The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will hold its first two-hour endurance race on Sunday, 8 March, at Sebring International Raceway.
It’s the first race of the Airbnb Endurance Challenge, the “championship-within-a-championship” for LMP3 and BMW M2 Challenge class competitors. But with recent confirmation that the M2C category’s debut has been pushed back to the 9 May round at Circuit of the Americas, only eight P3 teams are on the entry list for this first AEC round.
The field is made up of three current-generation Ligier JS P325s, three previous-generation Duqueine D08s, and two Ligier JS P320s.
Toney Driver Development’s two new Ligiers will have new-look driver line-ups for the third straight VPRC round. Fresh off his double-header sweep at COTA, Wyatt Brichacek moves from the #30 to the #95 car to partner co-driver Lincoln Day.
Meanwhile, the #30 car will see Ari Balogh return to IMSA LMP3 competition, driving alongside experienced LMP3 runner Garett Grist. The duo of Balogh and Grist were part of the last LMP3 class-winning team in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, at the 2023 edition of Motul Petit Le Mans.
Shopify Racing, meanwhile, welcomes F1 Academy alumnus Nicole Havdra, who’ll partner team co-owner Travis Hill in the #2 Ligier JS P325. Hill took the Bronze Cup sub-category victory in both COTA races last week.
At Gebhardt Motorsports, Valentino Catalano returns to the series to partner Óscar Tunjo in the red #1 Duqueine. Jake Williamson joins Danny Soufi at sister team Pinaxis-Zone 4 Racing.
The other Duqueine is the FastMD with Remstar #87 driven by Dr. Farhan Siddiqi and third-generation co-driver, Jagger Jones.
Forté Racing’s Brian Thienes is joined in the #86 Ligier JS P320 by Patrick Kujala, who boasts deep experience in Lamborghini Super Trofeo, British GT, GT World Challenge Europe, and the Asian Le Mans Series.
Finally, Forbush Performance makes its season debut, entering the #11 Ligier JS P320 for Matt Forbush and Tom Long.
Images © IMSA
