VIR Friday Notebook

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

***The pair of factory Ford Mustang GT3 EVOs placed first and second in GTD Pro in Friday’s opening practice session for the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, led by the No. 65 entry of Fred Vervisch. The Belgian’s 1:46.065 lap edged out the GTD class pace-setting No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Frederik Schandorff by 0.003 seconds.

***Vervisch said: “It was a good start of the weekend. We tested here, so we’re very prepared though I expect the others to catch up. We started with a little bit of a head start, and hopefully, we can keep it. It’s nice to see both Mustangs at the front. We will push as hard as we can. It’s a good morale boost for the team. The Mustang has always been strong here, and with the EVO, it again brings us closer in the field. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum the whole weekend.”

***Heart of Racing driver Tom Gamble, who is supporting Eduardo Barrichello in his and the team’s GTD championship quest, admitted that IMSA’s increased clamp-down on driving standards does affect their approach for the rest of the season, especially after getting a late-race penalty last time out that nearly eliminated Barrichello’s near 100-point lead in the class.

***Gamble told Sportscar365: “It’s good in some ways but I think in some ways it’s a little bit too far now. It’s hard to have any sort of hard racing at all. You have to be very, very careful. Any sort of contact to anything can… It’s a harsh penalty as well if you do get that. Even if you just run a car off the track, it’s then a drive through, which as we experienced at the end of the race at Road America, it can take your race from going a solid top-five result to last. The penalty for the crime wasn’t really fit in my opinion.”

***Gamble’s former GTD co-driver Casper Stevenson, who is now with DragonSpeed in an increased sprint race role after Henrik Hedman stood down from driving, agrees: “We were pretty clean in GTD but the focus is still on everybody,” he told Sportscar365. “We have to be careful. We’re on the right side of the line at Road America. Some cars got a bit lucky with all those last yellows, but we were always in that podium battle.”

***Stevenson’s 2027 plans are uncertain amid the news that DragonSpeed will not return to the WeatherTech Championship next year. “I’m very thankful towards Elton and Henrik for giving me these extra races,” said the Silver-rated driver. “I’m just trying to do the best to get some good results. More time in the car has been good. I would love to really consolidate on what I’ve learned [and continue in IMSA]. I feel like I’ve now got a decent amount of experience here. I would love to find another ride.”

***Gamble revealed that he’s spent the majority of the season living in the U.S., in Phoenix, near Heart of Racing’s primary base, along with Barrichello and Roman De Angelis, the latter two whom are roommates.

***Conquest Racing team owner Eric Bachelart has paid tribute to Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 39 after an 18-month battle with cancer. The Monegasque driver, who had been part of Conquest’s efforts across the WeatherTech Championship and SRO America competition from 2021-25, including GTD class victory at the 2024 Motul Petit Le Mans, made 19 WeatherTech Championship starts.

***Bachelart said: “Cedric was a true professional, the type of person who was always smiling, always available, and whose contributions to all aspects of our program were invaluable. He began as a coach with us in 2021, but we quickly realized that his talent both on and off the track would help elevate the group as a whole, leading to race opportunities first in our GT4 program and ultimately earning race wins with our GTD efforts in IMSA. He was a person who enjoyed life and traveled throughout the world on amazing treks, and he will be truly missed.”

***IMSA President John Doonan added: “All of us in the IMSA family are mourning the loss of Cedric Sbirrazzuoli. Cedric was a talented driver and valued member of the IMSA paddock for the better part of a decade, beginning as a competitor in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and progressing into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. We extend heartfelt sympathies to Cedric’s family, teammates and his many friends here in the IMSA paddock and throughout the world of sports car endurance racing. He will be sorely missed.”

***The Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC is serving as the safety car for this weekend. Ford Racing’s new flagship Mustang, designed, engineered and manufactured in-house, is powered by a 5.2-liter supercharged cross-plane crank V8 engine, producing 795 horsepower and 660 lb-ft of torque.

***Honda Racing Corporation USA took the wraps off its new HRC Heritage Racing Program last week at Monterey Car Week, which includes the sale and restoration of historic Honda and Acura race cars that have won races and championships around the world, including at Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona and Laguna Seca.

***It unveiled the first car available to purchase, the 2007 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring LMP2 class-winning Andretti Green Racing Acura ARX-01a that was driven by Dario Franchitti, Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan, in Monterey. Renowned Honda/Acura prototype restoration company Capone Motorsports, which operates Tower Motorsports’ LMP2 effort in the WeatherTech Championship, was involved in this car’s restoration.

***HRC US President David Salters said: “Classic race cars never die, their myth and aura just grow and the HRC Heritage Racing Program is all about keeping our incredible Honda and Acura race cars doing what they were born to do ― race. As the builder of these race-winning machines, and custodian of the original IP and knowledge, HRC is uniquely equipped to restore them to their original form, ensuring they can return to historic racing competition authentically and ready to be enjoyed by our customers and fans.”

***Saturday’s WeatherTech Championship track activity will begin with final practice from 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. EST, followed by qualifying at 4:50 p.m., which will be streamed live on Peacock as well as IMSA’s YouTube channel. Race 1 for Mustang Challenge North America is on tap for 9:25 a.m., while the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix Michelin Pilot Challenge race takes the green at 2:15 p.m., live on Peacock and IMSA’s YouTube channel, commercial-free courtesy of Michelin.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John