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Michelin Pilot Challenge

Trinkler, Plumb Score CTSC Win at VIR

Owen Trinkler, Hugh Plumb win in difficult conditions at VIR…

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Hugh Plumb and Owen Trinkler extended their IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge championship lead with a win in Saturday’s Biscuitville Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway.

Trinkler ran a mammoth 1 hour, 15-minute opening stint in variable conditions behind the wheel of the Team TGM Mercedes-AMG GT4 before turning it over to Plumb.

When race leaders Jesse Lazare and Robin Liddell were forced to pit road in the final fifteen minutes for fuel, Plumb roared past into the lead and ultimately to victory.

It was the second-consecutive class win at VIR for Trinkler who won in the ST class last year.

Despite the late pit stop, Lazare managed a season-best second in the No. 69 Motorsport In Action McLaren 570S GT4 that he shares with Corey Fergus, while Liddell and Andrew Davis completed the podium in Rebel Rock Racing’s return to the championship.

Koch, O’Gorman Take TCR Win

Polesitters Tom O’Gorman and Kenton Koch took a commanding victory in the TCR class for eEuroparts.com Racing in the No. 12 Audi RS3 LMS TCR, overcoming a penalty and wall contact earlier in the race to claim the win.

Koch made the race-winning pass around Compass Racing’s Tom Long with 21 minutes to go and cruised to the victory, the first for O’Gorman and the team in Continental Tire Challenge competition.

Kuno Wittmer and Rodrigo Sales were second in class as their teammate Long faded late. Stephen Simpson and Michael Johnson were fourth for JDC-Miller Motorsports. Audi took the top five positions in the TCR class.

MINI took the win in the ST category with Mark Pombo leading Max Faulkner to the line by 6.775 seconds.

Pombo and his co-driver Colin Mullan earned the victory for the MINI JCW Team operation, with Fualkner and his co-driver Jason Rabe improving to second in the final minutes in the No. 21 Bodymotion Racing Porsche Cayman.

Derek Jones made it two MINIs on the podium, while championship leaders Devin Jones and Nick Galante came home in fourth for BimmerWorld Racing.

RESULTS: Biscuitville Grand Prix

Ryan Myrehn is an Indianapolis-based broadcaster and reporter. In addition to his work covering primarily domestic sports car racing for Sportscar365, he is the lead announcer for SRO America's TV coverage as well as a pit reporter for IndyCar Radio. Myrehn, a graduate of DePauw University, is also the host of Sportscar365's “Double Stint” Podcast.

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