Championship Leaders on the Doorstep of Clinching Titles on Motul Petit Le Mans Weekend
By Tony DiZinno
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Courtesy of season-long success, the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta rounds as part of the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend figure to be coronations rather than challenges for the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship leaders.
Valentino Catalano (Le Mans Prototype 3, P3), Adam Adelson (Grand Touring Daytona X, GTDX) and Kiko Porto (Grand Sport X, GSX) created their championship-contending credentials at the season-opening doubleheader Roar Before the Rolex 24 weekend at Daytona International Speedway in January. Their accolades achieved throughout the year will likely build to a crescendo on Thursday afternoon in the first of two 45-minute races at Michelin Raceway.
Catalano (370-point lead) and Porto (430-point lead) can clinch on Thursday provided they maintain at least 350-point gaps leaving the first race of the event. Adelson can’t clinch on Thursday as he enters with only a 210-point lead, but he’ll be able to do so on Friday so long as he starts as his closest rival won’t be able to put enough cars in between to offset the gap.
Bronze Cup leaders in the three categories are also similarly assured heading into Michelin Raceway. Brian Thienes has the P3 Bronze title wrapped already, with Samantha Tan 220 points ahead in GTDX and Ian Porter 190 points clear in GSX.
In P3, Catalano has taken to his first full American racing season in style. The 19-year-old German has won seven of 10 races in the No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08, culminating with a three-race sweep at VIRginia International Raceway.
“They’ve done such a good job. We came to the championship in Daytona and I had a clean sweep; the cars were prepared perfectly there,” he said. “The team has a history in IMSA and America (in the mid-1980s), so it’s good to do it in modern times.”
The P3 grid expands to eight cars at Michelin Raceway with several additions. Gebhardt expands to three cars with Oscar Tunjo returning after missing VIR due to a schedule conflict, with his replacement Alexzander Kristiansson slotting over from the No. 31 to a freshly numbered No. 1 Duqueine D08. Toney Driver Development returns for the first time since Daytona with its No. 80 Ligier JS P320 and Jon Hirshberg, Forte Racing’s second driver, continues for a second straight weekend in his No. 86 Ligier. FastMD Racing with Remstar, last year’s P3 Team Champions, are also back with their No. 87 Duqueine D08.
GTDX saw the championship complexion change at VIR as Adelson’s closest title rival, AJ Muss, missed the weekend. That left Adelson in his No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) to contend with Jake Walker in his No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 for the weekend. Walker continued his run of form with three wins to secure seven in the last eight races. Tan’s No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 and Kyle Washington’s No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) complete the class.
Walker had a challenging Daytona where he only scored 220 points from the two-race weekend while Adelson scored a maximum 700 with two wins. That 480-point gap between Adelson and Walker has closed to 210 now, but realistically it had been an Adelson and Muss title battle all season with Muss’ run of seven podiums in as many races.
For Adelson, losing his primary season-long championship rival was bittersweet heading into VIR, even as he praised Walker’s race craft as a rival.
“First of all, I have a lot of respect for AJ – he’s a great competitor and sportsman,” Adelson said. “He was new to GT3 racing and showed incredible talent and pace. He was my rival. I want to fight for it. I don’t want an easier path than fighting tooth-and-nail.”
Adelson said: “Jake and I are very neck-and-neck competitors. Now that I am battling him a bit, it’s great racing wheel-to-wheel with someone like that.”
Porto has been one of three breakout stars in GSX all season, along with RAFA Racing teammate Porter and BSI Racing’s Steven Clemons. In three separate Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 cars, this trio has provided exciting, close and clean racing for most of the year to win the first 10 races among them. Porto has seven wins, Clemons two and Porter one.
Porto, in his No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, hasn’t always been the fastest sometimes fighting through in-race pace challenges, but the Brazilian has praised his team’s work ethic and consistency to ensure he’s been up front. After his seven wins, he also has two runner-up finishes and his only issue came back in March at Circuit of The Americas. He’s established himself as a driver to watch in the future and is poised for bigger things within the IMSA paddock.
“The third race at VIR we finally went a step ahead in terms of balance of the car. It’s been good to learn so much about the Supra, and it’s been a good teaching moment. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Atlanta, so I’m looking forward to end the year on a high,” Porto said.
The GSX grid has consistently been the biggest in the VP Racing Challenge this season and that stays true again for the Michelin Raceway finale with 13 cars, including Kingpin Racing with two cars and series newcomers Thunder Bunny Racing with the No. 21 BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
VP Racing Challenge teams practice and qualify on Wednesday. The two races are Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET and Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Fast Facts
IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, Georgia
October 8-10, 2025
Race Days/Times: Thursday, Oct. 9, 1:05 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 10, 8:30 a.m. ET
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, 8:25 a.m. Friday (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)
Circuit Type: 2.54-mile, 12-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: Jagger Jones, Duqueine D08, 1:16.522 / 119.494 mph, October 2024 (Qualifying)
- GSX: Luca Mars, Ford Mustang GT4, 1:26.588 / 105.603 mph, October 2024 (Qualifying)
2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 1 Winners:
- P3: Steven Aghakhani, No. 6 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320
- GSX: Luca Mars, No. 59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4
2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Race 2 Winners:
- P3: Jagger Jones, No. 87 FastMD Racing with Remstar Duqueine D08
- GSX: Tyler Hoffman, No. 9 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO