VP Challenge sees a weekend of sweeps at Daytona

The weather changed for Sunday’s second IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge 45-minute race at Daytona International Speedway. However, the winners in all three categories did not, as each driver showcased their skills in drastically different conditions.

After racing under sunny and warm skies on Saturday, dark and wet conditions greeted the field Sunday as teams ran on Michelin wet-weather tires. Each of the winners, Valentino Catalano in Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) and overall, Adam Adelson in Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) and Kiko Porto in Grand Sport X (GSX) met the moment as the race evolved on a drying track.

Catalano controls P3 competition

Jake Galstad/IMSA

Driving the No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08, Catalano led all but one of the 21 laps from pole as the track slowly dried out. The only time he wasn’t out front came after a restart when Brian Thienes, in the No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320, got the jump on the tri-oval on Lap 8. Catalano quickly repassed him on the outside one lap later and never looked back, leading the team’s second 1-2 finish in as many races to start the year.

“I was the first guy who went in these conditions, so it was really tricky,” Catalano said. “I went calmly in the beginning, saw I could off a gap and saw some guys make mistakes. The conditions were difficult, but it worked out for me, so I’m happy.

“It was damp, but not completely wet, so the tires were hot and therefore I got less and less grip. So, it was just driving smoothly and trying out the lines.”

Teammate Markus Pommer, in the No. 31 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08, finished second only 2.273s in arrears. Despite going off course a couple of times, he managed to keep going without damage or losing too much time.

Jonathan Woolridge was third in the No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS P320 with Thienes fourth among P3 cars and the top Bronze-rated finisher.

Adelson adds second straight GTDX class debut

In GTDX, Adelson’s No. 24 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) was again the class of the field. After winning by more than 30s in the dry on Saturday, Adelson’s winning margin was a nearly equivalent 26.324s on Sunday.

Like Catalano in GTDX, he only lost the lead on lap eight as Kyle Washington powered past in his similar Porsche, before Adelson regained the top spot into the Le Mans Chicane on the inside of lap nine.

“You’re trying to feel the grip on the out laps, trying to learn what it’s like out there and what you can or can’t get away with,” Adelson said. “I think I came under threat a bit just because I was struggling a bit with the P3 cars at the start. But they don’t have (traction control) or ABS, so they’re rightfully more cautious and because we’re heavier, we can also get our tires up (to temperature) more quickly. Hoping to be back here a third time to step onto the podium when it matters the most!”

Af Corse teammates Matias Perez Companc and AJ Muss in their Nos. 50 and 66 Ferrari 296 GT3 cars completed the GTDX podium, with Muss starting first in class. Washington, in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche, ended fourth among GTDX cars and was the top Bronze-rated driver ahead of Samantha Tan, who was second in Bronze for the second straight day in her No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3.

Porto pushes past penalty for GSX encore

Jake Galstad/IMSA

Multiple drivers saw their races go awry Saturday when assessed a 10-second time penalty by IMSA officials for a false start, improperly changing lanes and starting from the wrong column. Porto got the same penalty as those drivers on Sunday but avoided the same setback result.

Driving the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, Porto took the lead on lap four, briefly lost it on lap eight to his Saturday sparring partner Steven Clemons (No. 76 BSI Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2), then regained it on lap nine before working to set sail on his rivals. Running laps 2-3s faster a lap, Porto was able to bank the gap to an eventual 21.283s margin, which was enough to offset the 10s penalty applied post-race.

“Once I heard what was happening, I knew I needed to go through the field as fast as possible and open a gap, and then another yellow came,” Porto said.

“My restart was not very good. I had some cars to pass, I got it done, and then it was difficult for me to open the gap. There’s GT3 and LMP3 cars around, so I was seeing how to be fast without taking too much risk and not compromise. Thankfully this Toyota Supra was one of the best cars I’ve ever had in my career.”

Jackson Lee drove through the field to second in the No. 2 CSM Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS while Porto’s RAFA Racing teammate, Ian Porter in the No. 68 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO1, finished third in GSX and first among Bronze-rated drivers.

The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge resumes with rounds three and four of the season as part of the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, February 28 through March 1, 2025.

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