Moorespeed’s two-car IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama team heads to VIRginia International Raceway this weekend, August 23-25, for a doubleheader race with drivers Riley Dickinson and Rob Ferriol. The team enters the event with momentum from this season’s recent races, from testing and from success at VIR a season ago.
The twin 45-minute races, which begin at 11:10 a.m. EDT on Saturday and at 9:35 a.m. EDT on Sunday, can both be seen live at IMSA.tv. The races are rounds 11 and 12 of the 16-race schedule.
The 3.27-mile VIR circuit has been kind to Moorespeed in the past. Zacharie Robichon swept the weekend in a Moorespeed Porsche a season ago. This season, the team is coming off of a win at Road America, where Ferriol took Gold Cup victory on Saturday in Round Nine.
“We’re looking forward to coming back to VIR, being on track, and to help Riley and Rob get the results we know they’re capable of,” Moorespeed President David Moore said. “VIR is a fun, fast track and we’ve got some history here. Our guys have done a lot of prep, testing and simulator time, as they always do, to get ready for this weekend and they should be quick.”
Dickinson, the youngest full-time driver in the field as a 17-year-old, sits fourth in the championship hunt during his first season in IMSA competition. He is behind the wheel of the No. 53 Moorespeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in Platinum Cup competition.
Ferriol, second in the championship standings in Gold Cup, will drive the No. 15 Moorespeed/GridRival Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at what is his home track, a two-hour, 30-minute drive from his house in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Ferriol grabbed his first career win at Road America, and is hoping to build on that success in more ways than just this championship chase in the Porsche. Ferriol is pulling double duty at VIR, also running a Moorespeed Audi R8 LMS GT4 entry in the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class with co-driver Spencer Pumpelly.
“Coming back to VIR with IMSA is truly the highlight of the season for me, and not just because it’s where I first placed four tires on a real race track,” Ferriol said. “It’s also where I attended my first IMSA event as a fan. Little did I know at the time, but a few short years later I’d be on the other side of the fence giving the show! It’s such an amazing facility and fantastic circuit to drive. The icing on the cake is it’s so close to home for me, which means I can count on plenty of friends and family there to share the great racing that always goes on at VIR.”
The weekend begins for Moorespeed on Thursday with a promoter test day. The IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama has two practice sessions totaling 75 minutes on Friday, with qualifying at 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday morning. Saturday’s green flag is at 11:10 a.m. EDT, with Sunday’s at 9:35 a.m. EDT. In addition to the live stream of the races at IMSA.tv, it will air on NBC Sports Network at noon EDT on Friday, September 6.
