Giacomo Altoe set the pace in qualifying for the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, putting the #81DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3 on pole in the GTD Pro class.

The Italian capped a dominant weekend, with DragonSpeed topping both practice sessions and now claiming the top spot on the grid.

His co-driver, Albert Costa, set the benchmark in the opening 90-minute practice, guiding the #81 car to the top with a 1:45.032s to lead both GTD Pro and the overall order.

The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo followed closely, Russell Ward quickest of the GTD runners and second overall.

DragonSpeed maintained its grip in the second practice session, with Altoe lowering the pace to a 1:45.011s in the same Ferrari. That time was matched to the thousandth by Sebastian Priaulx in the Ford Multimatic Mustang, leaving the pair inseparable at the head of the timesheets.

In GTD, Onofrio Triarsi took the spotlight, putting the #021 Triarsi Competizione Ferrari on top of the class with a 1:45.324s effort.

Hawksworth secures GTD pole for Lexus

Heading into qualifying, the action got underway in the GTD class with plenty of warm-up laps, the Mercedes of Ward quickly storming out of the pits at the beginning of the session before returning to the pits at the end of the lap.

Jack Hawskworth in the #12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 set the early benchmark with a 1:45.833s before Patrick Gallagher in the #96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 EVO quickly dispatched him with a 1:45.757s.

The British driver immediately replied to take back the fastest lap with Gallagher slotting in behind. Ward finally joined the fight with just over five minutes to go, setting a fastest lap time of 1:44.998s before Hawksworth went even quicker with a 1:44.860s.

Triarsi placed third in his Ferrari as Hawksworth rolled the dice, pitting with a minute and a half remaining and trusting his time would hold firm.

It worked as the 34-year-old held onto pole position for Vasser Sullivan Racing ahead of Ward and Triarsi, completing the top three.

Altoe fends off Verhagen for GTD Pro pole

Nicky Catsburg in the #4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports headed out for the GTD Pro class with an engine change due to a suspected thermostat issue.

The #48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo, with Dan Harper at the wheel, vaulted to the top of the times with a 1:45.090s. But his spell in front was short-lived as Altoe fired the #81 DragonSpeed Ferrari to a 1:44.847s.

Even that effort didn’t last long, as Neil Verhagen in the #1 BMW quickly responded. The two exchanged blows at the head of the order, Altoe briefly regaining the advantage before Verhagen stamped authority with a 1:44.478s.

Yet the Italian hit back with a 1:44.433s in a tense qualifying affair at VIR, reclaiming the top spot by less than half a tenth as the battle for pole intensified.

The #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, driven by Antonio Garcia, occupied third as Altoe and Verhagen both pitted with just over two minutes left of the session.

However, the #48 BMBW of Harper snatched third at the death to make it a 2-3 finish for the German manufacturer. But it was DragonSpeed’s day as Altoe continued the dominance by taking pole position in qualifying.

READ MORE – Costa fastest for DragonSpeed at VIR in IMSA opening practice

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Alberto Costa set the pace in practice 1 for the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway, in the #81 GTD Pro-entered DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3.

The Spaniard set a 1:45.032 on his fifth lap, with the car completing 34 laps in total.

Second fastest was Russell Ward in the GTD-entered #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3, 0.439 off Costa.

Third fastest overall, and second in GTD Pro, was Andrea Caldarelli in the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2, a further 0.061 off Ward.

Third fastest in GTD Pro and fourth overall was Neil Verhagen in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, 0.572 off Costa’s timesheet-topping lap.

Second fastest in GTD was Fred Schandorff in the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 263 GT3, 0.608 off Costa and just under two tenths off Ward, who set the fastest GTD lap.

Third fastest in GTD was Daniel Serra, in the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari 296 GT3, 0.635 off Costa and 0.015 off Schandorff.

There was just one stoppage, a brief red flag 15 minutes in, for debris at the turn 4-5 complex.

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DragonSpeed driver Giacomo Altoe claimed the GTD Pro class pole position for the IMSA SportsCar Grand Prix sprint at Road America.

The GTD Pro winners from last time out at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park emerged on top of qualifying, as Russell Ward came out on top of the fight in the GTD category as a title protagonist chasing a back-to-back title this year.

The fight was gripping to follow, with two-hundredths of a second covering the top three GTD Pros during the session.

Altoe’s 2:03.904 lap time set him at the top of the GTD Pros, followed by Alexander Sims’ #3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2:03.914) and Tommy Milner’s #4 Corvette (2:03.924).

Dan Harper puts the #48 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 Evo in fourth with a lap time of 2:04.610 ahead of the team’s other #1 BMW of Madison Snow (2:04.644).

The first of the Ford Multimatic Mustang GT3s followed in sixth with Chris Mies’ #65 machine (2:05.089) and Klaus Bachler’s #77 AO Racing ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R in seventh (2:05.411).

Mike Rockenfeller set a 2:05.419 in the #64 Ford to go eighth, and Aaron Telitz rounded out the nine GTD Pros which participated, with a 2:05.590 lap time.

Pfaff Motorsport now utilised a spare Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 chassis by GTD team Forte Racing after their accident during FP2, but were unable to participate in qualifying while working on the gifted chassis.

They will start last in GTD Pro, but ahead of the GTD field.

Winward Racing takes GTD pole at Road America

Russell Ward took the GTD class pole position with his lap time of 2:03.745, with the top seven covered by a tight 1-second margin.

He set his sublime benchmark midway during the first session solely for GTDs, landing pole for the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 team.

Ward attempted to improve his time whilst his rivals bettered their earlier times in the pursuit of the top spot.

Casper Stevenson finished second for the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo (2:03.908), followed in third by Onofrio Triarsi in his #021 Triarsi Ferrari 296 GT3 (2:04.160).

Robert Wickens qualified an impressive fourth position in the #36 DXDT Corvette (2:04.208), followed by Parker Thompson’s #12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 in fifth (2:04.494), who set the best first sector time.

Manny Franco qualified sixth for the #34 Conquest Racing Ferrari team (2:04.602) ahead of the #45 Wayne Taylor Racing Lamborghini driver Danny Formal (2:04.625) and Misha Goikhberg’s #78 Forte Lamborghini (2:05.107).

Brendon Iribe lined in ninth for the #70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 (2:05.231) as last year’s race-winning team, Turner Motorsport, rounded out the top 10 GTD qualifiers owing to Patrick Gallagher’s 2:05.936 in the #96 BMW.

The 2-hour and 40-minute sprint race commences Sunday, 3 August at 13:10 local time / 19:10 BST.

READ MORE IN THE GTP / LMP2 QUALIFYING REPORT – Nick Yelloly grasps IMSA pole for MSR Acura at Road America

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DragonSpeed driver Albert Costa was surprised by their Canadian Tire Motorsport Park win in GTD Pro, given that they qualified last in class.

“It was a big surprise,” he told the media, including Motorsport Week, in a press conference ahead of the upcoming 180-minute Road America sprint race on 3 August.

“We were last in qualifying and didn’t expect anything. I’ve never won a race by not pushing, just managing fuel.

“It was strange. We didn’t even realise (process) we won until two or three days later.

“After qualifying, the only chance we saw was a lot of yellows and a one-stop strategy. It was crazy.

“I was constantly told to save more fuel — even more than I thought possible.

“The last full-course yellow helped us finish. Funny thing — when I overtook Catsburg (#4 Corvette), I didn’t know it was the winning move.

DragonSpeed rides on a wave of momentum with four podium finishes in the past three races, and is looking to continue that at the upcoming SportsCar Grand Prix at America’s National Park of Speed.

DragonSpeed chases reigning champions

Sitting third in the championship standings, Costa/DragonSpeed (#81 Ferrari 296 GT3) is only 14 points away from the reigning GTD Pro champions in second, the #77 AO Racing ‘Rexy’ Porsche 911 GT3.R driven by Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich.

“No, not really,” Heinrich replied in the press conference when asked about whether he expected to contend for another GTD Pro Drivers’ championship title — in only his second IMSA season.

“I came with high hopes, but IMSA is incredibly tough.

“The level of drivers, teams, and tracks is amazing. I came to IMSA to challenge myself.

“I understand the racing better. For example, last year at Daytona, I jumped in and started pushing immediately.

“This year, I knew to just stay alive early on. When that big crash happened in the night, I stopped on track to avoid it.

“Last year, I wouldn’t have done that.”

READ MORE – 49 entries set for Road America SportsCar Grand Prix

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DragonSpeed has announced they will enter their new #56 Ferrari 296 GT3 into the final two rounds of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The 2021 LMP2 Pro/Am Le Mans 24 Hours-winning outfit will debut into the GTD category for the Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, and the Petit Le Mans season finale at Road Atlanta.

Dragonspeed ran their #81 Oreca 07 LMP2 at the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and the Six Hours of the Glen prior to this switch to GTD.

Scandinavian trio Henrik Hedman, Toni Vilander and Rasmus Lindh, who will make his GTD debut after having driven their LMP2 at Sebring and the Glen, to pilot the Ferrari on the final IMSA race weekends of the year.

Lindh said: “I am looking forward for the new exciting challenge, in a new car and in GT racing.

“Obviously doing it together with DragonSpeed is great, as I have been racing with the team since the beginning of the year.

“Thank you for this opportunity.”

As he returns to the series since 2022, Vilander added: “I don’t know if I ever left but I very happy to get back to racing in GT & IMSA.

“It’s been quite a long time since I been actively in a race car, I have done it occasionally over the last few seasons but I feel my driving shape would be quite good.

“I don’t know the Indianapolis track before but as we have a Ferrari Challenge race weekend before, the plan is to do some laps and then be ready for the IMSA race week.

“I have some information, I am taking it realistically but every time I put the helmet on, I want to do well.”

”I know Henrik and Elton from before. I believe the team represents racing at its best: On-track, serious, finding and working to have the best solutions and best performance, but also enjoy the life.”

The six-hour Indianapolis race will take place on Sunday 22 September as the 10-hour Petit Le Mans event will kick off on Saturday October 12.

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DragonSpeed has announced Kyffin Simpson, Eric Lux and James Allen for their driver crew at the 24 Hours of Daytona on 27-28 January 2024, as one more driver is expected to join the trio.

As former LMP2 class winners at the Daytona 24 – on three occasions – DragonSpeed has unveiled three drivers and have stated intentions to compete at all five rounds of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Endurance Cup.

Simpson is expected to debut in the IndyCar Series next year with Chip Ganassi Racing, although he is no stranger to sportscar racing.

The 19-year-old will compete in his third Daytona 24, since debuting into the sportscar discipline in 2022 with Gradient Racing’s Acura NSX GTD effort in the Endurance Cup, winning the Petit Le Mans season finale with teammates Mario Farnbacher and Till Bechtolsheimer.

His 2023 campaign saw him step up to LMP2 with an Endurance Cup driver role at Tower Motorsports, during which he won the 12 Hours of Sebring with Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin and team owner John Farano.

Simpson said: “I’m excited to join DragonSpeed for the Rolex 24.

“The team has such a great pedigree, and I’m sure we’ll hit the ground running.

“Sportscar racing has been a crucial component of my development and I’m glad to continue that with a winning team.

“It’s nice to be back with James for another race (having won the 2023 European Le Mans Series together) and of course Eric, Elton [Julian], and the rest of team understand what it takes to win at Daytona.”

Lux added: “2024 will be my 14th Rolex 24, and my third Daytona outing with DragonSpeed.

“Each time, Elton has delivered a package capable of fighting for the win, and our racing partnership and friendship is stronger than ever.

“With Kyffin and James sharing the car, I’m confident we can challenge for the top step of the podium again.

“I can’t wait to get down to business with them and the team at the Roar and the race.”

Allen said: “I’m delighted to continue with Kyffin as my teammate going into the Rolex 24 after our triumph in the ELMS this year, and it’s great to be back with DragonSpeed after our spell together in 2018-2019.

“With Elton’s grasp of Daytona’s demands and Eric on board as well, all the pieces are in place to challenge for another win at the Rolex.”

Dragonspeed were not on the original list of IMSA 2024 entries, nor for the Daytona 24, thus enter as one of 13 LMP2s for the 62nd running.

The Endurance Cup sets five grueling and lengthy races within the 2024 calendar, as the Sebring 12 Hours is followed by the Six Hours of the Glen, and the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – also a six-hour event.

Finally, the 10-hour-long Petit Le Mans in October will conclude the schedule at Road Atlanta.

Team principal Elton Julian commented: “With Kyffin’s addition, I believe our driver lineup will match anyone’s in LMP2 at the Rolex in 2024.

“We’re really looking forward to taking full advantage of his phenomenal growth as a driver over the last couple of years.

“Having Eric and James back in the fold just strengthens our chances of being in contention going into the final stages of this great event.

“I think we’re positioned for a strong homecoming to – and future in – IMSA, who really put out the welcome mat to make this program possible.”

A fourth and final driver is expected to be announced in early January 2024 prior to the ‘Roar Before the 24’ testing and qualifying, followed by the race week itself.

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Cusick Motorsports and Dragonspeed have partnered to field an entry in this year’s Indianapolis 500, confirming a full field for the legendary event.

The joint entry will be driven by Stefan Wilson, who has three Indy 500 attempts to his name and has been racing with Team Hardpoint in the IMSA SportsCar Championship this season.

The confirmation puts to bed fan fears that the race could be run with less than a full field, but still does not give the race enough entries to force a fight just to make the grid.

“This opportunity means so much to us,” said DragonSpeed Team Principal, Elton Julian. “Putting this program together with Don Cusick, Stefan Wilson, and the Cusick Motorsports partner group brings us back to Indy even earlier than we hoped, and a step closer to becoming a full-time IndyCar team.

“With that target in our sights, I can tell you we are not coming to the Brickyard to make up the numbers – we’re here to resume our IndyCar learning curve and build on our experience from 2019 and 2020, and Stefan’s past performances as well.

“Adding the 500 to our IMSA commitments is complicated, but everyone at DragonSpeed is 100% up for the challenge of Indy.”

Reports started coming out last week about the partnership between the two teams, and now they have been confirmed by both parties.

Cusick Motorsports’ first IndyCar race was last year’s Indy 500, and Dragonspeed has had a few IndyCar entries over the past couple seasons.

Dragonspeed was seeking to expand its IndyCar program, possibly into a full time entry, when the onset of the pandemic hit the team hard and forced it to put its plans on hold.

Wilson will be driving the #25 entry, which will be powered by a Chevrolet power plant.  The joint team will see its first track action at the first day of practice, which takes place in just over a week on May 17.

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Pato O’Ward has set the fastest time in opening practice for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The IndyCar star, driving the #81 DragonSpeed ORECA 07-Gibson in the LMP2 category, was quickest overall in the rain-affected session. 

He posted a 1m 49.251s, which was just 0.016s faster than the #02 Chip Ganassi Cadillac DPi-VR driven by Earl Bamber.

The LMP2 runners were notably present in the overall top ten, with seven out of ten cars coming out of the secondary class.

Filipe Albuquerque was third overall in the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05, with Nico Mueller fourth in the High Class Racing LMP2. Oliver Jarvis was fifth for Meyer Shank Racing.

Matt Bell, fastest in LMP3 in the #13 AWA Duqueine D08-Nissan, ended the session behind the majority of GTD Pro and GTD runners.

The GT pack was led by the #9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R of Mathieu Jaminet running in GTD Pro, closely following by the GTD-entered #75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo driven by Luca Stolz.

No major incidents occurred during the session, which saw 47 of the 61 entered cars on track.

Practice 2 gets underway at 3:20 pm ET.

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IndyCar stars Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta will spearhead DragonSpeed’s hunt for a third Rolex 24 at Daytona victory in four years.

O’Ward and Herta will partner fellow IndyCar driver Devlin DeFrancesco and experienced Bronze acer Eric Lux aboard the #81 ORECA 07-Gibson in the Florida classic.

The four drivers form a one-off line-up for Daytona, as the race does not award points for the full IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship line-up.

Both O’Ward and Herta have taken class victories in the Rolex 24 in the past. O’Ward won the race in the Prototype Challenge class in 2017 as part of a dominant season that saw the Arrow McLaren SP driver take the title with Performance Tech Motorsports. One year later, he joined the team again, this time in an ORECA 07.

Herta, meanwhile, hasn’t raced a prototype but has contested the race three times, taking a GTLM class win on debut with BMW Team RLL.

DeFrancesco and Lux too boast plenty of experience in the twice-around-the-clock enduro. Andretti’s newest signing raced for JDC-Miller Motorsports in 2018 and 2019 before joining DragonSpeed for 2020, alongside Lux. Lux first raced at Daytona in 2005 and has contested the race eleven times.

DragonSpeed won the LMP2 category in 2019 and 2020 before finishing third in 2021, losing out to Era Motorsport.

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DragonSpeed will make its return to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, with Juan Pablo Montoya teaming up with his son Sebastian for the endurance rounds.

Montoya, the 2019 DPi champion, will be joined by team regular Henrik Hedman aboard the #81 ORECA 07-Gibson. Notably, that car will not contest the Rolex 24 at Daytona, as it is not a points-paying rounds for LMP2 teams. The American squad will still be present at Daytona, albeit with a different, yet-to-be-announced driver line-up.

The #81 car, driven by Hedman and the Montoyas, will instead first appear at the Twelve Hours of Sebring.

“I’m really happy to be back with DragonSpeed next season,” said Juan Pablo Montoya. “It’ll be a new adventure as we’ll be doing IMSA this time, where I’m really familiar with the tracks and race strategies, so it should be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to team up with Henrik again, and I’m even more excited to share a car with Sebastian for the first time.”

The former Indy 500 winner and F1 driver has not previously teamed up with his 16-year-old son. Sebastian tested DragonSpeed’s LMP2 car at the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain and posted impressive results, ending up as the day’s fastest rookie.

“This is a huge opportunity for me, and I’m so grateful for the chance DragonSpeed and Henrik have given me,” he said. “Racing with Dad is a dream come true as he’s been my idol growing up and being able to share a car with him is a dream come true.

“The Bahrain test was a great experience and the team helped me so much to improve in our short time together. I look forward to working with DragonSpeed again and making more progress.”

DragonSpeed has a strong record in IMSA competition in recent years, particularly at Daytona where it took the class win in both 2019 and 2020. Its last start in the championship outside of Daytona came at Road America in August 2020.

In 2021, the team raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 Pro-Am class.

“It’s a great feeling to come back to IMSA with Henrik in 2022 after achieving our goal together at Le Mans,” said team principal Elton Julian. “He’s looking for a few more notches on his racing belt with our help, and I want to thank him once again for his confidence in DragonSpeed.”

“Working with Juan Pablo has been one of the highlights of my racing career, and there’s much more to come from the relationship, not least the opportunity to help Sebastian establish himself as a star in the making.”

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