Caranta, Workman Double Up to Conclude VP Racing Challenge Season

IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta: Race Summary

Road Atlanta, GA—The IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge concluded its final sprint race before transitioning to an endurance format in 2027, delivering an intense 45-minute race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday morning.

Race Highlights:

• Jules Caranta and Westin Workman each secured weekend sweeps, demonstrating impressive skill despite already having clinched their respective championships in the previous day’s races.

LMP3 Category:
Caranta, piloting the #18 Forbush Performance Duqueine D09, started from pole and faced formidable competition from seasoned champion Óscar Tunjo, who drove the #1 Gebhardt Motorsport USA Duqueine. After a late-race restart, Caranta extended his lead to finish 2.031 seconds ahead of Tunjo, with Danny Soufi rounding out the podium in third place with the #11 Pinaxis-Zone 4 Racing Duqueine.

Caranta reflected on his triumph, stating, “It was an amazing weekend. I’m super happy to win both races. I hope to come back more in the U.S. next season.” Tunjo acknowledged his team’s achievements, noting, “Two championships in a row for the team… we fought until the end for the win.”

The Bronze Cup battle in LMP3 concluded dramatically. Travis Hill (#2 Shopify Racing Ligier JS P325) led Brian Thienes (#77 Forte Racing Ligier) by just 30 points heading into the final minutes. A late caution altered their fates; Hill managed to secure a fourth-place finish and his seventh Bronze Cup win of the year, ensuring his title with a pivotal 60-point swing in positions.

Hill remarked, “I hoped for a bobble on the concrete… but Brian’s been a heck of a competitor all year. He ran it clean.” Thienes added, “I tried to push as hard as I could… but he did a great job.”

GSX Category:
Westin Workman continued his dominance in the GSX division, claiming his 11th victory of the season in the #8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, finishing 9.424 seconds ahead of Courtney Crone (#35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO). Workman noted the challenges of the cooler, misty conditions, remarking, “I set different goals for myself… it’s been a great season.”

Adding to the accolades, Angus Rogers captured the GSX Bronze Cup win in his #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport, marking a successful return to IMSA. “I had a great race today… it was fun to come back and finish with a win,” said Rogers.

Looking Ahead:
The new-look IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will kick off its endurance format with a two-hour race at Sebring International Raceway from February 26-28, 2027.

Results:

• LMP3:

  1. Jules Caranta (Forbush Performance Duqueine)
  2. Óscar Tunjo (Gebhardt Motorsport USA Duqueine)
  3. Danny Soufi (Pinaxis-Zone 4 Racing Duqueine)

• GSX:

  1. Westin Workman (RAFA Racing Toyota)
  2. Courtney Crone (CarBahn Motorsports BMW)
  3. Angus Rogers (KMW Motorsports Porsche)

Conclusion

With the sprint format concluded, attention now turns to the upcoming endurance races, where teams will adapt to a new set of challenges in pursuit of the championship title.