Pfaff Motorsports achieved an exciting victory at the Michelin GT Challenge held at Virginia International Raceway. Sandy Mitchell and Andrea Caldarelli showcased their superiority on the track with a stellar performance that allowed them to cross the finish line first, with an advantage of 1.517 seconds.
The drivers of the Lamborghini #9 started from pole position, thanks to Caldarelli, who handed the reins to Mitchell. This victory marks the second consecutive win for Caldarelli and his team. In the standings, second place went to Ben Barker and Dennis Olson from Ford Racing, while Christopher Mies and Frederic Vervisch finished in third.
The GTD Pro championship has become very tight. Paul Miller Racing, with Neil Verhagen and Connor De Phillippi, maintains a lead of just 23 points over the Corvette Racing drivers, Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner. Caldarelli and Mitchell, on the other hand, now find themselves 56 points behind the leaders.
The GTD class experienced moments of great intensity. Tom Gamble (Heart of Racing) and Philip Ellis (Winward Racing) collided in the closing moments, resulting in a drive-through penalty for Gamble. This allowed Ellis to achieve victory. Turner Motorsport, with Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, finished second, 6.413 seconds behind the winners.
With this victory, Winward Racing has achieved its third consecutive win and has taken the lead in the GTD championship, leaving Foley and Gallagher 36 points behind. Dudu Barrichello, who entered the competition as the championship leader with Heart of Racing, has dropped to third place with a 56-point deficit.
At the start of the race, Caldarelli immediately took command, but a major accident involving Alexander Sims on the first lap caused a yellow flag and halted the competition for several minutes. Sims and Harry King made contact, resulting in an impact that left Sims’ Corvette #3 damaged.
On the restart, with over two hours of racing left, Caldarelli again demonstrated his skill in the early meters. Throughout the stints, the drivers managed pit stop strategies and penalties, with constant position changes as the end of the race approached.
In the end, the competition was resolved in the final minutes, with Gamble and Ellis battling for the lead. Gamble was forced to serve a penalty just before crossing the finish line, securing victory for Ellis. Mitchell secured the win in GTD Pro and overall, completing an excellent weekend for Pfaff Motorsports.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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