HOUSTON — With an eye toward GT3 and endurance racing ambitions, Rafa Martinez will contest the 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge with RAFA Racing Team, starting at the Roar Before the Rolex 24.
Martinez will compete in the team’s Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 as part of a development-focused season centered on increased seat time, continuity, and long-term progression within IMSA competition.
The Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway will serve as the opening chapter of the campaign, providing an early benchmark ahead of the championship schedule.
“I’m super excited for it,” Martinez 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.”
The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge format is expected to play a central role in Martinez’s development, with two sprint races per weekend allowing drivers to immediately apply lessons learned rather than waiting until the next event.
“When you split the weekend into two races instead of one longer race, it gives you the opportunity to correct things,” Martinez said.
“You actually get the chance to learn from the first race and apply it straight away instead of just moving on to the next weekend.”
“That’s a big part of why this series makes sense for me. It gives me the chance to really focus on becoming a better driver and to hone in on the details when I’m in the car.”
Continuity will be a defining theme of Martinez’s 2026 season. After racing multiple cars and platforms across his first two seasons in North American competition, the upcoming year marks the first time he will return to many of the same circuits in the same car.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to stay with the same platform,” Martinez said. “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.”
