IMSA Race Michelin GT Challenge At VIRginia International Raceway

[HORNDAWG]

• VIR • Aug. 25th – 27th
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Qualifying: Saturday Aug. 26th, 12:20pm local EDST












L.P.

[HORNDAWG]

BoP is out.

https://competitors.imsa.com/sites/d...nd_gtd_bop.pdf





L.P.

[MaskedRacer]

Cooper's car still in the Porsche. Also what is most intriguing about the BoP updates is what was not done. Mercedes is still handicapped rather unfairly. Does IMSA want the out of the series?!

Still VIR is always a favorite of mine with the all GT format. Very pleased to see VIR and Lime Rock remain all GT for 2018!

Its a blessing for some and a logistical concern for others (like me) in that the track is so isolated. I don't think any track IMSA runs on is more "off the beaten path" than VIR. Its just a few hours drive from my home but I can't ever make it because of logistical issues involving my family.

[TzeiTzei]

Originally Posted by MaskedRacer

Cooper's car still in the Porsche. Also what is most intriguing about the BoP updates is what was not done. Mercedes is still handicapped rather unfairly. Does IMSA want the out of the series?!

Mercedes set the 2nd fastest lap time in the race. Why would they get a BoP brake?

[pach233]

First trip to VIR, looking forward to it.

[Lanky Turtle]

Love this track even though I've never been in person. I almost went to the PWC weekend earlier in the year but it fell through. It's hard to justify going far away to see a short GT only race when Petit is coming up pretty soon.

[Matt]

Well, this is disappointing. :\

[btracing82]

Well been looking forward to this one since sebring my home race only two hours down the road unfortunately I have broken my foot and two screws so going to be hopping around on crutches hopefully I will be ready for Petit. (God knows I will need it with those hills) The weather is looking absolutely amazing so far for this one couldn't ask for better a better forecast and certainly beats the heat of the past few years. I just hope this BoP doesn't favor the Vettes to much they needed help but that was a lot that they gave them and as for the Mercedes in GTD I have no idea what they are doing there.

[btracing82]

Originally Posted by pach233

First trip to VIR, looking forward to it.

you'll love it don't expect something like road Atlanta or sebring the infield itself is limited you cant get up to Oak Tree without going out the track by car or golf cart and watch from outside the track but there plenty of great places to watch from the infield from turn 3 to 7 and the roller coaster threw hog pen. The only real issue other then not being able to get to oak tree from inside the track is there is no way to see pit lane other then literally being behind the fence from the pit stall and you cant see the run from the last corner to the finish line if your sitting between 3 and 4 you can see the finish line but not the run to it. All in all though its a gorgeous track and I really believe and hope you enjoy your trip.

[btracing82]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Love this track even though I've never been in person. I almost went to the PWC weekend earlier in the year but it fell through. It's hard to justify going far away to see a short GT only race when Petit is coming up pretty soon.

Dodged a bullet that would have been one hell of a drive for you and those SprintX races where disorganized and run like crap it was my first PWC race in person and I was disappointed I'm definitely willing to give them another chance heck I was even going to go to Mid-Ohio (9 hours) before I broke my foot but the VIR race was a disappointment and it didn't help they ran it the same weekend NASCAR was in Richmond so the crowd was horrible if they run there again next year I really hope they do a better job with the date and the overall show.

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by btracing82

you'll love it don't expect something like road Atlanta or sebring the infield itself is limited you cant get up to Oak Tree without going out the track by car or golf cart and watch from outside the track but there plenty of great places to watch from the infield from turn 3 to 7 and the roller coaster threw hog pen. The only real issue other then not being able to get to oak tree from inside the track is there is no way to see pit lane other then literally being behind the fence from the pit stall and you cant see the run from the last corner to the finish line if your sitting between 3 and 4 you can see the finish line but not the run to it. All in all though its a gorgeous track and I really believe and hope you enjoy your trip.

Sounds kind of like Barber where you can't see the frontstraight, though you can't go in the infield at all there, just around the perimeter. Still another great track though. I'm trying to make it a priority to get to Rd. America next year, so hopefully they will have the Protos as part of the VIR round by the time I actually get there in a couple years, but who knows, maybe I can squeeze in a trip there before that.

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Sounds kind of like Barber where you can't see the frontstraight, though you can't go in the infield at all there, just around the perimeter. Still another great track though. I'm trying to make it a priority to get to Rd. America next year, so hopefully they will have the Protos as part of the VIR round by the time I actually get there in a couple years, but who knows, maybe I can squeeze in a trip there before that.

Disagree on the later. VIR is great for all GT racing. Great to get IMSA back going this weekend. Sportscar racing has as whole has been kind of quiet since the first weekend of August.

Kind of strange that August (at least this year) has been light with sportsar racing. WEC and Blancpain have had nothing this month. So they have not filled the void between the IMSA rounds. But alas VIR is coming up now. I think GTLM will be very tight this time between all 5 manufacturers. Corvette got a BoP break and Risi Ferrari is back.

Got a feeling somebody is going to dominate and run away with it in GTD again, just not sure who. Other than it won't be a Mercedes. We know their chronicles with unfair BoP.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Sounds kind of like Barber where you can't see the frontstraight, though you can't go in the infield at all there, just around the perimeter. Still another great track though. I'm trying to make it a priority to get to Rd. America next year, so hopefully they will have the Protos as part of the VIR round by the time I actually get there in a couple years, but who knows, maybe I can squeeze in a trip there before that.

Barber is an immaculate facility and a not so great place to attend a race, imo. It's all viewed from the perimeter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's limited in spectator /viewing access. I have Road Atlanta to compare (mostly) which it the complete opposite of the previous statements, minus you can view from the outside starting at T8 to T1.

VIR, it seems that there's several portions that fans can't get to well (run down to Oak Tree, final corner, first 2 corners). It's a big place, too, but is 100x more enjoyable to view on the television than Barber.

[fieldodreams79]

Gavin/Milner in the #4 Corvette tops the time sheets in Practice one with a 1:42.341

https://sportscarchampionship.imsa.c...=72&sessid=485

Westbrook / Briscoe 67 Ford - 1:42.444
Vilander / Fishichella 62 Ferrari - 1:42.516 (welcome back)

Then 66 Ford, 3 Vette, 912 Porsche 25 BMW - 1:43.281

GTD
16 Lambo was fastest in class at 1:44.700
57 Audi, 63 Ferrari, 73 Porsche and 33 Merc top 5.

[fieldodreams79]

Garcia / #3 Vette quickest in Practice 2 with a time quicker than last year's pole.

16 Lambo also quickest in Practice 2.

http://www.racer.com/images/2017/Aug...03_Results.PDF

http://www.racer.com/imsa/item/14349...e-sweep-at-vir

[joeb]

Lamborghini on gtd pole, and Ford in gtlm.

[Purist]

So, for a bit of perspective, an LMP900 set the fastest lap of the event in 2002 at a 1:39.618.

The pole lap in GTLM was set today at a 1:40.211, so not even 0.6 of a second difference.

[TF110]

Originally Posted by Purist

So, for a bit of perspective, an LMP900 set the fastest lap of the event in 2002 at a 1:39.618.

The pole lap in GTLM was set today at a 1:40.211, so not even 0.6 of a second difference.

Same layout? Was there a recent repave? That's pretty fast for GTE to be near old lmp speeds.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by TF110

Same layout? Was there a recent repave? That's pretty fast for GTE to be near old lmp speeds.

VIR's layout has never changed. Was repaved in 2000 and 2014.

[chernaudi]

And to be more accurate, the Grand Am cars in '02 weren't true LMP900s (they lacked rear diffusers) and they were also running on tires that probably weren't a good as the ALMS teams had available to them even back then.

Of course LMP1s in 2013 were lapping 8 seconds faster than they were 13 years earlier at Sebring, so who knows how much faster they'd be at VIR. Or the DPIs, which at most tracks thus far have been capable of lapping at least as fast as 2002 spec LMP900s.

[joeb]

ALMS did run at VIR with protos, and in 2012 the Muscle Milk HPD ran a 1:35 in qualy while GT pole was 1:45 for the ESM ferrari.

http://www.imsatiming.com/results/20...Qualifying.pdf

[joeb]

Green in a few minutes. Anybody watching?

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by joeb

Green in a few minutes. Anybody watching?

I won't be watching live because I know the family will keep me busy this afternoon. I'll have to hold off on all sportscar forums and web sites until Tuesday evening I imagine starting right about...NOW.

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by joeb

ALMS did run at VIR with protos, and in 2012 the Muscle Milk HPD ran a 1:35 in qualy while GT pole was 1:45 for the ESM ferrari.

http://www.imsatiming.com/results/20...Qualifying.pdf

GTLM times in qualifying are close to LMP2 in ALMS 2013 at VIR. I wonder if the DP/P2 cars of 2014-2016 ran today. They would barely be faster than the GTLM cars which really are quick around VIR. But I'm glad we don't have to worry about that or DPIs. Because VIR is a great track to have all GT racing.

I am very pleased that IMSA is keeping VIR and Lime Rock to be all GT races in 2018. Also removing GTD from Long Beach is probably a good thing. Although I would have preferred that also be all GT. But I guess that would have made the DPI schedule too light.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by joeb

Green in a few minutes. Anybody watching?

I've got it via FS1 on the Tube. Was hoping someone would have one of those cool un-geoblocked YouTube links.