GTDX Title Tilt, Canadian Crew Highlight Visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
By Tony DiZinno
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The presence of GT3-specification cars in the new Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) class has been a welcome addition to the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series. Through six races, their pace has been close to the pacesetting Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) class and the championship battle is the closest among any IMSA-sanctioned class heading into July as the series heads to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
The GTDX battle sees Adam Adelson (No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R) and AJ Muss (No. 66 Af Corse Ferrari 296 GT3) tied with 1900 points apiece. Adelson holds the tiebreaker, for now, with three wins.
“Right now, it’s difficult to be competitive in the dry, but the wet is a great equalizer,” Adelson said after his third win of 2025, in the rain at Wright’s home race of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Muss has been the model of consistency with six podiums in six races but is yet to win.
“Six races, six podiums is good, but a lot of second places. I’m kind of tired of it!” Muss laughed. “At the end of the day, the championship is really what I’m fighting for. As long as we stay consistent, the win will come. Adelson and Jake (Walker) have been good; and I need to do a little more fine-tuning. We’re taking it race-by-race, and the points will fall how they fall.”
Incidentally, Adelson will have extra track time this weekend as he is competing in both VP Racing Challenge races and Sunday’s Chevrolet Grand Prix for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Muss made his WeatherTech Championship debut at Watkins Glen International but is not scheduled to continue at CTMP.
The other GTDX driver who’s made waves recently is Samantha Tan, the Stouffville, Ontario native (No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3) who now gets to race on home soil this week. She has had a hectic last month after winning her third Bronze Cup race in the last four IMSA races, with trips to Le Mans for the Road to Le Mans races in a Team WRT-entered BMW M4 GT3, then the Nürburgring 24-hour and Spa 24-hour race weekends. She ranks third in the GTDX points ahead of Walker.
“So, I’m doing the podium and I’ll immediately head to the airport because I’m flying straight to Paris for the Road to Le Mans,” she said in Mid-Ohio victory lane. “Doing the ‘big three’ in three weeks, then I’m so excited to go back to CTMP for my home race. I haven’t raced there in eight years but I’m so looking forward to have my family and friends there.”
Jake Walker’s Daytona troubles have left him 330 points back in fourth, but the No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 driver has three wins and has been the highest-scoring driver the last four races. Teammate Vin Barletta completes the class in the No. 95 Turner BMW.
As one of only two drivers who’ve started all six P3 races, Valentino Catalano’s three wins and four podiums from six races see him clearly ahead in the P3 championship in the No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08, nearly 200 ahead of Brian Thienes in the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320. Corey Lewis (No. 36 RAFA Racing Ligier) and Oscar Tunjo (No. 31 Gebhardt Duqueine) split the race weekend wins at Mid-Ohio. Those same four P3 cars are back at CTMP although Matthew Dicken returns to the No. 36 RAFA Ligier. Toronto native Jonathan Woolridge returns in the No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320; he won Round 3 at Circuit of The Americas.
GSX also saw a Mid-Ohio weekend split, with BSI Racing’s Steven Clemons stopping the RAFA Racing run of wins in Saturday’s first race in the No. 76 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 with Kiko Porto back on top in Sunday’s second race in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. Ian Porter (Saturday, No. 68 RAFA Toyota) and Chris Walsh (Sunday, No. 22 TWOth Autosport Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS) split the Bronze Cup triumphs. Porter sits second in overall GSX points behind Porto. There are nine GSX cars at CTMP, including Walsh, a former Olympian, current U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Officer, who races with Calabogie, Ontario-based TWOth Autosport.
“This program came together in the middle of the year; a bunch of people rallied to make it happen,” Walsh said at Mid-Ohio victory lane. “The rear grip on the Porsche is unbelievable in the rain.”
VP Racing Challenge competitors have a pair of practice sessions before qualifying on Friday, with races Saturday morning at 8:50 a.m. and Sunday morning at 11:10. Races stream on Peacock domestically and IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube channel internationally.
Fast Facts
IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
July 11-13, 2025
Race Days/Times: Saturday, July 12, 8:50 a.m. ET; Sunday, July 13, 11:10 a.m.
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 8:45 a.m. Saturday and 11:05 a.m. Sunday (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)
Circuit Type: 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course
Classes Competing: Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3), Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX), Grand Sport X (GSX)
Race Lengths: 45 minutes
VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Track Records
- P3: Steven Aghakhani, Ligier JS P320, 1:12.299 / 122.441 mph, July 2024 (Qualifying)
- GSX: Gregory Liefooghe, Stephen Cameron Racing, 1:22.533 / 107.258 mph, July 2023 (Qualifying)
2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 Winners:
- P3: Steven Aghakhani, No. 6 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320
- GSX: Jack Polito, No. 98 Polito Racing Ford Mustang GT4
2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Winners:
- P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
- GSX: Josh Green, No. 78 Thaze Competition Mercedes-AMG GT GT4