The qualifying
Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) lapped the 5.263 kilometre circuit with the ca. 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR in 1:40.630 minutes and secured pole position for the team. Nick Tandy (Great Britain) put the vehicle with starting number 911 on sixth. Vanthoor’s pole position is the fifth for the Porsche GT Team so far this season.
In the closing stages of the qualifying the circuit, which is located near the town of Alton in the US state of Virginia, allowed increasingly fast laps. Vanthoor’s timing proved to be optimal and enabled the Belgian to put in the fastest time with the number 912 vehicle. Tandy was on a fast lap in the sister car when he ran wide on the wet grass and made contact with the tyre stack. The Briton will tackle Sunday’s 2:40 hour race with Patrick Pilet (France) while Vanthoor shares driving duties with Earl Bamber (New Zealand).
Canada’s Zacharie Robichon set a time of 1:45.826 minutes driving a 500+hp Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GTD-class and takes up the race for the Pfaff Motorsports customer team from first place in class. Robichon shares the cockpit with Scott Hargrove (Canada).
Patrick Lindsey (USA) took the 13th starting place for Park Place Motorsports. The team owner shares the car with Porsche factory driver Patrick Long (USA).
Qualifying quotes
Steffen Höllwarth (Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship): “At present the competition in the GTLM class is brutally tough with the margins super tight. There was good and not so good news from this qualifying. The track dried up after a brief shower before the qualifying took off and became faster and faster during the session. Laurens put in a perfect lap at the perfect time. Nick pushed, but then he made a tiny error. Well, this happens. Car number 912 will have a clear track in front of it, for starting number 911 we’ll work out a strategy to get the car to the front during the race. Congratulations to Pfaff Motorsports on the pole with the 911 GT3 R!”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “In these weather conditions the qualifying was like a ride on the knife’s edge. We were not really sure how the track would change after the rain. But in the end taking the risk was rewarded. Earl and I are leading the championship. With this pole position we took the first step to make sure that we stay on top of the classification.”
Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “I made a tiny mistake and went on the wet grass beside the track and landed in the tyre stacks. That’s annoying but not the end of the world. We’ll find a way to get through the field once the race is on. The good news is our car was fast and our teammates are on pole.”
Zacharie Robichon (Porsche 911 GT3 R #9): “Those track conditions were difficult. After the rain the surface dried up with every lap and the team did a perfect job especially with the timing. It’s fun to drive the Porsche 911 in these changeable condition. I am happy that I scored the first pole position for Pfaff Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.”
Qualifying result
GTLM class
1. Bamber/Vanthoor (NZ/B), Porsche 911 RSR, 1:40.630 minutes
2. Magnussen/Garcia (DK/E), Corvette C7.R, 1:40.708 minutes
3. Briscoe/Westbrook (AUS/GB), Ford GT, 1:40.786 minutes
6. Pilet/Tandy (F/GB), Porsche 911 RSR, 1:41.615 minutes
GTD class
1. Hargrove/Robichon (CDN/CDN), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 1:45.826 minutes
2. Montecalvo/Bell (USA/USA), Lexus RC F GT3, 1:46.150 minutes
3. Heistand/Hawksworth (USA/NL), Lexus RC F GT3, 1:46.524 minutes
13. Long/Lindsey (USA/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R, 1:56.158 minutes
The preview
With five victories as well as podium finishes at every IMSA race so far this season, the works driver crews, Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) in the No. 912 car, as well as Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain) in the No. 911 vehicle, currently rank first and second respectively in the GTLM class. Porsche leads the manufacturers’ classification with a 21-point advantage.
In addition to the factory squad’s two ca. 510 hp Porsche 911 RSR, the two customer teams Park Place Motorsports and Pfaff Motorsports will field a Porsche 911 GT3 R each in the GTD class at the 2:40-hour race. Like at Lime Rock, no vehicles in the faster DPi and LMP2 prototype categories will compete in Virginia. Thus, the Porsche GT Team will be chasing overall victory on the 5.263-kilometre circuit on Sunday.
The race
The Virginia International Raceway is located near the town of Alton close to the border of the US State of North Carolina. The circuit can look back on an eventful history and has evolved from a straightforward circuit for road vehicles to a modern racetrack resort with hotels and leisure activities. In 1971, Porsche legends Hurley Haywood and Peter Gregg won the inaugural IMSA GT event there at the wheel of a Porsche 914-6 GT. A year later the pair followed up with another victory. Tandy and Pilet pocketed the most recent win there in 2015. Bamber and Jörg Bergmeister rounded off this successful outing with second place.
The Porsche drivers
The winners of the Sebring and Watkins Glen races, Patrick Pilet (France) and Nick Tandy (Great Britain), share the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR. The pair currently ranks second in the drivers’ classification. Their works driver colleagues in the No. 912 sister car, Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), lead the class after victories at Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Bowmanville, Canada.
In the GTD class, two 500+hp Porsche 911 GT3 R will compete. The customer team Pfaff Motorsports (No. 9) tackles the race with Canadians Scott Hargrove and Zacharie Robichon. Porsche works driver Patrick Long (USA) shares the cockpit of the No. 73 vehicle run by Park Place Motorsports with his compatriot Patrick Lindsey.
The Porsche vehicles
For its third racing season in North America, the Porsche 911 RSR has undergone further optimisation primarily in the suspension setup. Depending on the size of the restrictor, the engine, which is positioned in front of the rear axle, puts out around 375 kW (510 hp). The large rear diffuser combined with a top-mounted rear wing provides aerodynamic efficiency and significant downforce.
The 911 GT3 R fielded by customer teams was newly developed for the 2019 season. Improvements in the areas of aerodynamics and kinematics were systematically implemented from the insights garnered from the many race outings of its predecessor. The six-cylinder engine in the rear of the GT3 racing vehicle produces over 368 kW (500 hp).
The schedule
The race over 2:40 hours takes off on Sunday, 25 August, at 1:35pm local time (7:35pm CEST) and can be viewed live outside the USA and Canada on www.imsa.com.
Comments before the race
Pascal Zurlinden (Director GT Factory Motorsport): “As we saw at the last race on the Road America racetrack, the competition amongst the drivers in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is extremely tough. The difference is in the tiniest details. After eight of eleven rounds, we are still leading the drivers’ and manufacturers’ classifications and we hope to earn more points in Virginia. We’ve climbed the podium at every race so far and our five victories underline the strength of our RSR. We also wish our customer teams the very best. Recently, the new Porsche 911 GT3 R secured two victories in a row in the GTD classification.”
Steffen Höllwarth (Programme Manager IMSA SportsCar Championship): “Virginia is a typical driver’s track. It requires a great deal of precision and there is virtually no room for error. The second you stray from the track you end up in the grass and that costs a lot of time. We’re feeling very motivated heading to Virginia and we’d like to build on this season’s success streak. We’re turning on to the finish straight of the championship and we’ll fight for every point.”
Patrick Pilet (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “I have fond memories of Virginia – we won there once. We almost won last year, too, until we had to stop due to a technical defect.”
Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 RSR #911): “Things didn’t go so well for us at the last IMSA race on the Road America racetrack, but Virginia International Raceway suits the handling characteristics of our RSR better. We’re hoping for a strong race.”
Earl Bamber (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “I’m looking forward to Virginia. The track suits us. As the leaders of the drivers’ classification we want to build on our advantage, and we’re definitely aiming for a podium spot. And for Porsche, we’d also like to claim the manufacturers’ title.”
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 RSR #912): “We’re leading the manufacturers’ championship by a decent margin. Our team’s goal is to have at least one of our vehicles finish on the podium at every race. We still have three races on the calendar and let’s see if we can manage this. Personally, I like the Virginia International Raceway – it’s a typical American racetrack that doesn’t forgive mistakes.”
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager 911 GT3 R): “After the outstanding GTD win at Road America we’re heading to Virginia under positive pressure. In 2018 we finished the race on second place and we were even on course for victory at times. We know that the circuit suits our rear-engine 911 GT3 R and our teams can build on last year’s experiences.”
Patrick Long (Porsche 911 GT3 R #73): “The Virginia International Raceway lies in a beautiful part of the USA and is a special location. The challenge comes from the narrow track, which makes it difficult to overtake. The circuit is technically demanding with fast and slow passages. Since no prototypes will be racing at Virginia, I’m expecting a sprint race from start to finish.”
This is the IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship is a sports car race series that has been contested in the USA and Canada since 2014. The series originated from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Sports prototypes and sports cars start in four different classes: GTLM (GT Le Mans), GTD (GT Daytona), Dpi (Daytona Prototype international) and LMP2 (Le Mans Prototype 2). The Porsche 911 RSR runs in the GTLM class, and the Porsche 911 GT3 R contests the GTD class.