French Teenager Breaks Through for Forbush Performance and Duqueine in First Sprint Start
By Tony DiZinno
Unofficial Results
Watch Race 1
BRASELTON, Ga. – As they entered the weekend hoping to do, Oscar Tunjo and Westin Workman wrapped up their respective IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge class championships a race early in the first of two 45-minute sprint races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Workman continued his race-winning ways, too, in Grand Sport X (GSX), as he reached double digits for victories with his 10th win in 11 races this season. Meanwhile, Tunjo settled for second in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), behind first-time polesitter and race winner Jules Caranta.
Caranta, in his No. 18 Forbush Performance Duqueine D09, impressed in two previous IMSA Airbnb Endurance Challenge starts with co-driver and team principal Matt Forbush. The French teenager, part of Duqueine’s academy, set the fastest race lap on debut at Circuit of The Americas and then was on the overall podium in his second start at Road America.
Michelin Raceway marked an opportunity to make his first sprint start, and Caranta took full advantage. He took the pole position over the pair of Gebhardt Motorsport teammates and paced the race first over Danny Soufi in his No. 11 PINAXIS-ZONE 4 Racing Duqueine D09, then Tunjo in his No. 1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Inc. Duqueine D09.
Soufi’s last-ditch title hopes bowed out when his car slowed with 24 minutes remaining in the 45-minute timed sprint race, which brought out the race’s only full-course caution and ensured Tunjo was clear ahead of enough cars to wrap the title one race early.
Caranta, pacing the field on a restart with 18 minutes left, proceeded to gap the champion-elect by a final margin of victory of 11.781 seconds over Tunjo.
“He’s a special kid,” Forbush said.
Caranta called Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta his favorite U.S. circuit after practice and qualifying and delivered on the weekend promise in Thursday’s first race.
“We had an amazing car from Forbush and Duqueine,” Caranta said. “Thanks to everyone and to my parents. I’m just grateful to get race one, won. It was a dream to race in America, and now I’m winning in America!
“The flow of the track, the esses after (Turns) 1 and 2 is amazing. It’s a magical track and to be here on Petit Le Mans weekend is so special. I watched this race as a kid on TV, and now I’m here, and winning.”
Tunjo’s title was an inadvertent encore of Valentino Catalano’s title clinch at the track last year. In Thursday’s Race 1 in 2025, Tunjo won while Catalano finished second to wrap the championship. Today, Tunjo mirrored that by finishing second himself to Caranta.
“First of all, super happy,” Tunjo said. “It’s an important title for my career. It means so much for us, and I’m super proud of the team.
“It’s been a bit of a tough weekend for me because we have a new car (after Road America) and we don’t know this car as well. Sad that Danny couldn’t finish the race – he had the podium.”
Travis Hill finished third overall and first in the P3 Bronze Cup in his No. 2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325, ensuring he now has a 30-point lead over Brian Thienes (No. 77 Forte Racing Ligier JS P325) heading to Friday morning’s season finale.
Workman, meanwhile, enjoyed a banner couple-hour period Thursday afternoon starting off-track and ending on-track.
Named as IMSA’s latest 3D Scholarship recipient during IMSA’s annual State of the Sport presentation during the lunch hour, Workman was already in gear and ready to race aboard his No. 8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 to immediately jet from the presentation to pre-grid.
Once on grid, and from his 11th consecutive pole position to start the year, Workman banked an initial gap of more than 10 seconds prior to the full-course caution and then built it back to 21.842 seconds after the restart. Workman reflected on the whirlwind morning in victory lane.
“Words can’t explain how thankful I am for this team, this scholarship, this win, this championship,” Workman said. “It so helps to have a great family behind me. I woke up this morning so grateful to be here.”
Courtney Crone was second in the No. 35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO, while Jon Brel won the GSX Bronze Cup and finished third among all GSX runners in his No. 81 Kingpin Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. That win positions Brel unofficially 160 points clear of his closest rival, Rafa Martinez in the No. 68 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.
Friday’s season finale is the last scheduled sprint race for VP Racing Challenge before it expands to a full endurance format in 2027. It goes green in the morning, Oct. 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET. The race streams live via Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel.