2019 Virginia International Raceway - World Challenge

2019 was the thirtieth consecutive year for the World Challenge series. In the offseason, the Grand Touring Sport category was renamed, Pirelli GT4 America. The new title did a better job of describing this category as the cars were prepared to the FIA GT4 rulebook. Due to the popularity of this class, series officials offered are two regional championships for SprintX competitors – East and West.

As a result of the announcements there are four different event schedules:

Sprint Schedule – The calendar starts with races at St. Petersburg, Florida in March followed by Long Beach, California. Teams return to the east coast where they will compete at Virginia International Raceway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Then they travel to California for an event at Sonoma Raceway. On the Labour Day weekend, competitors will race at Watkins Glen International. The penultimate rounds are at Road America with the season concluding at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October.
SprintX Schedule – This season starts at Circuit of the Americas and then shares weekends with the Sprint group at Virginia International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Sonoma Raceway. The division remains on the west coast for an event at Portland International Raceway. The SprintX teams then rejoin the Sprint category for the final three weekends - Watkins Glen International, Road America and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
GT4 West Schedule – This schedule kicks-off at Circuit of the Americas. Then teams travel to the west coast with race weekends at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Sonoma Raceway, Portland International and Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the finale.
GT4 East Schedule – The eastern division also debuts at Circuit of the Americas. This weekend is followed by Virginia International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Watkins Glen with the season ending at Road America.

Cars competing in the Pirelli GT4 America category are similar to those the Blancpain GT World Challenge America class but have more preparation restrictions and are governed by FIA GT4 rules. The vehicles can be powered by forced induction or normally aspirated motors. Examples of car competing in this category include: Chevrolet Camaro GT4, McLaren 570S GT4, Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR, Porsche 718 Cayman CS-MR, Audi R8 LMS GT4, Ginetta G55 GT4, BMW M4 GT4 Mercedes-AMG GT4, Panoz Avezzano GT4 and SIN R1 GT4.

Rounds three and four of the 2019 GT4 America SprintX season was contested at Virginia International Raceway. Twenty-one teams competed in the two sixty-minute races around the seventeen-turn 3.270-mile road course.

Kris Wilson the pole-sitter for round three of the GT4 America SprintX championship leads a field of twenty-one competitors into Virginia International Raceway’s turn three. Behind Wilson is the third fastest qualifier, Vesko Kozarov who has already moved the Reardon Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 into second place. Front row starter, Matthew Fassnacht driving a Mercedes-AMG GT4 trails Kozarov.

The overall winners in the weekend’s first event were the PRO/AM – East competitors, Stevan McAleer and Justin Raphael. The No. 29 BMW M4 GT4 was gridded thirteenth for the start. McAleer grabbed the lead on lap-20 of twenty-six for the duo’s first victory. This provided Raphael with some redemption as he crashed the car during a practice session. On Sunday, the pair finished eleventh overall and eighth in class.

It was another excellent weekend for NOLASPORT drivers, Matt Travis and Jason Hart. The PRO/AM duo scored two class wins in the season opener at Circuit of the Americas – one of which included the overall victory. In rounds three and four at Virginia International Raceway, they delivered the same results. On Saturday, the pair finished second overall but captured first place in their category. The following day, they grabbed the overall win.

Epic Motorsports drivers, Randy Mueller and James Clay began their season at Circuit of the Americas with a pair of podium finishes in the SprintX AM/AM East division (second and third place results). At Virginia International Raceway, they went one better and came away with the class victory in the weekend’s first event. On Sunday, the duo retired after eighteen laps but set the quickest time during the race.

Saturday’s GT4 America SprintX PRO/AM podium at Virginia International Raceway. In the center are the points leaders and winners from NOLASPORT, Matt Travis and Jason Hart. This was their third-class victory of the season. To Travis and Hart’s right are the runner-ups, Derek DeBoer and his new driving partner, Sean Gibbons. Completing the rostrum are the Classic BMW drivers, Toby Grahovec and Chris Ohmacht.

Another team leaving Virginia International Raceway with two class victories were AM/AM competitors, Jeff Burton and Vesko Kosarov. In the season opener at Circuit of the Americas, the paired had mixed results. They won the first race but on Sunday, Burton crashed the Rearden Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 on the opening lap. The damage was significant and he was unable to continue. The results at VIR got the team back on target.

Marko Radisic had a busy weekend. Radisic participated in Touring Car category with Classic BMW where his results included a pair of sixth place finishes. He also drove in the GT4 Sprint class where he recorded a third-place finish. And, finally, Radisic shared the No. 22 BMW M4 GT4 with Kart Wittmer in the GT4 SprintX races. Competing in the PRO/AM East division the pair left Virginia International Raceway with a victory.

Piloting the No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 were Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan. The two drivers competed in the PRO/AM category and started the season at Circuit of the Americas with a pair of fourth-place finishes. In round three, they stepped up their game and finished third overall and second in class. On Sunday, the duo captured another podium finish with a third place in their category.

The 2016 Touring Car champion, Toby Grahovec was paired with Chris Ohmacht is the No. 92 Classic BMW backed BMW M4 GT4. They competed in the GT4 America SprintX PRO/AM category. Last season they took a class victory at Virginia International Raceway. This year Grahovec and Ohmacht finished third in their group on Saturday - despite a 30-second penalty. The following day, the took the runner-up position.

Thomas Collingwood and John Tecce drove their No. 69 BGB Motorsports Group Porsche 718 Cayman Clubsport MR to their first victory in the AM/AM East category. For Saturday’s event, Collingwood qualified third in class and eleventh overall. At the checkered flag, he and his co-driver, Tecce were third in GT4 East – AM/AM. The following day, the duo finished twelfth overall but number one in their group.

In his first four races of the season, Derek DeBoer shared the driving duties with James Rappaport. At Virginia International Raceway, DeBoer was paired with Sean Gibbons. The No. 17 The Racers Group prepared Porsche 718 started fourth in the AM/AM East category on Saturday, but the pair managed to grab the runner-up position at the finish. They repeated their performance in round four the following day.

Saturday’s GT4 America SprintX AM/AM East podium at Virginia International Raceway. In the center are the winners from Epic Motorsports, James Clay and Randy Mueller. This was their first victory of the season. To Clay and Mueller’s right are the runner-ups, Derek DeBoer and Sean Gibbons who raced a TRG prepared Porsche 718. Completing the rostrum are BGB Motorsports drivers, Thomas Collingwood and John Tecce.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	ENTRANT / CAR	LAPS
1	GT4 East - Pro/Am	McAleer / Raphael	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	26
2	GT4 - Pro/Am	Travis / Hart	NOLASPORT / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
3	GT4 - Pro/Am	Liefooghe / Quinlan	Stephen Cameron Racing / BMW M4 GT4	26
4	GT4 East - Am/Am	Mueller / Clay	Epic Motorsports / BMW M4 GT4	26
5	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Radisic / Wittmer	Precision Driving Tech / BMW M4 GT4	26
6	GT4 - Am/Am	Burton / Kozarov	Rearden Racing / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
7	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Geraci / Goulart	KRUGSPEED / Ginetta G55	26
8	GT4 - Am/Am	Moses / Sofronas	GMG Racing / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
9	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Briscoe / Davis	Kelly-Moss Road & Race / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
10	GT4 - Am/Am	Capestro-Dubets / Vess	NOLASPORT / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
11	GT4 - Pro/Am	Ohmacht / Grahovec	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	26
12	GT4 East - Am/Am	DeBoer / Gibbons	TRG- The Racers Group / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
13	GT4 East - Am/Am	Collingwood / Tecce	BGB Motorsports Group / Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR	26
14	GT4 - Am/Am	Andretti / Thomson	Andretti Autosport / McLaren 570S GT4	26
15	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Poland / Pilgrim	Doghouse Performance / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
16	GT4 - Am/Am	Calvert / Keegan	Team Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT4	26
17	GT4 - Am/Am	Allen / Wilson	Auto Technic Racing / BMW M4 GT4	26
18	GT4 East - Am/Am	Fassnacht / Szymczak	Murillo Racing / Mercedes-AMG GT4	23
NC	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Brynjolfsson / Hindman	Park Place Motorsports / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	5
NC	GT4 - Pro/Am	Dinan / Foley	Flying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	3
NC	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Stacy / Golinello	Kohr Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT4	3

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	ENTRANT / CAR	LAPS
1	GT4 - Pro/Am	Travis / Hart	NOLASPORT / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
2	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Radisic / Wittmer	Precision Driving Tech / BMW M4 GT4	26
3	GT4 - Am/Am	Burton / Kozarov	Rearden Racing / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
4	GT4 - Pro/Am	Ohmacht / Grahovec	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	26
5	GT4 - Pro/Am	Liefooghe / Quinlan	Stephen Cameron Racing / BMW M4 GT4	26
6	GT4 - Am/Am	Allen / Wilson	Auto Technic Racing / BMW M4 GT4	26
7	GT4 - Am/Am	Capestro-Dubets / Vess	NOLASPORT / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	26
8	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Poland / Pilgrim	Doghouse Performance / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
9	GT4 - Am/Am	Calvert / Keegan	Team Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT4	26
10	GT4 - Am/Am	Moses / Sofronas	GMG Racing / Audi R8 LMS GT4	26
11	GT4 East - Pro/Am	McAleer / Raphael	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	26
12	GT4 East - Am/Am	Collingwood / Tecce	BGB Motorsports Group / Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR	26
13	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Brynjolfsson / Hindman	Park Place Motorsports / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	24
14	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Briscoe / Davis	Kelly-Moss Road & Race / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	24
15	GT4 East - Am/Am	DeBoer / Gibbons	TRG- The Racers Group / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	24
NC	GT4 East - Am/Am	Fassnacht / Szymczak	Murillo Racing / Mercedes-AMG GT4	18
NC	GT4 East - Am/Am	Mueller / Clay	Epic Motorsports / BMW M4 GT4	18
NC	GT4 East - Pro/Am	Geraci / Goulart	KRUGSPEED / Ginetta G55	6
NC	GT4 - Am/Am	Andretti / Thomson	Andretti Autosport / McLaren 570S GT4	0

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