With the nine-week mid-season break coming to a close, the Nissan Z NISMO GT4 teams are eager to race. The Pirelli GT4 America series will hit the spectacular VIRginia International Raceway on July 19-21.
“The teams have had ample time to both relax and prepare, so the anticipation is high for both racers and fans. The Nissan team is looking to repeat the success of Sebring where we scored our first GT4 win.” said Mike Carcamo, program director, Sports Cars, NISMO Cars and Motorsports, Nissan Motor Corporation.
For 2024, the two-car TechSport Racing Team has been joined by single car entries from Blackdog Racing and Flying Lizard Motorsports, giving Nissan three teams with championship pedigrees.
The TechSport Racing team considers VIR to be its home track and will be ready to challenge for wins with both its cars. Colin Harrison will team up with Eric Powell in the #22 while Michai Stephens partners with Jonathan Neudorf in #23.
Blackdog Racing will field the #9 Z for Tony Gaples and Michael Cooper. The Blackdog team earned their spot in the Nissan history book with that Pro-Am class win at Sebring. The team will be looking to repeat at VIR.
The #5 Flying Lizard Motorsports Z will be wheeled by Canadian Damir Hot with Brazilian Rodrigo Baptista who made a strong impression at COTA in May. Hot will also make his GT America powered by AWS series debut in a second Nissan Z. The GT America series is for Bronze rated drivers in a 40-minute sprint race.
The weekend track schedule for Pirelli GT4 America and GT America powered by AWS will be as follows:
Friday, July 19th
8:00 am – 8:30 am GT4 Bronze Test Session
8:30 am – 9:00 am GT America Practice Session #1
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm GT4 Practice Session #1
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm GT America Practice Session #2
5:10 pm – 6:00 pm GT4 Practice Session #2
Saturday, July 20th
8:05 am – 8:20 am GT America Qualifying
10:25 am – 11:00 am GT4 Qualifying
1:00 pm – 1:40 pm GT America Race #1 (40 minutes)
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm GT4 Race #1 (60 minutes)
Saturday, July 21st
8:45 am – 9:25 am GT America Race #2 (40 minutes)
10:55 am – 11:55 am GT4 Race #2 (60 minutes)
Woodall Nissan will be supporting the Nissan car corral at VIR on Saturday. Last year saw a great selection of contemporary and vintage Z’s plus a strong showing from the Nissan GTR community.
VIR race tickets start at $25, with kids 12 and under admitted free with a paid adult.
2,500 miles away in Southern California, Downey Nissan will be hosting Z club members at a YouTube watch party for the Sunday morning race, showcasing how Nissan dealers can connect with motorsports fans even when there is no local race. The family friendly morning gathering will include a car show, RC racings, and a high-performance driving simulator, not to mention coffee and churros.
Upcoming races:
The 2024 Pirelli GT4 America championship consists of seven double-header weekends at some of the most challenging racetracks in North America. After VIR, the series goes on to:
Road America (Elkhart Lake, WI) – August 16-18
Barber Motorsports Park (Birmingham, AL) – September 6-8
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, IN) – October 4-6
The Pirelli GT4 America championship is for privateer teams racing with homologated race cars. There are no factory teams.
All Pirelli GT4 America races are broadcast live and archived on the SRO Motorsports GTWorld YouTube channel.