Jeroen Bleekemolen Tag

By IMSA Wire Service DANVILLE, Va. — It was finally Mercedes-AMG’s turn atop the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship podium in 2019 and on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway. The No. 33 Riley Motorsports – Team AMG Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Jeroen Bleekemolen and Ben Keating scored their first victory – and podium – of the season in the GT Daytona (GTD) at the 3.27-mile circuit in Alton, Virginia. In fact, it was the first podium of the season for the manufacturer in GTD and the first win for Bleekemolen and KeatingRead More

By IMSA Wire Service Texas car dealer Ben Keating and his team have shown prowess in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance races over the past several years. Keating and his longtime full-season co-driver Jeroen Bleekemolen won both the 2017 and 2018 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. In fact, Keating’s overall performance in the 2018 WeatherTech Championship earned him the Bob Akin Award as the top sportsman driver in the GTD class, which comes with an automatic invitation from IMSA to the following year’s 24 HoursRead More

By Christopher DeHarde, Staff Writer The 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona was red flagged due to a driving rainstorm, pardon the pun. The rain came down a couple of hours before sunrise and has not relented, resulting in some cars sliding off track and the No. 4 Corvette hitting the tires hard at Turn 1. After spending over an hour under a yellow flag, IMSA decided just before the 17 hour mark to throw the red flag. The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi is leading with Fernando Alonso behindRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Tuesday’s Michelin on-track opportunity at Daytona International Speedway included a total of 38 race cars from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and IMSA Prototype Challenge series. On-track activity began at 8 a.m. ET and continues through 8 p.m. The sessions are closed to the public. A total of 18 WeatherTech Championship cars participated, with two Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars, one LMP2, two GT Le Mans (GTLM) and 13 GT Daytona (GTD) machines. Jordan Taylor was the loneRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – There’s plenty of intrigue in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class heading into Saturday’s Motul Petit Le Mans, with championships on the line and the usual complement of additional drivers and teams joining the fray for the 10-hour season finale. The 21st Motul Petit Le Mans takes the green flag shortly after 11 a.m. ET on Saturday. Live television coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, with continuing coverage on FS2 from 12 p.m. ET through the checkeredRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Heading into the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta – the season finale for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – this is the last in a three-part series in which the primary championship contenders in each of the three classes are compared. Today, we’ll take a look at the Lamborghini vs. Acura battle for the GT Daytona (GTD) title: No. 48 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Bryan Sellers/Madison Snow Engine: 5.2-liter, normally aspirated V10 (mid-engine) Points: 303 – 1stRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on Oct. 13 marks the end of an era as it wraps up Continental Tire’s current run as the exclusive tire for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. IMSA’s partnership with Continental Tire dates to 2010 as the official tire and title sponsor of the then-GRAND-AM Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. In 2011, Continental became the exclusive tire of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, and the partnership continued whenRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DANVILLE, Va. – Garcia Gets VIR Three-peat Effort Off to Solid Start by Leading Friday Practice at VIR Antonio Garcia was at it again on Friday at VIRginia International Raceway. After winning the Michelin GT Challenge each of the past two years with No. 3 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R co-driver Jan Magnussen, Garcia posted the fastest time in Friday practice for the two-hour, 40-minute race on Sunday. Garcia’s best time – which came in the second of the day’s two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practiceRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was an action-packed two hours and 40 minutes of racing at Road America in Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase with all the drama and plot twists of a summer blockbuster. Especially in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Prototype class, the strategic battle came right down to the end as the No. 54 CORE autosport team of Colin Braun and Jon Bennett emerged victorious for the second time in a row, while the Ford Chip Ganassi train kept a rollin’ inRead More

By IMSA Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – This past weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans featured a host of IMSA competitors, including a few that stood on the podium Sunday afternoon. Here’s a look back at how the IMSA regulars fared: Laurens Vanthoor No. 92 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR Class: GTE Pro Result: 1st Vanthoor joined co-drivers Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre in winning the GTE Pro class for the Germany-based No. 92 Porsche team. It was the first Le Mans victory for all three drivers andRead More