VP Racing Sportscar Challenge Championship's first race of 2024 | Daytona

The 2024 IMSA Season kicked off with a race from the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge at Daytona International Speedway on January 20th, 2024. 33 drivers competed in 2 classes for the first victory in 2024. People covering the infield in tents and campers ready to kick off an amazing 2024 IMSA Sportscar Season. 

The two classes competing were the P3 Class which raced LMP3 prototypes and the GSX Class which raced GT4 cars. 10 P3 entries raced in the event while the other 23 competitors were in the GSX class. 

Steven Aghakhani started on Pole in the P3 Class and for the overall event. In the GSX Class Michael Cooper started up front leading his cars to the green flag for the first race of the 2024 IMSA Season. A 45 minute race to decide a winner. 

The first lap was clean besides a few passes and only one car went off track. A spin from the #51 Rick Ware Racing Prototype driven by Cody Ware in the first turn. No contact involved with the spin. Ware would overcome the spin to finish third.

A few passes for the lead later and the #6 of Steven Aghakhani with MLT Motorsports took over the lead and led the overall standings for a small portion of the race. Aghakhani in the #6 prototype kept close contact with Alex Kirby after the #7 prototype took the lead for much of the race.

Around 5 minutes in the two separate classes had separated themselves on track by a fair margin leaving the P3 class pulling away from the GSX class. While the GSX class was falling behind, the racing action was not. A four car battle for the lead carried on through the track for what seemed to be half the race. This battle included the Porsche 718 of Michael Cooper, BMW M4 with Gregory Liefooghe behind the wheel, Mercedes AMG with Marc Miller, and another BMW M4 with Patrick Wilmot. These four drivers and cars traded positions all through the 45 minute race.

Meanwhile, while GSX was figuring out who was and wasn’t going to lead their class, the #7 of Alex Kriby and Performance Tech Motorsports had pulled away from the #6 of Aghakhani by almost two seconds before Aghakhani finally started to close back in on the leader. 

A fifth car entered the GSX lead battle. This car being the Ford Mustang driven by Luca Mars. Mars started in the last position after not qualifying the car at all. He had driven up through the field and caught the leaders. While the Mustang was slower in the infield portion of the track, the fast parts of the racetrack, on the banking, is where he was fast.

Aghakhani closed in on Kirby and stayed behind him learning his racing patterns. Keeping a distance of around half a second between the two. Lap after lap, guiding themselves through the GSX traffic.

The #26 BMW M4 of Christopher Tasca and Auto Technic Racing started pouring smoke from behind the car on the back straightaway. They were officially out of the race, only 16 minutes in. This did not cause any race traffic to be affected. No caution for the smoke out of the #26.

After battling through GSX traffic, and following the leader, Aghakhani steps to the side of race leader Alex Kirby. Kirby was able to hold onto the lead after a small attempt for position change by the #6

Shortly after the pass attempt the P3 class leaders, Kirby and Aghakhani, passed all cars of the GSX class to put them all a lap down.

A full course caution nearing the end of the race changed the course of it completely. Two cars having trouble, the #22 GSX of Robbie McWilliams in his Aston Martin Vantage for Archangel Motorsports, and the #23 P3 of Miguel Villagomez for Escuderia ABRO. McWilliams had hit the wall on the backstretch and could not get his car going. IMSA was reluctant to throw a full course caution for this incident but needed to get his car off the track. Villagomez was slow on the track, went to pit road for repairs, and once the team thought they had the car in running condition again, they sent the #23 back out on track. However, the Escuderia ABRO prototype stalled and stopped exiting the pits and had to be towed off the track. Two cars out of the race. Causing the field to get closer together for a sprint to the finish. 

The P3 cars started up front, and the GSX cars behind the prototypes for the restart of the race with less than 6 minutes left in the race. A little controversial start in the P3 class, but the #7 of Alex Kirby takes the lead in P3 and the #43 of Gregory Liefooghe led the GSX class over the #37 of Marc Miller.

With two laps to go, Aghakhani took the lead from Alex Kirby. Contact made between the two after Kriby misses the apex in turn 1 and drifts up the track. Aghakhani takes advantage of the mistake, turns inside of Kirby, and Kirby comes back to the racing line. Aghakhani tries turning down into the first corner of the esses and contact is made where Kirby has to roll out of the throttle and give up the lead to the #6 of Aghakhani.

Final lap of the race, the P3 class leader, pulling away from second place Alex Kirby. In the GSX class, two cars are getting closer and closer together. The BMW M4 of Gregory Liefooghe and the Ford Mustang of Luca Mars. Mars started last, now battling for the class lead in GSX on the final lap.

P3 finishes with Steven Aghakhani and MLT Motorsports taking home the first victory of the 2024 season over second place Alex Kirby and third place, Cody Ware. 

GSX had a slightly more exciting finish. Mars, following Liefooghe through the infield and around the banked corners of NASCAR turns one and two. The two drivers enter the Le Mans chicane with a small gap in between. The #59 Ford Mustang driven by Luca Mars follows in the direct path Liefooghe. Mars got a draft and onto the front straight pulls alongside the #43 BMW. Side by side across the start finish line, Mars with a nose out front takes the GSX trophy away from Liefooghe, not only on the last lap, but after the last corner as well. 

A great way to start the 2024 IMSA Sportscar Championship in Daytona. The next race in the VP Sportscar Challenge will be on January 21st, 2024 at Daytona International Speedway.

Find full results here at results.imsa.com.