AUSTIN, Texas — It was a clean sweep at Circuit of The Americas for both Wyatt Brichacek and Westin Workman as both drivers went from pole position to victory in both of Saturday’s IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge races as part of the NASCAR at COTA DuraMAX Grand Prix event weekend.
Five hours after standing atop the victory podium for the first time in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge competition, Brichacek took the green flag for Race #2 and quickly drove his No. 30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325 away from the field. He steadily built his advantage throughout the race and took the checkered flag 18.850 seconds ahead of Toney Driver Development teammate Titus Sherlock in the No. 95 Ligier JS P325 to preserve the sweep.
“I’m so happy to be able to show the world how hard these guys have been working,” Brichacek said. “It was easy. The car is amazing. The team’s amazing. They just gave me what I needed to cruise around and show everybody that TDD is a good team.”
The overall and P3 class podium was a carbon copy of Race #1 with Oscar Tunjo again finishing third in the No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D08. Tunjo’s fourth podium result of the season keeps him atop the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge P3 championship standings with a 210-point cushion, 1,300-1,090, over Danny Soufi, who finished fourth in his hometown race aboard the No. 11 PINAXIS – Zone 4 Racing Duqueine D08.
Travis Hill finished fifth overall in the No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325 to earn Bronze Cup honors for the second time Saturday.
In the Grand Sport X (GSX) class, Westin Workman put together a workmanlike effort in Race 2 en route to his fourth victory from four VP Racing SportsCar Challenge starts.
Workman sailed into the lead from pole position in his No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 and deftly pulled away from the field throughout the 45-minute race, which was run without a full-course caution. He crossed the stripe practically alongside P3 race-winner Wyatt Brichacek, 24.490 seconds ahead of Courtney Crone in the No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO.
The victory runs his points total to a perfect score of 1,400 markers and he now leads Crone by 240 points.
“I think our goal this year is to be undefeated in the series,” Workman said. “The goal for me in VP Challenge is to get more time in the Supra, so I was out there just trying different things. Different brake bias settings, different traction control, different ABS. It was just a test session really, just trying to get a feel for the car, so when it really gets competitive, because obviously the goal is to be in the GS class in Michelin Pilot Challenge.
“So, I was just trying to use all my tools and be as prepared as I can be for next year if that happens. The win today and the four in a row is just a testament to this team and everybody around me.”
Crone finished her weekend in Texas with back-to-back runner-up results. Marc Austin, from nearby Buda, Texas, had a solid weekend as well, earning his second straight third-place result in the GSX class aboard his No. 22 Mad Joker Racing by Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4. Austin also claimed Bronze Cup honors in GSX for the second consecutive race.
