Workman Returns to Top Step With Saturday VIR Win

Westin Workman regained his spot atop the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge GSX field in the first of two 45-minute sprint races at Virginia International Raceway.

From pole, the driver of the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 led all 22 laps around the 3.27-mile, 17-turn course.

As the race ended under full-course caution, the margin of victory was not reflective of the 14-plus second lead he built prior to the yellow.

It’s his eighth win of the season in nine rounds, and a welcome recovery after an early race mechanical issue sidelined him in the second race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Workman sought consistency over the course of the race and regularly gapped his opponents by several tenths per lap.

A Lap 7 pass exiting the final turn, Turn 17, netted Caio Chaves second place in the No. 98 Panam Motorsport Toyota ahead of Courtney Crone in third in her No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

The Bronze Cup championship battle took a pair of twists and turns as the top two drivers both failed to finish.

Third-place points man Jon Brel capitalized and secured his second straight Bronze Cup win.

The driver of the No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota finished fourth overall, which has vaulted Brel from 40 points back to unofficially 30 points ahead of Dan Ammann and 80 ahead of Rafael Martinez leaving the first race of the weekend.

Ray Mason (No. 58 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4) and Tiger Tari (No. 26 AutoTechnic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO) completed the Bronze Cup podium.

The second VP Racing Challenge GSX race of the weekend is Sunday at 8:40 a.m. EST. It streams live on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube Channel.

RESULTS: Race 1