P3 Has Weekend Off; GSX Field To Run Standalone Event
By Tony DiZinno
Entry List (Click Here)
Points (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Grand Sport X (GSX) competitors will have the spotlight to themselves in IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge action this week, with a pair of 45-minute sprint races at VIRginia International Raceway.
GSX championship leader Westin Workman will look to get back on track after his first defeat in 2026 came at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The driver of the No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 swept sprint weekends at Daytona International Speedway, Circuit of The Americas and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and captured a seventh straight win to open the year at CTMP.
Workman appeared poised to complete another sweep north of the border as he led the first two laps in Round 8. But mechanical issues stymied him and opened the door for a new winner to deny driver No. 8 win number eight of the season.
Ismaeel Ellahi took the spoils in his new No. 25 CSM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO, holding off Courtney Crone in her No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO who pushed for the bulk of the race. Ellahi graduates to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with CSM this weekend.
Although Workman lost his shot at a perfect season in GSX, he still holds a comfortable 400-point lead over Crone. It’s unlikely Workman will be able to clinch the title early at VIR, but he has one hand firmly on the season-long championship title.
The other key battle of note is in the GSX Bronze Cup, which sees three drivers covered by just 40 points. Dan Ammann (No. 91 VRC Motorsports Group, LLC Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS) leads Rafa Martinez (No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) by 30 points and Jon Brel (No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2) by 40.
Full-timers Ammann and Brel secured their first Bronze wins of the season at CTMP, bucking an unusual run where part-time GSX entries swept the first six races of the year.
Le Mans Prototype 3 (P3) competitors raced separately at VIRginia International Raceway as part of the IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge in June. Ari Balogh and Garett Grist claimed the overall win in their No. 30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325.
VP Racing Challenge competitors practice twice and qualify Friday. The first race is Saturday at 12:20 p.m. ET with the second on Sunday at 8:40 a.m. Races stream live on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel.
Fast Facts
IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge
VIRginia International Raceway – Alton, Va.
August 21-23, 2026
Race Days/Times: Saturday, August 22, 12:20 p.m. ET; Sunday, August 23, 8:40 a.m.
Peacock Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 12:15 p.m. Saturday and 8:35 a.m. Sunday (available outside the U.S. on IMSA.tv and IMSA’s Official YouTube channel)
Circuit Type: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Sport X (GSX)
Race Lengths: 45 minutes
VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Track Records
- GSX: Luca Mars, Ford Mustang GT4, 1:53.143 / 104.045 mph, August 2024 (Qualifying)
2025 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge VIR Race 1, 2 and CTMP Race 2 Makeup Winners:
- P3: Valentino Catalano, No. 30 Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Duqueine D08
- GTDX: Jake Walker, No. 6 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
- GSX: Kiko Porto, No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2