Dang an LMP3 car showed up and didn't win. That is a FAST mustang.
I'm going to need more pics of the Ligier.
Congrats to everyone that went. Hopefully next year for me.
Photography credit: Ken Neher
VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, ALTON, Va. (July 31, 2020)—Fast, faster, fastest. Forty-four of the country’s fastest track cars descended upon Virginia International Raceway July 31 for the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge. After a full day of shedding blood, sweat and perhaps a few tears, Brian Faessler took top honors in his turbocharged Ford Mustang GT350R. His top lap time of 1:47.507 would have put him near the top of the IMSA GTD field.
The Knockout Finals presented by Aeromotive Inc., a post-event, winner-takes-all race featuring the event’s top cars, was won by Clayton Eley in a Ligier JS P3, an LMP3-class prototype racer powered by a Nissan V8 engine.
Clayton Eley's Ligier JS P3 won the trophy for UTCC Knockout Champion presented by Aeromotive Inc.
Other standouts included Ferrari 458 Challenge driver Sandro Espinosa, who won a $1000 Tire Rack gift certificate for posting the top time on DOT-approved tires, and Dodge Viper ACR pilot Gary Wimble, who claimed another Tire Rack prize for recording the event’s fastest times on 200-treadwear tires.
Sandro Espinosa's Ferrari 458 won the trophy for Fastest Car on DOT-Approved Tires; the prize was a $1000 Tire Rack gift certificate.
Gary Wimble's Dodge Viper ACR won the trophies for Fastest Car on 200-Treadwear Tires ($1000 Tire Rack gift certificate) and Fastest Rear-Wheel-Drive Car on 200-Treadwear Tires.
The Ultimate Track Car Challenge is an annual competition held by Grassroots Motorsports for the sole purpose of finding America’s fastest track cars. Anyone can join with any type of car. The event has been hosted at VIR for the last 14 years.
Grassroots Motorsports magazine is celebrating 35-plus years of publication. To enjoy full coverage of the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge and many more events, subscribe to Grassroots Motorsports magazine today. Complete UTCC coverage, plus race results, will highlight the November issue.
The 2020 Grassroots Motorsports Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge is presented by Tire Rack in association with Wilwood Disc Brakes, with trophies from BimmerWorld, Falken Tire, Hoosier Tire, SPA Technique, Aeromotive and Mach V Motorsports.
The Mid Atlantic Region of the National Auto Sport Association, run by Chris Cobetto, sanctions the event. NASA has been the market leader for amateur road racing in the region for many years.
For more information and results, visit the official event website: ultimatetrackcar.com.
Ed Bernard's Subaru WRX STI won the trophies for Fastest All-Wheel-Drive Car (Open Tire); Fastest All-Wheel-Drive Car on 200-Treadwear Tires; Fastest on Falkens presented by Falken Tire; and Fastest Subaru presented by Mach V Motorsports.
Charles Harding's BMW M3 won the trophy for Fastest BMW presented by BimmerWorld.
Vinnie Lima's Audi RS3 LMS won the trophy for Fastest Front-Wheel-Drive Car (Open Tire).
Reg Williams's Porsche GT3 R won the trophy for Fastest Production Car.
Max Gourley's Subaru WRX STI won the Safety Setup Award presented by SPA Technique.
Dang an LMP3 car showed up and didn't win. That is a FAST mustang.
I'm going to need more pics of the Ligier.
Congrats to everyone that went. Hopefully next year for me.
In reply to nocones :
You can buy a $500,000 racecar, but you can't buy talent! J/k that mustang is a beast!
Love what those guys (Paul's Automotive Engineering) do with turbos--their '65 Mustang is quite the inspiration. I've got the GM article bookmarked . . .
The Mustang was fastest overall?! Damn, Sam. Just don't let him take that thing to a Cars and Coffee.
Congratulations to the Faesslers from the rest of Cincinnati land.
I know there's some science in the mustang that the Faesslers may not want to share but.....any chance we can get a tech article on what it took to make an S550 GTD fast?
I believe a story on that Mustang is already in the works!
Fun day. Nice to see you guys again as always!
Thanks for letting me drive the photo-truck! It was a dream come true.
How is a Porsche GT3 R a "Production Car"?
Yeah, it's factory-built...but it's a factory-built race car. Like most GT3/GT4/TCR cars these days. Not capable of being licensed for street use. What am I missing?
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