ALTON, Va. — Virginia Worldwide Raceway’s propensity for chaotic IMSA Michelin Pilot Problem races continued with the 2025 version of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix beneath sunny skies however not scorching temperatures, the place an incredible crowd was handled to a different wild two-hour affair.
RS1 obtained its Grand Sport (GS) championship cost again heading in the right direction after two robust races for Jan Heylen and Luca Mars aboard their No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS with their class-leading third win of the season.
In the meantime the RVA Graphics Motorsports by Velocity Syndicate group obtained each itself and Audi on the board in Touring Automobile (TCR) in 2025 with the primary Michelin Pilot Problem wins for Jaden Conwright, IMSA’s first 3D Scholarship recipient, and Luke Rumberg aboard the group’s No. 31 Audi RS3 LMS TCR.
Each races relied on strategic gambits that modified fingers as a pair of first-hour cautions shifted when groups opted to pit. Nevertheless, the on-track battles inside the ultimate quarter-hour following the third and ultimate full-course warning of the race noticed each class leads change.
The GS battle specifically noticed the 2 major title combatants on the entrance of the sector, albeit on two totally different methods.
The No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4, after attaining its fourth straight Motul Pole Award and third straight by Nate Cicero, led the total first hour after eschewing a cease inside that point, which the majority of the GS subject didn’t. However an obvious mechanical problem on its first cease despatched them down the order.
On an off-sequence technique, Turner Motorsport’s Francis Selldorff was thrust into an analogous place within the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO as on the O’Reilly Auto Elements 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio earlier this yr the place he wanted to defend in opposition to much more skilled footwear. However Heylen was on a cost within the No. 28 RS1 Porsche – which itself was making a comeback.
Earlier within the race, contact between the No. 57 automobile and the No. 28 on the finish of the backstraight pushed Mars off the street, all the way down to fifteenth place from eleventh. Mars, nonetheless, recovered from fifteenth to sixth in his personal stint earlier than handing off to Heylen. Heylen then closed the hole on Selldorff from six seconds to inside one second earlier than the third and ultimate full-course warning got here out.
Publish the restart, Heylen made a direct go on Selldorff into Flip 1 to place the No. 28 Porsche again up entrance. He then performed protection in opposition to a pair of KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4s, led by the new-for-this-race pairing of Sam Paley and Nick Persing within the group’s No. 60 Ford, by simply 0.658 of a second.
The second KOHR Ford, the No. 59 entry of Billy Johnson and Robert Michaelian, accomplished the rostrum with Selldorff and Machavern fourth. It’s Heylen’s sixth (and second at VIR, GS 2021) and Mars’ third collection wins.
“The lap it went yellow I used to be prepping for it,” Heylen laughed. “However we nonetheless had sufficient time to get by after. We would have liked a very good consequence and we obtained it. It’s good to have a quick automobile. However you continue to must execute it. It’s a kind of days with the velocity and everybody executed. Luca was in not such a simple spot, pitting early, however it all labored out.”
“After I obtained pushed off I slowly labored my approach again as much as push so far as we may; then Jan made the go for the lead,” Mars added. “Jan is such an incredible driver. We wouldn’t be right here with out him.
Cicero and Altzman ended eleventh, falling from 90 championship factors behind getting into VIR to unofficially 240 behind Heylen and Mars leaving. Altzman is tied with the No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister, who completed eighth on Saturday.
Jaden Conwright and Luke Rumberg scored their first collection wins within the No. 31 RVA Graphics Motorsports by Velocity Syndicate Audi RS3 LMS TCR, as Conwright carved previous a pair of Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR automobiles within the waning levels of the race to interrupt by way of for an elusive first IMSA victory. Velocity Syndicate’s Audi has received in IMSA earlier than, most not too long ago in 2020 at Mid-Ohio in TCR and likewise at VIR in 2019, beneath totally different branded group names and earlier era chassis.
Just like GS, the TCR title contenders went by way of the wringer in a rough-and-tumble race. Coming into the race, Harry Gottsacker’s No. 98 BHA Hyundai led Preston Brown and Denis Dupont’s No. 76 BHA Hyundai by 20 factors with LP Montour and Karl Wittmer third within the No. 93 Montreal Motorsports Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR third, 90 in arrears.
Early on, the No. 76 BHA Hyundai was assessed a drive-through penalty for contacting the No. 52 Baker Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR at Flip 3, which compelled Brown and Dupont right into a have to recuperate the remainder of the race.
Then the No. 93 MMG Honda – the most well liked automobile at school getting into the weekend with two wins and 4 podiums within the final 4 races – fell again after being assessed a drive-through penalty for incident accountability with the No. 71 automobile exiting Flip 12 on the one-hour mark, which negated a possible lead.
Lastly, the No. 98 BHA Hyundai began by Mason Filippi and completed by Gottsacker, fell out of podium rivalry when contact occurred between it and the eventual successful No. 31 Audi. Race management reviewed the No. 31 and No. 98 incident with no additional motion taken.
Conwright made it previous one other BHA Hyundai – the polesitting No. 33 entry certified by Bryson Morris and completed by Mark Wilkins – after the ultimate restart. He went on to take the checkered flag by 2.838 seconds over Wilkins.
“The contact with the GS automobiles sort of backed us up; I had a very good run and had nice straight line velocity with the Audi on the Hyundais, particularly with a very good exit,” Conwright stated. “I just about towed up, popped out and was subsequent to him beneath braking within the Curler Coaster. I used to be just about on the grime on the curb on the left, so I used to be fairly positive I didn’t do something unsuitable. They got here again no-call and that stored it up proper mentally.”
Three automobiles from three producers fought over the ultimate podium spot. Ultimately, Eddie Gou’s final lap go of the recovering Wittmer, who’d made it again to 3rd with an earlier go of Ryan Eversley, netted Gou and father Eduardo Gou a third-place end aboard the No. 55 Gou Racing Cupra Leon VZ TCR.
Wittmer and Montour completed fourth with Eversley and this yr’s IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient, Celso Neto, ending fifth within the No. 7 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS TCR on Neto’s birthday weekend.
The chaotic TCR race has jumbled the standings considerably. Brown and Dupont, who recovered to seventh of their No. 76 Hyundai, unofficially lead Gottsacker within the No. 98 Hyundai by 20 factors. That automobile completed eleventh. Wittmer and Montour nonetheless gained essentially the most floor with their P4 end and are actually 30 factors again.
