2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR

The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on August 25, 2024. It was the ninth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Background

Preview

International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2023.^[1] It was the eleventh consecutive year the IMSA SCC hosted a race at Virginia International Raceway. The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was the ninth of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2024 by IMSA.^[2] The race was held at the seventeen-turn 3.270 mi (5.263 km) Virginia International Raceway on August 25, 2024.^[2]

Balance of performance

Ahead of the event, IMSA published a bulletin regarding the latest balance of performance (BoP) changes in the GTD Pro and GTD classes.^[3] The Acura was given a 1-liter increase in fuel capacity to accommodate the 11.5 horsepower gained across all power levels. Additionally, the Lamborghini saw an increase in weight of 15 kilograms. This was countered by an increase of 5.3 horsepower across all power levels, and a 2-liter fuel capacity increase. Finally, the Ferrari saw an increase of 10 kilograms in weight, with no adjustments to the power level.^[3]

Standings before the race

Preceding the event, Laurin Heinrich led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2256 points, 76 points ahead of second-placed Ross Gunn. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth sat in third place, a further 97 points behind.^[4] The GTD Drivers' Championship was led by Philip Ellis and Russell Ward with 2396 points. They had lead of 268 points over second-placed Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher. Parker Thompson sat in third, 526 points behind Ellis and Ward.^[4] The Manufacturers' Championships were led by Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, respectively, whilst AO Racing and Winward Racing led the Teams' Championships.^[4]

Entry list

The entry list was revealed on August 14, 2024, and featured 23 entries: 9 entries in GTD Pro, and 14 entries in GTD.^[5] Klaus Bachler replaced Julien Andlauer in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche, to race alongside Laurin Heinrich. Furthermore, Kyle Marcelli re-joined Danny Formal in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini, after missing the previous round due to an arm-related injury.^[6] Both the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione and No. 35 Conquest Racing Ferraris did not appear at the start after one-off appearances at Road America.^[7]

No.	Entrant	Car	Driver 1	Driver 2
GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro) (9 entries)
1	Paul Miller Racing	BMW M4 GT3	Bryan Sellers	Madison Snow
3	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	Antonio García	Alexander Sims
4	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	Nicky Catsburg	Tommy Milner
9	Pfaff Motorsports	McLaren 720S GT3 Evo	Oliver Jarvis	Marvin Kirchhöfer
14	Vasser Sullivan	Lexus RC F GT3	Ben Barnicoat	Jack Hawksworth
23	Heart of Racing Team	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo	Ross Gunn	Alex Riberas
64	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Ford Mustang GT3	Mike Rockenfeller	Harry Tincknell
65	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Ford Mustang GT3	Joey Hand	Dirk Müller
77	AO Racing	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	Klaus Bachler	Laurin Heinrich
GTD (GT Daytona) (14 entries)
12	Vasser Sullivan	Lexus RC F GT3	Frankie Montecalvo	Parker Thompson
13	AWA	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	Matt Bell	Orey Fidani
27	Heart of Racing Team	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo	Roman De Angelis	Zacharie Robichon
32	Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Mikaël Grenier	Kenton Koch
34	Conquest Racing	Ferrari 296 GT3	Albert Costa	Manny Franco
45	Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2	Danny Formal	Kyle Marcelli
55	Proton Competition	Ford Mustang GT3	Giammarco Levorato	Corey Lewis
57	Winward Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Philip Ellis	Russell Ward
66	Gradient Racing	Acura NSX GT3 Evo22	Stevan McAleer	Sheena Monk
70	Inception Racing	McLaren 720S GT3 Evo	Brendan Iribe	Frederik Schandorff
78	Forte Racing	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2	Misha Goikhberg	Loris Spinelli
86	MDK Motorsports	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	Anders Fjordbach	Kerong Li
96	Turner Motorsport	BMW M4 GT3	Robby Foley	Patrick Gallagher
120	Wright Motorsports	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	Adam Adelson	Elliott Skeer
Source:^[5]^[6]^[7]

Practice

There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday, one on Friday afternoon and one on Saturday morning. The first session on Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes while the second session on Saturday morning lasted 105 minutes.^[8]

Qualifying

Saturday's afternoon qualifying session lasted 15 minutes, with one combined session for the GTD Pro and GTD cars. The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars.^[8] The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order.^[9]

Qualifying results

Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and with ‡.

Pos.	Class	No.	Entry	Driver	Time	Gap	Grid
1	GTD Pro	1	Paul Miller Racing	Madison Snow	1:43.206	—	1‡
2	GTD Pro	3	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Antonio García	1:43.346	+0.140	2
3	GTD Pro	64	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Harry Tincknell	1:43.630	+0.424	3
4	GTD Pro	65	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Joey Hand	1:43.729	+0.523	4
5	GTD Pro	4	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Tommy Milner	1:43.745	+0.539	5
6	GTD	55	Proton Competition	Giammarco Levorato	1:43.900	+0.694	6‡
7	GTD	32	Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	Kenton Koch	1:44.106	+0.900	7
8	GTD	120	Wright Motorsports	Elliott Skeer	1:44.118	+0.912	8
9	GTD Pro	14	Vasser Sullivan	Jack Hawksworth	1:44.177	+0.971	9
10	GTD Pro	9	Pfaff Motorsports	Oliver Jarvis	1:44.297	+1.091	10
11	GTD	27	Heart of Racing Team	Zacharie Robichon	1:44.362	+1.156	11
12	GTD	96	Turner Motorsport	Patrick Gallagher	1:44.392	+1.186	12
13	GTD Pro	77	AO Racing	Klaus Bachler	1:44.417	+1.211	13
14	GTD Pro	23	Heart of Racing Team	Alex Riberas	1:44.499	+1.293	14
15	GTD	45	Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	Kyle Marcelli	1:44.504	+1.298	15
16	GTD	12	Vasser Sullivan	Frankie Montecalvo	1:44.541	+1.335	16
17	GTD	78	Forte Racing	Misha Goikhberg	1:44.793	+1.587	17
18	GTD	57	Winward Racing	Russell Ward	1:44.855	+1.649	18
19	GTD	70	Inception Racing	Brendan Iribe	1:45.020	+1.814	19
20	GTD	66	Gradient Racing	Sheena Monk	1:45.069	+1.863	20
21	GTD	34	Conquest Racing	Manny Franco	1:45.348	+2.142	21
22	GTD	86	MDK Motorsports	Kerong Li	1:46.754	+3.548	22
23	GTD	13	AWA	Orey Fidani	1:47.306	+4.100	23
Sources:^[10]^[11]

Race

Post-race

The final results of GTD Pro meant Heinrich continued to lead the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship, but his advantage was reduced to 17 points by third-place finisher Gunn. Sellers and Snow jumped from fifth to third.^[12] Ellis and Ward's third-place finish allowed them to extend their advantage over Foley and Gallagher in the GTD Drivers' Championship.^[12] Porsche and Mercedes-AMG continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while AO Racing, and Winward Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships with two rounds remaining.^[12]

Race results

Class winners are in bold and ‡.

Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Chassis	Laps	Time/Retired
Pos	Class	No	Team	Drivers	Engine	Laps	Time/Retired
1	GTD Pro	1	Paul Miller Racing	Bryan Sellers Madison Snow	BMW M4 GT3	86	2:40:49.112‡
1	GTD Pro	1	Paul Miller Racing	Bryan Sellers Madison Snow	BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6	86	2:40:49.112‡
2	GTD Pro	64	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Mike Rockenfeller Harry Tincknell	Ford Mustang GT3	86	+3.368
2	GTD Pro	64	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Mike Rockenfeller Harry Tincknell	Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8	86	+3.368
3	GTD Pro	23	Heart of Racing Team	Ross Gunn Alex Riberas	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo	86	+4.199
3	GTD Pro	23	Heart of Racing Team	Ross Gunn Alex Riberas	Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8	86	+4.199
4	GTD Pro	65	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Joey Hand Dirk Müller	Ford Mustang GT3	86	+11.688
4	GTD Pro	65	Ford Multimatic Motorsports	Joey Hand Dirk Müller	Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8	86	+11.688
5	GTD	32	Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	Mikaël Grenier Kenton Koch	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	86	+16.103‡
5	GTD	32	Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	Mikaël Grenier Kenton Koch	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	86	+16.103‡
6	GTD Pro	9	Pfaff Motorsports	Oliver Jarvis Marvin Kirchhöfer	McLaren 720S GT3 Evo	86	+16.404
6	GTD Pro	9	Pfaff Motorsports	Oliver Jarvis Marvin Kirchhöfer	McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8	86	+16.404
7	GTD Pro	14	Vasser Sullivan	Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth	Lexus RC F GT3	86	+18.620
7	GTD Pro	14	Vasser Sullivan	Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth	Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8	86	+18.620
8	GTD	78	Forte Racing	Misha Goikhberg Loris Spinelli	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2	86	+19.086
8	GTD	78	Forte Racing	Misha Goikhberg Loris Spinelli	Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10	86	+19.086
9	GTD Pro	77	AO Racing	Klaus Bachler Laurin Heinrich	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	86	+19.754
9	GTD Pro	77	AO Racing	Klaus Bachler Laurin Heinrich	Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6	86	+19.754
10	GTD	57	Winward Racing	Philip Ellis Russell Ward	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	86	+20.017
10	GTD	57	Winward Racing	Philip Ellis Russell Ward	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	86	+20.017
11	GTD	96	Turner Motorsport	Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher	BMW M4 GT3	86	+20.311
11	GTD	96	Turner Motorsport	Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher	BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6	86	+20.311
12	GTD Pro	4	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Nicky Catsburg Tommy Milner	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	86	+22.410
12	GTD Pro	4	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Nicky Catsburg Tommy Milner	Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8	86	+22.410
13	GTD	34	Conquest Racing	Albert Costa Manny Franco	Ferrari 296 GT3	86	+24.110
13	GTD	34	Conquest Racing	Albert Costa Manny Franco	Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6	86	+24.110
14	GTD	13	AWA	Matt Bell Orey Fidani	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	86	+24.433
14	GTD	13	AWA	Matt Bell Orey Fidani	Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8	86	+24.433
15	GTD	55	Proton Competition	Giammarco Levorato Corey Lewis	Ford Mustang GT3	86	+27.346
15	GTD	55	Proton Competition	Giammarco Levorato Corey Lewis	Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8	86	+27.346
16	GTD	120	Wright Motorsports	Adam Adelson Elliott Skeer	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	86	+28.220
16	GTD	120	Wright Motorsports	Adam Adelson Elliott Skeer	Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6	86	+28.220
17	GTD	12	Vasser Sullivan	Frankie Montecalvo Parker Thompson	Lexus RC F GT3	86	+57.555
17	GTD	12	Vasser Sullivan	Frankie Montecalvo Parker Thompson	Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8	86	+57.555
18	GTD	86	MDK Motorsports	Anders Fjordbach Kerong Li	Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)	85	+1 Lap
18	GTD	86	MDK Motorsports	Anders Fjordbach Kerong Li	Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6	85	+1 Lap
19	GTD	45	Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	Danny Formal Kyle Marcelli	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2	85	+1 Lap
19	GTD	45	Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	Danny Formal Kyle Marcelli	Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10	85	+1 Lap
20	GTD	66	Gradient Racing	Stevan McAleer Sheena Monk	Acura NSX GT3 Evo22	72	+14 Laps
20	GTD	66	Gradient Racing	Stevan McAleer Sheena Monk	Acura JNC1 3.5 L Turbo V6	72	+14 Laps
21 DNF	GTD	70	Inception Racing	Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff	McLaren 720S GT3 Evo	68	Engine
21 DNF	GTD	70	Inception Racing	Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff	McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8	68	Engine
22	GTD	27	Heart of Racing Team	Roman De Angelis Zacharie Robichon	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo	86	+17.000^{[R 1]}
22	GTD	27	Heart of Racing Team	Roman De Angelis Zacharie Robichon	Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8	86	+17.000^{[R 1]}
23	GTD Pro	3	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Antonio García Alexander Sims	Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R	57	+29 Laps
23	GTD Pro	3	Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	Antonio García Alexander Sims	Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8	57	+29 Laps
Source:^[14]

The No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin was moved to the back of the GTD class since non-homologated parts were used during the event. It originally finished 7th overall, and 2nd in class.^[13]

Standings after the race

GTP Drivers' Championship standings
Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Dane Cameron Felipe Nasr	2386
2	Mathieu Jaminet Nick Tandy	2286
3	Sébastien Bourdais Renger van der Zande	2201
4	Jack Aitken Pipo Derani	2144
5	Louis Delétraz Jordan Taylor	2107
Source:^[12]

LMP2 Drivers' Championship standings
Pos.	Driver	Points
1	Nick Boulle Tom Dillmann	1564
2	Felipe Fraga Gar Robinson	1537
3	Ryan Dalziel	1473
4	Ben Hanley Ben Keating	1467
5	Dan Goldburg	1372
Source:^[12]

GTD Pro Drivers' Championship standings
Pos.	+/–	Driver	Points
1		Laurin Heinrich	2519
2		Ross Gunn	2502
3	2	Bryan Sellers Madison Snow	2408
4	1	Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth	2358
5	1	Antonio García Alexander Sims	2318
Source:^[12]

GTD Drivers' Championship standings
Pos.	+/–	Driver	Points
1		Philip Ellis Russell Ward	2718
2		Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher	2434
3	1	Mikaël Grenier	2178
4	1	Parker Thompson	2114
5		Albert Costa Manny Franco	2060
Source:^[12]

Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.

GTP Teams' Championship standings
Pos.	Team	Points
1	#7 Porsche Penske Motorsport	2386
2	#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport	2286
3	#01 Cadillac Racing	2201
4	#31 Whelen Cadillac Racing	2144
5	#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti	2107
Source:^[12]

LMP2 Teams' Championship standings
Pos.	Team	Points
1	#52 Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports	1564
2	#74 Riley	1537
3	#18 Era Motorsport	1473
4	#2 United Autosports USA	1467
5	#22 United Autosports USA	1372
Source:^[12]

GTD Pro Teams' Championship standings
Pos.	+/–	Team	Points
1		#77 AO Racing	2519
2		#23 Heart of Racing Team	2502
3	2	#1 Paul Miller Racing	2408
4	1	#14 Vasser Sullivan	2358
5	1	#3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports	2318
Source:^[12]

GTD Teams' Championship standings
Pos.	Team	Points
1	#57 Winward Racing	2718
2	#96 Turner Motorsport	2434
3	#32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports	2178
4	#34 Conquest Racing	2060
5	#12 Vasser Sullivan	1921
Source:^[12]

Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.

GTP Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos.	Manufacturer	Points
1	Porsche	2555
2	Cadillac	2466
3	Acura	2416
4	BMW	2188
5	Lamborghini	572
Source:^[12]

GTD Pro Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos.	+/–	Manufacturer	Points
1		Porsche	2579
2		Aston Martin	2540
3	1	Lexus	2427
4	1	Chevrolet	2426
5	1	Ford	2329
Source:^[12]

GTD Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos.	+/–	Manufacturer	Points
1		Mercedes-AMG	2832
2	4	Lamborghini	2300
3	1	BMW	2296
4	1	Lexus	2276
5	3	Aston Martin	2255
Source:^[12]

Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.

References

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Euwema, Davey (September 9, 2024). "Heart of Racing Stripped of VIR GTD Podium". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
"03_Results_Race_Official.PDF" (PDF). imsa.results.alkamelcloud.com. Alkamel Systems. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.