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International Motor Sports Association Lamborghini Super Trofeo series

International Motor Sports Association

super trofeo series

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.

Brichacek, Workman Convert Pole Positions to Victories in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 at Circuit of The Americas

Brichacek Goes Flag-To-Flag for First Career Series Victory in P3, Workman Regains Lead After First-Turn Pass En Route To Third Straight GSX Win

February 28, 2026

Staff Report

IMSA Wire Service

Race 1 Unofficial Results

Race 2 Provisional Grid

AUSTIN, Texas – Wyatt Brichacek and Westin Workman successfully converted the pole positions they earned in Friday night’s qualifying sessions into race victories in the first race of an IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Saturday doubleheader at Circuit of The Americas.

Driving the No. 30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325, Brichacek earned his first career victory in the series, leading a 1-2 sweep for the team ahead of Titus Sherlock in the No. 95 Titus Driver Development Ligier JS P325.

Brichacek moved out into a fairly comfortable lead from the drop of the green flag in the 45-minute race before the race’s first full-course caution was displayed around the halfway point in the race when Jon Hirshberg crashed in Turn 3 aboard the No. 86 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320. Hirshberg was evaluated and released from the infield care center shortly after the incident.

Brichacek had Sherlock in his tire tracks for the ensuing restart with 13 minutes remaining but the full-course caution quickly returned when Jeremy Siffert in the No. 31 GEBHARDT Young Driver Academy Duqueine D08 and Brian Thienes in the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320 crashed in Turn 2. Both drivers were also evaluated and released from the infield care center, with Siffert earning a drive-through penalty for incident responsibility.

The race finished behind the safety car due to the incident, with Brichacek recording the first victory in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge competition for the new Ligier JS P325 LMP3 car.

“It was really good,” Brichacek said. “The Toney Driver Development team, put together a really good car, the Ligier JS P325 is amazing. You know, from the start, we just pulled away and managed for most of the race and then the cautions started to come. So, it was a bit of managing the pickup on track and trying to clean the tires was the most difficult part. But yeah, overall, I’m really, really happy, and happy for the team on the first 1-2 finish.”

Both Brichacek who hails from Johnstown, Colorado, and Sherlock, from Prosper, Texas, were added to the entry list earlier this week. But both proved to be quick studies with top-two results in their VP Racing SportsCar Challenge debuts.

Third place went to Oscar Tunjo in the No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D08. Tunjo won both races of the 2026 season-opening weekend at Daytona in January and the podium run was more than enough to keep him atop the P3 class championship standings. He currently leads Thienes by 180 points, 1,000-820, heading into the fourth round of the season later this afternoon.

Travis Hill finished fifth overall and won the P3 Bronze Cup class in the No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325.

Workman Goes Three-for-Three to Start GSX Season

Whereas Brichacek was never challenged for the lead in P3, Westin Workman had his hands full at the start of the race in the GSX class when second-place starter Courtney Crone found her way past and into the lead in Turn 1.

Crone’s lead would be short lived, however, as Workman reclaimed the top spot in Turn 13 before the first lap was completed. Workman wouldn’t be challenged the rest of the way, bringing home his third consecutive GSX victory in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.

“They gave me a battle there on the start,” Workman said. “I fell back to second and then got back to the lead and tried to pull out a gap and manage it, and then the yellow flag at the end.

“It's unfortunate that it ended under yellow. I always like races to end under green no matter what. But, yeah, thank you to RAFA Racing. They gave me a great car. Thank you also to Toyota Gazoo Racing, and a lot of people around me.”

Crone came home second in the No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO for her best result of the season, topping a previous best of fourth last time out at Daytona. She moved into second place in the GSX season standings, trailing Workman – who has a perfect 1,050 points – by 210 points.

Third place in GSX went to Texan Marc Austin in the No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Austin – who hails from nearby Buda, Texas – also earned the Bronze Cup class victory.

The second race of Saturday’s doubleheader at COTA is scheduled to follow the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET). Live streaming will be available on Peacock and the IMSA YouTube Channel.

Brichacek, Workman Sweep IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at COTA Weekend

Dominating Performances Cap Weekend in Both Classes

February 28, 2026

Staff Report

IMSA Wire Service

Race 2 Unofficial Results

AUSTIN, Texas – It was a clean sweep at Circuit of The Americas for both Wyatt Brichacek and Westin Workman as both drivers went from pole position to victory in both of Saturday’s IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races as part of the NASCAR at COTA DuraMAX Grand Prix event weekend.

Five hours after standing atop the victory podium for the first time in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge competition, Brichacek took the green flag for Race #2 and quickly drove his No. 30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325 away from the field. He steadily built his advantage throughout the race and took the checkered flag 18.850 seconds ahead of Toney Driver Development teammate Titus Sherlock in the No. 95 Ligier JS P325 to preserve the sweep.

“I'm so happy to be able to show the world how hard these guys have been working,” Brichacek said. “It was easy. The car is amazing. The team's amazing. They just gave me what I needed to cruise around and show everybody that TDD is a good team.”

The overall and P3 class podium was a carbon copy of Race #1 with Oscar Tunjo again finishing third in the No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D08. Tunjo’s fourth podium result of the season keeps him atop the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge P3 championship standings with a 210-point cushion, 1,300-1,090, over Danny Soufi, who finished fourth in his hometown race aboard the No. 11 PINAXIS – Zone 4 Racing Duqueine D08.

Travis Hill finished fifth overall in the No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325 to earn Bronze Cup honors for the second time Saturday.

Workman Now Four-for-Four

In the Grand Sport X (GSX) class, Westin Workman put together a workmanlike effort in Race 2 en route to his fourth victory from four VP Racing SportsCar Challenge starts.

Workman sailed into the lead from pole position in his No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 and deftly pulled away from the field throughout the 45-minute race, which was run without a full-course caution. He crossed the stripe practically alongside P3 race-winner Wyatt Brichacek, 24.490 seconds ahead of Courtney Crone in the No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

The victory runs his points total to a perfect score of 1,400 markers and he now leads Crone by 240 points.

“I think our goal this year is to be undefeated in the series,” Workman said. “The goal for me in VP Challenge is to get more time in the Supra, so I was out there just trying different things. Different brake bias settings, different traction control, different ABS. It was just a test session really, just trying to get a feel for the car, so when it really gets competitive, because obviously the goal is to be in the GS class in Michelin Pilot Challenge.

“So, I was just trying to use all my tools and be as prepared as I can be for next year if that happens. The win today and the four in a row is just a testament to this team and everybody around me.”

Crone finished her weekend in Texas with back-to-back runner-up results. Marc Austin, from nearby Buda, Texas, had a solid weekend as well, earning his second straight third-place result in the GSX class aboard his No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Austin also claimed Bronze Cup honors in GSX for the second consecutive race.

Next up for the entire VP Racing SportsCar Challenge field will be a visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the weekend of June 5-7. The P3 class, however, will be back in action next weekend at Sebring International Raceway for the inaugural IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge event. The two-hour race is scheduled to take the green flag next Sunday, March 8, at 10:55 a.m. ET.

Wyatt Brichacek, Westin Workman Earn “W’s” in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Qualifying at COTA

Brichacek Claims First-Career VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Poles as Workman Runs Pole Streak to Four

February 27, 2026

Staff Report

IMSA Wire Service

Unofficial Results

Second Fastest Lap

AUSTIN, Texas – There are only two drivers in this weekend’s IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge field competing at Circuit of The Americas whose first names start with the letter, “W.”

And those two drivers both took “W’s” in Friday night’s qualifying sessions to claim the pole positions for tomorrow’s doubleheader of races at the DuraMAX Grand Prix, part of the NASCAR at COTA weekend. Wyatt Brichacek earned the first poles of his VP Racing SportsCar Challenge career in the P3 class, while Westin Workman remained a perfect four-for-four in the 2026 GSX class.

Driving the No. 30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325, Brichacek turned an overall fastest lap of 1 minute, 28.856 seconds (97.236 mph) to claim the pole for Saturday’s first 45-minute race of the day, which takes the green flag at 11:30 a.m. CT. Brichacek also will start from pole in Saturday’s nightcap scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT with a second-best lap of 1:28.904 (97.183 mph) during the 15-minute session that finished in darkness.

“Yeah, it's definitely tricky,” said Brichacek. “I luckily have some good night experience in my career, but I know this is really cool for the (other) VP guys – this is probably a lot of people's first taste of the darkness. So, these cars are awesome at night. It's really fun. They really come alive. If you can adjust quickly to it, it's really rewarding.”

Brichacek’s qualifying performance – which bested the previous P3 track record of 1:30.042 set by Valentino Catalano last year by 1.156 seconds – came on the heels of a difficult practice session a few hours earlier on Friday.

“As a driver, I had a mistake and I did a little damage to the rear,” he explained. “Nothing major, but still unnecessary, and the team did a great job to get everything back together quickly and keep the car as fast as it was in practice.”

Brichacek will be joined on the front row for both races by Oscar Tunjo, who was second aboard the No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsports USA, Inc. Duqueine D08 with a best qualifying lap of 1:29.433 (96.608 mph) and a second-best lap of 1:29.544 (96.488 mph). Tunjo enters the weekend at the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship leader in the P3 class with victories in both races of the season-opening doubleheader at Daytona International Speedway in January. He started both of those races from the pole position.

Starting third for both races will be local driver Danny Soufi in the No. 11 PINAXIS-ZONE 4 Racing Duqueine D08. The Austin resident clocked a best lap of 1:29.835 (96.176 mph) and a second-best lap of 1:30.058 (95.938 mph).

Workman Stays Hot in GSX

On the surface, Workman’s 1.6-second margin over second-place for Race #1 and a 1.2-margin for Race #2 would seem like easy work for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Toyota Development Driver.

But not unlike Brichacek’s challenges in Practice 2, Workman and his RAFA Racing crew had their hands full battling a misfire in both of the day’s practice sessions.

“It was actually in both practice sessions,” said Workman. “It was an issue we couldn't figure out until before qualifying. Toyota did a great job coming over trying to help us, but we just couldn't figure it out. We were getting a misfire at high RPMs, and the car just wasn't running.

“It was getting worse as the session went on, and it actually just wasn't drivable anymore. I only got one lap in the second practice session. And I think only a few laps in the first practice session. So yeah, we thankfully got it figured out.”

Figure out they did as Workman posted a best lap of 1:39.034 (87.242 mph) in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 and a second-best lap of 1:39.695 (86.664 mph) to earn his third and fourth poles of the season. Workman heads into Saturday looking to keep his perfect record on the 2026 season intact after winning both GSX class races of January’s doubleheader in Daytona.

After topping the GSX time charts in Practice 2, Courtney Crone will start second in both races aboard her No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO. Crone’s fastest lap was a 1:40.758 (85.750 mph) and her second-best lap was 1:40.906 (85.624 mph). She’s looking for her first podium results of the season on Saturday after posting a season-best result of fourth in Race 2 at Daytona.

Jon Brel will start third in GSX for Race #1 with a best lap of 1:42.021 (84.688 mph) in the No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. Marc Austin, who hails from nearby Buda, Texas, starts third for Race #2 with a second-best lap of 1:42.422 (84.256 mph) in his No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Both of Saturday’s VP Racing SportsCar Racing Challenge races will be streamed live on Peacock and the IMSA YouTube Channel. Race #1 starts at 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. local) and Race #2 is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. local) following the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Focused Health 250. The Race 1 link is here, and the Race 2 link is here.

Co-Pilots and Co-Drivers: Straus, Murillo Newly Married and

Newly Teammates

Pair Shares Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge

GS Class

February 26, 2026

By Holly Cain

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A photograph from Kenny Murillo and Aurora Straus’ New Year’s Eve wedding shows the two embracing on the dance floor with the words “K&A Full Throttle Forever” projected on the wall behind them.

It both captures the special moment and officially crowns a team. In life and on the racetrack.

Murillo and Straus don’t only support one another’s efforts competing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge – this season, for the first time in their racing careers, they share the driver’s seat in the No. 24 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 in Grand Sport (GS).

They started their season with a 14th place finish in the 35-car GS field for the four-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway. As they head to Sebring International Raceway, they’ll race together after starting next to each other in second (Murillo) and third (Straus) in GS the last time they raced there in Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2023.

It’s a highly unusual competitive pairing but one they have full confidence will result in lots of happily ever-afters.

“It just kind of came together naturally which makes it that much better,” Murillo said.

The 29-old-Murillo – a multi-generational racer – and the 27-year-old Straus have both been competing in the sport since they were teenagers. They met, appropriately enough, at a year-end awards banquet for the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Straus received a 2017 rookie-of-the-year award (she competed the full season in ST with RS1) and as it turned out, got a very important introduction to Murillo.

In the years and race seasons since that first meeting, both have been busy “doing life” and building their racing careers. Murillo, a race engineer, helps lead his family’s long-tenured team and has been a championship-contending driver in the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Murillo Racing won the 2014 and 2017 ST championships with Eric Foss and in 2023, Murillo and Christian Szymczak finished third in GS with a win at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Straus has balanced her own driving career while attending Harvard University. Yes, that Harvard, where she graduated with Highest Honors in 2022 earning a degree in History and Government – having skillfully scheduled her classes so she could fly out of Boston for race weekends.

“It required a lot of discipline,” Straus said, acknowledging the understatement.

But challenge and achievement – and discipline – have defined much of this couple’s lives. So, racing together? They feel not only prepared but are eager to share in such a unique opportunity.

“We have very different strengths which is part of why we knew we’d work really well together,” Straus said.

“Part of this, candidly, is that after eight years of dating, we’ve had the opportunity to see each other at our lowest lows and highest highs. It’s been an interesting learning curve working together for the first time. We’re learning a lot, but I do think we’re going to be competitive.”

The racing world has had its share of high-profile romantic relationships, but more typically the couples were competing against one another or racing in completely different series.

Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett will both race this year in the NHRA’s Top Fuel Dragster category, but for different teams. Courtney Force competed in the NHRA and is married to IndyCar star Graham Rahal and for years Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went door-to-door in NASCAR’s premier NASCAR Cup Series.

However, when they first started dating, Murillo and Straus purposely didn’t present at track as a couple. They raced different cars in various series and when competing at the same track for a race weekend, they went to great lengths to project and maintain their individual careers.

“It was a very hard line for me, our Venn diagrams of our motorsports careers needed to be separate circles,” said Straus, noting Murillo is the first and only person involved in motorsports that she ever dated.

“I didn’t want to overlap with the same manufacturer or the same sponsors,’’ she added of the early times in their relationship. “We really went out of our way to separate it. We stayed in different hotel rooms and got separate rental cars. It mattered a lot to me that I did this on my own and he did it on his own.

“And I think to be honest, we have better careers and are stronger as a result of it. We have had the opportunity to support each other on a personal level, but on a professional level we also proved we can stand on our own two feet, which matters a lot to us.”

Living together, working together and competing together now as husband and wife certainly calls for a higher level of cooperation, but this couple seems to have figured out how to manage that in all aspects of their daily lives. Racing together has tested them but also has affirmed them.

“It’s a really important part of our lives - who we are individually and who we are as a couple,” Murillo said. “And especially as we’ve gotten this team together and are racing this year, there’s been multiple moments where say on a date night, we’re talking about something else, maybe a TV show, then two minutes later a thought pops into our head about, say, how we could have done better at Daytona. And that’s what we talk about.

“It’s an important part of who we are, and I don’t think turning it off is really an option.”

He does concede, however, that once people realize he and Straus are not just teammates in the car but actually married, “Obviously the question I get all the time is, ‘if you crash the race car, are you sleeping on the couch?’”

Adding with a laugh, “It’s always in good fun. And the answer is, ‘no!’

“We’re both extremely competitive people and we’re going to do whatever it takes to get good results.”

Straus joked of the unique situation, “I’ve never been this close to a co-driver and he knows what exactly to say to me on the radio to make me just angry enough to be faster.”

They both bring different talents to the team beyond the driver’s seat as an ultimate blend of skills. Straus has focused and excelled at selling sponsorship and promoting the business-to-business opportunities. Murillo aptly handles the operational end of the team. And they both know how to get around a racetrack.

“I can make sure he has the money and backing to hire these great guys and then he can make sure we have a winning race car so it works out pretty great,’’ Straus said.

“I think the main thing that made a difference is we’ve learned enough about who we are as drivers and as people at this point, we knew we would work well together as teammates.”

The Daytona race with the 14th-place result came after losing power and getting shuffled to last place twice, so it marked a recovery drive. It was a solid start, perhaps even a bit metaphoric – working together, they persevered and felt good about what they accomplished. Just as importantly, they’re encouraged on what they can expect in the future.

Straus dubbed the weekend “our non-honeymoon” and shared that they had even brought a full layer of their chocolate-marble-liqueur wedding cake to the speedway to celebrate with the team post-race.

In the weeks between that Daytona season opener and the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring, Murillo and Straus will have completed a move to Florida full time in preparation to open the unique P1 Motor Club in Port St. Lucie – that bills itself as a combined community of luxury living and high-performance racing.

The race team, the business – the passion for those things – all the result of the couple’s high-speed synchronicity.

Murillo has called the opportunity to co-drive with Straus “a dream come true.’’

As he said when proudly announcing their 2026 plans, “We’ve both cheered each other on for eight years now and fought for our own championships, but now we get to do it together.”

Lead Photo courtesy of Sideline Sports Photography/P1 Motor Club

Kurtz Completes IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Win Set at Rolex 24

At Daytona

Strong Start to 2026 Also Features Asian Le Mans Race Wins, Title and 24 Hours of Le Mans Entry

February 25, 2026

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Not much has eluded George Kurtz in his professional life, whether as the co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity technology leader CrowdStrike or as the co-driver of the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR ORECA LMP2 07 competing in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Heading into 2026, Kurtz had tasted victory at three of IMSA’s most revered IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events – the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans in 2023 and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2021 (Sebring was in the Le Mans Prototype 3 class). He’s also garnered class wins at two other major global 24-hour sports car races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

In 2023, Kurtz and co-driver Ben Hanley won the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup in LMP2 and Kurtz also won the Jim Trueman Award, which at the time had a different points-scoring allocation than coinciding with full-season points as LMP2 does now. That Jim Trueman Award secured Kurtz one of IMSA’s invitations to Le Mans for the following year.

But missing from Kurtz’s racing resume was a victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the prized Rolex Daytona watch that comes with it. He’d certainly come close; Kurtz watched intently from the pit box in 2023 when James Allen overtook Hanley at the line to win in LMP2 by just 0.016 of a second in an unforgettable finish. A second straight runner-up followed in 2024, although at a much larger margin after 24 hours … 6.8 seconds.

It looked like another missed opportunity year for Kurtz at the first corner in 2026, when he was caught up in a multi-car incident. But he kept the Gibson V-8 running and remained patient though a pair of unscheduled stops for repairs and a Stop +10 second penalty for a pit violation that left the CrowdStrike by APR entry two laps down and near the tail of the LMP2 field.

The fightback started as Kurtz regained the lead lap in the third hour near the end of an ironman opening stint before handing over to Toby Sowery. Over the next six hours, Sowery and Alex Quinn moved the No. 04 into a fight for the class lead, and Kurtz held his own during his next stint until being bumped into a spin at the International Horseshoe hairpin by a lapped LMP2 competitor.

Once again, the CrowdStrike by APR crew effected repairs, and Quinn regained the lead soon after the overnight fog lifted and racing resumed. A drive-through penalty assessed to Quinn for blocking failed to blunt the No. 04 car’s momentum. Malthe Jakobsen and Quinn finished strong to take the LMP2 class win by 5.59 seconds over a pair of ORECAs fielded by Inter Europol Competition.

Celebrating with his teammates after the breakthrough victory, it was clear that Kurtz remembered his prior near misses at Daytona in precise detail.

“Well, we finally got the monkey off our back after losing in ‘23 by, I think, 16 thousandths of a second,” he said, correctly. “It’s been something we’ve been working towards for the last couple years. We’ve been very close. This is really extra special because we’ve come so close so many times.

“I couldn't be prouder of the team and the drivers – an all-star lineup here,” he added. “Stewart Cox and the CrowdStrike APR guys gave us a fantastic car. We had some adversity in the beginning, at the first turn, I would say. But it was great at the end.”

Kurtz was the eighth-fastest LMP2 qualifier and he blamed himself for putting the No. 04 in position to be swept into the first-corner drama that impacted nearly half the 13-car LMP2 field.

“Unfortunately, I just didn’t put it together in qualifying,” he said. “Pace-wise, the car was probably top three or four. We were not in the position that we wanted and got caught up in a bit of a mess. We were innocent bystanders and got cleaned out a bit. Everybody has a job and a role, and the Bronze role is bringing the car home and not (having) issues. You’re never going to win a race in Turn 1.

“But we put it all back together,” he added. The team got us back on track and we never gave up. I was happy that the race finished the way it did because it was really a testament to the speed of the car and the driving. We didn’t have games at the end with yellows and things of that nature that would have maybe scrambled up the order.”

Sowery, whose open-wheel career advanced to make a handful of IndyCar starts in 2024, noted that the diversity of the field ranging from ‘gentlemen’ drivers like Kurtz to four pilots with Formula 1 experience all pitted in identical equipment makes LMP2 arguably the toughest class in the WeatherTech Championship field.

“It’s definitely a spirited grid and everyone is in the same car, so it’s about been maximizing every element that’s possible,” he said. “Even if things are done as well as they can be on the day by the team, it doesn’t always go your way.

“Bronze (drivers), they vary in skills, and for us, George is super good at bringing the car back every time. He’s one of the best on the grid at any time at doing that, and I think that’s what makes him such a key element of this team.”

Kurtz’s post-Daytona joy was compounded two weeks later when he and Quinn claimed the LMP2 championship in the Asian Le Mans Series, as part of a run of three straight wins across Dubai and Abu Dhabi co-driving with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing’s Louis Deletraz. The Asian Le Mans Series title earned the CrowdStrike CEO (and Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team minority owner) his fourth consecutive starting berth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

But of more immediate concern is the 74th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, scheduled for March 18-21 at Sebring International Raceway.

“I think next up for us, hopefully, is a win in Sebring,” Kurtz said. “I’ve got a P3 (LMP3) win but not a P2 (LMP2) win there, so I think that we’ll try to add that to the list.”

First Leg of VPRC’s COTA Texas Two-Step Set for Saturday

COTA Single Day Race Doubleheader First of LMP3’s Back-to-Back Weekends

February 24, 2026

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge has a busy two weeks ahead, particularly for Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) competitors.

A rare set of back-to-back race weekends are on tap, starting with the 45-minute apiece two-race sprint event at Circuit of The Americas this weekend followed by the first two-hour IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge round at Sebring International Raceway as part of a USAC-sanctioned event weekend.

The VP Racing Challenge returned to COTA after a several-year hiatus in 2025, with Jonathan Woolridge and Valentino Catalano splitting the same-day victories in LMP3. The COTA race in February comes as part of the NASCAR Cup Series’ DuraMAX Grand Prix weekend on COTA’s 2.4-mile National course, so both VP Racing Challenge races will be held Saturday, February 28.

Oscar Tunjo, who swept the season-opening doubleheader round at Daytona International Speedway in his No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D08, is seeking redemption at COTA this year. The Colombian received a late callup to drive the team’s No. 31 car at COTA last year, qualified on pole, but like teammate Catalano ran out of fuel heading into the last lap in an abnormal and unusual fuel miscalculation.

Four different drivers finished on the LMP3 podium behind Tunjo in the series’ two races at Daytona, including Tunjo’s teammate Danny Soufi (No. 11 PINAXIS-ZONE 4 Racing Duqueine D08), Toney Driver Development’s pair of Brady Golan (No. 30) and Lincoln Day (No. 95) in the team’s new Ligier JS P325 chassis and veteran Brian Thienes (No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320).

It will be interesting to see if any of the other nine LMP3 cars entered can take it to Tunjo in Texas. Gebhardt maintains a three-car entry with Tunjo and Soufi joined by Jeremy Siffert in the No. 31 Gebhardt Young Driver Academy Duqueine D08, as the grandson of the late Jo Siffert switches from a planned endurance program to a sprint one. Soufi and Golan have the added incentive of performing well in their hometown as both reside in Austin.

Grand Sport X (GSX) also saw a Daytona sweep to open the season, courtesy of Westin Workman’s double victory in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. Workman’s Saturday win was straightforward while his Sunday win featured a last-to-first comeback after both air jack and power steering issues.

Workman extended Toyota’s run of consecutive GSX victories in VP Racing Challenge to 15. Toyota’s North American headquarters are in Plano, Texas, a Dallas suburb roughly three hours north of Austin, so they’ll be hoping to keep the streak rolling in its backyard. Past IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient Courtney Crone also impressed in her first GT4 weekend in CarBahn Motorsports’ No. 35 BMW M4 GT4 EVO and seeks her first podium in GSX after scoring several in 2023 in LMP3.

Thienes won both Bronze Cup races in P3 at Daytona while GSX will have new Bronze Cup winners as Daytona double winner Sean Quinlan (No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4) isn’t on the COTA GSX entry list. Dan Ammann (No. 91 VRC Motorsports Group LLC) and Rafael Martinez (No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) were the other Bronze Cup podium finishers in Daytona. Jon Brel (No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2), Tiger Tari (No. 26 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO) and Buda, Texas native Marc Austin (No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4) are also in contention.

There are two 40-minute practice sessions and qualifying on Friday with the two races Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CT), streaming on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel.

Fast Facts

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge

Circuit of The Americas – Austin, Texas

February 27-28, 2026

Race Days/Times: Saturday, February 28, 12:30 p.m. ET (Race 1) and 6:30 p.m. ET (Race 2)
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag, Saturday, beginning at 12:25 p.m. ET (Race 1) and 6:25 p.m. ET (Race 2); (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA Official YouTube Channel)
Circuit Type: 2.4-mile, 20-turn National Road Course
Classes Competing: Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3), Grand Sport X (GSX)
Race Lengths: 45 minutes

VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Track Records

P3: Valentino Catalano, Duqueine D08, 1:30.042 / 95.955 mph, March 2025 (Race 1)
GSX: Kiko Porto, Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, 1:38.903 / 87.358 mph, March 2025 (Race 1)

2025 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 Winners:

P3: Jonathan Woolridge, No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320
GTDX: Jake Walker, No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
GSX: Kiko Porto, No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2

2025 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Winners:

P3: Valentino Catalano, No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08

GTDX: Jake Walker, No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3

GSX: Ian Porter, No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2

IMSA’s “Rookie” Driver, Team Elements Shine to Start 2026 Season

New Situations Impress Across Classes at Daytona Heading to Sebring

February 24, 2026

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The term “rookie” can take on many different meanings in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Perhaps it’s a driver new to sports car racing or returning to the arena after a lengthy absence. It could be IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup driver advancing to a full-time role. It may be a class shift, going from one of the WeatherTech Championship’s two prototype classes to one of its GT ranks, or vice versa. Or maybe it’s a team taking on a new car, driver and/or class.

All these scenarios were present in the opening round of the 2026 IMSA season, which happens also to be the biggest and most prestigious event in the WeatherTech Championship schedule: the Rolex 24 At Daytona. No pressure then! Yet drivers and teams in new situations and surroundings excelled in this year’s Rolex 24.

GTP Field’s Fresh Faces Factor up Front

The cars that finished first, second, and fourth overall and in the top Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class all featured a “rookie” element in their driver rosters. And third place was achieved by BMW in conjunction with a new IMSA partner team (BMW M Team WRT).

The winning No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 features Julien Andlauer, now in his first full season in the WeatherTech Championship after sporadic appearances since 2022, and Laurin Heinrich, the 2024 Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) champion making the jump to GTP for the first time. Teamed with three-time IMSA champion Felipe Nasr, they performed perfectly on the way to the victory.

“I’ve been back-and-forth in IMSA for a couple races, and I just love the atmosphere,” Andlauer said. “A full season is a first; I have a lot to learn about the races and some tracks I don’t know.”

Second-placed Cadillac Whelen featured Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber alongside the lesser experienced Frederik Vesti, starting his second season as the team’s Michelin Endurance Cup driver, and Connor Zilisch in his GTP debut.

“It was awesome just showing up and learning,” said the teenage phenom, the 2024 Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) Rolex 24 class winner. “I had a lot to learn and figure out at first. Come race time, I was pretty comfortable and could hold my own on the track. The guys took me under their wing and allowed me to learn from them. They didn’t shy away from helping me as much as they could, and that definitely made a difference. It was a challenge racing against the best in the world.”

Vesti admitted he felt much more prepared coming back for his sophomore season of WeatherTech competition than he did for his rookie campaign – which still netted victories in the TireRack.com Battle On The Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

A schedule conflict for Bamber means the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is added to Vesti’s slate this year. The past Formula 2 race winner and Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 reserve driver will make his IMSA street track debut.

“Being a rookie is cool, but coming back the second time, feeling more confident is great,” he said. “Everything is easier and you can push a bit more. I’m quite excited to race! IMSA is very special and I love everything about it.”

BMW M Team WRT’s No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 (right) and the second Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963, the No. 6 entry, aren’t “rookies” in the traditional sense but are in how their 2026 GTP programs are evolving.

WRT now has a podium in its IMSA GTP debut while the No. 6 car sees Kevin Estre set for a first full IMSA season alongside Laurens Vanthoor, a two-time IMSA champion with Porsche in GT classes (2019 in GT Le Mans, 2021 in GT Daytona).

JDC-Miller MotorSports’ No. 85 Porsche 963 was the other entry featuring a fresh face, with rookie Kaylen Frederick joining the young but experienced pair of Tijmen van der Helm and Nico Pino for a seventh place finished.

LMP2 had fewer first-timers of note. Era Motorsport had the most rookie-heavy entry with Rolex 24 debutantes Jacob Abel, Logan Sargeant and Naveen Rao sharing the No. 18 ORECA LMP2 07 with Ferdinand Habsburg. The car ended ninth in class.

Several Drivers, Teams Reset in GT Classes

Both GTD PRO and Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) have their fair share of newcomers, none of whom shared the same path to the WeatherTech Championship.

Benjamin Pedersen climbed the open-wheel ladder all the way to IndyCar, where he completed a full season in 2023. He made his IMSA debut in ’25 running a full season in LMP2 and has now landed a plum drive in Vasser Sullivan Racing’s No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 he shares with Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo in GTD.

“Everyone loves IMSA right?” laughed Pedersen. “You see so many IndyCar and European guys come over. I loved being in LMP2 (with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in 2025) and the opportunity came up with this team after a successful debut season. I found the transition to the GT car very natural. I mean, I’m still pretty new to the car, but I found the transition pretty seamless.”

Mason Filippi finished 17th at Daytona in GTD with co-drivers Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc, and Scott McLaughlin in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R. In addition, he’ll also seek to win the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Touring Car (TCR) title aboard the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR with Bryson Morris; they ended third in Daytona. He’s gotten plenty of advice about his attempt to do double duty.

“People say eat a lot of food and try to get some rest!” Filippi smiled. “I think the biggest thing I’ve been told is to soak it in. I’m extremely grateful to have an opportunity in both. It’ll be cool to have track knowledge, a new car, new platform, and a new series.”

Porsche has two rookies of note. IMSA newcomer Harry King finished ninth on debut in GTD PRO in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) he shares with Nick Tandy and Alessio Picariello. IndyCar and WEC veteran Callum Ilott will share the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche in GTD with Adam Adelson and Tom Sargent.

Ford does too, with Ben Barker emulating Estre in embarking on his first full IMSA campaign in the No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 in GTD PRO despite running most 2014 races. Jake Walker switches to Ford in GTD as part of Gradient Racing’s No. 66 Mustang, with multiple co-drivers switching between sprint and endurance races.

Aston Martin’s IMSA rookie is Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello, son of 11-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner and multiple-time Rolex 24 starter Rubens Barrichello. He’ll run the full GTD season in the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

Lamborghini has a new full-season driver, Sandy Mitchell, joining Andrea Caldarelli in Lamborghini’s new car – the new Temerario GT3 that Pfaff Motorsports will debut at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Meanwhile, the 2026 season marks a complete reset for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, rebranded as RLL Team McLaren in IMSA. After a long relationship with BMW, Bobby Rahal’s sports car operation has rebranded as RLL Team McLaren to field the No. 59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO in the GTD PRO class with a pair of absolute sports car rookies in Max Esterson and Nikita Johnson for the full season.

Esterson is coming home to America at age 23 after a single-seat career that took him as far as Formula 2, while 17-year-old Johnson is combining his IMSA schedule with an assault on the Indy NXT championship. Third driver Dean MacDonald impressed on debut to put the No. 59 McLaren second on the GTD PRO grid in Daytona, with fourth driver Juri Vips also a Rolex 24 rookie.

“It’s extremely new and I can’t think Team RLL enough for helping me come to grips with the car,” Johnson said after a 12th-place class finish in the No. 59 McLaren’s debut. “They drive really different. It’s a nice challenge, and I really wouldn’t have believed this five years ago.”

Esterson tested the sports car waters by sharing the aforementioned JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 85 Porsche 963 in the 2025 IMSA season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

“It was huge to do Petit Le Mans, and it went quite well for my first race,” he said. “I wanted to do IMSA this year and I think GT3 makes the most sense. It’s the class with the most cars running worldwide.”

The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the 74th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, March 18-21 at Sebring International Raceway.

IMSA: Win the Weekend Presented by Michelin Returns for Fourth Season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 23, 2026) - IMSA: Win the Weekend Presented by Michelin is set to return for its fourth season, on the heels of both great viewership and several digital content awards achieved in the first three years from 2023 to 2025. Season 4 is set to build on the personality-focused commentary and visual narratives laid out in Season 3, which was a record-setting year for the franchise.

The Season 4 premiere episode featuring the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona is in the works and due to launch soon on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel, where all episodes can be found both on the primary channel page and also as part of a specific Win the Weekend playlist.

Season 3 set a new record with 20 million total episode views and its 2.5 million views per episode represented a 20 percent year-over-year increase. The most-watched episode was the season finale at Motul Petit Le Mans, with 3 million views.

Driven by joint Michelin-IMSA consumer research, the docuseries was developed to engage future fans, who were identified as younger, more female and more affluent.

“Endurance racing has been part of Michelin’s DNA for more than a century, and ‘Win the Weekend’ gives fans a front‑row seat to the strategy and innovation that define this sport,” said Omer Waysman, vice president of B2C marketing for Michelin North America. “Motorsport is one of our greatest centers of excellence for both sustainability and innovation, and Season 4 is especially exciting as it showcases our new Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tire, developed to deliver consistent performance across the most demanding conditions, with 50% recycled and renewable materials.”

Through three seasons, there have been more than 50 million views of Win the Weekend, with more than 60 percent of those viewers new to IMSA’s Official YouTube channel. These viewers have shown to take deeper actions with the IMSA brand; watching or attending a race and following IMSA, its drivers or teams on social media.

“It’s been remarkable to watch how IMSA: Win the Weekend Presented by Michelin has amplified the WeatherTech Championship on-track product and personalities,” said John Doonan, IMSA President. “The show has driven so much more awareness of our sport to an ever-expanding audience. The storytelling and narrative the team assembles to showcase after each race has been spectacular and only figures to keep growing in Season 4.”

Season 4 again will include eight episodes, covering events at Daytona International Speedway, Sebring International Raceway, the Streets of Long Beach, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen International, Road America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Each episode launches prior to the next event, so Daytona’s will be before Sebring, Sebring’s before Long Beach and subsequently as the schedule occurs.

All five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds are covered, including the shift to the six-hour Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at Road America. Michelin adds one of its technical team member voices to episodes, providing insight into the tire strategy that goes into each WeatherTech Championship event. Several additional new elements are planned for season 4 including race shop visits exploring how decisions, preparation and teamwork away from the race track drive the race weekend, as well as deeper driver stories and additional team-driver radio communications to bring viewers closer to the sport.

Both Seasons 1 and 2 won Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks and production companies.

Season 1, Episode 4 delivered a Telly Award for “Shock and Surprise at Sebring,” covering the chaotic finish to the 2023 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Season 2 won a Telly Award on the whole for its coverage of the GT field throughout the 2024 WeatherTech Championship season.

After the first episode of Season 4 drops on Wednesday, February 25 at 11 a.m. ET, fans can be ready for the second round of the 2026 WeatherTech Championship season. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring airs live on Peacock, Saturday, March 21 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

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