Garg wins VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races at Lime Rock
Bijoy Garg swept the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge weekend at Lime Rock in his Jr III Racing Ligier, winning both races in convincing fashion.
In Race 1, Garg bolted to a strong start at the beginning of the 45-minute race, as well as a pair of restarts from full-course cautions, to lead flag-to-flag in the #3 JS P320. He won by 11.025 seconds over Dan Goldburg in the #73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08, chopping Goldburg’s lead over Garg to unofficially just 20 points heading into the second race later in the day.
While Garg took the overall and Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) victory, John “JCD” Dubets controlled the GSX class race as well, winning from the pole position in his VP Racing Challenge debut and leading an Auto Technic Racing podium sweep in the team’s home race.
In GSX, Dubets’ win mirrored Garg’s in that he started from the class pole and was never seriously threatened on the initial start or the restarts. He brought the #26 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 home 3.561 seconds ahead of teammate Jake Walker in the #24 BMW, with Stephen Cugliari taking third in the team’s No. 25 BMW.
Then in the second race, Bijoy Garg won again, completing a perfect weekend which included two wins and two pole position starts.
The twin victories have propelled Garg back into the LMP3 class championship points lead by 10 points with two rounds and four races remaining.
His margin of victory in Saturday’s finale was 4.021 seconds over Dan Goldburg, the driver of the #73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08 and the LMP3 points leader heading into the weekend.
Courtney Crone (#99 Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine) made a daring pass on Dennis Dupont (#18 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine) with 20 minutes to go to take third place and held on by less than a half-second at the finish line to secure her third podium finish of the season.
John “JCD” Dubets, competing in the GSX class, swept the weekend too in the #26 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82). Like Garg in LMP3, Dubets started from the class pole both times Saturday and led every race lap for the team based in nearby New Milford, Connecticut.
Dubets’ teammate Jake Walker finished second for the second time Saturday in the #24 BMW. Auto Technic Racing took five of the six podium spots in the two races, with Dubets citing “perfect execution from everybody involved” to make it happen.
Francis Selldorff finished third in the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW. Coupled with his fourth-place showing in the morning race, Selldorff took control of the GSX standings, unofficially 90 points ahead of Sebastian Carazo in the #27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport.
The VP Racing Challenge returns to action on August 25-27 at VIR.
RACE 1 RESULT >>> | RACE 2 RESULT >>>
VIR date change for World Challenge America
Following the 2024 SRO America calendar announcement earlier this month at the Spa 24 Hours, a date change for the VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) event has been released.
VIR will now host SRO America’s various championships on July 19-21, 2024. This update avoids a conflict with the Le Mans 24 Hours and allows for drivers, teams, and manufacturers to participate in both races.
“As we work to build the perfect calendar, there are always challenges in the avoiding clashes. After feedback from our teams and drivers, we knew it would be to the benefit of our paddock to move our VIR weekend off Le Mans,” said SRO Motorsports America CEO and President Greg Gill.
Also announced is the venue for the SRO Winter Test – NOLA Motorsports Park. Set to take place February 28-29, the scheduled test will be a warmup for SRO teams and drivers as they gear up for the upcoming season.
With the dates for the 2024 season now set, SRO America sets its sights on revealing the TBA venue for September 6-8. The full calendar is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
22 Cars on Indianapolis IMSA test entry
22 cars from the IMSA WeatherTech series are set to test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway later this week ahead of the ‘Battle on the Bricks’ in September.
The test is optional, but as a returning venue, which is set to form part of the Endurance Cup schedule from 2024 onwards, but has attracted a strong entry with all nine GTP cars set to take part and a handful of entries in the other classes.
The WeatherTech Championship teams will also be joined by 11 cars from the Michelin Pilot Challenge field, which will also test on Friday and Saturday.
IMSA WEATHERTECH ENTRY LIST >>> | MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE ENTRY >>>
Images courtesy of IMSA and SRO
