IMSA: Strategy and effective Michelin tire use seal Corvette win

Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports finally broke through for their first win of the season on Sunday at the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. Alexander Sims and Antonio García guided the No. 3 Corvette to the checkered flag, while teammates Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner brought the No. 4 home in third—a double podium to cap off a big day for the team.

“Lovely to get the win today,” said Sims. “Antonio had a great start to the race. The team, Pratt Miller, did a great job to go aggressive on the strategy. Thankfully, it paid off.”

The team’s winning strategy calls were matched by smart tire management. After the third full-course yellow, the Corvettes were running 1-2. Albert Costa in the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari was right in the mix as well, eventually getting past the No. 4 for second. That set up an exciting showdown with Sims in the final sprint.

“It seemed like we were able to work our Michelin tires well, but keep them underneath us in the hot temperatures here,” Sims said. “Yeah, I got put under a lot of pressure there at the end by Albert. It was really tight. He was super fast as well. Just a brilliant race, you know. It’s nice when you have to really work for it. It makes it that bit more satisfying.”

The victory stretched the No. 3 Corvette’s championship lead in GTD Pro to 54 points over the No. 81—with just two races remaining, both in the Michelin Endurance Cup.

Michelin GT Challenge Results:
GTD Pro: No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Racing, Alexander Sims, Antonio Garcia
GTD: No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, Russell Ward, Philip Ellis

Up Next:
Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the next IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race for the six-hour TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks. Watch Sunday, September 21 from 11:30 AM ET to 6:00 PM ET on Peacock or 3:00 PM ET to 6:00 PM ET on NBC.