• VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) is a 3.2-mile motorsport road course in Alton, Virginia that has hosted the Gold Cup Historic Race, ChampCar, SCCA, NASCAR, and more.
• Carroll Shelby won the road course’s inaugural contest in 1957 piloting a Maserati 450S against all-star combatants of the era, setting the stage for the track’s notoriety.
• The P3 result at the Road America 120 has put the #93 Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR in the paddock spotlight, netting four pole positions this season and two consecutive podiums.
• The gaps are tight between the top five IMPC combatants, so maximum points are pivotal for the remaining championship rounds.

They say that Virginia is for lovers, but that camaraderie will be put on hold this weekend while IMSA is in town. With three races to go in the Michelin Pilot Challenge championship, there won’t be any love lost, but every team is turning up the wick to score maximum points towards their season tally. Under Montreal Motorsport Group’s (MMG) wing, the #93 Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR has made the most out of the second half, nabbing two consecutive podiums—P2 and P3 at CTMP and Road America, respectively—and earning it the top Honda racer in the championship. Those favorable results have built up a store of momentum for the team and the #93’s drivers, Dai Yoshihara and Karl Wittmer, ahead of the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) contest.

VIR is a 3.2-mile motorsport road course in Alton, Virginia that has hosted races for several notable series, including SCCA and NASCAR. Carroll Shelby won the road course’s inaugural contest in 1957 piloting a Maserati 450S against all-star combatants of the era, setting the stage for the track’s notoriety. To this day, it’s known as a world-class racing facility, famous for its elevation changes and several sets of connected corners. The lap opens with a sprint into Turn 1 (the “Horse Shoe”), a heavy, downhill braking zone that requires precision, patience, and trail braking. There are opportunities to pass before Turn 3 (“NASCAR Bend”), named for its decreasing radius corner. This opens into the track’s “rhythm” section—Turns 4-9—and drivers can be punished badly if they get it all wrong. Turn 10 is the fastest corner at VIR. The exit leads downhill before climbing again for Turns 11 and 12. When negotiated correctly, this two-turn sequence provides a great launch onto the back straight before another complex—Turns 13-17—rewards drivers that can adapt quickly and set the car up for the best possible exit.

FROM THE DRIVERS

“We got this” was the pointed sentiment from Wittmer. To be fair, it’s for good reason; the team is riding a wave of momentum right now and has been gelling with the #93 Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR as every round goes by. As turnkey as the JAS Motorsport and Honda Racing has made the FL5, there’s considerable work to adapt the base car to the series—especially an endurance one like IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge. The MMG squad and the #93 Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR’s drivers believe they’ve got the car in a great place and are looking to utilize the car’s inherent strengths to its advantage. We’re fortunate to have MMG’s experience and our sponsors’ backing—ARP, ENEOS, Turn 14 Distribution, Mishimoto, Whiteline, and DBA—to help us extract the most from the car.

Yoshihara has started preparing for VIR with a new triple monitor setup from MSI. Ever since qualifying on pole at Road America, Yoshihara has been eager to get behind the wheel again for VIR. He made his intentions clear: “Let’s add another podium to the list.” Should that come to fruition, it’d be three podiums in a row and that tally would help the #93 Pit+Paddock FL5 Civic Type R TCR climb further up the IMPC leaderboard with two rounds to go.

THE GREEN FLAG

The green flag drops at the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix on Saturday, August 24 from 2:10 PM to 4:15 PM ET with practice on Friday and qualifying preceding the two-hour contest.

Thank you to ARP, ENEOS, Turn 14 Distribution, Mishimoto, Whiteline, and DBA for supporting Pit+Paddock’s inaugural IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign with Montreal Motorsport Group.

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