DSC’s Daily Notebook (29/08/2023)

Jun 11, 2023

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29 August 2023, 10:41 AM

GT America added Long Beach weekend

SRO America’s GT America Powered by AWS is set to feature on the support bull for the 49th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach next April 19-21.

The series, now in its third season, features a single-driver, 40-minute sprint format, that includes GT3, GT2 and GT4 machinery.

“This will be an exciting addition to our weekend race lineup in 2024,” said Grand Prix Association of Long Beach President & CEO Jim Michaelian. “GT America brings a very competitive series with well-known marques that our fans are sure to recognize. It rounds out a diverse slate of racing that is sure to keep everybody at the edge of their seats all weekend.”

“World Challenge has enjoyed a storied history on the Streets of Long Beach and we are excited to bring back GT sprint racing with GT America powered by AWS to Southern California,” said SRO Motorsports America President & CEO Greg Gill. “The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is a bucket-list event and our teams and drivers enjoy the challenge of its street course.”

The 2024 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race weekend will be led by the third rounds of the IndyCar Series on Sunday, April 21 and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Saturday, April 20. Support races will include two rounds of GT America, Robby Gordon’s Stadium SUPER Trucks, the Super Drift Challenge on Friday and Saturday nights, and a vintage race sanctioned by the Historic Motor Sports Association (HMSA).

Garg sweeps VP Sports Car Challenge weekend

Bijoy Garg continued to build momentum at VIRginia International Raceway last weekend in his quest to become the first ever LMP3 class champion in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, winning both races. This performance added to his previous weekend sweeps at Sebring and Lime Rock earlier this season.

Garg dominated the first of two 45-minute VP Racing Challenge races this weekend driving his #3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 in sweltering conditions at the historic road course on the Virginia/North Carolina border to extend his lead over JDC Motorsport’s Dan Goldburg in the LMP3 standings to 40 points.

After securing the pole position on Friday, Garg led from start to finish Saturday to earn his third consecutive LMP3 class race win, and fifth on the 2023 season. His margin of victory Saturday was a staggering 31.665 seconds.

“Wow, I didn’t know that!” said Garg when informed of the comfortable gap he built. “I think we’ve always had the pace this weekend, and that confidence really helped me throughout the race. I was able to get through traffic a lot better and it was really well-executed from the whole team. I was gap managing the last 15 minutes.

“I think you’re seeing what we can really do.”

Goldburg scored his fourth second-place finish of the season to go along with his three wins. “One mistake and I’ll get him, but the kid is driving great,” said Goldburg. “Bijoy has really improved a lot this year. I’m giving it my all, trying to take it to him, because I really want to win it.”

Courtney Crone (#99 Forty7 Motorsports “Red Dragon” Duqueine D08) passed Brian Thienes (#77 Forte Racing Powered by USRT Ligier JS P 320) for third place with 10 minutes remaining and held him off down the stretch in the best LMP3 battle of the race.

In GSX Turner Motorsport’s Francis Selldorff earned his first victory Saturday in GSX class competition.

Selldorff, 22, led every lap of the opening race of a doubleheader weekend at VIRginia International Raceway. He withstood intense pressure from Gregory Liefooghe (No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4) throughout the second half of the 45-minute contest, ultimately winning by 0.221 seconds.

Vin Barletta claimed third place in another Turner Motorsport BMW, 14.291 seconds back.

The result allowed Selldorff to turn his focus to becoming the first GSX class champion in VP Racing Challenge history.

RACE 1 RESULTS >>>

Then in Race 2, the margin of victory was significantly closer for Bijoy Garg from the day before in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, but it was a victory nonetheless and extended the Californian’s championship lead.

Garg guided the #3 Jr III Racing Ligier JS P320 to his sixth overall win of the series’ inaugural season on Sunday. As opposed to winning by more than 31 seconds on Saturday, however, Garg edged Alex Kirby (#7 Performance Tech Motorsports Ligier) by a mere 0.109 seconds at the flag.

Garg built an eight-second lead early into the 45-minute race before the only full-course caution came when GSX class driver Todd Coleman’s #69 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 tumbled upside down after a collision with Vin Barletta in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4. Coleman was not injured, and racing resumed with 17 minutes remaining.

Garg quickly pulled away again until he was baulked by slower traffic several times in the closing minutes, allowing Kirby to close in and attach his #7 Ligier to the No. 3’s tail. Garg fended off a couple of overtaking attempts to hold off Kirby for the win by a narrow margin.

“I had a good gap before the safety car came out, was pulling away, then it bunched the field back up,” Garg said. “I think he took better care of his tires than me, so I was just struggling to hang on. I knew in clean air that I could easily pull away but we just kept catching traffic in the wrong spots and that really brought him back into it. I had to defend from him pretty hard.”

The twin victories this weekend helped Garg extend his LMP3 lead to 70 points over Dan Goldburg, who finished third overall Sunday in his JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08 but was able to keep his LMP3 Bronze Cup winning record perfect with a late overtake of Brian Thienes (#77 Forte Racing Powered by US RaceTronics Ligier).

GSX on Sunday saw Gregory Liefooghe win in the #19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4. Liefooghe has competed in five races this season, winning a series-high three and finishing second the other times.

A day after charging from last on the grid to finish second, Liefooghe started from the GSX pole Sunday and was never seriously challenged. He kept Saturday race winner Francis Selldorff at bay on both the race start and restart, gradually pulling away from the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW both times to establish comfortable margins.

Selldorff finished second in GSX ahead of Sebastian Carazo (#27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport) in third. Selldorff leads Carazo by 230 points with only the season-ending doubleheader at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta from Oct. 11-13 remaining.

RACE 2 RESULTS >>>

Blomqvist to compete in final IndyCar races

Meyer Shank Racing has formally confirmed that Tom Blomqvist will compete in the final two races of the IndyCar season at Portland and Laguna Seca.

This news follows the release of an updated entry list for the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Fuji, which included Ben Hanley being named in place of Blomqvist at United Autosports in LMP2.

Blomqvist, who will race in IndyCar full-time next year, has been called up by MSR to fill in for Simon Pagenaud, who is in the midst of recovering from his Mid Ohio incident earlier in the season.

“Obviously the circumstances are quite tricky with Simon’s recovery and the whole situation surrounding the 60 car – I know the whole team and myself included are thinking about him as he recovers. I’ve got to thank Jim (Meyer) and Mike (Shank) for getting me in the car and looking ahead now to next season having been confirmed to drive with MSR next year. It’s a good thing to be getting these races under my belt before the season and working in preparation for my full program in 2024. I got a brief test in Toronto under very challenging circumstances – without any real preparation whatsoever,” said Blomqvist.

“Now I’ve got a little bit more understanding and knowledge and I’m hoping it’s going to be easier this time. I’m going to have the opportunity to get into the simulator and I know a little bit more of what to expect in terms of the way the weekend runs. I don’t know Portland at all and I know everyone has been racing flat-out in the summer. It’s still going to be an absolutely huge challenge.

“The series is so, so competitive and I am still new to these cars. I’m not putting any pressure on myself and I’m just going to go out there and do my best. Hopefully, I can do Mike and Jim proud and make progress with every session. Hopefully, after these next two events, I can be happy and put in some strong performances and go into winter break with more knowledge on the series and be able to build on this.”

Image credits: Meyer Shank Racing, Long Beach Grand Prix & IMSA

Tagged with: Stephen Kilbey

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by Stephen Kilbey 29 August 2023 0 Comments

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by Stephen Kilbey 29 August 2023 0 Comments