Vance and Galante win a race full of drama at VIR
Changeable weather conditions at Virginia International Raceway resulted in another race full of drama for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Eventually, Nick Galante and James Vance emerged as the winners in the Fast MD Racing Audi RS 3 LMS after the positions were reshuffled several times following safety car interventions and pit stops.
Marc Wilkins’ started from the TCR pole of a grid that was determined by the positions in the standings, as Friday night’s Qualifying session has been cancelled due to a thunderstorm, but his teammate Harry Gottsacker was faster and took the lead. Wilkins retook the first position on lap 3, but then lost it to Shelby Blackstock on lap 4. There was a close fight for the lead, with Blackstock, Wilkins, Gottsacker, Colin Mullan and Brian Henderson covered by 1.5 seconds.
The rain began to fall on lap 6, three GS cars crashed and the safety car was deployed for the first time. The neutralization lasted for half-an-hour during which all pitted for wet tyres except Galante. When the race resumed, Galante dropped back, while Gavin Ernstone, Wilkins and Gottsacker alternated in the TCR lead.
Halfway through the two-hour race the track began to dry, all teams pitted for refuelling, changing the driver and going back on slicks. Ian Morley (who had replaced Ernstone) led from Vance, Ryan Nash, Mason Filippi, Tom O’Gorman and Stephen Simpson, while the championship leading Hyundai of Michael Lewis had dropped after serving a drive through for passing during the safety car period.
The final 25 minutes were disrupted three times by other safety car interventions as the rain began to fall again and some GS cars spun off. Eventually the race resumed for the final lap, Vance took the lead from Morley who was then running abreast with Simpson and Filippi as they battled for the second position. There was contact between Simpson and Morley and the latter spun off and crashed. And so Vance crossed the line as the winner from Filippi, Simpson and Lewis.
The pair of Wilkins-Lewis has retained the leadership in the standings, but Filippi-Gottsacker have closed the gap to five points only, while O’Gorman-Blackstock dropped from second to third, a further four points adrift.
The penultimate round of the series will be at Laguna Seca on September 13th/14th.
Race
1. Fast MD Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS (Galante/Vance), 48 laps
2. Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Veloster N (Filippi / Gottsacker), 0.437
3. JDC-Miller Motorsports, Audi RS 3 LMS (Johnson/Simpson), 1.384
4. Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Veloster N (Wilkins / Lewis), 5.724
5. eEuroparts.com ROWE Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS (McDonough/Nash), 8.174
Championship points
1. Lewis-Wilkins 224 pts; 2. Filippi-Gottsacker 219; 2. O’Gorman-Blackstock 215
