IMSA has confirmed 23 entries across the GTD and GTD Pro categories for the GT Challenge at the Virginia International Raceway, the ninth round of the 2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The final sprint race of the season will bring nine GTD Pro entries, and 14 in GTD, to the 3.27-mile historic venue with 17-turns.
In the #77 AO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R which leads their respective standings by just 76 points on second place, Klaus Bachler has been enlisted to join Laurin Heinrich with Julien Andlauer having previously driven at the Road America race.
The Austrian drove last year for Pfaff Motorsports when they fielded a Porsche, having switched to the McLaren 720S machine for the 2024 season.
Corvette Racing have demonstrated a strong record at VIR, having won on six previous occasions.
Antonio Garcia (#3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R) has won the race four times including success in last year’s event, as #4 Z06 GT3.R driver Tommy Milner has won at VIR on three previous visits.
Heart of Racing’s Ross Gunn is in the unique position where he holds the track records in both categories. GTD was claimed in the 2021 qualifying session with a 1:43.356, before the GTD Pro record was taken in the 2022 qualifying outing (1:43.953).
Despite their maiden victory last time out at the Sportscar Weekend at Road America, Conquest Racing will not enter a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the GTD Pro category with now just their #34 GTD entrant with Manny Franco and Albert Costa Balboa.
Winward Racing has commanded the GTD championship fight in their #57 Mercedes-AMG GT3 with a margin of 268 points on the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3, a team who claimed victory at Road America after an extensive 812-day drought.
Nevertheless, they have consistently nailed five consecutive GTD finishes in the top-five which has earned their second place in the standings, owing to drivers Patrick Gallagher and Robey Foley.
The GT Challenge at VIR is set to take place on August 25 for a thrilling 2-hour and 40-minute affair.
See here for the full provisional pre-event entry list for the GT Challenge at VIR.
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