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GS Points Leaders Seek Bounce Back This Weekend at VIR

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Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS championship leaders look to rebound from abnormal Road America results for the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway. Robert Noaker will share the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 with new co-driver Finn Wiebelhaus starting at VIR . The No. 13 car has finished in the top 11 in each of the first seven races and built its championship lead from 30 points to 100 entering VIR. Ford scored a pair of podiums at VIR last year in the hands of KohR Motorsports, finishing second and third behind eventual season champions Luca Mars and Jan Heylen in the RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. Each of the top five in the championship all finished seventh or worse in the Road America 120. That brought a sixth possible GS title contender into play, in the form of series newcomers YRB Racing and Road America winners Trenton Estep and Allen Patten in their No. 66 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 ...

Watch the Best Overtakes of WEC Season

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Source: Sports Car 365

Wiebelhaus Replaces Cicero in MMR Mustang GT4

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Photo: Gruppe C Photography/HRT Finn Wiebelhaus will replace will replace Nate Cicero in McCumbee McAleer Racing’s Ford Mustang GT4 for the remainder of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, beginning with this weekend’s round at Virginia International Raceway. The 20-year-old German, who currently leads the rookie-of-the-year honors in DTM, gave Ford its first-ever pole in the highly competitive German GT3-based sprint series earlier this year, while also claiming consecutive podium finishes in the Mustang GT3 EVO. Wiebelhaus will team up with fellow Ford Racing driver development team member and reigning Mustang Challenge North America champion Robert Noaker in the GS points-leading No. 13 Mustang GT4. “I am excited to join McCumbee McAleer Racing and make my IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut,” said Wibelhaus. “Transitioning to the American circuits is a thrilling new challenge, and to do it with a championship-leading team in the Ford Mustang...

Multiple Sprint Challenge Drivers Double Up at Road America

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Photo: Porsche Road America produced a wave of dominant performances across Sprint Challenge North America, with Danny Dyszelski, Mark Boden, Anna Cecchi and William Peluchiwski each sweeping their classes as championship battles continued to take shape ahead of the season finale. Road America and its 4.048 miles of twists and turns played host to the penultimate Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama event of the year, alongside sister series Sprint Challenge USA West and the third of four rounds for Endurance Challenge North America. Dyszelski, Boden Both Sweep GT3 Cup Competition After joining the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America GT3 Cup field two events ago, Danny Dyszelski (Topp Racing) quickly emerged as a challenger to Pro-Am championship leader Karel Staut (Kellymoss). At Road America, Dyszelski finally turned that pace into results, sweeping both races after finishing second to Staut three times across the previous four contests. Staut still finished on...

IMSA Insider: Michelin GT Challenge, Ten Years Strong

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Photo: Michelin IMSA returns to Virginia International Raceway this weekend for the tenth anniversary of the Michelin GT Challenge, an event built around ideas that continue to shape the weekend a decade later. Sarah Robinson, Michelin’s Motorsports marketing manager when the title sponsorship began, remembers the decision as being about more than putting Michelin’s name on the event. “We were there because it was the right thing to do from a technology standpoint,” said Robinson. “It was the right thing to do from a fan and experience standpoint.” Back in 2015, GTLM was the only open-tire category remaining in IMSA following the merger of the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am, giving Michelin an opportunity to compete and develop against other tire manufacturers. “There weren’t really any opportunities for GT Le Mans to be the star of the show,” said Robinson. “So with the GT Challenge at such a special track like VIR, it was tha...

Cairoli, Wittmann Share Wins on Eventful Nürburgring Weekend

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Photo: Gruppe C Photography Ferrari driver Matteo Cairoli and BMW’s Marco Wittmann shared the wins on an eventful DTM weekend at the Nürburgring, during which championship contenders Maro Engel and Lucas Auer tangled on the opening lap of the second contest. Cairoli dominated the opener from pole in his Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, eventually crossing the line almost ten seconds ahead of Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo racer Thomas Preining, who had also started on the front row. Ben Doerr had climbed up to third at the start in his Doerr Motorsport McLaren 720S GT3 Evo but a slightly slow pit stop dropped him behind Wittmann’s Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Points leader Engel did emerge from his stop in third at the wheel of his Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo but fell behind Wittmann, Doerr and Auer as he got up to speed on his cold tires and therefore had to settle for sixth at the flag. A whole host of contenders were in strife, including title prot...

Watch ‘GT3: The Contenders’ Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo

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Source: Sports Car 365