Samantha Tan Racing secured two podiums at round four of this year’s GT World Challenge America to extend its lead in the PRO/AM Teams’ and Drivers’ standings.

 

Team co-owner Samantha Tan and BMW factory driver Neil Verhagen took their seventh and eighth consecutive PRO/AM podiums of the 2024 season at the Virginia International Raceway, and have now increased their lead in the category’s Teams’ and Drivers’ standings to 52 points. In an amazingly consistent campaign thus far, the #38 BMW has yet to finish a race off the PRO/AM podium in 2024.

 

Despite the demonstrative pace of Neil and Samantha, as well as that of the BMW M4 GT3, the weekend was not all plain sailing for the Canadian team. An on-track brush in race one meant the #38 BMW ultimately fell less than half-a-second short of PRO-AM victory in race one. An unfortunately-timed full course caution in race one, ended up denying the sister #28 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Varun Choksey and BMW M Motorsport legend Bill Auberlen, two richly-deserved overall podiums.

 

Despite the frustrations, ST Racing remains confident that both of its M4 GT3s will remain crucial players in the PRO/AM and PRO championship fights across the three remaining GTWC America rounds of 2024.

 

Samantha Tan, team co-owner / driver #38): “Getting a little 2023 deja-vu with back to back P2s at VIR again this year! It was a challenging weekend for us with the changing conditions from session to session. We struggled to find our sweet spot with the setup, but maximized what we could. With constant engineering progress, we had a fighting chance for the win in both races. Frustratingly, a rare number of ill-timed full course yellows prevented us from capitalizing on our pace, flawless pit stops, and competitive strategy. Our car was also involved in an incident during race one, and I speak for everyone at STR when I say we were incredibly relieved when we saw Robby Foley emerge unscathed.

 

Altogether, we were still able to gain valuable points this weekend and extend our championship lead. I can’t wait for Road America, and we will work hard in the meantime so we can stand on the top step again!”

 

Kenneth Tan, team co-owner: “The race weekend was tough, made more difficult by variable weather conditions and a heavy handed BoP change for the BMWs. The team persevered to somehow find a way to still be front runners both in the Pro-Am and Pro classes. 

 

In race one, I’m just glad that Robby Foley was fine after that horrible crash for the #29 Turner BMW. We hope to never see that happen again. Fortunately, given all the yellow flags, the drive through penalty was minimized and allowed us to finish P2 for Race 1. Sunday’s race was slightly better but still tough with our car 28 being given a drive through penalty. With the two drive through penalties this weekend I expect none on our next race. Overall, a good points haul for car 38 and a big improvement in car 28’s competitiveness, which should set us up for a good race weekend at Road America.”

 

Fast starts from both Bill (#28) and Samantha (#38) saw both ST Racing BMWs make up positions on the opening lap of the first 90-minute race of the weekend, with Bill slotting into 2nd overall at turn one and Samantha scything into 7th (also 2nd in-class) shortly thereafter. While still exerting pressure on their rivals ahead, both ST Racing BMWs held their positions through to the mandatory mid-race pit stops.

 

Though Neil, now aboard the #38 BMW, was able to rejoin the race in 7th, an unfortunately-timed full-course caution just before its pit stop ended up dropping the #28 from 2nd overall to 8th, and out of the PRO lead. A suspected loose right rear wheel brought Varun, now in the #28 hot seat, back onto pitroad shortly afterwards for a precautionary check.

 

Unluckily, Varun’s day ended early while the GT racing up-and-comer was battling for 6th. A spin for the Regulator Racing Mercedes heading into turn four caused the pursuing DXDT Racing to check up under braking, and left with nowhere to go, Varun’s front left wheel inadvertently made contact with the Corvette.

 

To safeguard the car for Sunday’s race, the #28 BMW M4 GT3 was retired soon afterwards.

 

A fighting drive for Neil (#38) meanwhile was only just beginning. Close-quarters driving against Turner Motorsport’s Robby Foley unfortunately led to the #29 BMW hitting the barriers at turn three, resulting in the stewards handing the #38 a drive-through penalty. Though this dropped ST Racing out of the PRO/AM lead, Verhagen recovered to 6th overall and 2nd in PRO/AM.

 

A stunning fightback across the closing 15 minutes saw Neil pass two lapped cars and fall just four-tenths short of the class win. A fitting result for the native Connecticuter, one year on from his ST Racing debut at the same event.

 

Neil Verhagen, driver (#38): “Returning to VIR with STR since my 2023 debut with the team was a special feeling. We entered the weekend with positive attitudes, eager to return to racing after a short summer break. 

 

Like last year, we managed to secure podium finishes in both races. However, beneath the surface, this weekend proved to be challenging for us as a team. The constantly changing track conditions made it difficult to find the perfect setup for the car. Despite the crew and engineering making big progress through the event, we were on the back foot for what felt like the first time this year. Incredible strategy, pit stops and a bit of luck kept us competitive while Sam and I tried to maximize our focus and minimize mistakes. In race one, we had a strong chance to win but made unfortunate contact with the #29 Turner BMW while battling hard for the lead of the race. These scary moments are thankfully a rare but real part of racing when two cars try to occupy the same space at the same time. Thankfully and most importantly, Robby walked away from the incident unharmed. We finished race one in P2. 

 

On Sunday, race two was equally as challenging as the track temperatures rose even higher. Phenomenal driving by Samantha during the second stint in what was clearly the slower car in the battle is what made all the difference. She made passes when it counted and then withstood intense pressure from the Corvette and #29 BMW for her entire stint to bring it home in P2 again. We obtained good points at VIR and have extended our championship lead. I'm looking forward to getting back to work soon at Road America!”

 

Despite the increased heat on Sunday afternoon, ST Racing continued its strategic approach to race two, with Neil (#38) and Varun (#28) retaining 5th and 9th respectively on the opening lap and running in formation for most of the opening half of race two.

 

Another mid-race full-course caution meant almost all of the field pitted at the same time, with Samantha (#38) and fellow BMW M Motorsport brand ambassador Bill (#28) emerging in 6th and 8th overall respectively after meticulous pit work.

 

The enormously-experienced Bill was soon on a charge when the track went green once again, moving up to 4th overall with a brave three-wide pass for position on VIR’s famous back straight. This soon became 3rd following a side-by-side collision between two of his rivals up ahead. Heading into the closing stages, the fight for 3rd overall and 2nd in the PRO class came down to ST Racing and PRO standings leader #120 Porsche of Wright Motorsports.

 

An opportunity for Bill to pass arose at turn one with just eight minutes of the race remaining, only for the door to close at the last moment. Handed a drive-through penalty for the collision, Bill and Varun were sadly denied an overall podium at VIR.

 

Despite the frustrations, the #28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT3 is still 2nd in the PRO Teams’ title chase, and is still well within striking range of the standings leader.

 

Bill Auberlen, driver (#28): “I think I officially went to character building school at the race in Virginia. The STR team worked hard to give us an amazing BMW M4 GT3, so much so that we qualified P2. Immediately, we jumped into the lead and pulled away from the championship leading #120 Porsche. All was going great. Until it wasn’t! A poorly timed yellow flag ruined our race. In race two, we carved our way through the field to get to the front where we battled 1-2-3, nose to tail for the lead, until contact with the #120 car meant that I had to serve a drive through penalty. Apologies to the #120 team who have been the benchmark all season long. Now, we pack it up and get ready for Road America, which I love by the way. I hope to see you all there!”

 

Samantha Tan withstood enormous pressure in the closing stages to bring the sister #38 BMW home 2nd in PRO/AM and secure a second successive 6th overall at VIR.

 

Samantha Tan Racing continues its GT World Challenge America campaign with round five at Road America on 16-18 August. A happy hunting ground for the team, ST Racing took its first overall win in the GTWC America last year at Elkhart Lake.

 

Toronto, Ontario – Michael Andretti’s raised right arm said it all following the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place, and the team owner could have raised two.

 

One for Colton Herta, another for Kyle Kirkwood.

 

The two drivers gave Andretti Global a win for the first time since last year’s rebranding and its first 1-2 finish in a race since Kirkwood and Romain Grosjean delivered in 2023 at Long Beach.

 

Herta ended a 40-race winless drought by scoring his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race in 799 days, and an Andretti car won this event for the ninth time. Andretti won seven times as a driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay went to victory lane for Andretti’s team in 2012.

 

“We needed this so bad,” Andretti said after the race. “We’ve been competitive all year but we just haven’t been able to get the final result.

 

“It was a big day.”

 

Herta effectively led from start to finish, relinquishing the lead only twice to pit. Officially, he paced 81 of the 85 laps, with Kirkwood following him throughout, including on the stops.

 

For the weekend, Herta had the fastest lap in all three practices, won the NTT P1 Award and then he won the race, a feat that is mind-boggling if not unprecedented. It’s believed no driver in the sport’s history has so dominated an event weekend. Herta now has eight career wins.

 

“We’ve been knocking on the door to win for so long,” Herta said. “Forty-one starts without a win is a long time, and it’s been disappointing for us. I think we’re a team – Michael is the owner -- that demands perfection … (I’m) so happy. The Gainbridge Honda was so fast.”

 

The separation between Herta and Kirkwood at the finish line was .3469 of a second, but the driver of the No. 27 AutoNation Honda said he was less concerned with passing Herta than keeping third-place Scott Dixon at bay.

 

“Putting us at risk was just not the move today,” Kirkwood said of the team’s approach. “I played a little bit more defense as you probably noticed over the (late) restarts. Super happy with second place. (Finishing 1-2) was the goal today.”

 

Kirkwood said Herta earning the pole on Saturday made him “deserving” of the race win.

 

Dixon finished third to tie Mario Andretti for the most top-three finishes in series history. Each has 141.

 

Behind those three was something of a mess, including stoppage for a multi-car accident in Turn 1 on Lap 73.

 

Pato O’Ward was running sixth when he spun his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet halfway around. At that point, there wasn’t much damage to his car, but there soon was. Worse, he was facing traffic and could see oncoming traffic at speed.

 

Marcus Ericsson veered his No. 27 Delaware Life Honda into O’Ward’s car on the left side of the track, but that wasn’t the end of it. Pietro Fittipaldi was the fifth car in line after Ericsson’s contact, and he struck O’Ward’s car with enough force to lift his off the ground. Santino Ferrucci was trailing Fittipaldi, and his No. 14 AJ FOYT RACING/SEXTON PROPERTIES Chevrolet launched, hitting the fence with the bottom of the car before landing on the track upside down.

 

Rookie Nolan Siegel and his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet followed Ferrucci into the crash site, and his car struck O’Ward’s as well. Rookie Toby Sowery then hit Siegel with his No. 51 Global Kartin League/Vuzix Honda of Dale Coyne Racing. Fortunately, no one was injured.

 

Just prior to the accident, rookie Kyffin Simpson hit the Turn 8 wall with his No. 4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as Alexander Rossi did in Friday’s practice. Whereas Rossi broke his right thumb, Simpson was not injured.

 

Minutes before that, Felix Rosenqvist overshot Turn 3 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing and drove into the escape area. Ericsson similarly had to take evasive action.

 

Rookie Theo Pourchaire, who was standing in for Rossi in the No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, had contact with fellow rookie Linus Lundqvist (No. 8 The American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda).

 

If that wasn’t enough, Team Penske had a disastrous lap with nine laps remaining. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet) bumped Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Team Penske Chevrolet) into the Turn 5 wall, leading to a penalty and sarcastic applause from McLaughlin as he waited for his teammate to come back around. They were racing for fourth place.

 

If that wasn’t bad enough for Team Penske, Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet) suffered a cut tire in the sequence and was forced to pit. Whereas the team had three cars in the top seven at the time, they finished 11th, 12th and 16th as Newgarden later overshot Turn 3.

 

All three Penske drivers, plus O’Ward, have had designs on overtaking Palou for the series championship, but those hopes too a big hit as Palou drove from the 18th starting position to finish fourth. Palou extended his series lead over Power to 49 points. Dixon is third, 53 points out. Herta moved to fourth, 57 points behind Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda).

 

The series will take three weekends off as the Paris Olympics are held. The 13th race of the 17-race season will be the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 17.

 

The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto saw Canadian series and drivers in action through the three-day event.

Here’s a recap on the results.

 

Radical Cup North America featured a large field in Toronto for three races over the course of the weekend, part of it included the Radical Cup Canada contingent.

 

The first race of the weekend on Friday saw a win for Kenny Riedmann, with Travis Hill runner-up and Owen Clarke in the 1340 class with Tim Sanderson winning in Masters ahead of Robert Burgess and Liang Qui.

 

The second event saw a Riedmann repeat, with Brady Clapham second and Hill in third in 1340. Masters saw back-to-back victories for Sanderson with Burgess and Jon Sobol rounding out the podium.

 

Riedmann completed the weekend sweep in race three for 1340, with Hill in second and Chris Styles in third. A chaotic opening lap left the Masters class wide open, and Burgess was the one to capitalize, taking the win ahead of Daniel Earle and Qui. 

 

It was an action-packed weekend for the Sports Car Championship Canada Series.

 

Coming off a strong debut in VP Challenge the previous weekend, Jack Polito took pole ahead of Justin DiBenedetto and Cayden Goodridge in GT4, Anthony Martella starting in the top spot ahead of Tom Kwok and Ron Tomlinson and Robert Cipriani-Detres would lead the TCA class to green ahead of Eric Kunz and Peter Hanson.

 

Race one saw a great run at the head of the field end with the #4 Porsche in the wall.

 

Polito took the win after a titantic battle for DiBenedetto for most of the race. Richard Boake took victory in TCR with Cipriani-Detres taking it home from pole position.

 

The second race of the weekend was punctuated by Polito doubling up ahead of Jared Odrick and Goodridge in GT4. Martella denied the sweep from Boake with Tomlinson rounding out the podium in TCR. Cipriani-Detres took home TCA top honours ahead of Kunz and Hanson.

 

Mac Clark was the lone Canadian in the field for USF Pro 2000 and he quietly had himself a rather consistent weekend.

 

It started off with P7 in practice before qualifying in the same position for the first race of the weekend. The 20 year-old would go on to finished sixth.

 

Clark would have a tougher qualifying for race two, landing in 10th, but would keep himself out of trouble and come home one spot shy of a podium in fourth place.

 

Getting into the motorsports world is difficult for talented young Canadian drivers, but there is an organization looking to help change that.

 

The Journie Driving Academy was created in partnership with Journie Rewards, their parent company Parkland, and Chip Ganassi Racing, with the goal of making motorsports more accessible and affordable for racers in the country.

 

Drivers will receive support that will be beneficial to them both on and off the track.

 

They’ll receive a helmet and fire suit, as well as financial support from Journie and Parkland to aid them throughout their karting career.

 

 On top of that, they will have access to mentorship opportunities from the Chip Ganassi Racing’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES team, including young star driver Kyffin Simpson.

 

“I think it's a little bit weird to be calling me a mentor at 19 years-old to be fair,” he said when speaking with RaceCanada on the matter. “But I think Chip Ganassi Racing has done a great job of supporting me and helping me become the driver I am today, and now being able to pass that on is an honor.”

 

The first entrants to the driving academy are three fast Canadians that are trying to make waves in the karting scene.

 

Sloan Sterling of Ontario Pro Racing is entering year two as a Briggs Jr. driver. She has displayed incredible commitment and enthusiasm, and her strides in development have been nothing short of remarkable.

 

A third-place finish in the Jr. Briggs Championship at MIKA has given her more momentum to build off of, and when asked about dreams and goals for her career, she said she didn’t have “a specific place” and was just looking for more speed and to be the fastest.

 

Marley Chaudhary of Kevin Glover Racing is in his third season of karting. He’s quick with tons of natural ability, and a level of hard work and dedication not seen from most in his age group.

 

The awarding of a spot in the Driver Academy is big for him and his family, as it allows him the tools and resources for him to pursue his dream and goal of getting to Formula 1.

 

Nigel Longley of Prime Powerteam has one year of experience behind him and has secured multiple podiums in the Briggs Jr. category. His mother and grandfather work as his mechanics and are big supporters of his dreams to race in IMSA.

 

The financial support from the Journie Driving Academy removes that burden from them, allowing for the focus to go back to what really matters.

 

These three are just the start of the impact that Journie Rewards and their driver academy hope to have on the Canadian motorsports landscape.