DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Three might be a magic number for IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge heading into 2025.
On the eve of its third season, the VP Racing Challenge welcomes a third racing class with Grand Touring Daytona X (GTDX) entering alongside the Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) and Grand Sport X (GSX) classes.
The move to include GT3-specification cars provides another entry point into IMSA for teams and drivers who like the type of car but may prefer the format and/or cost-effectiveness of two 45-minute sprint races on a given weekend.
IMSA has trialed the LMP3/GT3/GT4 grouping of racing before, with non-points Michelin IMSA SportsCar Encore races at Sebring International Raceway in late 2018 and 2019.
An additional series enhancement in 2025 will be the introduction of a Bronze podium for each class to go along with the already competitive Bronze Cup Championship.
Teams are still officially declaring their intentions, but the GTDX field should near double digits for its class debut at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 weekend, January 17-19. Both P3 and GSX appear close to that number as well, with an overall grid projected near 30 total cars at Daytona International Speedway.
Several race-winning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) teams are exploring or are planning to enter GTDX. Other noteworthy teams that have made waves in other sports car championships are poised to announce their programs shortly.
MLT Motorsports (P3) and KohR Motorsports (GSX) fielded the championship-winning drivers in 2024, while FastMD Racing with Remstar took home the P3 team title.
Turner Motorsport Expanding Series Presence
Turner Motorsport, BMW’s longest serving privateer team which nears 600 starts with the brand heading into 2025, has been an active part of the VP Racing Challenge since the series’ inception. It’s already built an in-house series ladder, as 2023 GSX champion Francis Selldorff advanced from one Turner BMW M4 GT4 into the team’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Grand Sport (GS) class entry in 2024. Turner intends to add a GTDX entry to its GSX entry in 2025.
“(Michelin Pilot Challenge) isn’t the entry-level (series) anymore,” team owner Will Turner said. “There’s such talent in Pilot that VP was perfect timing. If you don’t have the experience to do Pilot, VP is great as where you can get it to move up.
“Now with GTDX, that’s the same thing. To throw someone in a GT3 car with only limited experience, it’s too much to go into GTD. So GTDX could be a great place to get the experience for the move up to GTD. It just makes sense. The more GT3 cars, the better in that class.”
The formerly named US RaceTronics team, now operating as Forte Racing, has also built a presence within the VP Racing Challenge. Shane Senaviratne’s program will start the season with Bronze-rated drivers Brian Thienes and Jon Hirshberg, who seek to build on their 2024 P3 outings with the team and continue their progression toward the podium.
“The series helps provide a strong single-driver, sprint-race platform for gentlemen drivers,” Senaviratne said. “As VPRC, it’s got away from the IPC (IMSA Prototype Challenge) format which was more expensive with pit stops. This is more refined as a sprint-race championship that’s affordable. You can do it as a hobby or career advancement opportunity, and that’s a big positive.
“I would say doing a VPRC season, you get more TV coverage in my opinion than had you done LMP3 in WeatherTech. If television is important, that’s a highlight to run a car for a lot less and get more TV time.”
Fellow P3 entrants Ave Motorsports, with longtime sports car driver and team owner Tony Ave, note the importance of learning the IMSA framework within the VP Racing Challenge.
“To me, the VP Challenge series is a perfect place for drivers and teams to learn the ropes of competing on the big IMSA stage,” Ave said. “They can become acquainted with the level of professionalism expected both on the racetrack and in the garage area, from team appearance to dealing with a pro level technical inspection as well as vehicle preparation to be a part of the ‘big show’ that IMSA has become.”
Samantha Tan Bringing Team to VP Racing Challenge
One new team entering IMSA for 2025 is Samantha Tan Racing. The team has made waves in other sports car series running first GT4, then GT3-specification machinery, with Tan winning races herself and determined to add IMSA success to her resume.
“I’m thrilled to announce my step into IMSA for 2025, one of the most competitive and prestigious racing series in North America,” Tan said. “My first full GT3 season this year was incredibly rewarding, pushing me to maximize every moment on and off the track.
“I’m eager to take on the challenge of a new multi-class format with LMP3, GT3, and GT4 cars, continuing to sharpen my skills against some of the best in the sport. Losing the 2024 (GT World Challenge America) championship by a single point has only fueled my determination, and I’m entering this season with a fire in my heart and my sights set firmly on the VP Challenge championship title.”
RAFA Racing, which is also making a splash in the sports car racing world, will field both P3 and GSX entries following its recent merge with Smooge Racing, in addition to a Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America program. The VP Racing Challenge team will run a Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, a car Smooge Racing has worked with over the last couple years.
“We’ve worked with some fantastic teams over the past couple of years, but this relationship and the existing partnerships with Toyota Gazoo Racing North America and Lamborghini Squadra Corsa are something special,” said Rafael Martinez, RAFA Racing founder. “It’s a logical step in our mission, and a great way to make our debut at this level here in the States.”
GMG Racing, an off-and-on IMSA participant over the years, appears set to start the VP Challenge season with a GTDX-specification Porsche 911 GT3 R for longtime team driver Kyle Washington. GMG team principal and founder James Sofronas has been busy not only getting this program together, but also moving his program’s shop from Santa Ana, California, to a new, 28,000-square-foot facility at The Thermal Club near Palm Springs.
“Kyle really enjoys the sprint race format,” Sofronas explained. “He wants to maximize track time when he travels, and so having two races in one weekend at iconic tracks like Daytona, COTA and Road Atlanta is really appealing.
“It’s great to run Daytona, for instance, without the huge commitment of running the Rolex 24. To do so in a GT3-spec car holds great appeal. In a way, you can gauge yourself against the GTD class but not have to commit the large personnel it takes to run a massive endurance event.
“It makes sense to add this class to want to train potential drivers, gauge their interest, get on the same (Michelin) tire and run the same tracks. It’s a logical step for IMSA and we look forward to being a part of it.”