IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge: Brichacek and Workman Claim Race Victories at COTA
Circuit of The Americas, Austin, TX – October 14, 2023
In the opening race of Saturday’s IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge doubleheader, Wyatt Brichacek and Westin Workman capitalized on their pole positions, securing victory in their respective classes.
Brichacek, driving the #30 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS P325, achieved his first series win, leading a 1-2 finish for his team, surpassing teammate Titus Sherlock in the #95 Ligier. The race featured a series of incidents that triggered multiple safety car periods, but Brichacek maintained control, finishing ahead of Sherlock.
“It was really good. The team put together a great car,” Brichacek commented. “We just pulled away and managed the race.”
The 45-minute race was marked by a full-course caution after Jon Hirshberg crashed the #86 Forte Racing Ligier JS P320 at Turn 3. Further cautions ensued, including another incident involving Jeremy Siffert and Brian Thienes, both in Ligier JS P320s. The race concluded behind the safety car due to these incidents.
Brichacek’s victory also marked the first for the new Ligier JS P325 chassis in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. Óscar Tunjo finished third in the #1 Gebhardt Duqueine, maintaining his lead in the LMP3 class championship with 1,000 points, followed by Thienes at 820 points.
Workman took the win in the GSX class, driving the #8 RAFA Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2. After briefly losing the lead to Courtney Crone at the start, Workman reclaimed first position in Turn 13 and did not look back. He noted, “I always like races to end under green, but I’m grateful for a great car from RAFA Racing.”
Crone finished second in the #35 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 EVO, her best result of the season. Marc Austin secured third place in the #22 Mad Joker Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 and also claimed victory in the Bronze Cup class.
The second race of the doubleheader is slated to follow the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at 5:30 p.m. CT.
Race 1 Results:
- Wyatt Brichacek (#30 Ligier JS P325)
- Titus Sherlock (#95 Ligier JS P325)
- Óscar Tunjo (#1 Gebhardt Duqueine)
- Brian Thienes (#77 Ligier JS P320)
- Travis Hill (#2 Ligier JS P325, Bronze Cup Winner)
Images by IMSA.
