Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (Aug. 22, 2023) - WeatherTech Racing is headed to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Michelin GT Challenge to run at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), Aug. 25-27.
Daniel Juncadella (Spain) and Jules Gounon (France) lead the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup standings with 33. They are third in the GTD Pro Championship points heading into the ninth race of the season. VIR is a driver favorite for its fast and technical sections and is the last of the GT-only weekends.
The 3.2-mile, 17-turn, VIR track is an undulating road course with nearly every kind of turn. The WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Mercedes-Benz of Billings, Montana support received a slight performance break for this weekend. Gounon returns to the track located outside of Danville having raced there last year with Cooper MacNeil. Juncadella will be turning laps in the Virginia countryside for the first time.
“I drove there last year with Cooper,” Gounon said. “I love the track, especially the fast esses. We will get the WeatherTech Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 handling, and I will go through there with a smile on my face. We have a little more power for the race so let’s see what we can do. It is getting to the last races of the season so the pressure is on to perform and see where we can end up in the championship.”
Juncadella will get to experience VIR for the first time.
“VIR will be a new track for me,” Juncadella said. “I have heard some really cool things about it. I am excited to get my first laps there on Friday. We will walk the track and I have been studying video, so I’m excited. The circuit looks amazing in the virtual life. Hopefully we can get back up on the podium since we haven’t been there in a couple of races.”
The IMSA WeatherTech Michelin GT Challenge Weekend race will be televised live on USA and Peacock, starting at 2 p.m. ET, Sunday. Radio Le Mans will carry the full race at IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com, and SiriusXM Radio (XM 207, SiriusXM Web/App 992).