Pratt & Miller Corvette wins in heated battle at VIR

Alexander Sims in the # 3 Z06 GT3.R Pratt & Miller Corvette held off Albert Costa in the # 81 team Dragonspeed Ferrari 296 GT3 to win the GTD PRO class and finish first overall at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday Aug 24.

The initial win adds to their slim lead in points vs the # 81 Ferrari with 2 long distance races at Indy in September and Road Atlanta in October that will decide the title.

The Ferrari was slightly faster, but Costa used up his tires to overtake Tommy Milner in the # 4 Z06 GT3.R Corvette, and fell short of passing Sims as the race wound down.

Tommy Milner held his own and finished 3rd while the tire situation, unbeknownst at the time, made the final 20 minutes tense to say the least.

The Paul Miller Racing Team BMWs that started up front either blew a turbo or got hung out by the pace car during a caution, paving the way for the # 3 & # 4 Corvettes that respectively started 4th & 5th.

Calling Antonio Garcia in the # 3 car to pit early was a gamble for track position that paid off as the race unfolded.

Alec Udell in the # 36 Z06 GT3.R DXDT Corvette also got hung out by the pace car after running as high as 2nd in GTD.  Robert Wickens ultimately finished 10th.

Orey Fidani in the # 13 Z06 GT3.R AWA Corvette did his best before handing over to the always quick Matt Bell who grabbed 8th in GTD on the final lap.

More importantly, they are in contention to win the Bob Akin award over the # 70 Inception Racing Team Ferrari 296 GT3 for an invite to Le Mans for the second year in a row.

A rare fire erupted when Danny Formal crashed the Wayne Taylor Racing # 45 Lambo Hurracan GT3 EVO2 on lap 61 of the 81 - lap race.  Reports indicate that Danny is OK.

Photo credits: Richard Prince, Jake Alstad