First Leg of VPRC’s COTA Texas Two-Step Set for Saturday

Photo: IMSA

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge has a busy two weeks ahead, particularly for LMP3 competitors, with a rare set of back-to-back race weekends are on tap, starting a two-race sprint event at Circuit of The Americas this weekend followed by the first two-hour IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge round at Sebring International Raceway as part of a USAC-sanctioned event weekend.

A total of 17 cars are entered for Rounds 3 and 4 of the sprint season, with no GTDX cars again present, as was the case in last month’s season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

The VP Racing Challenge returned to COTA after a several-year hiatus in 2025, with Jonathan Woolridge and Valentino Catalano splitting the same-day victories in LMP3.

The COTA race in February comes as part of the NASCAR Cup Series’ weekend on COTA’s 2.4-mile National course, so both VP Racing Challenge races will be held on Saturday.

Oscar Tunjo, who swept the season-opening doubleheader round at Daytona International Speedway in his No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D08 Nissan, is seeking redemption at COTA this year.

The Colombian received a late callup to drive the team’s No. 31 car at COTA last year, qualified on pole, but like teammate Catalano ran out of fuel heading into the last lap in an abnormal and unusual fuel miscalculation.

Four different drivers finished on the LMP3 podium behind Tunjo in the series’ two races at Daytona, including Tunjo’s teammate Danny Soufi (No. 11 PINAXIS-ZONE 4 Racing Duqueine), Toney Driver Development’s pair of Brady Golan (No. 30) and Lincoln Day (No. 95) in the team’s new Ligier JS P325 Toyota and veteran Brian Thienes (No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320 Nissan).

Gebhardt maintains a three-car entry with Tunjo and Soufi joined by Jeremy Siffert in the No. 31 Gebhardt Young Driver Academy Duqueine, as the grandson of the late Jo Siffert switches from a planned endurance program to a sprint one.

Soufi and Golan have the added incentive of performing well in their hometown as both reside in Austin.

GSX also saw a Daytona sweep to open the season, courtesy of Westin Workman’s double victory in the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.

Workman’s Saturday win was straightforward while his Sunday win featured a last-to-first comeback after both air jack and power steering issues.

Workman extended Toyota’s run of consecutive GSX victories in VP Racing Challenge to 15.

Toyota’s North American headquarters are in Plano, Tex., a Dallas suburb roughly three hours north of Austin, so they’ll be hoping to keep the streak rolling in its backyard.

Past IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient Courtney Crone also impressed in her first GT4 weekend in CarBahn Motorsports’ No. 35 BMW M4 GT4 EVO and seeks her first podium in GSX after scoring several in 2023 in LMP3.

Thienes won both Bronze Cup races in P3 at Daytona while GSX will have new Bronze Cup winners as Daytona double winner Sean Quinlan (No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4) isn’t on the COTA GSX entry list.

Dan Ammann (No. 91 VRC Motorsports Group LLC) and Rafael Martinez (No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota) were the other Bronze Cup podium finishers in Daytona.

Jon Brel (No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota), Tiger Tari (No. 26 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO) and Buda, Texas native Marc Austin (No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4) are also in contention.

There are two 40-minute practice sessions and qualifying on Friday with the two races Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. CT), streaming on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel.

Source: Sports Car 365