The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a sports car race held at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on August 25, 2024. It was the ninth round of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Background Preview
International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) president John Doonan confirmed the race was part of the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2023. It was the eleventh consecutive year the IMSA SCC hosted a race at Virginia International Raceway. The 2024 Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was the ninth of eleven scheduled sports car races of 2024 by IMSA. The race was held at the seventeen-turn Virginia International Raceway on August 25, 2024.
Balance of performance Ahead of the event, IMSA published a bulletin regarding the latest balance of performance (BoP) changes in the GTD Pro and GTD classes. The Acura was given a 1-liter increase in fuel capacity to accommodate the 11.5 horsepower gained across all power levels. Additionally, the Lamborghini saw an increase in weight of 15 kilograms. This was countered by an increase of 5.3 horsepower across all power levels, and a 2-liter fuel capacity increase. Finally, the Ferrari saw an increase of 10 kilograms in weight, with no adjustments to the power level.
Standings before the race Preceding the event, Laurin Heinrich led the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship with 2256 points, 76 points ahead of second-placed Ross Gunn. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth sat in third place, a further 97 points behind. The GTD Drivers' Championship was led by Philip Ellis and Russell Ward with 2396 points. They had lead of 268 points over second-placed Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher. Parker Thompson sat in third, 526 points behind Ellis and Ward. The Manufacturers' Championships were led by Porsche and Mercedes-AMG, respectively, whilst AO Racing and Winward Racing led the Teams' Championships.
Entry list
The entry list was revealed on August 14, 2024, and featured 23 entries: 9 entries in GTD Pro, and 14 entries in GTD. Klaus Bachler replaced Julien Andlauer in the No. 77 AO Racing Porsche, to race alongside Laurin Heinrich. Furthermore, Kyle Marcelli re-joined Danny Formal in the No. 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini, after missing the previous round due to an arm-related injury. Both the No. 023 Triarsi Competizione and No. 35 Conquest Racing Ferraris did not appear at the start after one-off appearances at Road America.
Entrant Car Driver 1 Driver 2 GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro) (9 entries) 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Bryan Sellers Madison Snow 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Antonio García Alexander Sims 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Nicky Catsburg Tommy Milner 9 Pfaff Motorsports McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Oliver Jarvis Marvin Kirchhöfer 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Ross Gunn Alex Riberas 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 Mike Rockenfeller Harry Tincknell 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT3 Joey Hand Dirk Müller 77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Klaus Bachler Laurin Heinrich GTD (GT Daytona) (14 entries) 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 Frankie Montecalvo Parker Thompson 13 AWA Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Matt Bell Orey Fidani 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo Roman De Angelis Zacharie Robichon 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Mikaël Grenier Kenton Koch 34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Albert Costa Manny Franco 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Danny Formal Kyle Marcelli 55 Proton Competition Ford Mustang GT3 Giammarco Levorato Corey Lewis 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Philip Ellis Russell Ward 66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 Stevan McAleer Sheena Monk 70 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff 78 Forte Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 Misha Goikhberg Loris Spinelli 86 MDK Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Anders Fjordbach Kerong Li 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Adam Adelson Elliott Skeer Source:
Practice There were two practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Sunday, one on Friday afternoon and one on Saturday morning. The first session on Friday afternoon lasted 90 minutes while the second session on Saturday morning lasted 105 minutes.
Qualifying Saturday's afternoon qualifying session lasted 15 minutes, with one combined session for the GTD Pro and GTD cars. The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order.
Qualifying results Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and with . Class Entry Driver Time 1 GTD Pro 1 Paul Miller Racing Madison Snow 1:43.206 — 1 2 GTD Pro 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Antonio García 1:43.346 +0.140 2 3 GTD Pro 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Harry Tincknell 1:43.630 +0.424 3 4 GTD Pro 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Joey Hand 1:43.729 +0.523 4 5 GTD Pro 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Tommy Milner 1:43.745 +0.539 5 6 GTD 55 Proton Competition Giammarco Levorato 1:43.900 +0.694 6 7 GTD 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Kenton Koch 1:44.106 +0.900 7 8 GTD 120 Wright Motorsports Elliott Skeer 1:44.118 +0.912 8 9 GTD Pro 14 Vasser Sullivan Jack Hawksworth 1:44.177 +0.971 9 10 GTD Pro 9 Pfaff Motorsports Oliver Jarvis 1:44.297 +1.091 10 11 GTD 27 Heart of Racing Team Zacharie Robichon 1:44.362 +1.156 11 12 GTD 96 Turner Motorsport Patrick Gallagher 1:44.392 +1.186 12 13 GTD Pro 77 AO Racing Klaus Bachler 1:44.417 +1.211 13 14 GTD Pro 23 Heart of Racing Team Alex Riberas 1:44.499 +1.293 14 15 GTD 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Kyle Marcelli 1:44.504 +1.298 15 16 GTD 12 Vasser Sullivan Frankie Montecalvo 1:44.541 +1.335 16 17 GTD 78 Forte Racing Misha Goikhberg 1:44.793 +1.587 17 18 GTD 57 Winward Racing Russell Ward 1:44.855 +1.649 18 19 GTD 70 Inception Racing Brendan Iribe 1:45.020 +1.814 19 20 GTD 66 Gradient Racing Sheena Monk 1:45.069 +1.863 20 21 GTD 34 Conquest Racing Manny Franco 1:45.348 +2.142 21 22 GTD 86 MDK Motorsports Kerong Li 1:46.754 +3.548 22 23 GTD 13 AWA Orey Fidani 1:47.306 +4.100 23 Sources:
Race
Post-race The final results of GTD Pro meant Heinrich continued to lead the GTD Pro Drivers' Championship, but his advantage was reduced to 17 points by third-place finisher Gunn. Sellers and Snow jumped from fifth to third. Ellis and Ward's third-place finish allowed them to extend their advantage over Foley and Gallagher in the GTD Drivers' Championship. Porsche and Mercedes-AMG continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while AO Racing, and Winward Racing kept their respective advantages in their of Teams' Championships with two rounds remaining.
Race results Class winners are in bold and . Class Team Drivers Chassis Time/Retired Engine 1 GTD Pro 1 Paul Miller Racing Bryan Sellers Madison Snow BMW M4 GT3 86 2:40:49.112 BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 2 GTD Pro 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Mike Rockenfeller Harry Tincknell Ford Mustang GT3 86 +3.368 Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 3 GTD Pro 23 Heart of Racing Team Ross Gunn Alex Riberas Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 86 +4.199 Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 4 GTD Pro 65 Ford Multimatic Motorsports Joey Hand Dirk Müller Ford Mustang GT3 86 +11.688 Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 5 GTD 32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports Mikaël Grenier Kenton Koch Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86 +16.103 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 6 GTD Pro 9 Pfaff Motorsports Oliver Jarvis Marvin Kirchhöfer McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 86 +16.404 McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 7 GTD Pro 14 Vasser Sullivan Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth Lexus RC F GT3 86 +18.620 Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8 8 GTD 78 Forte Racing Misha Goikhberg Loris Spinelli Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 86 +19.086 Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10 9 GTD Pro 77 AO Racing Klaus Bachler Laurin Heinrich Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86 +19.754 Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 10 GTD 57 Winward Racing Philip Ellis Russell Ward Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo 86 +20.017 Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 11 GTD 96 Turner Motorsport Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher BMW M4 GT3 86 +20.311 BMW P58 3.0 L Turbo I6 12 GTD Pro 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Nicky Catsburg Tommy Milner Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86 +22.410 Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8 13 GTD 34 Conquest Racing Albert Costa Manny Franco Ferrari 296 GT3 86 +24.110 Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6 14 GTD 13 AWA Matt Bell Orey Fidani Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 86 +24.433 Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8 15 GTD 55 Proton Competition Giammarco Levorato Corey Lewis Ford Mustang GT3 86 +27.346 Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 16 GTD 120 Wright Motorsports Adam Adelson Elliott Skeer Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 86 +28.220 Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 17 GTD 12 Vasser Sullivan Frankie Montecalvo Parker Thompson Lexus RC F GT3 86 +57.555 Toyota 2UR-GSE 5.0 L V8 18 GTD 86 MDK Motorsports Anders Fjordbach Kerong Li Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) 85 +1 Lap Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 19 GTD 45 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Danny Formal Kyle Marcelli Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 85 +1 Lap Lamborghini DGF 5.2 L V10 20 GTD 66 Gradient Racing Stevan McAleer Sheena Monk Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 72 +14 Laps Acura JNC1 3.5 L Turbo V6 21DNF GTD 70 Inception Racing Brendan Iribe Frederik Schandorff McLaren 720S GT3 Evo 68 Engine McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 22 GTD 27 Heart of Racing Team Roman De Angelis Zacharie Robichon Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo 86 +17.000 Aston Martin M177 4.0 L Turbo V8 23 GTD Pro 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Antonio García Alexander Sims Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R 57 +29 Laps Chevrolet LT6 5.5 L V8Source:
Standings after the race
+GTP Drivers' Championship standings +/– Driver Points 1 Dane Cameron Felipe Nasr 2386 2 Mathieu Jaminet Nick Tandy 2286 3 Sébastien Bourdais Renger van der Zande 2201 4 Jack Aitken Pipo Derani 2144 5 Louis Delétraz Jordan Taylor 2107 Source:
+LMP2 Drivers' Championship standings +/– Driver Points 1 Nick Boulle Tom Dillmann 1564 2 Felipe Fraga Gar Robinson 1537 3 Ryan Dalziel 1473 4 Ben Hanley Ben Keating 1467 5 Dan Goldburg 1372 Source:
+GTD Pro Drivers' Championship standings +/– Driver Points 1 Laurin Heinrich 2519 2 Ross Gunn 2502 3 2 Bryan Sellers Madison Snow 2408 4 1 Ben Barnicoat Jack Hawksworth 2358 5 1 Antonio García Alexander Sims 2318 Source:
+GTD Drivers' Championship standings +/– Driver Points 1 Philip Ellis Russell Ward 2718 2 Robby Foley Patrick Gallagher 2434 3 1 Mikaël Grenier 2178 4 1 Parker Thompson 2114 5 Albert Costa Manny Franco 2060 Source:
Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
+GTP Teams' Championship standings +/– Team Points 1 #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport 2386 2 #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 2286 3 #01 Cadillac Racing 2201 4 #31 Whelen Cadillac Racing 2144 5 #40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti 2107 Source:
+LMP2 Teams' Championship standings +/– Team Points 1 #52 Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 1564 2 #74 Riley 1537 3 #18 Era Motorsport 1473 4 #2 United Autosports USA 1467 5 #22 United Autosports USA 1372 Source:
+GTD Pro Teams' Championship standings +/– Team Points 1 #77 AO Racing 2519 2 #23 Heart of Racing Team 2502 3 2 #1 Paul Miller Racing 2408 4 1 #14 Vasser Sullivan 2358 5 1 #3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports 2318 Source:
+GTD Teams' Championship standings +/– Team Points 1 #57 Winward Racing 2718 2 #96 Turner Motorsport 2434 3 #32 Korthoff/Preston Motorsports 2178 4 #34 Conquest Racing 2060 5 #12 Vasser Sullivan 1921 Source:
Note: Only the top five positions are included for all sets of standings.
+GTP Manufacturers' Championship standings +/– Manufacturer Points 1 Porsche 2555 2 Cadillac 2466 3 Acura 2416 4 BMW 2188 5 Lamborghini 572 Source: