- Victor Gonzalez and Karl Wittmer finish third at VIR in Honda Civic Type R TCR
- VGRT scores Honda podiums in back-to-back weekends
It was a return to the podium for VGRT's Honda Civic Type R TCR duo of Victor Gonzalez and Karl Wittmer, as the pair notched a third-place finish at VIR in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Saturday at VIRginia International Raceway.
Qualifying fifth in a damp session, Gonzalez moved up to fourth before handing over to Wittmer just before halfway in the two-hour contest. Wittmer would challenge for the race lead during his stint, before being hit by the eventual second place finisher as a passing attempt was made. The #99 Honda Civic Type R TCR would cross the line third, marking the team's first podium finish since their stellar victory at Sebring earlier this year.
The result also marks the second podium in as many weeks for the VGRT team, with Celso Neto scoring a third place for the team aboard a Honda Civic Type R at the SRO TC America event last weekend at Road America.
Quotes
Victor Gonzalez (#99 VGRT Honda Civic Type R TCR) finished third: "It shows just how much these guys have worked. I'm so proud of this team, and Karl did an awesome job. We just keep improving our performance, proving that we belong here and we're a competitor, we can be a front runner. This podium is like a win for us. Thank you to HPD and Honda—back-to-back podiums for this team in two different series. I'm just so proud"
Karl Wittmer (#99 VGRT Honda Civic Type R TCR) finished third: "It feels so good. The guys worked so hard and the team owners have put in a lot of effort leading up to this race. To give a podium finish to Honda and to VGRT is just an incredible feeling. We had some issues thrown at us during the race, but we just pushed so hard to stay in contention and kept our head down and we got a podium! Can't be happier than that."
Next
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge next heads to Michelin Race Road Atlanta for the Fox Factory 120 on September 30, part of the season-ending Petit Le Mans weekend.
HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring
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