K-PAX Racing had to rely on their pair of Bentley Continental GT3s to do a clean sweep in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America double header at Virginia International Raceway, with one car covering it when the other one had problems.
The green flag was out and the No. 9 K-PAX Bentley protected the lead from the No. 58 Wright Porsche, and although the No. 58 had the pace to follow the No. 9, there was no way to pass. The first minutes had quite a lot of contact in the midfield, with the first yellow flag coming with near a third of racing as the No. 3 K-PAX Bentley found its way to the barriers and remained there.
10 minutes of yellow flag cooled things down in the field, though Miguel Molina made another surprise appearance with the No. 61 R. Ferri Ferrari, sitting in third on a four-way fight for the lead. The pit window didn’t change too much since the leading four went early for pits, but a mistake in the pit procedure cost the third position to the No. 61, and then only the No. 9 Bentley and the No. 58 Porsche were battling for the lead.
Things were going for a two-way dash to the finish, but the No. 58 Wright Porsche lost rear grip at the Oak Tree, went to the grass and then straight to the barrier and came to a halt, calling the second yellow flag of the race.
With the green flag coming with 3 minutes to go, Andy Soucek had no time to breath despite being opening the gap, with the No. 24 Alegra Porsche jumping to second while the No. 80 Racers Edge Acura was completing the overall podium and leading the Pro-Am Cup. The No. 9 K-PAX Bentley just had to disappear in front to get the checkered, while the No. 24 Alegra Porsche settled for second, while Toni Vilander got third place for the No. 61 R. Ferri Ferrari thanks to a daring move into Kyle Marcelli in the No. 80 Acura, which won the Pro-Am Cup.
With a typical dominant performance, the No. 7 Garage Italia Ferrari won the Am Cup and ended in the top-10 overall.
Race 2 had the No. 61 R. Ferri Ferrari trying to rob the lead from the No. 9 K-PAX Bentley but failing miserably, and thanks to this mess the No. 58 Wright Porsche became first.
Things went smooth to the K-PAX squad, though they were in a bit of a roller coaster until the halfway mark, with the No. 3 Bentley securing the lead thanks to and early pit, while the No. 9 Bentley lost ground due to puncture and had a hot moment when a refueling issue brought fire in the pit stall, which was quickly controlled but eliminated the car of the race.
The No. 3 Bentley still had the No. 61 R. Ferri Ferrari and the No. 58 Wright Porsche on its back, though the other two were more focused fighting each other for second than trying to attack Rodrigo Baptista. With 20 minutes to go the No. 61 had a tire change out of precaution, but this unscheduled stop ruined their chances for a win, though Miguel Molina pushed to salvage a fourth place, first by seeing the No. 42 RealTime Acura let the No. 61 go as it had the Pro-Am Cup win secured, and then by passing the No. 22 Alegra Porsche in the final lap.
As for the lead battle, the No. 58 Wright Porsche couldn’t get close the leading Bentley, and in the final minutes the gap even increased, leaving Rodrigo Baptista in a comfortable position to enjoy the victory of the No. 3 K-PAX Bentley.
The No. 42 RealTime Acura secured the Pro-Am victory with ease, even showing up to fight for overall honors in some moments, and the No. 7 Garage Italia Ferrari completed the Am Cup sweep with another competent display.
The next double header on the schedule will be at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 17th and 18th.
PHOTOS: Bentley Motorsport
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