025 Watkins Glen in GTD
  • First win at Road America in second start
  • Previous best finish at Road America was 12th in 2024 in GTD
  • First win in 2025 season in sixth start
  • Previous best finish in 2025 was fourth (1 times) last at Watkins Glen in GTD

 

Formal’s “Favorite Race” Fuels WTR to Lamborghini Super Trofeo Road America Weekend Sweep

All-Female Lineup of Brewer, Hepworth Win Am; TR3 Captures ProAm; ONE Wins LB Cup


 

August 3, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Danny Formal’s speed in a Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo has never been in question. But it’s rarely been as needed as it was in the second of two races at Road America in Round 8 of the 2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America season.


 

Co-driver Hampus Ericsson led the field to green after an extended caution period for multiple incidents to start the 50-minute race but was assessed a 10-second time penalty to be applied post-race for a jumped start.


 

Once Ericsson pitted and handed the reins of the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 over to Formal, the Costa Rican set sail with a series of flyers around the 4.048-mile Road America track.


 

Formal set three consecutive fastest laps of the race on Laps 8, 9 and 10 with an ultimate best time of 2 minutes, 5.270 seconds, and pushed the gap north of the needed 10 seconds in the subsequent laps. 


 

Even with the penalty applied, the No. 1 car still won ahead of championship rivals Will Bamber and Elias De La Torre in the No. 29 TR3 Racing Huracán and Jaden Conwright and Scott Huffaker in third in the No. 22 World Speed Motorsports Huracán to complete an identical podium to Saturday's Race 1.


 

“Wow! This is my 25th win in the Pro category of Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and that was by far my favorite race,” Formal exclaimed. “Hampus got the penalty unfortunately so I had to get the 10-second lead. I haven’t driven that hard every lap, pushing as hard as I could, in a long time. I think we’re a lot closer now heading to Indy. WTR and Lamborghini gave us a rocketship.” 


 

Ericsson added of Formal’s drive, “It was probably the best drive I’ve seen anyone do. He’s a different breed.”

The ProAm class saw the championship battle also rage between the contending TR3 Racing and MLT Motorsports entries. After three earlier podium finishes this season and after surviving a spin on Saturday, the pair of Conrad Geis and Jason Hart broke through for their first win of the year in the No. 67 TR3 Racing, Lamborghini Miami, Huracán. 


 

“The Lamborghini was operating at its best for us this weekend, and so we hope this’ll be a continuation the rest of the way,” Hart said.


 

They won by 11.836 seconds over Darius Trinka and Tadas Karlinskas in the No. 11 MLT Huracán with ANSA Motorsports’ Nicky Hays and Antoine Comeau in the No. 30 Huracán third. 

Am also saw a breakthrough winner, in the form of the all-female lineup of Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth in the No. 2 RAFA Racing, Lamborghini Austin, Huracán. After three straight runner-up finishes, the No. 2 car went one spot better courtesy of a move from Hepworth on Graham Doyle’s No. 10 WTR Huracán on the run to Turn 5, with Doyle running slightly wide on corner exit. Hepworth extended the gap to 14.789 seconds by the end of the race ahead of championship leaders Doyle and Glenn McGee, with Saturday’s winner David Staab (No. 48 PPM Huracán) third.


 

“That stint was the best stint of my life,” Hepworth said. “I was chasing down P1, I knew I had time and had about 12 minutes on the clock. I thought, ‘Let’s not do anything outrageous and wait for him to make a bit of a mistake.’ Last night we were distraught with second; at the beginning of the season, we’d have been thrilled for it! We wanted the win, and we got it.” 


 

Brewer added, “Jem did an incredible job at the end. We gained a lot of positions at the start to bring it to P3 and Jem took it home. This is my favorite track, and it’s such an incredible place to have my first win here.” 

The only class with a flag-to-flag winner was LB Cup, where Nick Groat completed a perfect weekend aboard the No. 57 ONE Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach, Huracán. Groat led flag-to-flag and won by 13.220 seconds en route to his fifth win of the season. Christopher Tasca (No. 66 Forty7 Motorsports Huracán) and Ray Shahi (No. 65 Forte Racing Huracán) completed the class podium.


 

“This was a big swing in the championship for us this weekend; I’d love to battle others, but we’ll take being ahead and a huge double win,” Groat said. 


 

Unofficially, the No. 29 TR3 Huracán (Pro), No. 11 MLT Huracán (ProAm), No. 10 WTR Huracán (Am) and No. 57 ONE Huracán (LB Cup) entries lead the respective class championships with two race weekends and four races to go. But the margins in both Pro and ProAm appear to be razor thin.


 

The series resumes with Rounds 9 and 10 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with track activity Sept. 18-20.  

 

 

No. 93 Acura Goes Back-to-Back-to-Back for Motul Pole Award at Road America

Hyett Triples Up in LMP2 Qualifying En Route to Pole Aboard No. 99 “Spike” Machine


 

August 2, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Qualifying Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – At 4.048 miles and with an average speed of over 130 miles per hour, Road America is the longest and one of the fastest circuits in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class features staggering diversity between cars.


 

Still, qualifying for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix ended with two Acura ARX-06 and two BMW M Hybrid V8s clustered within 0.080 seconds. Nine of the 11 GTP entries spread among five manufacturers were separated by 0.681 seconds.


 

It was a remarkable display of speed and precision driving, and Nick Yelloly of Acura Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian did it best. Yelloly’s 1 minute, 48.628-second tour of Road America averaging 134.152 mph earned the No. 93 Acura its third consecutive Motul Pole Award and puts him and co-driver Renger van der Zande in the best possible position to earn their second GTP win in the last three races.


 

BMW M Team RLL placed its cars second and third, with Sheldon van der Linde in the No. 25 outqualifying Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 by 0.002 seconds (1:48.681 vs. 1:48.683). Colin Braun, who teamed with Tom Blomqvist to win the most recent round of the WeatherTech Championship in the No. 60 Acura, was fourth at 1:48.708.


 

With a 250-point deficit in the driver point standings to the two Porsche Penske Motorsport pairings, Yelloly and van der Zande’s championship hopes are slim. But Acura was just 90 points behind Porsche in the manufacturer’s championship coming into Road America.


 

Porsche will start Saturday’s race fifth (points leaders Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell in the No. 6) and eighth (Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy in the No. 7).


 

“It’s always better when you’re getting results,” Yelloly said. “We were operating at a high level already, and maybe we weren’t executing as well as we needed to be. Now we’re executing and are starting to become super-top-notch, and that’s what you have to be to win these IMSA races.


 

“We knew it was going to be very close and I knew I just had to execute and put the cleanest lap together,” he added. “My lap was as clean as it could be – almost! I was tracking a little faster on the next lap and made a small mistake, so I’m glad it was good enough from the pole. We’ll try to control the race tomorrow and try to get another win for HRC (Honda Racing Corp.) and Acura Meyer Shank.”


 

Perfect weather is anticipated for Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race. “IMSA racing is always super exciting, isn’t it?” Yelloly queried. “Let’s go racing!”


 

LMP2: Hyett Spikes the Competition Again

Seeing PJ Hyett claim the Motul Pole Award for the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is not a surprise.


 

A margin over his nearest competitor of 0.666 seconds is rather unusual.


 

Hyett drove AO Racing’s No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07 nicknamed ‘Spike’ to his third consecutive class pole and his seventh in eleven career IMSA starts. His three best laps, culminating in a 1 minute, 53.240-second (128.689 mph) flyer, were faster than the competition could muster. George Kurtz came closest in the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07 at 1:53.906 (127.936 mph).


 

Ever the perfectionist, Hyett believed he could have gone faster.


 

“To be honest that last lap toward the end there I thought I could have gone quicker,” he said. “But I can’t be upset about getting pole again. It’s those little things, though, that will keep me up at night thinking about what ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda,’ but I’m very, very happy about putting that lap time together.”


 

It was also Hyett’s second consecutive LMP2 pole at Road America, which the Chicago area resident considers his home track. He paid tribute to the enormous crowd on hand for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix weekend.


 

“The formation laps at Road America end up being some of the most special times on a racetrack,” Hyett said. “You can see everybody along the fence all around the racetrack. I absolutely love the fan turnout here and it’s always a pleasure to be here.”


 

Hyett and co-driver Dane Cameron rank second in the LMP2 championship to Saturday’s third-place qualifiers Daniel Goldburg and Paul Di Resta (No. 22 United Autosports ORECA LMP2).


 

The Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America runs from 2:10-4:50 p.m. ET Sunday, with coverage available exclusively via streaming on Peacock in the U.S. and internationally on the IMSA Official YouTube channel and IMSA.tv.

 

Altoè Puts the “Speed” in DragonSpeed Ferrari at Road America

Ward Continues Pole Parity in GTD Aboard Winward Mercedes-AMG


 

August 2, 2025

By Jeff Olson

IMSA Wire Service

Qualifying Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Something about Road America suits Giacomo Altoè.


 

The winner of the Grand Touring Pro (GTD PRO) class race last year at Road America, Altoè won the GTD PRO pole position Saturday for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix.


 

The battle for the Motul Pole Award was exceedingly close, spurred by intense challenges from two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs. 


 

Altoè’s lap of 2 minutes, 3.904 seconds (117.613 mph) in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 topped Alexander Sims’ best lap in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R by just 0.01 of a second. Tommy Milner was just 0.01 of a second behind Sims in the sister No. 4 Corvette.  


 

Altoè will lead the class to the green flag in the car he co-drives with Albert Costa. Last year, Altoè teamed with Daniel Serra to win in a Ferrari 296 GT3 with Conquest Racing. Road America's 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit has become special to the 24-year-old Italian.


 

“Since the very first time I came here, I felt comfortable with it,” Altoè said. “It’s for sure not an easy track. It’s not automatic that you come here and you are fast, but I just find myself comfortable. I can reach the limit pretty quickly.”


 

The flowing, high-speed layout provides both a challenge and an opportunity, Altoè explained.


 

"I can extract the best out of me and out of the car," he said. "Once again, today I tried my best and it worked out. I'm very happy about this pole position. It's for sure a good starting position for tomorrow. ... (But) in IMSA, it's really close racing, so you can never relax."


 

Costa, the lone full-season driver in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari, entered the weekend 53 points back of Sims and Antonio Garcia in third place. Second-placed AO Racing with its No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) will roll from seventh in GTD PRO and started the weekend 39 in arrears.


 

Ward Continues GTD Pole Parity

In GTD, Russell Ward thought he’d found all the speed from the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 he co-drives with Philip Ellis, but then he found more.


 

Ward recorded a lap of 2:03.888, then followed it with a 2:03.475 (117.764 mph) – fastest among all GTD qualifiers – and enough to beat the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo driven by Casper Stevenson by 0.163 seconds among GTD entries. Ward is the 10th different driver in a row to win a GTD class pole. 


 

“That’s the fastest lap by six or seven tenths that we’ve ever done (at Road America),” Ward said. “I don’t think anyone can go faster.”


 

Entering the weekend, the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG leads the standings over the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 co-driven by Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson by 93 points. Thompson qualified fifth fastest.


 

“Just keep it clean and let the race come to us,” Ward said. “It’s a pretty long race – two hours and 40 minutes – and a lot can happen. We’re starting in a really good position, but we’ve got the back end of the GTD PRO field up front. As we’ve seen in past races, sometimes they don’t have it. Sometimes the GTD field does.”


 

Stevenson’s lap held up for the second starting position in GTD in the No. 27 he co-drives with Tom Gamble. Onofrio Triarsi will start third in the No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3 he co-drives with Kenton Koch.


 

As the GTD field starts behind the GTD PRO field, Ward noted posting the fastest qualifying lap among both classes will make for an interesting start to Sunday’s race.


 

“Sometimes the difference between GTD and GTD PRO is pretty close, especially when it comes to the front of the GTD field and the back of the GTD PRO field,” he said. “They definitely don’t want to let you by, which can influence the race a little bit behind you. I’m just hoping we can get into a rhythm and continue to go racing.”


 

The 2-hour, 40-minute Motul SportsCar Grand Prix goes green at 1:10 CT Sunday, available by stream in the U.S. on Peacock and internationally on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.tv.

 

Quartet of Maiden Michelin Pilot Challenge Victories Achieved at Road America

Altzman, Cicero, McCumbee McAleer Racing and Morris All Break Through for First Time in Series


 

August 2, 2025

By John Oreovicz and Jeff Olson

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – It’s often said that timing is everything, and a well-timed pit stop was the key to McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport’s first victory in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge competition Saturday at Road America.


 

Nate Cicero and Jenson Altzman won the Grand Sport (GS) class of the Road America 120 at the circuit known as “America’s National Park of Speed” after two jumbled hours of competition that put a premium on strategy. It was a day of firsts, not only for MMR’s No. 13 Ford Mustang GT4, but also for both drivers; Altzman was making his 27th start in Michelin Pilot Challenge, while Cicero won on his third attempt.


 

The race was punctuated by five full-course cautions, the most crucial being the fourth, which flew 57 minutes into the race. Cicero entered the pits to hand the car over to Altzman just seconds before pit lane was closed. After a tense few minutes not knowing whether Cicero had made it in on time (and would therefore have been assessed a penalty), McCumbee McAleer realized they were in the clear and had Altzman make a second stop with the rest of the GS competitors to top off his fuel.


 

It was a smart call, because the final 50 minutes ran mostly green. Altzman crossed the line 0.467 of a second ahead of Steve Wetterau and Cameron Shields in the No. 4 CarBahn BMW M4 GT4 EVO. Making the day even better for McCumbee McAleer Racing co-owner Stevan McAleer, he finished third along with Austin Krainz in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO. BMWs finished second through fifth.


 

Cicero, 20, has claimed the last two Motul Pole Awards in GS. His association with McAleer dates nearly 10 years to when he was racing karts.


 

“This is amazing!” Cicero exclaimed. “I think the BMW was the car to have today, but our Mustang was on fire, and we had enough for them. We executed a perfect race today. Jenson did an absolute perfect job during that stint and every call was perfect. 


 

“This whole MMR crew is an amazing family,” he added. “To come from the karting team with the McAleers in 2016 to win in GS in IMSA…I don’t have the words.”


 

Altzman was equally delighted to break through for his first Pilot Challenge victory. 


 

“We’ve had so much promise with this program from the start,” he said. “We’ve had so much progress but fell short a couple times. You have to be so perfect to win any level. But Michelin Pilot Challenge in particular, with how good IMSA does with fuel timing and race distance, it makes it really tricky to call the right, perfect strategy. Today we did that – everything lined up.”


 

A mechanical issue doomed GS championship leaders Jan Heylen and Luca Mars in their No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS to a 17th place finish after a tricky weekend. Mars ran the first stint in second place, but he and the rest of the GS field were not able to make their pit stops at the same time as the McCumbee McAleer Mustang. That dropped Heylen to 10th place, and he had moved back up to eighth when he pulled off with a mechanical failure with 19 minutes to go. 


 

The RS1 duo’s lead of more than 300 points heading into the month of July unofficially has been trimmed to 90, and Altzman has moved up to second in the standings. Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister, who finished fourth at Road America in the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine racing BMW, are 120 points out of the lead, while McAleer and Krainz rank fourth, 170 back, after their sixth straight top-six finish. 


 

Herta’s No. 33 Hyundai Breaks Through; No. 98 Hyundai Breaks Points Tie

Three of Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian’s five Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars raced under the spotlight in Saturday’s Touring Car (TCR) race. One of its cars broke through to win after a tough season, while the tie between its other two title-contending entries in the TCR standings was broken.  


 

Bryson Morris drove the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR to its first victory of the season and the first of Morris’ Michelin Pilot Challenge career with co-driver Mark Wilkins. This is Wilkins’ 14th Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR win, the winningest in class history, but first at Road America. 


 

Morris, 20, prevailed by 3.252 seconds over Jaden Conwright, who co-drove the No. 31 RVA Graphics Motorsports By Speed Syndicate Audi RS3 LMS TCR with Luke Rumburg. It marked the second podium of the day for Conwright, the inaugural IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient, who also finished third in an earlier Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America race. The No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR shared by Karl Wittmer and LP Montour finished third.


 

The win came as a relief for Morris, particularly after the No. 33 car was involved in a significant multi-car accident at the previous round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.


 

“It’s been a pretty tough season for us in the 33 car,” said Morris, who has three Motul Pole Awards in 2025 but started third on Saturday. “I’m really happy to finally get a win here. We’ve been really strong. The car was only getting better, so props to everyone at Bryan Herta Autosport. The first one for the 33 car. It can’t feel any better.”


 

Wilkins added, “Bryson’s done a great job, and it’s a long time coming for him. We’ve had some setbacks. It’s been a tumultuous season. So many crazy things have happened. This was another thing, but on the right side of the equation.”


 

The No. 33 car only made it to the lead by Lap 25 of the eventual 42-lap race once the final 50 minutes of the race opened up more green-flag running.


 

“It was really chaotic. … It’s been mentally challenging, and this is an ideal result for Bryson, the team and Hyundai after all the work they put in. Nice to see them get the result,” Wilkins explained.


 

It was the 30th win in Michelin Pilot Challenge for Bryan Herta Autosport, making them the second team behind Turner Motorsport to reach that milestone in the series. 


 

It also was the BHA team’s fifth win in 2025, after the championship-leading Nos. 98 and 76 cars won two races apiece in the first four races.


 

Between those two, Harry Gottsacker finished fourth after a hectic race for the No. 98 BHA Hyundai he co-drove with Mason Filippi. That broke a tie for the championship lead with the No. 76 BHA Hyundai co-driven by Preston Brown and Denis Dupont, who finished one spot behind in fifth.


 

The No. 98 car recovered from an early race penalty for incident responsibility with another TCR entry and then had a second penalty rescinded later in the race. 


 

With this result, Gottsacker unofficially leads Brown and Dupont by 20 points with Wittmer and Montour still within striking distance, only 90 points in arrears, in third. 


 

The series resumes Aug. 23 with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix at VIRginia International Raceway. Live coverage will begin at 2:15 p.m. ET on Peacock, YouTube and imsa.com/TVlive.

 

Qualifying Results | WeatherTech Championship

Motul SportsCar Grand Prix

Road America - Saturday, August 2, 2025

Qualifying Results


 

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

Wayne Taylor Racing Tops the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Field at Road America

Team Claims Pro, ProAm Wins; PPM, ONE Teams Secure Am, LB Cup Triumphs


 

August 2, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Race Results

 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – After a tough weekend at Watkins Glen International, Wayne Taylor Racing recaptured their form atop the charts in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America action in the first race of the weekend at Road America.

 

From pole in Pro, Danny Formal and Hampus Ericsson led flag-to-flag to secure their third win of the season, and first since a weekend sweep of all possible points at the season-opening weekend at Sebring International Raceway in March.

 

The joy for Wayne Taylor Racing carried through to ProAm as well, with past Super Trofeo champion Trent Hindman and rising star Jackson Lee scoring their first win together in their first start as a one-off entry.

 

David Staab (Precision Performance Motorsports, Am) and Nick Groat (ONE Motorsports, LB Cup) also returned to the top of their classes for the first time since the first race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey back in May.

 

All four class winners qualified on pole positions in their respective classes.


 

The 50-minute race ran caution-free around the picturesque and packed 4.048-mile Road America road course, with the Pro race seeing first Formal, then Ericsson control the pace out front. Driving the No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, Formal gapped the field by more than seven seconds in his stint, pitted halfway through the pit window with 26 minutes complete, with Ericsson bringing the car home to the finish 8.153 seconds clear of second place.

 

“It’s good to be back,” said Ericsson, the younger brother of 2022 Indianapolis 500 race winner Marcus Ericsson. “Now we’re really getting into the championship fight, so we'll see about tomorrow starting from pole again. I'm taking the start, so fingers crossed, we'll have a W as well after that race.”

 

Pro championship leaders Will Bamber and Elias De La Torre were second in their No. 29 TR3 Racing Huracán and unofficially lead Ericsson and Formal by eight points leaving Race 1 of the weekend. World Speed Motorsports’ Scott Huffaker and Jaden Conwright were third in their No. 22 Huracán, so the podium today matched both Pro podiums in Sebring.

ProAm saw a nearly identical type of race play out with the No. 69 Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán win from pole position. The only time this car lost the lead was during the pit stop sequence. WTR drafted in Hindman, Formal’s full-time teammate in its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 variant, and Lee, who’d started races this year with Forty7 Motorsports. Hindman kept the car out front in his stint and Lee regained the lead after the pit stop cycle was complete, winning by 25.907 seconds.

 

“I've had a couple of podiums this year, but to be able to stand on the top step is awesome and it means a lot,” said Lee, the son of veteran motorsports broadcaster Kevin Lee who is calling IMSA races at Road America this weekend. “To get one for the boys is great, but to team with Trent is amazing. I've learned so much for him and the team this week, so I'm just super thankful for this opportunity.”

 

MLT Motorsports’ Darius Trinka and Tadas Karlinskas unofficially move into the points lead in ProAm in their No. 11 Huracán, breaking a tie with fourth-place finishing TR3 pair of Conrad Geis and Jason Hart. Another new ProAm pairing – Sebastian Vasan and Coby Shield, now aboard RAFA Racing’s No. 81 Huracán after racing two weekends with another team – completed the podium in third.

With WTR’s Am championship leading No. 10 entry posting a seventh-place finish, the door opened for the second-place rivals in the points to vie for the win. Staab in the No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán made the winning pass on Lindsay Brewer’s No. 2 RAFA Racing Huracán for the lead on Lap 17 of 23.

 

“It was just super slick on Turn 6 where the No. 2 car just went a little bit wide there,” Staab said. “I was able to capitalize on that and get in front. But she put pressure on me the whole rest of the race. It was a tough race and she drove well, but the PPM guys put together a great setup for me and the car was awesome out there.”

 

Staab held off RAFA’s all-female lineup of Brewer and Jem Hepworth by 1.814 seconds to score his second win of the year and deny Brewer and Hepworth their first, although they scored their third straight runner-up result and fifth podium in the last six races. TR3’s Dean Neuls was third in his No. 70 Huracán.

Groat scored his fourth win of the year in LB Cup in his No. 57 ONE Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach, Huracán after several lead changes over the course of the race and is unofficially back atop the class championship. He settled into a rhythm out front post the pit stop cycle and netted out a lap ahead of second-placed Jon Hirshberg, who posted a season-best second place result in his No. 86 Forte Racing Huracán. Stephen Sorbaro was third in his No. 94 ANSA Motorsports Huracán.

 

“I think we went our longest run all year without having a podium, which was three races, so we really wanted to get that right today,” Groat said.

 

The second Lamborghini Super Trofeo race of the weekend from Road America goes green on Sunday at 9:25 a.m. CT and local time, 10:25 a.m. ET, with coverage via Peacock, IMSA.TV and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel. 

 

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Motul SportsCar Grand Prix

Road America - Saturday, August 2, 2025

Practice 2 Results

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.

 

Acura Rolls on to Fastest Speed in Road America Practice

TDS, DragonSpeed, Winward Pace Remaining WeatherTech Championship Classes


 

August 1, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

Practice 1 Results


 

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Acura continued in its recent form as the pacesetter in the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as Tom Blomqvist led the first practice session for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix Friday at Road America.


 

Blomqvist, who last time out teamed with Colin Braun to win the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International, guided the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 around the majestic 4.048-mile Road America circuit in 1 minute, 51.255 seconds, averaging 130.985 miles per hour. 


 

Blomqvist and the Meyer Shank team recently tested at the popular Wisconsin venue, and they came away pleased with what they learned. Acura is on a two-race win streak, with Meyer Shank’s No. 93 car taking the victory in late May at the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic.


 

“This is a great track for us; it brings out the strengths in our car, and in the past we have always been competitive,” Blomqvist said. “So, we’re all pretty excited, and hopeful we can fight for the victory again.”


 

A pleasant surprise in second was Ross Gunn in the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie. Gunn had the distinctive car’s V-12 engine singing as he lapped within a tenth of a second of the lead Acura, clocking 1:51.328 (130.899 mph). 


 

The Aston’s best qualifying performance to date in its first year of competition was ninth at Watkins Glen, where Gunn and co-driver Roman De Angelis finished a season-best eighth.


 

“We had a tough start to the year, but we really have dug deep to keep pushing, believing that we can get the good results flowing,” said Gunn. “There’s great team harmony, and that comes from the top all the way down to the bottom. The team is really coming into its own now, and I think definitely we are improving race by race.”


 

All five manufacturers competing in the GTP class were represented in Friday’s top five. Jack Aitken was third quick in the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (1:51.590/130.592 mph), followed by Dries Vanthoor in the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8 (1:51.655/130.515 mph), and Nick Tandy in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 (1:51.835/130.305 mph).


 

Porsche has won the last two races at Road America; the team’s championship-leading No. 6 shared by Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell was seventh fastest Friday, the last car to break the 1:52 barrier.


 

Mikkel Jensen (No. 11 TDS Racing ORECA LMP2 07) led the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, which boasts a season-high 14-car entry at Road America. His 1 minute, 52.781-second effort was more than three-tenths of a second quicker than Paul Di Resta, who leads the LMP2 point standings with Daniel Goldburg in the No. 22 ORECA fielded by United Autosports USA. Both United entries head into Saturday’s qualifying needing to post two fast laps as each car caused a red flag in practice and will lose their fastest qualifying lap.


 

Russell Ward was fastest in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 at 2:04.991 (116.590 mph). Ward and Philip Ellis lead the GTD season standings over the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3, which Parker Thompson drove to the second fastest time Friday.


 

“This is one of my favorite tracks and I can’t wait to get out there Sunday,” Ward said. “A lot of these races are won back at the workshop, and for us, I think this race is all about execution and keeping the nose clean.”


 

Giacomo Altoe and Albert Costa in their No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 followed their recent GTD PRO class victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park by topping the practice times at Road America. Altoe’s 2:05.844 (115.800 mph) circuit was exactly 0.1 mph faster than Daniel Serra in Conquest Racing’s similar No. 34 Ferrari 296 GT3 he shares with Wisconsin native Manny Franco, competing in his home race.


 

Teams will have another 90 minutes of practice Saturday morning, with qualifying set to take place in the afternoon at 4:40 p.m. CT and local time. The 2-hour, 40-minute Motul SportsCar Grand Prix flags off at 1:10 CT Sunday, available by stream in the U.S. on Peacock and internationally on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.tv.

 

 

Practice Results | WeatherTech Championship

Motul SportsCar Grand Prix

Road America - Friday, August 1, 2025

Practice 1 Results


 

Additional results are available at results.imsa.com.
 

What to Watch For: Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

Setting the Stage; Hot to Trot; Last Races for Now


 

August 21, 2025

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Since its rebirth in Y2K, VIRginia International Raceway has set the standard for amenities for spectators and competitors alike. Fans enjoy wandering the meticulously groomed lawns of the 3.27-mile, 17-turn facility, with countless A+ viewpoints, virtually unlimited access to the paddock and garage area, and some of the best track food this side of the Circuit de la Sarthe … why there’s even a tavern and restaurant on site. Competitors embrace the challenges of some of the most demanding and iconic sections of racetrack in North America with names like Horse Shoe, NASCAR Bend, Left Hook, Snake, the Climbing Esses, Oak Tree Curve, Roller Coaster and Hog Pen. 

 

Where better to showcase the drivers, teams and manufacturers of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s two GT categories, aka Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)?

 

Setting the Stage

 

As has been typical since VIR has enjoyed its late-August date on the IMSA calendar, the Michelin GT Challenge will set the stage for the final chapters of the WeatherTech Championship in both GT classes. Heading into this weekend’s trip to extremely southern Virginia (so far south the most traveled route to the track goes through North Carolina), most if not all bets are off with regards to the drivers, teams and manufacturers titles in both categories. 

 

In the GTD PRO driver and team standings, Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R enjoy a slim 30-point lead over Albert Costa in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3. Defending class champion Laurin Heinrich, together with co-driver Klaus Bachler, are a further 67 points back in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (aka Rexy) – so 97 in arrears of the lead. Things are even closer on the manufacturers side as Chevrolet (2,330) leads BMW (2,313) by just 17 points. Ferrari is just 56 back in third, with Ford 82 back in fourth.

 

It’s a similar story in GTD as Philip Ellis, Russell Ward and the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 stand atop the drivers and team standings with 2,147 points, 112 to the good of Jack Hawksworth, Parker Thompson and the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 with Cooper Stevenson and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo just five points further behind. On the other hand, whereas the GTD PRO manufacturers race is a near dead-heat between Chevrolet and BMW, GTD sees Mercedes-AMG (2,361) with a substantial - but by no means secure - advantage over Ferrari (2,207) with Lexus (2,168) third.

 

Who’s Hot?

If history is any indication, Corvette and BMW are going to take some beating this weekend. After all, Corvette finished one-two in 2021 in the final GT Le Mans year, then second in 2022 with a win again in 2023 in GTD PRO. They did not figure last year in the Z06 GT3.R’s debut campaign. The ultra-consistent Garcia and Sims are still looking for their first win of the 2025 season, and VIR could well be just what the doctor ordered. 

 

Meanwhile, Paul Miller Racing’s BMW M4 GT3 took top GTD PRO honors at VIR last year in the hands of Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers, just a year after PMR and Turner Motorsport combined to earn a one-two finish for BMW in GTD. Snow is back in the No. 1 PMR BMW this season with co-driver Neil Verhagen and the pairing is coming off their first win of the campaign at Road America.

 

Nor is Mercedes-AMG a stranger to success at VIR, witness the fact that they have been a fixture on the podium of late with last year’s one-three finish in GTD by Korthoff/Preston Motorsports and Winward Racing. Winward was also third in 2023.

 

And lest we forget Ford Multimatic Motorsports, which last year achieved something of a breakthrough at VIR in the Mustang GT3’s debut season, capturing the Motul Pole Award in the GTD class and finishing second and fourth in GTD PRO. Sebastian Priaulx, Mike Rockefeller and the No. 64 Mustang currently stand fourth in the GTD PRO standings, and few would be surprised if they – or teammates Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch in the No. 65 Mustang – were to stand on or near the top step of the VIR podium come Sunday afternoon. 

 

Last Time Around

VIR will also be the last time around this season for two GTD teams’ sprint-race specific lineups. The Michelin GT Challenge is the final non-endurance race of the campaign, given the upcoming six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 10-hour Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

 

Drivers Jenson Altzman and Robert Megennis in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3 will look to improve upon their best outing of 10th at Long Beach in their debut. Both drivers also race in Saturday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race, making for their last “double-double” of the year. 

 

Similarly, Robert Wickens’ remarkable if all-too-concentrated run in this year’s slate of WeatherTech Championship standard-length races concludes this weekend. Together with co-drivers Tommy Milner and Alec Udell, the Canadian has shown plenty of pace at the helm of the hand-controlled No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette. 

 

To date, however, he has yet to finish on the podium, although he and Udell came agonizingly close with a fourth-place finish in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and a near-miss last time out at Road America when Udell lost the lead inside the final eight minutes. 

 

Both of these lineups have shown pace and form at times but haven’t yet had the results to match – and either or both entry standing on the podium would be a welcome end before their IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup lineups return at Indianapolis.

 

Be sure to catch all the Michelin GT Challenge action from VIR this weekend on USA at 2 p.m. ET, with streaming on Peacock, IMSA.TV and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.

 

2025 IMSA Esports Global Championship on iRacing Schedule Revealed

Latest Four-Race Season Offers a Calendar Twist of Venues

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 21, 2025) – Shortly after the 2025 IMSA season wraps up on-track, the IMSA Esports Global Championship on iRacing returns for its fourth season with another excellent slate of four races at five different venues. 


 

IMSA once again partners with iRacing, VCO (Virtual Competition Organisation), AMD and Michelin for the season, which features a $25,000 prize pool and will start less than a month after Motul Petit Le Mans closes the curtain on the 2025 season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.


 

“It’s become a new tradition that the best sim racers in the world gather under the IMSA banner after our on-track season concludes,” said Brandon Huddleston, IMSA vice president, partnership marketing and business development. “After three incredible seasons, the fourth IMSA Esports Global Championship should be another excellent, competitive showcase of talent, just like what you see in real life from the IMSA calendar.”  


 

The schedule of events changes slightly from the third season which ran from November 2024 to January 2025, with three of the four venues returning for the fourth season.


 

IMSA Esports Global Championship races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (Round 1), Sebring International Raceway (Round 2) and Daytona International Speedway (Round 4) return for both the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) classes. However, two new venues will create a unique calendar twist.


 

The third round of the season will see GTP cars race the Long Beach Street Circuit while GTD cars head to VIRginia International Raceway. Each will have a 75-minute race and be broadcast back-to-back on the same channel as part of a new-for-2025 split race concept. 


 

Schedule:

  • Round 1: Sunday, Nov. 2 – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (GTP, GTD)
  • Round 2: Sunday, Nov. 16 – Sebring International Raceway (GTP, GTD)
  • Round 3: Sunday, Nov. 23 – Long Beach Street Circuit (GTP) and VIR (GTD)
  • Round 4: Sunday, Dec. 7 – Daytona International Speedway (GTP, GTD)


 

Broadcasts will air live on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel as well as iRacing’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels, with more than 750,000 viewers having watched across the four-race 2024 season.


 

Competitors will have the opportunity to race with any of four GTP cars and eight GTD cars, comprising 10 automotive manufacturers and 12 different types of cars. Those cars eligible for competition include:


 

  • GTP: Acura ARX-06, BMW M Hybrid V8, Cadillac V-Series.R and Porsche 963
  • GTD: BMW M4 GT3, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

 

As in 2024, all iRacing members will have the opportunity to try and gain entry into the IMSA Esports Global Championship via public hot lap qualifiers on the iRacing platform beginning on October 6 and concluding on October 13.  

 

Additionally, the GTP/GTD class winners of the top-split of iRacing’s 2025 special events (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Indianapolis and Petit Le Mans) and the 2024 IMSA Esports GTP/GTD class champions receive an automatic entry into the 2025 season. 

 

Teams that have automatically qualified for 2025 include Williams Esports, Grid n Go Esports, Drago Racing and Team Redline across either or both of the GTP and GTD classes. 

 

Each race will once again feature a “wild-card” entry. Last year, wild card entries included Scuderia Ferrari HP Esports Team and Max Verstappen’s Verstappen.com Racing.  

 

Complete details for the 2025 IMSA Esports Global Championship, including information on how public iRacing drivers and teams may register for the pre-qualifying sessions, are included in the official series rulebook, which can be found here.

 

 

Entry List Notebook – IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at VIR

Tripleheader Set at VIRginia International Raceway with CTMP Race 2 Added to Schedule


 

August 19, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (VIR)

Entry List (CTMP Makeup)


 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The late Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks’ famous quote of “let’s play two” is accurate for every IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race weekend, as two 45-minute races are the norm. However, “Mr. Cub’s” quote will need to be modified for the series’ trip to VIRginia International Raceway this weekend.


 

While “let’s play two” is still true, the usual doubleheader expands to a tripleheader at VIR after Race 2 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July was first delayed due to weather, then postponed, following a careful evaluation of team logistics – including international travel and border-crossing requirements.


 

IMSA officials have worked to integrate the third race into a revised weekend schedule, of which the VP Racing Challenge is the only one of five IMSA-sanctioned series racing featuring prototype action on the Michelin GT Challenge event program. 


 

With the new schedule, the third race of the weekend – the CTMP Race 2 postponement – has been added to Sunday at 9:35 a.m. ET. The two VP Racing Challenge races originally set for VIR take place Friday at 4:55 p.m. and Saturday at 12:25 p.m. 


 

In Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3), Valentino Catalano (No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08) leads Brian Thienes (No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320) by 240 points (2,260 to 2,020). Catalano will have a new teammate this weekend with Swedish driver Alexzander Kristiansson in the No. 31 Gebhardt Duqueine. 


 

The Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) remains the closest championship battle. Adam Adelson in his No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) leads AJ Muss in the No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 by just 20 points (2,220 to 2,200). However, with Muss absent from the entry list this weekend, four-time GTDX winner Jake Walker may continue making inroads.


 

After trailing Adelson by 480 points after barely getting to race at Daytona – a wreck during qualifying caused enough damage to the No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 that Walker was unable to start Race 1 and had to retire after completing just four laps in Race 2 – Walker has closed 180 points with four wins in the last five races. At 300 points behind, two or three more wins this weekend could enhance his chance at the season finale weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.


 

Grand Sport X (GSX) remains the domain of RAFA Racing, with Kiko Porto scoring his fifth win in seven races in the  No. 8 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 at CTMP and extending his championship lead to 340 points – nearly a full race win – ahead of second-placed Steven Clemons in BSI Racing’s No. 76 Toyota. Porto’s RAFA teammate Ian Porter (No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) sits third, 40 behind Clemons. 


 

Bronze Cup leaders in two of the three classes hold healthy leads. Thienes has a 900-point gap in P3 and Samantha Tan (No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3) leads by 190 in GTDX. In GSX, Porter leads by 40 points ahead of Chris Walsh (No. 22 TWOth Autosport Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS).


 

VP Racing Challenge teams will practice and qualify Friday before their first race later Friday afternoon. Streaming coverage airs via NBC Sports’ Peacock in the U.S. and on IMSA.TV and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel outside the U.S.


 

Fast Facts

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge

VIRginia International Raceway – Alton, Virginia

August 22-24, 2025


 

Race Days/Times: Friday, Aug. 22, 4:55 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 23, 12:25 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 24, 9:35 a.m.

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 4:50 p.m. Friday, 12:20 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. Sunday (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)

Circuit Type: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course

Classes Competing: Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3), Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX), Grand Sport X (GSX)

Race Lengths: 45 minutes


 

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Track Records

  • P3: Jagger Jones, Duqueine D08, 1:41.198 / 116.326 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying)
  • GSX: Luca Mars, Ford Mustang GT4, 1:53.143 / 104.045 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying)


 

2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 Winners:

  • P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
  • GSX: Luca Mars, No. 59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4


 

2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Winners:

  • P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
  • GSX: Luca Mars, No. 59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4

 

 

VIR Could Be Key to GTD Championship 

Three Realistic Contenders with Three WeatherTech Championship Races to Go


 

August 19, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The production car-based GT classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship have three upcoming races to settle their 2025 title tilts, starting this weekend with the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway.


 

It’s the only race on the WeatherTech Championship calendar featuring Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) and GTD PRO as the headline draw. Cars built to FIA GT3 specification are an ideal match for the rough and rustic road course nestled in the heart of stock car country near the North Carolina border. 


 

VIR packs 17 corners into 3.27 up-and-down miles – one sequence of corners is literally called Roller Coaster – and with little to nothing in the way of track limits, it’s a circuit that requires a combination of commitment, bravery, and precision like no other track in America.


 

This is sports car racing in its purest form, featuring the ultimate factory race-prepared versions of iconic street machines including the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Ferrari 296 GT3, Ford Mustang GT3, Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, Lexus RC F GT3, Mercedes-AMG GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).


 

“VIR is one of my favorite racetracks,” said Russell Ward, who along with Philip Ellis leads the GTD championship in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3. “It’s just a super technical and committed racetrack. Those are my favorite kind of racetracks – the ones with a ‘National Park’ kind of environment, with older surfaces that give you quite a bit of tire wear. And no runoffs – there are no track limits or anything like that. I can’t wait to get out there.”

The battle for the GTD championship features a likely three-way fight between defending champions Ellis and Ward, who lead Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson (No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3) by 112 points, with Casper Stevenson another five points back in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo he most often shares with Tom Gamble. 


 

The Winward Mercedes duo rose to the top of the points table with a pair of early race wins at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the TireRack.com Monterey SportsCar Championship. At that point, they held a 124-point cushion over Thompson and Hawksworth, with the No. 27 Aston at a 267-point deficit in fourth.


 

The turning point of the season came at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Ward was swept into a collision between three Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars on the rain-slicked track, necessitating a 36-minute pit stop that dropped the No. 57 to a 16th-place finish. 


 

Meanwhile, the No. 12 Lexus appeared to be on the way to the GTD class victory until Hawksworth ran out of fuel on the last lap and dropped to 11th. The fortuitous winner was the No. 27 Aston Martin, which vaulted to within 60 points of Ward and Ellis. It also dropped the No. 12 Lexus 76 points behind, instead of vaulting them to the lead. 


 

Hawksworth called the sudden turn of fortune “a heartbreaker…maybe the worst day in the history of this team, in terms of the way it ended.”


 

Added Thompson: “It was a championship day for five hours and 58 minutes of the Watkins Glen Six Hours. It’s only halfway (of the season) and let’s give it everything we have for the rest of the championship.”


 

The three key GTD contenders have pretty much held serve over the most recent two races – the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America.


 

Ward and Ellis rebounded to claim second place at CTMP, where they were joined on the podium by Hawksworth and Thompson, who finished third. Stevenson, paired on this occasion with Aston Martin Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) driver Roman De Angelis, took fifth.

There was little to choose from just looking at the results at Road America, where all three were clustered between ninth and 11th. But the intensity of the championship battle was clearly ramping up, because Ellis was assigned incident responsibility in a clash with Gamble in the No. 27 Aston Martin. Later in the race, Ellis got together with Hawksworth in another bumping match, this time with Hawksworth being assigned incident responsibility.


 

The ninth-place finish at Road America was particularly disappointing for the Aston Martin team, as Stevenson had qualified an IMSA career-best second and Gamble was running second when the entry took damage from a spinning car.


 

“From there, it was just kind of damage limitation with the performance we had,” Gamble said. “A bit of a shame, but looking at the positives, we gained points on our championship rivals."


 

With a standard-length race at VIR, a six-hour skirmish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and the 10-hour finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the GTD championship is up for grabs.


 

“I’m kind of surprised we haven’t gotten a win yet, but podiums are points, and points are prizes,” said Thompson. “We’re locked in on the championship. You know when you start the season that it’s going to Petit Le Mans. Jack and I are not surprised that it’s this tight. We knew it was going to be this tough. That’s what makes this championship so amazing and that’s what makes Petit Le Mans, as a finale, just probably the best race of the season.”


 

“I think the Lexus – the 12 car – and us, we both experienced our bad luck at Watkins Glen,” noted Ward. “We’ve had a year and a half of incident-free racing, so you knew you were due for something at some point.


 

“Hopefully that’s out of the way now.”


 

The three-way title fight isn’t all to watch in GTD. Mercedes-AMG holds a 154-point lead over Ferrari in the Manufacturer’s Championship. The Bob Akin Award, awarded to the top Bronze-rated driver in class, is in a dead heat with Brendan Iribe and Orey Fidani both on 2,260 points – meaning whichever of the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 or No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R finishes ahead takes the lead.


 

Live coverage of the 2-hour, 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge at VIR can be found from 2-5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 24 on USA and Peacock. International viewers can stream via IMSA.tv and IMSA’s official YouTube channel.

Where’d He Come From? Heinrich’s Journey to Top GTD PRO Talent

AO Racing Reaping Dividends from Taking Flyer on Relatively Unknown Driver


 

August 18, 2025

By Mark Robinson

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Gunnar Jeannette is the first to admit it. He wasn’t a clairvoyant or an amazing psychic when he was searching for the right driver to anchor the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R as AO Racing was about to embark on its Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.


 

But now, nearly two years later, the team principal looks like a genius as Laurin Heinrich – a relatively unknown talent before joining AO Racing in 2024 – chases his second straight GTD PRO drivers’ crown. With three races remaining this season, Heinrich, co-driver Klaus Bachler and the popular Rexy/Roxy Porsche sit third in the class standings, 97 points from the lead.


 

As a WeatherTech Championship rookie last year, Heinrich became the youngest driver in series history to win a pro class title, at 23. Working alongside a mixture of co-drivers, he won three races and captured the championship by just four points in the team’s debut GTD PRO season.


 

Partnered for the full 2025 season with Bachler, they’ve won twice (Sebring, along with third driver Alessio Picariello, and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca) and have three additional top-five results to remain in the points hunt for both the driver and team titles.


 

But how did Heinrich end up at AO Racing in the first place? Call it a spot-on hunch for Jeannette, the successful driver turned team exec. 


 

Heinrich had been climbing the Porsche junior ranks in Europe, winning the 2022 Carrera Cup Germany championship with six wins in the single-make series. He made a one-off trip to the U.S. at the end of that season to compete in the final round of Carrera Cup North America at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Heinrich opened the eyes of Jeannette and others, winning the pole for both races and racing to victory in the second. Little more than a year later, at Jeannette’s urging, Heinrich was named to the AO Racing entry in 2024.

“I would be lying if I said I knew Laurin had this much potential when we specifically told Porsche that we wanted him in our car,” Jeannette says now. “That being said, I watched Laurin when he came to the Carrera Cup round at Road Atlanta in 2022, and that made an impression. The field there was pretty good already, for American standards. 


 

“When we knew we were shifting the program to GTD PRO (for 2024) and were looking for a driver that Porsche would place with us, we had a list. Laurin wasn’t even on that list because at the time he hadn’t done enough yet. In a conversation with our race engineer, I said, ‘I have a guy I wanted to bring up and talk about. I think he might be the best one out of all of these.’ I said his name, and our race engineer said, ‘I was thinking exactly the same thing!’”


 

For Heinrich, racing began as a fun way to spend time with his dad, competing at local club events. They purchased a Formula 4 car and ran their own team in the German series in 2017, which fanned the flames of passion for the then-16-year-old Laurin to push onward. Two years later, he joined the Porsche Super Sports Cup Germany series and won six times in 10 outings to secure the championship. That put him on the manufacturer’s radar, though the 2020 pandemic delayed his progress.


 

Racing in both Carrera Cup Germany and Porsche Supercup, Heinrich’s biggest break before AO Racing came in late 2021 when he won the Porsche Junior drivers shootout. The support from Porsche helped him earn the 2022 Carrera Cup Germany crown and the chance to drive in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) series in 2023, gaining valuable seat time if not trophies.

 

“Throughout Laurin’s Junior career with Carrera Cup and the DTM stuff, he didn’t have enough race wins or any of that kind of stuff,” Jeannette says. “The thing that impressed me is he always moved forward, and he did it in manners that were not clumsy. He didn’t put people off the racetrack and didn’t have lots of contact. If you can move forward consistently in a manner like that, it really says a lot about the potential they have.”


 

With that in mind, Jeannette landed Heinrich to drive for AO Racing in 2024. Needless to say, it’s worked out.

“Obviously, I was full of expectations doing my first season in IMSA and in general in North America,” Heinrich recalls. “But for sure, you can’t go into IMSA and expect you’ll win it the first time, and fight for it again. It’s a tough championship and everything needs to work perfectly.


 

“But that’s exactly why I wanted to come to IMSA,” he added. “You’re fighting the best drivers in GT; the best teams and many manufacturers engaged on some of the best tracks in the world. As a driver, IMSA is very appealing. In my situation as a young driver, (I) did one year GT3 racing in Europe and here it’s a perfect platform to show my skills and what I’m capable of.”


 

Heinrich has definitely shown how capable he is in the race car, but Jeannette says his young steed is even better outside of the Porsche.


 

“What really impresses me with Laurin, even more so than his talent, is just the type of person he is,” Jeannette relates. “He grew up in a great family, he’s got a great head on his shoulders, and he’s just a genuinely good human being. You can really get behind somebody like that and make sure we’re giving him everything he can possibly have to showcase what he can do. Moving out of driving into the role that I’m in now, when he joined us in 2024, I’ve never been so excited to watch somebody drive a race car than I am with Laurin. That kind of says it all.”


 

The question becomes, though, with such meteoric talent, how long will Heinrich be at AO Racing’s disposal? He turns 24 next month, is closely monitored by Porsche’s decision makers, and admits the desire to someday race in the manufacturer’s Grand Touring Prototype program. Someday.


 

“For sure I dream of it and it’s my goal to be in one of those cars racing for the Porsche factory team,” Heinrich said. “But currently I’m in the middle of my GTD PRO season, fighting for a second straight championship, and I don’t want to lose the focus. For sure, it’s a long-term goal. Right now, all my focus is about securing back-to-back championships.”


 

Heinrich, Jeannette and AO Racing resume that quest for a second consecutive championship this week in the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, the event featuring only the GTD PRO and GTD classes. The weekend runs Aug. 22-24, with the two-hour, 40-minute race airing live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Aug. 24 on USA Network in the U.S., as well as IMSA’s Official YouTube channel and IMSA.tv internationally.

 

Entry List Notebook – Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix

Wild Michelin Pilot Challenge Races Have Occurred the Last Three Years at VIR


 

August 18, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix at VIRginia International Raceway isn’t the deciding race of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. But for the last three years, it’s been one of the wildest races on the calendar.


 

A thoroughly epic scrap took place in Touring Car (TCR) in 2024 between Karl Wittmer and Tyler Gonzalez, ending with Wittmer’s No. 93 Montreal Motorsports Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR just ahead of Gonzalez’s No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR following a brilliant outside-inside pass of the 20-year-old. Grand Sport (GS) was a fuel-mileage affair captured by BGB Motorsports’ Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. 


 

A year earlier in 2023, a GS dice went front-and-center with a three-car, one-lap dash that ended with a clash. Robin Liddell’s No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R took the win with Frank DePew, ultimately the last for that car before the team switched to Aston Martin ahead of the 2024 Michelin Pilot Challenge season. TCR saw the Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR win ahead of the Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian Hyundai armada, led by Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker. 


 

And in 2022, to keep up the craziness, Joey Hand made a last lap pass for the win in GS after then-leader, Scott Andrews, ran out of fuel on the final lap. Hand did so despite braking issues in his No. 40 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4. Eventual champions Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis won in TCR for their first win of the season. 


 

The post-script for the 2023 and 2024 VIR wins was fascinating in the following races. 


 

The MMG Honda win in 2024 was the last for the brand in TCR before Hyundai reeled off six straight TCR wins – two to end 2024 and the first four of 2025 – until the No. 93 Honda recaptured the checked flag at this year’s LP Building Solutions 120 at Watkins Glen International. 


 

Drama from the Liddell battle with the two other cars at VIR wound up biting them at the 2023 season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, with one of its VIR rivals pitting on the final lap to lose enough positions that allowed the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 to leapfrog the No. 71 car to take the GS championship by 10 points – or one position. 


 

With the last several years as a backdrop and VIR clearly a fascinating stop for the series as the third-to-last round of the season, will the wildness continue or will a calmer, cooler race prevail? Leaving Road America, the championship battles have intensified.


 

In GS, RS1’s pair of Jan Heylen and Luca Mars in the No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS have seen their once-unassailable 340-point lead leaving Round 5 at Watkins Glen reduce to 90 leaving Round 7 at Road America. They’re still in a good spot and head to a track where Porsche won last year with BGB Motorsports. However, back-to-back finishes off the podium have opened the door for closest rival Jenson Altzman, who along with Nate Cicero won the most recent race at Road America in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4. The No. 13 car also has three straight GS poles.


 

BMW M4 GT4 EVO entries from CarBahn by Peregrine racing, Auto Technic Racing and Turner Motorsport completed the top five at Road America, and BMW’s run of form has also brought it to a tie with Porsche atop the GS Manufacturer Championship standings with just three races to go.


 

The TCR title battle remains a neck-and-neck competition between the two BHA teammates in the Nos. 98 and 76 Hyundais, with the No. 93 MMG Honda of Wittmer and LP Montour surging. The No. 98 Hyundai of Harry Gottsacker leads the No. 76 Hyundai of Denis Dupont and Preston Brown by just 20 points, while after four straight podium finishes, Wittmer and LP Montour are just 90 points back in third place. The top-ranked Audi from Precision Racing LA sits fifth in points, but 300 points back of the lead.


 

Among the 40 cars on the entry list split between 24 GS and 16 TCR, there’s a handful of changes. KOHR Motorsports’ second Ford Mustang GT4 for Nick Persing and Sam Paley returns, while past TCR entrants Copeland Motorsports make their GS season debut with a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. Stephen Cameron Racing also returns with a new chassis after its Road America incident, adorned in the same full livery of names as its primary chassis. Three Audis are back in TCR (for a total of six), including Baker Racing also with a fresh chassis and a motivated James Vance and Sam Baker in their No. 52 Audi RS3 LMS TCR, one of two team cars. Rockwell Autosport Development also returns. 


 

Michelin Pilot Challenge teams have two one-hour practice sessions on Friday and qualify Saturday morning. Saturday’s Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2025 season, rolls off at 2:20 p.m. ET and local time. It will stream live on Peacock and globally, ad-free, courtesy of Michelin on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel.


 

Fast Facts

Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix

VIRginia International Raceway – Alton, Virginia 

Aug. 22-23, 2024


 

Race Day/Time: Saturday, Aug. 23, 2:20 p.m. ET

Live Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 2:15 p.m., Peacock in the U.S., globally on IMSA YouTube ad-free courtesy of Michelin

Circuit Type: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)

Race Length: Two hours


 

Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records

  • GS: Stevan McAleer, Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS, 1:52.627 / 104.521 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying)
  •  TCR: Bryson Morris, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, 1:55.230 / 102.160 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying) 


 

2024 Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix Winners

  • GS: Spencer Pumpelly/Thomas Collingwood, No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS
  • TCR: Dai Yoshihara/Karl Wittmer, No. 93 Montreal Motorsports Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR


 

Storylines

  • GS Title Battle Tightens: Last year RS1 was the chaser in GS; this year; they’re being chased. With a. 340-point gap leaving Watkins Glen, RS1’s lead has now been cut to 90 entering VIR. Jan Heylen and Luca Mars are still well-positioned in their No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS, but the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4 and pair of BMW M4 GT4 EVOs from CarBahn and Auto Technic Racing are lurking. Additionally, Porsche and BMW are tied for the GS Manufacturer Championship lead at 2,200 points apiece. 
  • Can Herta Hyundais Hold Off Honda?: The Nos. 98 and 76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars have been the measure of the TCR field all season. But the run of form from the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR has made this a battle, within 90 points.


 

Who’s Hot?

  • No. 27 Auto Technic Racing and No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVOs: No one’s hotter in GS than Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz in the No. 27 Auto Technic BMW, who together have scored six straight top-six finishes including two podiums. CarBahn’s pairing of Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister in the No. 39 BMW is also on a roll with three straight top-fives, and five in the last six races.
  • No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR: Four straight podiums, two wins and three poles for the LP Montour and Karl Wittmer pairing in their No. 93 Honda have brought them to within 90 points of the TCR championship lead. 


 

Who’s Good Here?

  • UniTronic in Odd Years: The 2024 TCR champions, Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller, have had their best VIR success in odd-numbered years with wins in 2021 and 2023. Now in GS, the pair seeks to extend this “odd” trend in their No. 17 UniTronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. 
  • The Plumb Brothers: On three different occasions, brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb have won driving together at VIR. They’re split in 2025, but still have win hopes in the Nos. 46 and 64 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evos, respectively. 


 

Previous Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix Winners in 2025 Field (13)

  • Ryan Eversley (3): ST – 2010, 2011, 2016
  • Hugh Plumb (3): ST – 2006; GS – 2008, 2015
  • Matt Plumb (3): ST – 2006; GS – 2008, 2015
  • Chris Miller (2): TCR – 2021, 2023 
  • Mikey Taylor (2): TCR – 2021, 2023
  • Frank DePew (1): GS – 2023 
  • Mason Filippi (1): TCR – 2020
  • Robby Foley (1): GS – 2019 
  • Jan Heylen (1): GS - 2021
  • Billy Johnson (1): GS - 2011
  • Robin Liddell (1): GS – 2023 
  • Dillon Machavern (1): GS – 2017 
  • Karl Wittmer (1): TCR – 2024 


 

Previous Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix Pole Winners in 2025 Field (7)

  • Tyler Gonzalez (1): TCR – 2022 
  • Harry Gottsacker (1): TCR – 2021 
  • Paul Holton (1): GS – 2018 
  • Dillon Machavern (1): GS – 2021 
  • Stevan McAleer (1): GS – 2024 
  • Chris Miller (1): TCR – 2023 
  • Bryson Morris (1): TCR - 2024

 

Previous Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix Winning Teams in 2025 Field (8)

  • Turner Motorsport (3): GS – 2007, 2010, 2020 
  • Bryan Herta Autosport (2): TCR – 2020, 2022 
  • JDC-Miller MotorSports (2): TCR – 2021, 2023 
  • RS1 (2): ST – 2015; GS – 2017 
  • KohR Motorsports (1): GS – 2019 
  • Montreal Motorsports Group (1): TCR – 2024 
  • Rebel Rock Racing (1): GS – 2023 
  • Team TGM (1): GS – 2018 


 

Previous Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (9)

  • Porsche – 15
  • Ford – 7
  • Audi – 5
  • BMW – 5 
  • Honda – 5 
  • Chevrolet – 4
  • Hyundai – 2 
  • Aston Martin – 1 
  • Mercedes-AMG – 1

 

Entry List Notebook – Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

Last Sprint Race of 2025 WeatherTech Championship Season Serves as GT-Only Showcase


 

August 13, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The sprint race season for the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship concludes with the annual GT-only showcase, the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway. With both Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class championship battles intensifying, there’s a lot on the line for the race that features only FIA GT3-homologated cars. The top three entries in GTD PRO are covered by 97 points and the top three in GTD by 117 points, so there’s potential for big movement.


 

Interestingly, two GT class winners of the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America head into VIR looking for back-to-back wins both this season and also at VIR. Madison Snow (No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO) and Kenton Koch (No. 021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 296 GT3) won in GTD PRO and GTD at Road America and won in GTD PRO and GTD at VIR last season, although Koch’s win last year was with a different team and manufacturer.


 

As the last standard-length race of the season, some drivers will be competing in their final race of the season. Both DXDT Racing and Gradient Racing have fielded separate IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup lineups, so this marks the last scheduled starts of the 2025 season for Robert Wickens in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Jenson Altzman and Robert Megennis in the No. 66 Gradient Racing Ford Mustang GT3. 


 

Here's what else you need to know for the upcoming race weekend featuring 23 cars – 10 in GTD PRO and 13 in GTD:

 

Fast Facts

Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

VIRginia International Raceway – Alton, Virginia 

Aug. 22-24, 2025


 

Race Day/Time: Sunday, Aug. 24, 2:10 p.m. ET

USA Network Coverage: LIVE – 2-5 p.m. ET

Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 2 p.m. (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA Official YouTube channel)

Live Qualifying Stream: Saturday, Aug. 24, 4:50 p.m. (on Peacock in the U.S., globally on IMSA.tv and IMSA Official YouTube channel)

IMSA Radio: Select sessions live on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins at noon Sunday, Aug. 24 (XM 206, Web/App 996)

Circuit Type: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course

Classes Competing: GT Daytona Pro (GTD PRO), GT Daytona (GTD)

Race Length: Two hours, 40 minutes


 

Track Social Media: 

Event Hashtags: #IMSA, #MichelinVIR


 

WeatherTech Championship Track Records

  • GTD PRO: Madison Snow, BMW M4 GT3, 1:43.206 / 114.062 mph, August 2024
  • GTD: Ross Gunn, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, 1:43.356 / 113.897 mph, October 2021


 

2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Winners

  • GTD PRO: Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 
  • GTD: Mikael Grenier/Kenton Koch, No. 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3


 

2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR Motul Pole Award Winners

  • GTD PRO: Madison Snow, No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 
  • GTD: Giammarco Levorato, No. 55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3


 

Storylines

  • GTD PRO’s Title Battle Royale: The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R is clinging to a 30-point lead in GTD PRO over the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 with the defending champion AO Racing team in third, 97 points in arrears with its No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
  • Defending Winners in More Ways Than One: Madison Snow and Kenton Koch won the most recent VIR IMSA race in two different classes. They also won the most recent IMSA race in 2025 at Road America. Can they keep their momentum alive this week? 
  • Lucky 13 on GTD Podiums: With a podium of Triarsi Competizione’s No. 021 Ferrari, Forte Racing’s No. 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 and Conquest Racing’s No. 34 Ferrari at Road America, the number of different cars that have been on a GTD podium in 2025 is 13. That list doesn’t include series stalwarts Turner Motorsport, as well as emerging teams like DXDT Racing or Gradient Racing who have been just shy of the top three. 
  • GT Classes Front and Center: The FIA GT3-homologated spec cars covering the two GT classes take center stage in their first and only WeatherTech Championship race without prototypes this season.


 

Who’s Hot?

  • No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3: Three straight podiums, including their first win as a collective unit in tandem with Risi Competizione, has positioned DragonSpeed second in GTD PRO points and only 30 out of the lead. 
  • No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3: Without any GTD team being overly consistent in recent rounds, Turner’s No. 96 BMW appears closer to its first win or podium of the season. The car posted a season-best fourth at Road America and has seven top-10 finishes in as many races this year, the only car in class to do so. 


 

Who’s Good Here?

  • Madison Snow: At one of IMSA’s hottest weather events, a driver named Snow has melted the track. Snow is a three-time Motul Pole Award winner, three-time race winner and GTD PRO track record holder at VIR. He book-ended his wins with Bryan Sellers at this track, too, with their first as a unit in 2016 and last as a pair in 2024, although that was driver and team’s first win in GTD PRO. 
  • Garcia and Milner: Along with Snow, two longtime Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports drivers have excelled in IMSA’s lone GT-only race. Antonio Garcia (four wins) and Tommy Milner (two of his three at VIR) have combined for six victories in various iterations of Corvettes since 2012.


 

Previous Michelin GT Challenge Winners in 2025 Field (8)

  • Antonio Garcia (4): GTLM – 2016, 2017, 2020; GTD PRO – 2023 
  • Tommy Milner (3): GT – 2005, 2012; GTLM – 2021 
  • Madison Snow (3): GTD – 2016, 2023; GTD PRO – 2024 
  • Philip Ellis (1): GTD – 2022
  • Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2020 
  • Kenton Koch (1): GTD – 2024 
  • Alexander Sims (1): GTLM – 2018 
  • Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2022 

 

Previous Michelin GT Challenge Pole Winners in 2025 Field (5)

  • Madison Snow (3): GTD – 2016; 2023; GTD PRO – 2024
  • Jack Hawksworth (2): GTD – 2018; GTD PRO – 2023 
  • Tommy Milner (2): GT – 2004; GTLM – 2021 
  • Robby Foley (1): GTD – 2021 
  • Russell Ward (1): GTD – 2022 

 

Previous Michelin GT Challenge Winning Teams in 2025 Field (6)

  • Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (6): GT – 2012; GTLM – 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021; GTD PRO – 2023 
  • Paul Miller Racing (3): GTD – 2016, 2023; GTD PRO – 2024 
  • Pfaff Motorsports (2): GTD – 2021; GTD PRO – 2022 
  • Turner Motorsport (2): GTD – 2014, 2020 
  • Wayne Taylor Racing (2): DP – 2004, 2007
  • Winward Racing (1): GTD – 2022 

 

Previous Michelin GT Challenge Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (7)

  • Chevrolet – 13
  • Porsche – 11
  • BMW – 8
  • Ferrari – 5 
  • Lexus – 3
  • Mercedes-AMG – 3
  • Lamborghini – 2 

 

 

Turner Motorsport's IMSA Talent Pipeline 

Three-Series Weekend for Team Showcases Breadth of Program at VIR


 

August 12, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Most Formula 1 teams and a few of the larger NASCAR organizations have created driver development programs to identify and provide opportunity to what they hope will be the stars of the future.


 

Will Turner and Turner Motorsport are applying the same principle across IMSA’s diverse sports car racing platform that includes the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Michelin Pilot Challenge, and the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. 


 

At the upcoming Michelin GT Challenge weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, all three programs are in action on the same weekend for only the second time this season (the other being at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July).


 

Since 1998, Turner Motorsport has fielded BMWs in more races than any other team in the world, and with great success, winning 10 championships. For eras spanning more than two decades, Turner’s anchor driver was Bill Auberlen, IMSA’s all-time record holder with 65 race wins in IMSA’s top-level series. 


 

Foley’s Rise

In 2018, Turner paired Auberlen, then 49, with 23-year-old Robby Foley for a partial season in the Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. From 2019-22, they formed an effective full-time partnership. They won seven races and finished in the top five of the GTD standings every year, including runner-up in 2019.


 

As a result of their success, Foley’s FIA Driver Rating was elevated from Silver to Gold, meaning he could no longer be teamed with Auberlen (also then Gold-rated) in the GTD class. Waiting in the wings was Patrick Gallagher, three years Foley’s senior but a longtime friend, only absent the same volume of top-series sports car experience.


 

Foley proved to be a great mentor, as he and Gallagher notched three second place finishes on the way to fourth in the GTD standings of the WeatherTech Championship. Foley’s leadership was also reflected in two race wins and the Grand Sport (GS) class championship he shared with Vin Barletta that season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.


 

“Right off the bat we recognized that Robby had some talent, but it wasn’t focused because he was jumping in every car he could be in just to be racing,” observed Turner; Foley regularly drove two Turner BMWs on most weekends for several years. “Bill Auberlen and the team helped him ramp up on a fast track to being the pro driver that he is today.”


 

Gallagher described his and Foley’s friendship and dynamic as co-drivers in their No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO: “Robby and I have been best friends for 10 or 15 years now; we both moved into some terrible rental house with air mattresses in Monticello, New York a long time ago, and have kind of made the climb together.” 


 

Selldorff’s Selling Points 

One of team’s other emerging drivers is Francis Selldorff, who joined the Turner organization in 2023. In the inaugural year of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, he won the Grand Sport X (GSX) class championship in a BMW M4 GT4 before advancing to GS in the Michelin Pilot Challenge in a Turner entry paired with Foley.


 

Now 24, Selldorff is teamed this year with Dillon Machavern in Turner’s No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO Michelin Pilot Challenge entry. He broke through for his first win in the category in June at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and Turner gives the now seasoned veteran Foley credit for assisting in the achievement.


 

“Robby and I immediately looked at each other after maybe the first hour of testing Francis and said, ‘This kid’s got some talent. He just needs some direction,’” Turner said. “With Robby’s mentorship – he’s awesome on the radio, he’s awesome on the data, and obviously he’s a super-fast driver – to have that tool in the box and then to combine it with our experienced team – we’re giving Francis all the tools for success. We’re expecting big things from him, and we already have our eyes on the next guys too.”


 

In the course of five years, Foley went from Turner Motorsport’s rookie driver to the hardened campaigner that holds it all together, as well as a coach and strategist on the pit box in races he’s not driving. 


 

“It’s been fun, and an interesting process,” he reflected. “Obviously with Bill Auberlen’s extensive experience and legendary track record, I learned a ton from him and got to race with him for five years. When Bill basically didn’t have a place to race at Turner anymore because of my driver rating, the baton was passed. 


 

“Now I’ve worked with Francis for a few years, and Patrick Gallagher, who I’ve known for a long time, just helping him adjust to GT cars,” Foley continued. “Francis has come such a long way in a short time. His great performance at Mid-Ohio was big for his confidence in his career. He’s still very new at this; he only started racing properly like two years ago. So, for him to already be at a race-winning level in GS is pretty impressive against a lot of impressive drivers.”


 

Walker’s Way Up

Foley and Gallagher have had new youngster Jake Walker, who’s coached by 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice, as third driver in Michelin Endurance Cup races for two seasons. He’s matching Selldorff’s promise in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge competition with four Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) wins in the last five races in Turner’s BMW M4 GT3. He’s currently third in points due to a tough season-opening weekend at Daytona, but he’s working to claw back the deficit with two weekends left.


 

“Jake's great. He's a young kid and got a good family; he just kind of fit right in seamlessly to be honest with you,” Gallagher said. “The last thing we have to worry about with him is all the on-track stuff. It was just coaching him up on how to get in the pit box and all the little things that do make a difference.”


 

Foley recognizes how rare it is for a sports car team to have an internal ladder system, and he’s grateful for the role that Turner’s constant quest to create champion sports car drivers played in his career.


 

“I think Will has done a great job to build a team and program that is conducive to that,” Foley said. “He prepares good cars, consistent cars, and gives young drivers the kind of environment where they are the variable. They can learn from more experienced guys like myself and the other BMW drivers that join us from time to time. 


 

“I’ve been the benefactor of it myself, for sure, and now it’s a lot of fun to kind of trickle it down to the new guys.”

 

From Chocolate to Checkers: Verhagen’s Rise to Winning in IMSA

Newest Paul Miller Racing BMW Full-Season Driver Emerging in GT Ranks


 

August 11, 2025

By Jeff Olson

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – How does a boy’s fascination with Kyle Busch’s M&Ms car from the late 2000s lead to a career in professional motorsports?


 

Neil Verhagen can explain.


 

When he was 7 years old, Verhagen was fixated on Busch’s brightly colored NASCAR Cup Series car, mainly on the M&Ms that graced the car. He recalls asking his dad, Ken, how he could become a race car driver.


 

Dad didn’t have the answer, but he had an idea.


 

“A couple of months later, there was a go-kart under the Christmas tree,” Verhagen said. “We just did it as family fun with my brother and I. We just played around very unseriously and had fun with it.”


 

Skip ahead 17 years. A boy’s obsession with anthropomorphic candies on a stock car has transformed into something quite serious – his first victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and an unlimited future in a sport that’s far more intense than candy-coated chocolate.


 

“This team knows how to win in IMSA,” Verhagen said of Paul Miller Racing, which moved Verhagen from a IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup role to a full-time role in the No. 1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO for 2025, and added a second car – the No. 48 BMW co-driven by Dan Harper and Max Hesse. 


 

“They’ve had tons of success in the past,” Verhagen said of PMR. “We’ve definitely had to learn as a whole team and make (two cars) work. It’s a lot more difficult than people initially think. It’s like, ‘OK, they’re already running well, just add a second car and that will run well, as well.’ It’s very tricky to add a second car – more so than people think.” 


 

His stock rises with each race. Days after Verhagen and Madison Snow won the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class in the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix earlier this month at Road America, Verhagen signed with a new management group that represents several drivers with connections to IMSA and BMW.


 

Verhagen’s contribution to the team’s Michelin Endurance Cup championship in the No. 1 car with Snow and Bryan Sellers in 2024 opened the door for Verhagen to advance to a full-time role when Sellers shifted from full-time driving into a new team management role at DXDT Racing at the end of last season. 

Even though he was part of that endurance championship effort, Verhagen says he learns more with each race.


 

“There is still a lot to learn,” Verhagen said. “There are some things that I’m learning along the way, as well, that we’ve been trying to polish.”


 

So far, so shiny. After some disappointment early in the season, Verhagen and Snow and the No. 1 BMW are sixth in GTD PRO standings – just 10 points behind teammates Harper and Hesse and 80 out of fourth place – as the team prepares for the Michelin GT Challenge on Aug. 24 at VIRginia International Raceway. The team won at VIR last year with Snow and Sellers driving, its first GTD PRO win.


 

Snow, the 29-year-old veteran with two GTD championships, mentors effectively, Verhagen said.


 

“He’s obviously done IMSA for a long time, but Max, Dan and myself have also done full championships elsewhere,” Verhagen said. “We’re coming into a different paddock, but I think Madison is able to help with things like tracks that are new to us. The expectation for both cars was that everybody was going to be able to compete on a high level already from the get-go. That’s why we’re all here.”


 

Winning at Road America proved special, perhaps prophetic. It was the site of Verhagen’s first SCCA Skip Barber Racing School event when he was just 13 years old. He continued to pursue open-wheel junior categories in the U.S. before joining the Red Bull Junior Team and racing in Europe, where BMW noticed. 


 

Verhagen was one of three Team USA Scholarship recipients in 2016. That’s nearly a decade ago already, but he was part of a memorable slate of winners alongside multi-time IMSA and IndyCar race winner Kyle Kirkwood and several-time junior open-wheel series champion Oliver Askew, who also has both IMSA and IndyCar race experience. 


 

“That’s when it was like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s actually potential that this could work,” Verhagen said of the Skip Barber weekend at Road America. “We knew there was a big chance of it then.”


 

A long way from those days of karting for the fun of it, certainly.


 

“It was fun to do it with my father and learn everything,” Verhagen said. “We just had the kart in the back of our pickup truck. We had a little tent, and we’d set it up and we’d go to these events and try to compete with all the big teams and their fancy equipment.”


 

Now he’s the one with a prime seat in some fancy equipment. And he has M&Ms to thank for it.

 

 

As A Driver, PJ Hyett Is The Real Deal 

Rapid Driving Rise Has Coincided with AO Racing’s Fan-Friendly Presence


 

August 7, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Competitors in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship knew it was a matter of when – not if – PJ Hyett would break through for his first race win in professional prototype sports car racing. Perhaps more importantly, his teammates at AO Racing competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship believed it too. 


 

So, when Hyett and Dane Cameron drove “Spike” (the team’s purple dragon-liveried No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07) to the class and overall victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 13, they understood it could the start of something big.


 

Hyett, a 41-year-old entrepreneur from greater Chicago best known for creating the GitHub software suite, has claimed the Motul Pole Award seven times in 11 attempts in LMP2 since the start of 2024. But he and Cameron didn’t cash in a win until pole number six, and even then, the victory at the track colloquially known as Mosport came under somewhat fortunate circumstances when the leader crashed late in the race.


 

Cameron and Hyett didn’t need things to go their way most recently at Road America, where they dominated the LMP2 race from start to finish – again from pole position. The second consecutive triumph lifted Hyett and Cameron to the top of the LMP2 standings, and Hyett now also holds a 107-point lead over Daniel Goldburg in the standings for the Jim Trueman Award, which awards an entry in the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans to IMSA’s top Bronze-rated LMP2 driver.


 

The team’s summer hot streak includes three consecutive poles and the two straight wins in IMSA LMP2 competition, plus an LMP2 Pro-Am class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a European Le Mans Series class win at Imola. 


 

It all adds up to an impressive career arc for a guy who didn’t start racing professionally until 2022.

“PJ’s driving phenomenally well at the moment, which is making my life a lot easier, which I really appreciate,” said Cameron, the defending co-champion driver in IMSA’s Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class who joined AO Racing this year. “I’m proud of his work. To get the first win out of the way at CTMP was a really big deal.


 

“It was kind of weighing on the ‘Spike’ half of AO for sure to get a race win, and PJ wanted one incredibly bad for all his efforts here to get that first IMSA win,” Cameron continued. “We knew once that one was out of the way that everyone was going to relax a little bit and exhale, and it was going to kind of make life a little bit easier. I think everyone’s just a little more relaxed now that that they know they can do it.”


 

Qualifying Master


 

IMSA rules dictate that Bronze-rated drivers qualify in the LMP2 class, and pardon the pun, but Hyett is a quick study. His one-lap pace immediately caught the eye of AO Racing Team Principal Gunnar Jeannette at a private test day in Palm Beach in early 2022 where Hyett was pushing a priceless 1967 Porsche 911 R to the limit. 


 

“That was the moment; standing on the pit wall watching him drive this car made me realize this guy really knows how to drive,” remarked Jeannette, a successful sports car racer himself who’s since moved into team management. 


 

“He was planning a family trip to Le Mans, just as a spectator. It was pretty late, but I worked some connections and we were able to get him into the Porsche Sprint Challenge with a Belgian team who were a real good group of guys. His first practice there was in the wet. First time ever to Le Mans; he had driven it on a simulator, but never anything else. And in the wet, out of 70-something cars, he was in the top 15. He finished one of the races in the top 10. That says enough about his natural ability.”


 

AO Racing was formed in 2022, first fielding a Porsche 911 GT3 R in IMSA’s Grand Touring Daytona class in ‘23. The organization expanded to begin fielding LMP2 prototypes in the WeatherTech Championship and the European Le Mans Series in ‘24, later adding races in the Asian Le Mans Series, all with an eye toward getting relative racing novice Hyett much-needed seat time. Hyett immediately felt at home in the ORECA LMP2. 

“In many ways, it’s an upgrade from the GT cars, and the cool things is I really enjoy driving the LMP2 cars,” he said. “That car is really fast and it’s fun to drive. I obviously haven’t been doing this for very long, so more driving these ORECAs is more helpful, from getting to know the car better, getting to know the tire better, getting to know what the car is capable of.”


 

AO Racing was able to attract the widely experienced Cameron for 2025, fresh-off a championship winning GTP effort with Porsche Penske Motorsport. 


 

“Driving with guys like Dane is just a huge boost in confidence to know what I’m capable of,” Hyett added. “There’s all these little things you learn that you just have to do, and you can’t simulate your way through it. You have to be in the car, you have to be racing, you have to be wheel to wheel.”


 

Cameron, a four-time IMSA champion and 19-time race winner, has seen a lot of drivers and scenarios as one of IMSA’s most successful drivers. He’s been impressed by his new co-driver.  


 

“Speed-wise he’s great,” he observed. “He’s easy to coach, he takes the feedback well. I didn’t know him well until the end of last year, but everyone who has been with the project says he’s lost a ton of weight and his fitness has improved. He’s very, very dedicated and competitive, which I like. He’s really invested in it from that sense in the same way a pro is. If he doesn’t feel he contributed to the end result and we can still win, he’ll be a little upset.”


 

Internal Pressure


 

Indeed, Hyett is his own toughest critic. He gets upset with himself if he makes a mistake on track or commits a procedural error that costs the team positions.


 

“He is probably the hardest and most critical person on himself or his own performance that I have ever worked with,” said Jeannette. “That in itself has been tough, but I think it’s also a lot of how he’s been able to bounce back from adversity. Number one, he has such a really strong desire to do well in all of this and be successful in it. And he has the ability to analyze what has gone on and make change. 


 

“Had PJ started at an early age, he could absolutely be a full-on professional racecar driver,” Jeannette added. “I think all of us in the team are very grateful that he didn’t do that and instead built a very successful business and wanted to start his own race team. Sitting here now and seeing what we have been able to create in a short amount of time, I’m really glad PJ was so passionate about doing it. I think we’ve brought a lot to the paddock.”

You can’t miss the AO Racing cars in the IMSA paddock – “Rexy,” the green (or pink sister “Roxy”) No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R dinosaur livery shared by Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler in the GTD PRO class, and of course the purple No. 99 ORECA nicknamed “Spike, the LMP2 Dragon.” 


 

Hyett is quick to give Jeannette the bulk of the credit for AO Racing’s creative marketing, but it’s clear that he’s a big contributor to the overall thought process. The whole concept was sparked by having cartoon characters painted on his helmet to amuse his children.


 

Cameron, who has driven for top-level factory supported teams throughout his career for Cadillac, Acura, and Porsche, sees AO Racing attracting a similar level of support from fans.


 

“It’s pretty neat to see what Gunnar and PJ have created – something as simple as a character – it’s been a huge thing to really get people excited,” Cameron said. “To be able to get people to get behind a car or a team or a brand is pretty special. The reaction it draws out of the kids to have something they can cheer for that’s different from the ordinary – the generic stripes and shapes and corporate colors and things don’t really mean much to people, do they? But if you give it a face or a brand or whatever, people suddenly latch onto it.” 


 

Back to Work


 

With Road America located in close proximity to Chicago, Hyett naturally had a group of family and friends on hand to celebrate his most recent victory. He indulged in a low-key celebration, but he was already thinking about his next race – the six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, September 19-21 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.


 

“For me, it’s all about continuing to execute at a higher level,” Hyett said. “I’m not going to go out and party and go crazy and anything like that. I want to go home, I want to see my family, and I want to continue to train and be the best driver I possibly can be.”

 

 

IMSA Title Contenders Living Up to A “Never Say Die” Mantra 

What Appeared as Early-Season Runaways Have Since Closed Substantially


 

August 6, 2025

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Leaving Road America, it could be said that the “never say die” attitudes of the Pfaff Motorsports and United Autosports USA teams that rebuilt their cars in-weekend served as a metaphor for several other title contenders in the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.


 

The Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) battle has seen several cars and manufacturers make inroads on early-season leads. 


 

The year began with the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 of Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell taking a back seat to the No. 7 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske teammates Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy when the latter won opening three rounds of the campaign. Jaminet and Campbell sat 123 points behind their teammates leaving Round 3 at Long Beach (1,140 to 1,017). But oh, how the table has turned in the past four races. 


 

First Jaminet and Campbell broke into the win column at WeatherTech Laguna Seca Raceway in May, then finished third on the streets of Detroit, one spot ahead of Tandy and Nasr.


 

But it was when then they came home fourth at Watkins Glen International in June while the No. 7 Porsche retired from contact that flipped the championship lead, as Jaminet, Campbell and the No. 6 Porsche procured a narrow 12-point lead heading to Road America (2,028 to 2,016). 

The No. 6 car ran ahead of its stablemate most of the race, and the crescendo to action came later in the race. A scrap between Tandy and Ricky Taylor saw a stop-plus-60 assessed to Tandy’s No. 7 car following contact entering Turn 6 as a classic two-into-one into the corner move didn’t work cleanly.


 

That dropped the No. 7 car to an unrepresentative 11th place finish while the No. 6 Porsche finished fifth and moved to a healthy, if not entirely comfortable, 75-point lead clear of their teammates (2,314 to 2,239). It’s made for a 198-point swing between the two cars in the past four GTP races. 


 

“We’re looking back on the race here in Elkhart Lake with mixed emotions – it didn’t go our way,” Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh, explained. “But we’re still leading the championship with the No. 6 Porsche 963, which is the most important thing. The drivers and pit crews did a great job. We’ve got two races to go and it’s in our own hands. We’ll fight hard!”


 

Similarly close is the GTP Manufacturer’s Championship. Porsche led BMW by 164 points (1,524 to 1,360) leaving WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. After Road America, Porsche now leads Acura by only 45 markers (2,492 to 2,447), as the top-finishing Acura has been ahead of the top-finishing Porsche in each of the last three races.

The Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) points can also lean into the “never say die” mindset with the championship-leading No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R and now second-placed No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 both overcoming adversity in the last two races.


 

At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, DragonSpeed came from last to first to win, eschewing speed for strategy to be able to overcome a pace deficit. A race later at Road America, the No. 81 car – perhaps better suited to the picturesque Elkhart Lake road course – started from pole and finished third.


 

For the No. 3 Corvette, despite contact after a restart from another competitor that sent them into the gravel trap, the team recovered to nearly score a podium finish. Fourth place was enough to keep the No. 3 Corvette in the lead of the standings by 30 points over the No. 81 Ferrari (2,254 to 2,224).


 

“It was very difficult to drive because I had no performance,” Garcia explained. “The alignment seemed to be OK but there was definitely something on the aero side. It was difficult to hang on. 


 

“I tried to defend and used my experience to place the car wherever I needed to do. In the end I think we have a points advantage that is way better than it could have been. The way the car drove, it wasn't even fast. So, I'm happy we managed to save some good points. Eventually it will come our way, and we'll have a good race toward the end of the championship. That's the way it is this year but I'm happy with the finish we had.”


 

Defending champions AO Racing now sits third in the standings, 97 points behind the leader (on 2,157 points), after a roller coaster run to eighth place in “Rexy” the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R when its own pit stop strategy didn’t fully pay off. 

After two rough finishes in the past three races, the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3’s early season Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) lead of 124 points (1,372 to 1,248) after their second win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to second place is reduced slightly. A total of 117 points now cover the top three leaving Road America, with the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 sitting in second and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in third place (2,147 to 2,035 to 2,030).


 

All three cars were involved in incidents Sunday yet all pressed on to the finish, with the No. 27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin finishing ninth, the No. 57 Winward Mercedes-AMG 10th and the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus 11th.


 

The No. 57 car gained key points from Russell Ward qualifying on pole and finishing ahead of the No. 12 Lexus, and saw a return to leading the championship by more than 100 points for the first time since WeatherTech Raceway.


 

The No. 27 Aston Martin, meanwhile, finished the race battered, bruised and buoyant despite a left side mirror loss, nose damage and left rear quarter panel damage after a wild race. 


 

“Never say die” in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)? That’s true, too. After a heartbreaking loss early at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, AO Racing’s “Spike” No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07 sat 100 points behind the Daytona-winning No. 22 United Autosports USA entry (385 to 285). But with back-to-back wins and one other finish ahead of the No. 22 car now leaves the No. 99 AO car 107 points ahead of the No. 22 car (1,682 to 1,575). 


 

With only three races remaining for GT classes and two for prototypes, the “never say die” mindset has positioned several unexpected contenders into title contention, starting with the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway on August 24. 

 

 

NEWS: Entries for 2026 WeatherTech Championship Now Open

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 5, 2025) – Continuing a recent trend of opening entries shortly after the Road America race weekend in early August, IMSA opened its entry application process today for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.


 

Entries are open for all full-season, partial-season and Michelin Endurance Cup race events. 


 

Both the quality and quantity of WeatherTech Championship entries have been on display in recent years, with many events running at or near capacity grid size. In recent years, there have been more entries than those that can be accommodated.


 

“The enthusiasm surrounding the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship continues to grow, and we’re once again expecting more entry applications than we can accommodate,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “It’s a testament to the strength of our platform and the commitment of our teams, manufacturers, and partners. As we open entries for 2026, we remain focused on delivering a competitive and compelling championship for all stakeholders and especially IMSA race fans.”


 

The deadline for those entering the Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24 At Daytona events is Tuesday, Oct. 7. If entries fill prior to that date, IMSA will close entries at that time.


 

The event and driver confirmation deadline comes a week later, on Tuesday, Dec. 2. 


 

The 2026 WeatherTech Championship kicks off with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on the weekend of Jan. 16-18, followed the next week by the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona from Jan. 21-25. 

 

hree Takeaways: Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America

Forte’s Good Karma; “Spike” Stays Hot; BMW’s Double Win


 

August 4, 2025

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – If the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s new six-hour endurance race at Road America delivers half the action, entertainment and plot twists of yesterday’s two-hour, 40-minute sprint race, a bevy of spectators and television viewers will have gotten their money’s worth.


 

The phrase “argy bargy” was on display with more car-to-car contact than you’ll see in a month of Saturday nights at your local short track. But there were some popular podium finishers, championship shakeups aplenty and some emotional victors in the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix.


 

Forte’s Good Karma; Pfaff’s Perseverance


 

Saturday morning practice provided a brutal body blow to Pfaff Motorsports’ Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2. Luckily, the willingness of the paddock to step in to help ensured the plaid-liveried fan favorite entry made the grid. 


 

After an incident between Pfaff’s No. 9 Lamborghini and an LMP2 competitor, Lamborghini worked quickly with its other customer teams to see how Pfaff could source a backup chassis. Both Wayne Taylor Racing and Forte Racing had one available, but only Forte’s was on-site as a loaner.

With the primary Pfaff Lamborghini unable to be repaired for Sunday’s race, Forte Racing indeed “loaned” its back-up Huracan to the Canadian team, who in turn burned the proverbial midnight oil on Saturday to prepare the car for Sunday’s race. 


 

Although they started at the rear of the field, Mapelli, Andrea Caldarelli and the Pfaff crew soldiered on to an eighth-place finish in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO).


 

Forte was rewarded with its efforts more than they could have expected in a bounce-back race. Mario Farnbacher and Misha Goikhberg finished a season-best second in Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) in their No. 78 Huracan. It came a race after – coincidentally – contact from an LMP2 competitor at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park eliminated a potential podium finish there. It was a welcome result for Shane Seneviratne’s team and fully deserved for their efforts in helping support a fellow Lamborghini entrant during the weekend.


 

Farnbacher’s pre-race quote proved prescient: “Hopefully we can show that we have good potential, that we can win races there. We almost did it in Mosport but had an unfortunate situation with the contact. Hopefully we can follow up with a good performance at Road America together with Misha and the team.”


 

It wasn’t the only rebuild effort of the weekend. After an opening lap race incident, the United Autosports USA team worked to get its Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) championship-leading No. 22 ORECA LMP2 07 back on track in the hope of salvaging some points. While they were unable to gain any positions, it did reveal the desire and determination to attempt to do so. 


 

AO’s “Spike” On a Roll 

Although its GTD PRO strategy came up snake-eyes, all was by no means lost on Sunday for the AO Racing squad. A second straight victory for Dane Cameron, PJ Hyett and “Spike,” the purple-dragon No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07, comes just three weeks after the team’s breakthrough at the Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP. 


 

Its CTMP win had a degree of good fortune built in after an apparent mechanical issue sent the leading No. 43 Inter Europol Competition entry into the wall. The Road America win did not, with Hyett on pole, a flawless pit stop and driver change, and Cameron defending against fellow former GTP driver Connor De Phillippi – substituting for the injured Tom Dillmann in the Inter Europol car alongside Jeremy Clarke – for the win.


 

“Getting that first one at Mosport was great to get out of the way, but I didn’t like it because it felt like a gift,” Cameron said. “So I wanted to do it again and make sure there was no doubt what the team is capable of.


 

“I think the self-doubt is always there until you get that first one. You are always short and trying to get over that hump is hard sometimes. Everybody was executing perfectly. You see that little bit of lightness, that weight off everybody’s shoulders once they know they can do it. And now we’re proved it again.” 


 

BMW’s Ultimate Winning Machines

BMW had a rare opportunity to put both its M Hybrid V8 GTP car and its M4 GT3 EVO GTD PRO car in Road America’s victory lane, back-to-back, at the conclusion of Sunday’s race after its first same-day double victory with both cars in IMSA competition. Both wins meant a lot to the respective programs.


 

For BMW M Team RLL, the win came mere days after public confirmation BMW M Motorsport would not renew its contract with the team to field the M Hybrid V8 in IMSA GTP in 2026. Its two wins prior to Sunday came at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in 2023, awarded following post-race technical inspection, and at last year’s TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks in Indianapolis. 


 

A first 2025 win had been elusive for the program given Dries Vanthoor’s early season pace of four straight Motul Pole Awards. But on Sunday, strategy delivered for BMW M Team RLL when for most of the year, it hadn’t. 


 

The two BMWs were the first GTP runners to make their final pit stops and thus vaulted up the running order when the other competitors pitted during a caution a few laps later. That move put them in the lead with more than enough energy to go the distance. 


 

“It’s a big relief for the whole team,” Eng said. “First of all, the most important thing is that our driver helper is OK. There was a little incident in pit lane. Our car was on rails today (and) our team did a strategic masterclass, boxing us in the very early window and here we are. I can’t be happier.”


 

“It’s been such a difficult, weird season with a lot of highlights but also a lot of lows as well for us,” added Vanthoor. “So to always come back and try everything we can to win. It’s never easy, but we never gave up. We had to take risks because we were last and that works out sometimes. So super happy we could get a win after many poles (when) we could never get a win, so I’m happy we could bring it home today.”


 

The Team RLL pit wasn’t the only happy place for BMW at Road America. Further along pit lane, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen and the crew of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO were also celebrating that car’s first win of the season, and the PMR team’s second. 


 

“We finally got the monkey off our back,” Snow said. “And it was a good race for us. I mean it’s family and it just keeps growing. I love these crew guys . . . they put in so much effort and so much work and we finally got a win today.”


 

Verhagen joined Vanthoor as a first-time IMSA winner, one race after he’d scored his first IMSA pole at CTMP.


 

“This is incredible, obviously. First win here in IMSA.” Verhagen said. “Madison has a couple under this belt, so I’m going to start trying to catch-up. It’s been great to be working with him this year. It feels so awesome. I felt like we had some momentum going our way with the pole at (CTMP), so to pull off the win here feels incredible.”

NEWS: IMSA Official YouTube Channel Hits One Million Subscribers

IMSA Digital Growth Covers Millions Across YouTube and Owned Channels; Has Generated More Than 20 Million Engagements in 2025


 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 2, 2025) – IMSA’s consistent growth across its owned channels has hit several key milestones heading into this weekend’s Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America.


 

The IMSA Official YouTube channel has now surpassed the one-million subscriber milestone, marking a culmination of a roughly 18-month journey since a “soft launch” of streaming IMSA races on YouTube internationally ahead of the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.


 

This ranks IMSA second among domestic motorsports championships for YouTube subscribers, only behind NASCAR. 


 

Additionally, IMSA has achieved further growth thanks to an intentional and aggressive push on its owned channels beyond YouTube to include Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok and LinkedIn to foster high fan engagement.


 

“Reaching one million subscribers on IMSA’s YouTube channel is a landmark achievement for our organization and a testament to the passion of our global fanbase,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “This milestone marks one element of our comprehensive digital and social push, reflects the incredible growth in our digital audience, and underscores the importance of making our sport more accessible to fans around the world.”


 

More Than 20 Million Engagements Across IMSA-Owned Channels in 2025


 

Since 2023, IMSA’s engagement has increased 200 percent, and now totals over 20 million engagements in 2025. 


 

IMSA has grown its social media followings by 126 percent with more than 650,000 new followers in 2025, approaching 3 million across all channels.


 

Additionally, and in large part thanks to the comprehensive YouTube strategy, video views have grown by 280 percent. 


 

With its ultimate expression of automotive innovation, IMSA has developed a passionate fanbase and a powerful marketing activation platform for its partners.


 

YouTube Channel Hits the One-Million Mark


 

The IMSA Official YouTube channel growth has been on display for several seasons, most notably thanks to several new and expanded digital initiatives that have taken place.


 

IMSA began streaming races on YouTube internationally with the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, when IMSA had 315,000 subscribers. It has since expanded into further series coverage for live races, highlights, previews and post-race packages. This weekend IMSA will stream nine different races on YouTube.


 

During this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, the race itself received more than 2.3 million live views on YouTube. At the beginning of January, the channel had slightly more than 600,000 subscribers, so in less than eight months, the channel has gained nearly 400,000 subscribers.


 

The top five markets for IMSA’s YouTube channel are as follows:  1) United States, 2) Brazil, 3) France, 4) United Kingdom, 5) Canada.


 

IMSA has created several award-winning, original digital series to help bolster the growth. 


 

Now in its third season, IMSA “Win the Weekend” presented by Michelin has provided unique storytelling from the prototype and GT classes within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.


 

“Our international livestreams have opened new doors, allowing fans around the world to experience IMSA racing in real time,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “Additionally, the success of our ‘Win the Weekend’ docuseries has brought new energy and storytelling to the IMSA brand, helping us connect with audiences in fresh and meaningful ways. This is a proud moment for everyone in the IMSA paddock—teams, partners, and stakeholders alike—as we continue to build momentum and bring the thrill of sports car racing to more fans than ever before.”


 

New for 2025, IMSA has premiered the IMSA Endurance Hour Podcast. There have been 15 episodes of the podcast thus far, with episodes produced going into and coming out of WeatherTech Championship weekends. 


 

There have also been new behind-the-scenes, educational and informational pieces developed on a consistent basis. 


 

Coverage of this weekend’s Motul SportsCar Grand Prix and the five IMSA-sanctioned championships present air on YouTube as well as Peacock and IMSA.TV. 

 

NEWS: IMSA Expands, Enhances Next Era of LMP3 Competition

Third Generation LMP3 Car to Debut; Four Endurance Races Added For 2026


 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 1, 2025) – IMSA will see Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) competition expand through an enhanced program offering in 2026 owing to several new opportunities and components.


 

The LMP3 class will continue within the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and also will be open to compete in four additional endurance event weekends. 


 

IMSA continues to hold exclusive rights in North America for the use of Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) race cars as part of its strategic alliance with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO). In June, IMSA and the ACO announced an extension of its strategic alliance through at least the end of 2032. 


 

Third Generation LMP3 Car to Debut in IMSA


 

Third generation LMP3 cars will be eligible to compete in IMSA LMP3 events starting in 2026. These third-generation cars will compete in the same class with the existing second-generation cars currently in use in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, giving teams the option to continue with existing machinery for one more year or invest in the new generation car. All cars will run to their homologated performance levels with no adjustments.


 

The ACO introduced the third generation LMP3 cars in 2025 for its championships, with the four LMP3 chassis constructors – Ligier, Duqueine Engineering, Ginetta and Adess – having been kept on for the new homologation cycle. The new car runs a 3.5-liter twin-turbo Toyota V6 engine that is built and prepared by ORECA.


 

Endurance Racing Events Added


 

LMP3 cars will be able to stretch their legs in longer races beyond the pair of 45-minute sprint races that comprise each VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race weekend, as IMSA has introduced an endurance component for LMP3 machinery in 2026.


 

Four two-hour endurance races sanctioned by IMSA will take place on the following United States Auto Club (USAC) event weekends in 2026: 


 

  • Sebring International Raceway, March 6-8
  • Circuit of The Americas, May 7-9
  • VIRginia International Raceway, June 19-21
  • Road America, Aug. 7-9


 

IMSA is also exploring the possibility that these endurance races will include a multi-class component with a production-based race car category.


 

The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge sprint races will continue to feature one FIA Bronze- or Silver-rated driver per LMP3 car, but the new-for-2026 endurances races will require two drivers, with a minimum of one rated either Bronze or Silver. A Gold-rated second driver is permitted but Platinum drivers are prohibited.


 

The four endurance races will be a championship within the overall VP Racing SportsCar Challenge for LMP3 competitors – similar in nature to the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup within the overall IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Points in both the sprint and endurance races will count towards the overall VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship.


 

Opening the LMP3 opportunities to both sprint and endurance race formats comes based on stakeholder feedback and continues IMSA’s intent to create future generations of prototype drivers, crews and teams while also continuing to provide a platform for longstanding LMP3 entrants and Bronze-rated drivers to compete. 


 

Further details covering the endurance portion of LMP3 events in 2026, as well as the complete schedule, will be revealed at a later date.

 

 

What to Watch For: Motul SportsCar Grand Prix

Four Classes, Energy Management and Championship Battles Tighten Up


 

July 31, 2025

By David Phillips

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s annual midsummer tour of North America’s iconic road courses continues with a trip to Road America for the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix. Opened in 1955 and celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2025, the 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit’s basic layout has had minimal design changes albeit several surface changes. 


 

Set an hour north of Milwaukee in Elkhart Lake, Wis., the track has rightly earned the nickname “America’s National Park of Speed.” It’s an apt moniker, one that pays homage to the bucolic nature of the facility’s park-like 640 acres along with the breathtaking character of a track where some of the world’s fastest race cars may top 175 mph three times each lap.


 

In addition to great vantage points and camping sites for throngs who flock to the track, Road America is also known for some of the world’s best “track food” available at nearly a dozen concession stands. Is it any wonder Wisconsin’s Road America vanity plate is the state’s most popular automobile license? 


 

Beyond the volume of on-site food and beverage options to enjoy the weekend, here’s what we’re watching for on-track:


 

Another Event, Another Format 

For the first and only time in 2025, all four WeatherTech Championship classes race together under the series’ standard-length two-hour, 40-minute race. They’ll do so for the last time at Road America – for now – with a bump up to a six-hour race in 2026. 


 

A whopping 49 cars will joust for position along pit lane during green flag pit stops as well as on the track, including the flat-out blasts on the long Road America Straightaway, the Moraine Sweep and Kettle Bottoms, and the heavy braking zones at Turn 5, Hurry Downs and Canada Corner, not to mention the ultra-fast Kink and Carousel corners. The Kink, too, has a new “grasscrete” surface on corner exit this year, with a mix of grass and concrete on curbing at track-out. 


 

The track’s long straightaways and overall length should make life a bit easier than some circuits for the drivers when it comes to dealing with the disparate performance characteristics of the various categories, particularly compared to the winding, corner-heavy Watkins Glen International where all four classes last raced together. 


 

“I would say the traffic, having several cars on track is always what brings more of the race excitement in Road America,” said Felipe Nasr, co-driver of the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. “Depending on where you catch cars or traffic, it's always changing from time to time. And I've seen the good and the bad sides of it, but it's definitely a place that can really, I would say more than the tire itself, like tire strategy or tire deg, I would say it’s just depending where you are in traffic and how you manage yourself there, it can make a big difference.”


 

“The whole track is a bit like Spa,” added Louis Deletraz, co-driver of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R. “If you compare, it has a lot of elevation, high grip, pretty smooth. So, there's a lot of nice corners like the Carousel. It's a good mix between technical, low speed, and high speed. It is a challenge to put a big lap in. It's always rewarding when you see a good lap time and you’re up front to have made a lap there.”


 

Energy Management

Road America presents unique challenges to WeatherTech Championship race strategists, because it takes no prisoners when it comes to fuel mileage and energy usage calculations. Get it wrong, and your driver will have to coax their thirsty car around the track’s 4-plus miles. The last corner onto the front straight and pit-in is an uphill climb, compared to downhill finishers at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew, VIRginia International Raceway’s Hog Pen or Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s Turn 12 where you can coast to the pits. Run out of energy here, and you’re toast. 


 

“You need more energy accelerating out of the last corner to the start/finish,” said Tom Blomqvist, co-driver of the No. 60 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian Acura ARX-06, who finished at Watkins Glen with one percent of usable energy per IMSA telemetry. 


 

“It is not one where – for example – if you’re running out of energy you can coast to the line. So that’s the stuff that’s all well-factored in; the guys behind the computers are the ones who are really on top of that stuff. It’s a bigger lap, so you need more energy to do the whole lap. It’s not going to change anything but obviously, it’s one where you need more energy to get to the line.”


 

With one lap at Road America roughly equal to two laps at most tracks on length, the pressure is on the strategists to nail the stop timing and the pit crews to best service their cars on stops. Pit windows aren’t the tightest, but they’re not as open as other tracks. This may limit alternative strategies. May the best crew win.


 

Championship Ch-Ch-Changes

Since the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, all four WeatherTech Championship categories have undergone shakeups, and all four class championship leads are less than 100 points – only a handful of positions on-track. 


 

In Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), early-season leaders Felipe Nasr and Nick Tandy in the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 now find themselves second in the championship, 12 points behind teammates Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet in the sister No. 6 Porsche. After an incident at Watkins Glen, will the No. 7 car be able to recover from this setback? 


 

AO Racing used its first Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park to its advantage, with PJ Hyett and Dane Cameron in “Spike,” the No. 99 ORECA LMP2 07, only 78 behind Daniel Goldburg in the No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA. Don’t look now, but Felipe Fraga, Gar Robinson and the No. 74 Riley ORECA are also in the hunt, just 46 points back of AO Racing in third. 


 

Just 53 points cover the top three in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO). The No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims are clinging to a 39-point lead over Laurin Heinrich and Klaus Bachler in AO’s “Rexy,” the No. 77 Porsche 911 GT3 R, with Albert Costa lurking in third in DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Ferrari 296 GT3.


 

In Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), Philip Ellis and Russell Ward have won twice this year aboard Winward Racing’s No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and lead Jack Hawksworth and Parker Thompson in the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 by 93 points. Ellis and Ward bounced back with a runner-up finish at CTMP, crucially one spot ahead of the No. 12 Lexus which has been a consistent top scorer this year but hasn’t won its first race.  


 

Will the championship battles tighten at Road America, or will the points leaders stretch their advantage as the WeatherTech Championship nears its stretch run? Will all the drivers of nearly 50 of the fastest sports cars on the planet behave at Road America, or will they trade gallons of paint (or acres of wrap)? Will the race engineers get their sums right, or will drivers cruelly coast to a stop just a short, steep walk from the pits?


 

The Motul SportsCar Grand Prix streams at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock with international coverage via IMSA.TV and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel. 
 

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Ready to Roll at Road America

Four-Day Weekend with Four Classes Starts Second Half of 2025


 

July 29, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the first and only time in 2025, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series competes over four days at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit. Competitors tested in July in advance of the weekend with practice and qualifying split between Thursday and Friday, and the two 50-minute races taking place on Saturday and Sunday. The series returns to the track for the first time since 2023 after skipping 2024. 


 

A total of 35 cars are entered across the four classes of Pro (nine cars), ProAm (nine), Am (nine) and LB Cup (eight) continue the momentum for Rounds 7 and 8 of the 2025 season.


 

Watkins Glen International’s pair of races reshuffled the deck in the championship as teams adapted well to the new Hankook L63H tire and fought through a mix of heat and humidity at the high-grip, high-cornering speed circuit.


 

Pro


 

TR3 Racing ascended to the top of the Pro class at Watkins Glen with Will Bamber and Elias De La Torre completing a perfect weekend in their No. 29 TR3 Racing, Lamborghini Miami, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2. With pole and victory in both races, Bamber and De La Torre scored a maximum 32 points – 16 apiece per race – to move to the Pro class championship lead. 


 

Wayne Taylor Racing, which won the opening four races of 2025, seeks a bounce back weekend. Nick Persing now sits second in his No. 8 WTR, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán and eight points adrift while early season points leaders Danny Formal and Hampus Ericsson in their No. 1 WTR, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán are third, 12 back. 


 

Fourth-placed Scott Huffaker and Jaden Conwright in their No. 22 World Speed Motorsports, Lamborghini Hawaii, Huracán have an outside championship shot at 18 points behind but will need a strong weekend at Road America to close that gap.


 

ProAm


 

Just 12 points separate the top five entries in ProAm after Watkins Glen. Darius Trinka and Tadas Karlinskas have adapted to three different team environments in their No. 11 Huracán and head to their second weekend with MLT Motorsports and Lamborghini Charlotte at Road America. They’re tied for the class lead with Conrad Geis and Jason Hart in the No. 67 TR3 Racing, Lamborghini Miami, Huracán; Geis and Hart have three podiums this season including back-to-back ones in Watkins Glen.


 

Both Flying Lizard Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach, teammates are next up and charging. Marc Miller and Paul Nemschoff (No. 41 Huracán) are third, six points back of the lead while Andy Lee and Slade Stewart (No. 14 Huracán) are fourth, 10 back. The Lee/Stewart duo is the highest-scoring ProAm pair the last four races. Watkins Glen Round 6 winners Nicky Hays and Antoine Comeau (No. 30 ANSA Motorsports, Lamborghini Orlando, Huracán) have now entered the title fight too, 12 points back.


 

Am


 

Glenn McGee and Graham Doyle roll into Road America having won five of six Am class races in their No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán and with a series-high 26-point lead. There’s a good battle brewing for second, as David Staab (No. 48 Precision Performance Motorsports, Lamborghini Palm Beach, Huracán) and Lindsay Brewer and Jem Hepworth (No. 2 RAFA Racing, Lamborghini Austin, Huracán) are separated by only one point. Staab has three podiums and a win this year; Brewer and Hepworth have four podiums and no wins.


 

LB Cup


 

LB Cup has turned into a three-horse race. Mark Brummond’s consistency in the No. 52 Forty7 Motorsports, Lamborghini Philadelphia, Huracán sees him now two points clear of last year’s champion and early-season points leader Nick Groat in his No. 57 ONE Motorsports, Lamborghini Newport Beach, Huracán. Watkins Glen Round 6 winner Rocky T. Bolduc entered the title fight on the heels of three straight podiums and sits just six points back in his No. 99 RAFA Racing, Lamborghini Greenwich, Huracán.


 

Lamborghini Super Trofeo holds two 45-minute practice sessions on Thursday with qualifying end of day on Friday. Races are set for 11:55 a.m. CT and local time Saturday and 9:25 a.m. CT and local time Sunday.


 

2023 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Road America Race 1 Winners:

  • Pro: Danny Formal/Kyle Marcelli, No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti
  • ProAm: Nate Stacy/Nick Persing, No. 8 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti
  • Am: Dominic Starkweather, No. 12 Valkyrie Velocity
  • LB Cup: Graham Doyle, No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti


 

2023 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America Road America Race 2 Winners:

  • Pro: Danny Formal/Kyle Marcelli, No. 1 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti 
  • ProAm: Keawn Tandon/Luke Berkeley, No. 42 NTE Sport LLC
  • Am: Anthony McIntosh/Glenn McGee, No. 69 Precision Performance Motorsports
  • LB Cup: Mark Wilgus, No. 50 Forte Racing Powered by US RaceTronics

 

 

Entry List Notebook – Michelin Pilot Challenge Road America 120

Title Battles Close Leaving CTMP Heading to Wisconsin


 

July 28, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Both IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge class championship battles got closer in Canada, but the degree in which they did so varied.


 

RS1, is, in fact, human in Grand Sport (GS). After five podiums in five races to start 2025, Jan Heylen and Luca Mars left Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a ninth-place finish in the No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. CTMP winners Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister ascended to second in points aboard the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO but sit 260 points back with four races remaining.


 

In Touring Car (TCR), a rare podium-less race for the Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian team saw the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR pair of Denis Dupont and Preston Brown gain 30 points to tie Harry Gottsacker in the No. 98 Herta Hyundai atop the TCR charts.


 

Those title battles are worth watching entering the Road America 120, Round 7, as well as to see if others riding the wave of form will keep momentum at the longest venue of the season.


 

After CarBahn, the Auto Technic Racing team has been strong of late in GS with five consecutive top-six finishes by Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz in the No. 27 BMW M4 GT4 EVO to now sit fourth in points. They finished second last time out at CTMP and are poised to break through for their first win this year.


 

Last year, McAleer had a dynamic weekend at Road America in both Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship action. He won the GS race co-driving with Trent Hindman in RS1’s No. 28 Porsche, then finished third in the WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class race in an Acura on Sunday. 


 

McAleer noted how competitive the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class is because a lot of the drivers he beat to victory last year primarily race in the WeatherTech Championship. 


 

“If you look at the last restart at Road America, I’ve got Jack Hawksworth, Aaron Telitz, Kenton Koch and Robby Foley all behind me,” McAleer said. “And these are guys that can win and have won easily in WeatherTech.


 

“Any podium in Pilot Challenge and WeatherTech is a big deal. This series is harder in that, while two pros will generally win an all-green race over a pro-am car, it’s not always that way. The simple strategy means they can leapfrog easily on pit stops. It’s a very hard series to win in.”


 

McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport, too, seeks its first GS win. Jenson Altzman and Nate Cicero have won the last two Motul Pole Awards, and Altzman and Chad McCumbee finished second in the No. 13 Ford Mustang GT4 at Watkins Glen International in the LP Building Solutions 120. Altzman sits third in GS points. Fellow Ford competitor Stephen Cameron Racing broke through with a podium finish last time out at CTMP with its No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 in the hands of Sean Quinlan and Gregory Liefooghe.


 

Both Matt Plumb (in the No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4 Evo he shares with Paul Holton) and Billy Johnson (in the No. 59 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 he shares with Robert Michaelian) remain in search of a record-setting, tie-breaking 25th Michelin Pilot Challenge race win. Both are former Road America winners, although it’s been since 2015 (Plumb, GS) and 2016 (Johnson, GS) since they’ve won there.


 

TCR’s Road America weekend has been the happy hunting ground for Tim Lewis who’s won the last four races at the track in the KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering team’s previously entered Alfa Romeo. Now in the No. 5 Honda Civic FL5 TCR he shares with William Tally, the team seeks to improve upon its best finish of fourth at Sebring back in March.


 

MMG has been the hottest team in class the last two months with two poles, two race wins and three podiums, positioning Karl Wittmer and LP Montour in the No. 93 Honda Civic FL5 TCR third in points and only 110 back of the two Herta Hyundai entries.


 

With Alfa Romeo having won the last four Road America TCR races, Hyundai hasn’t won at the track since 2020 with its previous generation Veloster N TCR and Honda hasn’t won at the track since 2015 in the former ST class, with Ryan Eversley and Chad Gilsinger sharing HART’s No. 93 Honda Civic Si. Eversley and IMSA 2025-’26 3D Scholarship recipient Celso Neto were Audi’s top finisher at CTMP, finishing third in the No. 7 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS TCR. 


 

Speaking of HART, they’re one of several returning entries this race as part of a 38-car entry list split between 23 GS and 15 TCR cars. HART returns with its No. 89 Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Gilsinger and Tyler Chambers, while Cupra also makes its return with multiple cars. Gou Racing is back after skipping CTMP while Victor Gonzalez Racing Team, formerly of Hyundai, sees its pair of Tyler Gonzalez and Eric Powell shift into the No. 99 Cupra Leon VZ TCR after back-to-back runner-up finishes in their Hyundai. Jon Miller and Lance Bergstein shift their No. 18 Hyundai from VGRT to Herta’s team, the fifth car in that stable. Panam Motorsport’s Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, LAP Motorsports’ Ford Mustang GT4 and a second CarBahn BMW M4 GT4 EVO are back in GS. 


 

Michelin Pilot Challenge have two one-hour practice sessions and qualifying on Friday with the race Saturday at 2:05 p.m. CT and local time. The race streams live on Peacock and ad-free, courtesy of Michelin, on the IMSA Official YouTube channel. 


 

Fast Facts

Road America 120

Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

August 1-2, 2025


 

Race Day/Time: Saturday, August 2, 3:00 p.m. ET

Live Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 3:05 p.m. ET, Peacock in the U.S., globally on IMSA YouTube ad-free courtesy of Michelin

Circuit Type: 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)

Race Length: Two hours


 

Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records

  • GS: Jesse Lazare, McLaren Artura GT4, 2:13.840 / 108.881 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying) 
  • TCR: Dai Yoshihara, Honda Civic FL5 TCR, 2:17.068 / 106.317 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying) 


 

2024 Road America 120 Winners

  • GS: Stevan McAleer/Trent Hindman, No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS
  • TCR: William Tally/Tim Lewis Jr., No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR


 

Storylines

  • Title Battle: RS1’s lead closed slightly in GS but is still comfortable at 260 points. The TCR battle, however, is tied between two Hyundais, with the MMG Honda surging. 
  • Cupra Return: Cupra’s comeback in TCR after missing the CTMP round is an intriguing one with Gou Racing now joined by manufacturer newcomer Victor Gonzalez Racing Team. 


 

Who’s Hot?

  • No. 27 Auto Technic BMW: Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz have been GS’s quiet performers of late with five consecutive top-six results, and the pair’s first podium with a second-place finish at CTMP.
  • No. 93 MMG Honda: Two wins, two poles, and four podiums in the last five races have lifted LP Montour and Karl Wittmer from 12th in points leaving Daytona to third entering Road America.


 

Who’s Good Here?

  • Tim Lewis: One of IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge’s most impressive feats is Tim Lewis’ streak of four straight TCR wins at Road America, all aboard the now departed Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR, which also includes the lone four-hour race at the track in 2022. The co-driver of the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering seeks his fifth straight Road America win, and co-driver William Tally’s second straight, now in the team’s Honda Civic FL5 TCR. 
  • The Plumbs: Brothers Matt and Hugh Plumb have a combined four wins at Road America, including an overall win together with Rum Bum Racing in 2015. Matt (No. 46) and Hugh (No. 64) have two chances to add to their win totals in a pair of GS class-entered Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evos, sharing with Paul Holton and Ted Giovanis, respectively. 


 

Previous Road America IMPC Winners in 2025 Field (14)

  • Tim Lewis (4): TCR – 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Matt Plumb (3): GS – 2012, 2013, 2015 
  • Frank DePew (2): GS – 2019, 2023
  • Robin Liddell (2): GS – 2019, 2023
  • Stevan McAleer (2): ST – 2017; GS – 2024 
  • Ryan Eversley (1): ST – 2015
  • Mason Filippi (1): TCR – 2019
  • Chad Gilsinger (1): ST – 2015 
  • Harry Gottsacker (1): TCR – 2019 
  • Billy Johnson (1): GS – 2016 
  • Greg Liefooghe (1): ST – 2013 
  • Dillon Machavern (1): GS – 2021 
  • Hugh Plumb (1): GS – 2015 
  • William Tally (1): TCR – 2024 

 

Previous Road America IMPC Pole Winners in 2025 Field (7)

  • Paul Holton (2): GS – 2017, 2018 
  • Harry Gottsacker (1): TCR – 2023
  • Tim Lewis (1): TCR – 2022 
  • Dillon Machavern (1): GS – 2021 
  • Luca Mars (1): GS – 2022 
  • Tyler McQuarrie (1): ST – 2011 
  • Robert Megennis (1): GS – 2023 

 

Previous Road America IMPC Winning Teams in 2025 Field (7)

  • KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering (4): TCR – 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Bryan Herta Autosport (2): TCR – 2019, 2020
  • HART (2): CDK – 2001; ST – 2015 
  • Rebel Rock Racing (2): GS – 2019, 2023 
  • RS1 (2): ST – 2016; GS – 2024 
  • KohR Motorsports (1): GS – 2017 
  • Turner Motorsport (1): GS – 2021 


 

Previous Road America 120 Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (8)

  • Porsche – 6 
  • BMW – 5
  • Ford – 3
  • Honda – 2 
  • Hyundai – 2 
  • Audi – 1 
  • McLaren – 1 
  •  Mercedes-AMG – 1 

 

International Motor Sports Association    Lamborghini Super Trofeo series  
2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe calendar

11-13 April – Paul Ricard
30 May -1 June – Monza
27-29 June – Spa-Francorchamps
29-31 August – Nürburgring 
10-12 October – Barcelona 
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia calendar

4-6 April – Sydney (Australia)
16-18 May – Shanghai (China) 
27-29 June – Fuji (Japan) 
18-20 July – Inje (South Korea)
5-7 September – Sepang (Malaysia) 
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America calendar

12-14 March – Sebring (Florida)
9-11 May – Laguna Seca (California)
19-21 June – Watkins Glen (New York)
1-3 August – Road America (Wisconsin)
18-20 September – Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indiana)
6-7 November – Misano

2025 Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals

8-9 November - Misano

 

2025 international Motor Sports Association  schedule

Event Date  
 
The Roar Before The 24
Jan 17
11:00
 
Daytona 24 Hours
Jan 25
13:40
 
Sebring 12 Hours
* Mar 15
 
 
Long Beach
* Apr 12
 
 
Laguna Seca
* May 11
 
 
Detroit
* May 31
 
 
Watkins Glen
* Jun 22
 
 
Mosport
* Jul 13
 
 
Road America
* Aug 03
 
 
Virginia
* Aug 24
 
 
Indianapolis
* Sep 21
 
 
Petit Le Mans
* Oct 11
 

 
       

 

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