By Jeff Olson and Mark Robinson
Sellers, Snow Eager to Get Back into GTD Action
After nearly seven months watching from the sidelines, Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow couldn’t be more eager to get back behind the wheel of a GT Daytona (GTD) car in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“‘Excited’ doesn’t cover the word for it,” Sellers said as he and Snow prepared for their return in the No. 48 ‘Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 at this weekend’s Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.
The 2020 season began brilliantly, with Sellers, Snow, Andrea Caldarelli and Corey Lewis guiding the No. 48 to the class victory at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. Then the global pandemic hit, and the difficult decision was made to shutter the team. Miller couldn’t justify the expenditures of a race team after he’d been forced to furlough employees at his string of New Jersey auto dealerships, reasoning his drivers admired.
“Certainly, you have to respect the morals and the reasoning behind it,” Sellers said.
After missing the past three events since the GTD season resumed, the No. 48 is back on the grid this weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. Snow and Sellers tuned up for their return by competing two weekends ago in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America doubleheader at Road America, where they finished first and second in the two races.
“It was just nice to get back in the car, especially with Bryan,” Snow said. “For sure, the extra seat time helped; that’s why we did it. We wanted practice, we wanted seat time, we wanted to practice driver changes. Even if it’s not the same car and the door’s not the same, it’s still close enough.”
The drivers will use this weekend to shake off the rust in the GTD entry. Out of contention for the overall class championship, their focus is on the Michelin Endurance Cup title that they lead on the strength of the Rolex victory. They’ve also learned not to take anything for granted.
“That’s one of the things that got put into perspective through all of this,” Sellers admitted. “The results are important, winning is important, it’s what we do it for. But you better enjoy it while you’re doing it because you never know really, truly how long it can last.”
Looking Back to Look Forward
For Connor De Phillippi, a victory two years ago at VIRginia International Raceway could hold the key to success this weekend.
In his first season with BMW Team RLL, which was struggling to sort out a new BMW M8 GTE, De Phillippi and Alexander Sims scored a breakthrough win in the GT Le Mans class. If that history holds up, De Phillippi and Bruno Spengler should be competitive Saturday in the team’s No. 25 car for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR.
That 2018 race remains a cherished memory for De Phillippi and the team.
“The car was running behind, and everybody knew that at the beginning,” De Phillippi said. “For us to bounce back relatively early in the year with a car that we were still learning a lot about and get that win, it meant a lot to me.”
BMW Team RLL’s other car, the No. 24 shared by John Edwards and Jesse Krohn, will attempt to recover from a late spin Aug. 2 at Road America that cost it a win. Edwards was tiptoeing through a blinding rain when the car spun, but he recovered for a podium finish.
“Looking back on it, I left the track really down about crashing out just before the yellow,” Edwards said. “We were basically aquaplaning all the way from the middle of the carousel all the way to the kink. If we had come away with a win there, that would’ve been really good timing.”
Bell’s Bold Move Still Top of Mind at VIR
It was the moment of the race. Quite possibly, it was the moment of the season.
After a pit stop midway through the main event at the IMSA SportsCar Weekend on Aug. 2 at Road America, Townsend Bell passed AIM Vasser Sullivan teammate Jack Hawksworth, giving the lead – and eventually the GTD class victory – to the team’s No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3 that Bell shares with Frankie Montecalvo.
“It certainly was a pivotal moment in the race,” Bell said. “When you’re running 1-2 like that, you’ve got to try to identify the best opportunities to make your move and have a chance.”
The chance and the ensuing result pushed Bell, Montecalvo and the team to within one point of first place in the driver and team standings heading into Saturday’s main event during the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway.
The timing couldn’t be better. The win, coupled with a second-place start last year at VIR, bodes well for Saturday’s race.
“I feel like me and Townsend really have been working hard behind the scenes to get this race win,” Montecalvo said. “It’s just a relief going into a race having that win right behind us. I feel like we qualified extremely well there last year at P2 and had a great run going, so to have that race win in the last race and to have a good showing (at VIR) last year, I think we’re going to roll off the truck pretty strong and be a force to be reckoned with.”
VIR’s wide variety – long straightaways and high-speed Esses coupled with sharp turns – suits the Lexus, drivers said.
“Our car particularly has good downforce through the Esses that we’re able to keep flat through there,” Montecalvo said. “Some of the other cars might struggle through there, but I feel like all the GTD cars are pretty evenly matched. It’s going to be a tough fight out there, but I think our Lexus is suited for the challenge.”
As Bell was completing his out lap, Hawksworth came out of the pits ahead of him. With warmer tires, Bell chased down the No. 14 car and made the pass.
“I’ve worked really hard the last couple of years on my out laps, and we’ve had really fast out laps this year,” Bell said. “That really made the difference. … I knew that was my best chance to get something to happen. Going down into Turn 5, I think he was a little surprised by the run I had going. I think he knew that was my chance, as well. It was just seizing the opportunity.”
After Saturday’s race, Bell will fly to Indianapolis to analyze Sunday’s 104th Indianapolis 500 on NBC’s live broadcast.
“What a great way to spend the weekend,” Bell said. “I love doing sports cars and IndyCar in the same weekend. It’s stimulating. … The adrenaline keeps me going.”
Farnbacher Playing Long Game
His team may not be grabbing the headlines thus far in GTD competition this season, but Mario Farnbacher is looking at the big picture for the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3. And the German speaks from experience.
In his bid to repeat as the GTD driver champion, Farnbacher and teammate Matt McMurry sit just four points out of the lead despite not winning a race yet this year. It’s a similar scenario to 2019, when Farnbacher and then-teammate Trent Hindman won just once but clinched the title with a race remaining on the strength of consistently strong finishes.
Heading into the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR this weekend, Farnbacher is taking the same approach.
“I always think about the championship, to be honest,” Farnbacher said. “It starts with the first race. During the season, you always collect points and that’s the main goal. That was the strategy last year and that worked out pretty well. Also to finish the race and better to be safe than sorry.”
The AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3s have won the past three GTD races – including a WeatherTech Sprint Cup-only event last month at Sebring that doesn’t count toward the overall championship. Lexus drivers Jack Hawksworth (87 points), Townsend Bell (86), Frankie Montecalvo (86) and Aaron Telitz (84) hold down the top spots in the standings, but Farnbacher and McMurry (83 each) are looming.
That’s why finishing as high as possible each weekend is paramount, Farnbacher added, within reason. He points to the most recent race three weeks ago, the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America, when he led late in a downpour, slid off track but recovered to hang on for second place.
“It’s important to score points,” Farnbacher said, “but for me it’s important not to take the highest risk. It’s important to finish the car as good as possible with minimum risk.”
Programming Update
Saturday’s two-hour, 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge is available live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com. NBCSN television coverage airs Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.