Vervisch’s Ford, Schandorff’s Ferrari Lead Classes; Drama for GTD PRO Points Leader
By John Oreovicz
ALTON, Va. – The opening 90-minute practice session for the Michelin GT Challenge at VIRginia International Raceway was uneventful for most of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) and GTD competitors – with one key exception.
After just 12 minutes had elapsed, GTD PRO championship leader Neil Verhagen went off course at Turn 14 – the entry to VIR’s famous Roller Coaster corner. The left-front of the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO glanced off a guardrail before the car buried itself in a tire barrier. Verhagen, who shares the car with Connor De Phillippi, was unhurt, and he had already set a time that held up for third fastest in the session.
The PMR crew was able to repair the car to get Verhagen back on track with 13 minutes remaining in the Friday practice, but they will lose their fastest qualifying lap on Saturday.
Frederic Vervisch set Friday’s fastest time just four laps into the free practice session, touring VIR’s 3.27 miles and 17 corners in 1 minute, 46.065 seconds for an average speed of 110.988 miles per hour in the No. 65 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 running in the GTD PRO class. He’ll share that car with Christopher Mies.
That was just three thousandths of a second than the fastest GTD class contender. Frederik Schandorff set the fastest GTD time in the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO he shares with Brendan Iribe. Schandorff’s best time was 1:46.068 (110.985 mph).
Ford Racing’s Mustangs ran 1-2 in GTD PRO, as Dennis Olsen clocked 1:46.250 in the No. 64 co-driven by Ben Barker. Verhagen was third at 1:46.315 (110.727 mph).
“The car is in a good window,” said Vervisch, whose co-driver is Christopher Mies. They rank fourth in the tight GTD PRO standings, 99 points behind De Phillippi and Verhagen.
“I feel fortunate we were able to test here, which is a big advantage,” he added. “It was much hotter when we tested, and the cooler temperatures are better for our car. The car feels good.”
A brief weather delay impacted Friday morning’s activity at VIR, but the sun broke through the clouds and afternoon temperatures peaked in the low 80s. Sunny skies and mid-80s are forecasted for Sunday’s two-hour, 40-minute race.
Tom Gamble guided the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo to the second quickest GTD class lap of the day – 1:46.181 (110.867 mph). The No. 27’s full-season driver, Dudu Barrichello, tops the GTD standings by just 24 points over two-time defending class champions Russell Ward and Philip Ellis in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3; the top four title contenders are separated by just 45 points.
Ward was fourth fastest on Friday in the Winward Mercedes, but Ellis downplayed the need to qualify at the front. He and Ward have won twice at VIR (2022 and ’25)
“Qualifying can get you good points for the championship, but it’s not as important here as it is at other places like Canada (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park),” Ellis remarked. “Last year we qualified second at VIR and I think by the end of the first lap, we were back to ninth or tenth place. But we were able to claw our way back and take the victory.”
The Saturday slate at VIR includes another 90-minute WeatherTech Championship practice plus qualifying, along with a full card of support races and activities.
The Michelin GT Challenge at VIR runs from 12:10-2:50 ET on Sunday, airing live, flag-to-flag on NBC at noon ET. Streaming coverage available on Peacock in the U.S. and via IMSA.TV or the official IMSA YouTube Channel for international viewers.