Porsche’s Tandy Looking To Continue GTLM Winning Streak In Oak Tree Grand Prix At VIRginia Internati

Porsche factory driver Nick Tandy scored the overall victory in June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans before returning to battle in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

After taking back-to-back GTLM victories in each of the last two rounds, Tandy will be looking to score another overall victory this weekend, with the GTLM and GT Daytona (GTD) classes featured in Sunday’s Oak Tree Grand Prix at VIRginia International Raceway. The two hour, 40 minute race will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Tandy is riding a streak of victories at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Road America in the No. 911 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR, propelling co-driver Patrick Pilet into a tight points battle with only three races remaining. Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen hold a slim four-point lead in GTLM over BMW drivers Bill Auberlen and Dirk Werner, with Pilet another point behind. Garcia and Magnussen currently have 217 points, followed by Auberlen and Werner with 213, and Pilet with 212.

“We’ve executed perfectly as a team, and this shows in our performance,” Tandy said. “Everyone is confident heading into the weekends now. It just snowballs into more and more confidence for the team and everyone associated with us. It’s just a really, really nice place to be at the moment.”

Tandy co-drove with Earl Bamber in winning the French classic in a Porsche prototype. Bamber shares the No. 912 Porsche North America entry with Joerg Bergmeister in the TUDOR Championship, and the duo earned second-place finishes at Watkins Glen International and Road America.

“I think the team's had really great momentum since the (Le Mans) break,” Bamber said. “Since Watkins Glen, Porsche North America has been on the podium at every race. It's building a great atmosphere amongst the team. Our double victory at Road America was really special.

“Now we head to Virginia, a track I haven't been to, but I think we can be strong there. We just have to make sure we hit all of our marks again and deliver the best possible result. Going into the final three races of the season the manufacturers' championship is incredibly tight, so there's a lot to play for. The battle is really heating up and I think there's some fantastic racing to come.”

Garcia and Magnussen opened up the season with back-to-back victories in the No. 3 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R in the classic American endurance tests, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled By Fresh From Florida. Corvette Racing also fields the No. 4 Corvette C7.R for Tommy Milner of Ashburn, Virginia, and Oliver Gavin, who won in the GTE Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans co-driving the same car they will race at VIR.

After Corvette won the opening two races, BMW scored consecutive triumphs for the team co-owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, BMW Team RLL. Auberlen and Werner won at Long Beach in the No. 25 IHG Rewards Club BMW Z4 GTLM, while John Edwards and Lucas Luhr prevailed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the team’s No. 24 entry.

Bryan Sellers and Wolf Henzler won the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in Watkins Glen, New York, in the No. 17 Team Falken Tire Porsche 911 RSR, the same combination that finished second in the 2014 Oak Tree Grand Prix.

While winless through seven rounds in 2015, the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari F458 Italia of Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer has a pair of runner-up finishes this season. They finished third two weeks ago in a thrilling battle with the No. 912 Porsche at Road America. The team earned two victories in 2014, including a last-lap thriller at VIR.

TUDOR Championship practice opens at 11:45 a.m. ET on Friday. On Saturday, qualifying will be streamed live on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile app beginning at 4:40 p.m. ET.

Contact:

nsiebens@imsa.com

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