VIR Weekend Notebook

Photo: Jamey Price/Lamborghini

***Twenty-nine cars are on the official entry list for this weekend’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America rounds at Virginia International Raceway, although 26 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2s took to the track in Friday’s pair of practice sessions.

***Among the absences since the last event at Road America include both ANSA Motorsports entries, the Martin Fuentes and Caesar Bacarella-driven TR3 Racing Lamborghini and TPC Racing’s Scott Schmidt, who will miss the final two rounds of the season due to business commitments.

***Pro-Am class entries from Dream Racing Motorsport and NTE Sport, which appeared on the Pre-Event entry list with to-be-determined drivers, meanwhile, have been pulled for the weekend.

***Flying Lizard Motorsports is running two of its three entries, with the No. 11 car of Brett Jacobson and Joel Miller not present. Miller took part in the Road America rounds solo in the Pro class without Jacobsen, who has had to stand down from driving in both events due to prior commitments.

***The VIR event, however, sees the addition of a fourth entry for Precision Performance Motorsports with the debuting Anthony McIntosh in LB Cup.

***There have also been several driver changes since Road America. Keawn Tandon moves from NTE Sport’s LB Cup entry to the No. 42 car in the Am class while Tiger Tara will be driving solo this weekend in the team’s No. 18 car.

***VIR marks the final races of the season on U.S. soil before heading to Portimao for the championship-deciding rounds on Nov. 3-4, prior to the Lamborghini World Final later that weekend.

***Loris Spinelli’s pace-setting 1:44.188 lap time in Friday’s opening practice session eclipsed the quickest time set in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice by nearly one second. VIR marks the second and final GT-only event for the WeatherTech Championship this year, which features GT3 machinery.

***The No. 14 Flying Lizard ‘Sparklefarts’ Lamborghini is ready to go for qualifying this morning after an accident in Friday’s second practice session by Slade Stewart. Stewart was unable to rejoin the session after his off-course excursion.

***A number of teams, including Flying Lizard and TPC Racing, tested at the 3.27-mile VIR circuit prior to the weekend. “We found quite a bit in both cars,” said TPC’s director of race operations Harris Levitas. “I think we have made really good progress in having even better front-running cars.”

***Despite not winning either race, Prestige Performance with Wayne Taylor Racing’s Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli extended their championship lead in the Pro class last time out at Road America. The duo enter the weekend with a 26-point advantage over second-placed Edoardo Piscopo and Patrick Kujala, with Spinelli and Giano Taurnio closing the gap to just three points further behind in third.

***WTR’s Ashton Harrison and Tom Long hold just a two-point lead in the Pro-Am class over PPM drivers Bryson Lew and John Castro Dubets, in the closest of the four championship battles.

***The Am class is currently being led by David Staab and Nikko Reger while Flying Lizard’s Stewart is out front in LB Cup, 10 points ahead of Dream Racing’s Charlie Martin and Jason Keats, who won for the first time at Road America.

***Race 1 is set for a 2:05 p.m. ET start this afternoon, with live coverage on Peacock and IMSA.tv. The second 50-minute race of the weekend gets underway Sunday at 11:35 a.m. ET. A one-hour recap show will air on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. ET on USA Network.

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