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Bijoy Garg picked the perfect time to stage the perfect weekend in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.
The 21-year-old Californian won the second race of the day in the multi-class sprint series on Saturday afternoon to complete an impressive sweep that included pole position for both 45-minute races. The two wins unofficially propelled Garg into the points championship of the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) class 10 points clear with two rounds and four races remaining.
At the controls of the #3 Ligier JS P320 Jr III Racing, Garg led every lap in both races. His margin of victory in Saturday’s final was 4.021 seconds over Dan Goldburg, the #73 JDC MotorSports Duqueine D08 driver and LMP3 points leader heading into the weekend.
“It’s incredible !” Garg said after earning his fourth win of the season and second sweep of the weekend after Sebring International Raceway in March. “Two against two today, big margin of victory in both races. I’m really happy with that and we’re back to the top of the points. I think we have the speed for the rest of the year, so it’s time to go for the championship.
Courtney Crone (#99 Forty7 Motorsports Duqueine) made a bold pass to Dennis Dupont (#18 Muehlner Motorsports America Duqueine) with 20 minutes to go to take third place and held less than half a second to the finish line to secure his third podium of the season.
Jake Galstad/IMSA
GSX class sees Dubets complete sweep on series debut
John “JCD” Dubets, competing in the GSX class for GT4 spec cars, raced his own weekend in the #26 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82). Like Garg in LMP3, Dubets started from class pole both times on Saturday and led every race lap for the New Milford, Connecticut-based team.
Co-champion 2022 in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America ProAm class, Dubets was delighted with the results of his VP Racing Challenge debut.
“This is the day you dream of, isn’t it?” he said. “I think we have a record, a pole and two wins, and it’s (the team’s) home track, so it’s a very special day. I know my team is very proud and I’m honored to be part of the program. They did the work and it turned out to be on the right track. It was an absolute blast to be in that thing up front. It’s a real rocket.
Dubets’ teammate Jake Walker finished second for the second time on Saturday in the No. 24 BMW. Auto Technic Racing took five of six podium places in both races, with Dubets citing “perfect execution by everyone involved” to get there.
“I feel like we were in sync,” he said. “Everything was in rhythm, the team was driving, there was all the positive energy, I never felt stressed. I think the results were a reflection of the energy the side had.
Francis Selldorff finished third driving the #95 Turner Motorsport BMW. Coupled with his fourth-place finish in the morning race, Selldorff took control of the GSX standings, unofficially 90 points ahead of Sebastian Carazo in the No.27 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport.
The VP Racing Challenge returns August 25-27 at VIRginia International Raceway.
RESULTS