By Mark Robinson
The GT classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship take center stage this weekend, with the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR highlighting the ultra-competitiveness of the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) fields.
The setting – VIRginia International Raceway’s exquisite 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit – provides the perfect venue for the 20 combined entries to battle it out for superiority. The two-hour, 40-minute race can be viewed live at 1:55 p.m. ET Saturday on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, with television coverage airing at 10 a.m. ET Sunday on NBCSN.
Here are three things to watch for heading into the VIR weekend:
Can Porsche regain its mojo?
It’s been a year since the vaunted Porsche GT Team climbed to the top step of the GTLM podium. That last victory came at VIR when Nick Tandy and Patrick Pilet won in the No. 911 Porsche 911, just 0.737 seconds ahead of teammates Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 912. It marked the sixth win of the 2019 WeatherTech Championship season for the Porsches.
Tandy is back in the No. 911, this year paired with Fred Makowiecki, with Bamber and Vanthoor in the No. 912 again. The path to GTLM victory of late, however, goes right through Corvette Racing. The new mid-engine Corvette C8.Rs have won all three class events since the series resumed racing last month.
Larger GTD field takes ‘AIM’ at Vasser Sullivan
The GTD class boasts the most entries (14) for any event since WeatherTech Championship competition resumed in July. Whether that’s enough to derail the AIM Vasser Sullivan express remains to be seen.
Like Corvette in GTLM, AIM Vasser Sullivan has captured three consecutive victories in GTD heading to VIR this weekend. Aaron Telitz and Jack Hawksworth, driving the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, won the IMSA WeatherTech 240 At Daytona and the WeatherTech Sprint Cup-only Cadillac Grand Prix of Sebring for the GTD class, before the No. 12 Lexus of Frankie Montecalvo and Townsend Bell slid their way to victory three weeks ago in the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America.
The larger GTD field means more opportunities for others to end the AIM Vasser Sullivan streak. Among those to watch for is the No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 driven by Madison Snow and Bryan Sellers, back in GTD for the first time since winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January.
Also keep an eye on the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3. After finishing second last year at VIR by 0.566 seconds, defending GTD champion Mario Farnbacher is back in the car and paired now with Matt McMurry, the 2019 LMP2 class champion.
Back Where It All Began
Jordan Taylor has more motivation this weekend at VIR than just retaining the GTLM points lead he shares with Antonio Garcia, his co-driver in the No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C8.R.
It was at the track in Alton, Virginia, where Taylor made his professional racing debut in 2007 at the ripe old age of 16. Four years later, he scored his first pro win at VIR while competing in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. He was a last-minute sub driver for the injured Jan Magnussen on the No. 3 Corvette at VIR in 2014, when he again teamed with Garcia.
Now, six years later, he and Garcia ride into VIR on the wave of three straight podium finishes this season, including two wins. They take a 10-point lead over Bamber and Vanthoor into the race.