Martinez Pivots to GSX; Targeting GT3 Program for 2027

Photo: RAFA Racing Team

Rafael Martinez, the team owner and namesake of RAFA Racing Team, will make his IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge debut, having been confirmed in one of the team’s Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 for a season-long campaign.

Martinez will pilot the No. 68 Toyota in the GSX class, which kicks off this weekend with a pair of 45-minute races at Daytona International Speedway as part of the Roar Before the Rolex 24 event.

His upcoming season in IMSA-sanctioned competition is aimed at preparing for a step up to GT3 competition by as early as next year.

“I’m super excited for it,” he said. “It’s going to give me the opportunity to spend a little bit more time in the car.

“This is really a transition year for me. My goal for 2027 is to be able to compete in GT3, with the ultimate goal of endurance racing.

“The ability to get extra seat time and focus more on testing instead of just having so many races is going to be really key for me, especially with how limited my schedule actually is.

“It’s honestly pretty unbelievable that I was able to do six races, let alone the ten we did last year.”

Martinez teamed with Jim Jonsin for a full season Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign in 2025, finishing third in the Bronze Cup.

The VP Challenge program, however, offers him the opportunity to drive the Toyota as a solo driver, while revisiting many of the same tracks at the same time.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to stay with the same platform,” said Martinez. “Every year that I’ve raced so far, every time I jumped in the car it was a new field and a new car.

“Last year, at least half the tracks we went to I’d never been to before. Now I get to go back to tracks I’ve already been to in the same car, and that’s huge for confidence.”

He added: “[Last year] there were weekends last year where I was getting maybe 45 minutes total at a brand-new track before qualifying.

“That’s a really small window to understand the car when you’re splitting time and setting it up with a teammate.

“Being able to come back this year, stay on the same platform, and actually build on what we learned instead of starting from zero again is massive.”

Martinez will be joined as a teammate in VP Challenge competition by 2025 Toyota GR Cup North America champion Westin Workman, while Kiko Porto and Varun Choksey are set to share driving duties in Pilot Challenge of another RAFA-entered Supra GT4 EVO2.

“Having Westin as a teammate in VP and then having guys like Kiko and Varun running in Michelin Pilot means there’s always data, always references, and always something to learn from,” added Martinez.

“It raises the level for everyone. You’re not just racing your own race. You’re constantly measuring yourself against people who are pushing hard in different programs.”

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