The 2025 VSCA SportsCar Championship’s fifth round brought the action to Virginia International Raceway for the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix—a milestone event in more ways than one. Held under partly cloudy skies at 2 p.m. on Saturday, this was the series’ third visit to the 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit, but the first to feature no prototypes. With only GT3 entries in the GT PRO and GT AM classes, GT PRO took top billing for the first time in series history.
What began as a tight strategic sprint soon morphed into a test of wet-weather endurance. A torrential downpour struck the track just past the halfway point, flooding much of the circuit and transforming a competitive race into a chaotic battle for control, visibility, and grip.
Opening Drama and Early Leaders
Pole-sitter Tyler Redden launched cleanly in the #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), maintaining the lead over Joao Pedro Teixeira in the #917 PULSAR eSports McLaren. But the first lap was anything but smooth for the field.
Turn 4 saw Lucas Villafuerte Moreira in the GT AM #90 Porsche misjudge his braking and strike Neil Middleton’s #6 car. Two corners later, a clash between the #93 Digital Chicane Acura of Chris Scarr and Cedrik Gaudreault, who made his series debut in the #18 Gowin Racing Mercedes, sent both cars skimming off through the grass. Then, at Turn 14, the #12 Delta Racing BMW of Lucas Freire was hit from behind by Thomas D’Ambrosio in the #69 North Sim Racing Porsche — a move that earned the team a 60-second post-race penalty. A near-repeat incident occurred on lap 11 when the #12’s co-driver Higo Oliveira was rear-ended by #554 Corvette GT AM competitor Daniel Perez Santiago, who received a 30-second penalty.
Despite the early chaos, the top contenders in GT PRO settled into a fast rhythm. Redden led the way across six official lead changes in the top class before weather took center stage.
Rain, Yellow, and a Critical Mistake
Ninety-two minutes into the race, the first and only full-course yellow was triggered. Simultaneously, the forecasted rain arrived in full force. Within minutes, the entire circuit was under water, prompting real concerns about whether the race could continue.
Caught mid-strategy, several cars ran low on fuel under yellow, while eventual race winners #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche and driver Benjamin Fischer pitted just before the FCY, only to have to come to pit lane again under FCY, to complete the team's driver change.
Under FCY, despite the rapidly worsening track conditions, most teams waited until the pit lane reopened — but the #183 Porsche mistakenly entered a closed pit, misjudging the timing and earning a drive-through penalty. At the restart, the #183 Porsche was in third on the road behind two GT AM cars. Driver Marco Silva swiftly passed both car ahead, opening up a 21-second lead despite the exceedingly difficult conditions in the rain.
Kevin Carlisle provided one of the most memorable moments during the soggy restart. The Sim City Racing driver executed a clean, yet spectacular overtake in the esses on the #151 World of SimRacing Porsche, a rare and gutsy move in the treacherous conditions, with just enough space between both cars to fit a newspaper.
For fans and competitors alike, the chaos in the race wasn’t over. Aedan Campbell in the #67 Kinetic Acura lost control in standing water and slammed into the barriers in T14. Later, with just 30 minutes remaining, a multi-car collision unfolded in the same section of the track, right behind Stephen Nobes in the #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche — who narrowly avoided involvement.
Closing Chaos and a Photo Finish
As the race entered its final stretch, the wet conditions continued to claim victims. John A. Goodwin crashed his #6 Torque Freak Racing McLaren into the Turn 11 barriers after hydroplaning.
Meanwhile, Marco Silva in the race-leading #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Porsche served the team’s drive-through penalty on lap 66, that the team was issued for entering closed pits under the previous FCY. Even with that setback, the team retained a lead over the hard-charging #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche.
But disaster struck for Silva just five laps later on lap 71, when a puddle at Turn 16 sent the #183 car off-track. That handed the lead to Manuel Mayer in the #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, who had been steadily gaining ground and finally grabbed P2 throughout the second half of the race.
Despite the incident, Silva mounted a last-ditch push, closing the gap rapidly in the closing laps. The two cars crossed the finish line side-by-side in a dramatic photo finish as Mayer held on by just 0.060 seconds, sealing an emphatic win for Fischer Motorsport after an extremely challenging race.
Though Silva’s drive was valiant, the #183 team was hit with a post-race penalty for exceeding the maximum allowable driver stint time, relegating them to 14th in class and erasing what would have been a podium result.
Top Ten Finishers and Standings Impact
The win for the #84 Porsche — driven by German drivers duo, 37-year-old Manuel Mayer and 41-year-old Benjamin Fischer — marked Fischer Motorsport’s first victory of the 2025 season. They bested the #917 McLaren of Bruno Carreira and Joao Pedro Teixeira, who finished second despite a late spin into the grass on lap 74.
Chris Scarr and Kyle Loh completed the podium in the #93 Digital Chicane Acura, having gained ten positions after starting 13th. Fourth place went to Stephen Nobes and Daniel Gruber in the #44 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, followed by Kevin Carlisle and Peter Nodwell in the championship-leading #71 Sim City Racing Porsche in fifth.
The #157 iRacing Today Motorsports Mercedes claimed sixth, with drivers Eric Intili and Chad Dalton continuing their consistent campaign. Seventh went to the #151 World of SimRacing Porsche, eighth to the #112 Rusty Spatulas Corvette, ninth to the #68 TwoLemmaTree McLaren, and tenth to the #12 Delta Racing BMW.
Post-Race Quotes
Manuel Mayer, #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche: "First of all: Man, I am exhausted! That last stint after the safety car was mentally and physically one of the hardest stints I've ever driven. But winning this race again puts it in the shade, feels so great - a mega team success."
On comparing this win with his 2023 win at VIR: "I think this is my third race here and when I was here for the first time, I thought the track wasn't my favorite. But I quickly got into it and learned to love the track, and now I can take the top step of the podium for the second time with Fischer Motorsport, which is of course extremely rewarding."
"Ben had a good qualifying and two very clean stints. He stayed on track without damage or anything. This is most important key to us every race. My personal key moment was, I think in T11 on the second lap after the restart. I almost lost the car under braking, but somehow managed to save it. Otherwise we would be not here in the winner's circle. But overall, a great team effort over the whole weekend."
"The season is still long and the opponents are strong. We definitely lost some ground at the beginning of the season. But we'll see."
"Sim City and Blocco Motore and others are very very strong on every track, but we know we can keep up on good days and anything is possible! What we can do is, think from race to race and lap to lap. We can only do our best and see what comes out in the end."
Benjamin Fischer, #84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche: "Man, I'm feeling like I've just about died a thousand deaths in that final hour, I tell you. That was the most nerve wrecking final laps I've experienced in a while."
"The rain, the battle with the 183. Manuel has done an amazing job. What a race! What a finish! I'm gonna go over there and give him a hug. That was incredible work by him in the car."
"I had a tough battle with the 112 [Rusty Spatulas Racing] early on, went off the track in T11 there once and they took advantage. Then I had a slowdown also. Those were a couple of dicey situations where I was overdriving the car. Thankfully it didn't cost us too much, but I was on the edge the whole time. It was a tough race, even before the rain. VIR is a challenging track."
"This team has a lot of fight in it, but I think the 71 is the obvious favorite for the championship, the way it's been going, even with our win today. But if we can repeat results like this one, hopefully we can keep it somewhat close until the end and give ourselves a chance."
Joao Pedro Teixeira, #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren: "The race felt good! We had an amazing first and second stint but we knew, when we were monitoring, that everything would be decided at the end when the rain hits the track. Nevertheless, we managed to keep ourselves together and tried to secure as many points as possible."
"Our car is not the best in wet conditions. We knew rain was an option but as soon as it starts raining a lot, the track gets wet, and our car doesn't have the necessary traction to compete with the rest of the grid. Let's hope we don't get that many wet races until the end of the season."
"We're trying to secure as many points as possible. All three championships are still open and we are still in the fight but we need to get our head down and focus on the upcoming races."
Bruno Carreira, #917 PULSAR eSports Team McLaren: "It was a race that we knew from the beginning that with the rain it would only be decided in the last laps. But this second place felt good, after a less positive start to the championships due to situations in which we cannot do anything about."
"There was a double overtaking in the middle of the esses of the Digital Chicane car and another car, in which at the time we had the three-wide in those conditions, very good."
About going off-track during the FCY and losing one position: "I had just gotten into the car and didn't expect the braking and trajectory to be so slippery. This moment was a shame because in the end it could have been a P1 instead of a P2, but we have to learn from these situations so that the same thing doesn't happen again."
"For the second half of the championship, we will continue to do the work we have done so far, in terms of preparing the races, and score as many points as possible to attack the podium, as due to SimCity Racing's results it will be very difficult to reach P1."
"Also a shoutout and bit Thank you to everyone who follows us and is part of VSCA, as well as thanking all of Pulsar and our sponsors and partners."
Kyle Loh, #93 Digital Chicane Acura: "Chris and I are incredibly pleased to bring the #93 car home on the podium. It felt like a long shot this morning, but to experience one of our greatest ever comeback drives makes today very special for us."
"I'd like to take this chance to thank the Digital Chicane team and our proud partners Dreamzilla & Next Level Racing for providing us the resources & opportunity to compete this weekend!"
"Considering that we qualified in 20th overall, we both knew it was going to be a tough race. With the rain coming down towards the second half, we had a golden opportunity to make a big strategy call that would give us a huge advantage. We made the decision to do our driver swap early and it worked out perfectly. Once the rain came, our biggest concern was simply just keeping our car pointed straight and knowing where the road goes beyond the thick sprays from our competitors. Lady luck was on our side, and we're just thankful that we're not hauling a totaled racecar back to the shop!"
Chris Scarr, #93 Digital Chicane Acura: "Given that I only qualified us 20th today, I'm absolutely over the moon with that result! Its been a tough season so far, so getting a podium here feels like the reset we need. The team put a lot of trust in me to start the car, and I'd like to thank them for that. Really, the lions share of the credit for the podium goes to Kyle; his performance in those conditions was outstanding. Just keeping the car on the track demanded bravery today."
"Well, I was really unhappy with my qualifying performance, so I was incredibly motivated to make up what places I could on track, but I think I pushed a bit hard during the first stint; i was a bit clumsy. This is the first time I've raced here, and its been a steep learning curve these past few days. Once I'd settled in, though, I think we found the pace we knew we had. I enjoyed battling with the guys around me, some really fair but hard racing."
"It was fun working our way up the order before handing the car over. The FCY timing helped us, for sure, but we had deliberately offset our strategy around the weather transition on the off chance the FCY came out. Sometimes a gamble pays off, you know? With the weather as it was, though, you still need to execute the strategy and bring it home, and Kyle did an outstanding job today. The team were on the edge of our seats during the last hour, it was amazing to watch. We'll celebrate tonight, then its on to the next race!"
Lennart Blok, Team Principal #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Porsche: "Even before the weekend, we knew things were bound to get tricky with the weather forecast as it was. In addition there were also the new fuel regulations to deal with. Obviously, we were very happy with Tyler being able to grab pole position and to build that gap to our nearest competition (Sim City and Fischer) during his stint."
"But, the rain was coming and the FCY happened, along with our most costly mistake. Through the rain, Marco's driving was another sensation to look at, and whilst Marco was feeling sorry about his little excursion for the fans, I still consider it to have been a very good race for the team overall as the pace was there for both drivers and we nearly made the perfect decisions."
"Obviously to not get the second-place points after such a race stings a lot, but I also can't help but to be happy with our race. We are keenly aware of which mistakes we made and how they happened, so now we are that much more motivated to come back stronger."
"As I said, we're reviewing where we went wrong and will fix it. We just need to keep developing our understanding of the regulations and how they play out effectively. We'll surely look to bounce back through the second half of the season and catch our main competitors."
Marco Silva, #183 Blocco Motore Simsport Porsche: On going off track in the closing laps, while leading: "Huge disappointment in myself, really. I kept it mostly silent as I was looking at the other cars going by and waiting for the car to slowly get back into the racing surface. I only said sorry to the guys and that I could still do it. At the end of the day it didn't matter but it very well could have! It was such a silly mistake I should have gone without."
Championship Standings after VIR
In the series championship standings, the #71 Sim City Racing Porsche retains the top spot in both the overall and Sprint Cup rankings. The #84 Fischer Motorsport car moves closer in both title chases, now 246 points behind overall and 77 back in the Sprint Cup. The #157 Mercedes now sits third in both championships.
Looking Ahead to Canada
With five rounds in the books, the GT PRO teams head north for the Canadian Sports Car Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 17, while GT AM teams enjoy a break before returning to action at Detroit Belle Isle on May 31st. As the second half of the season begins, teams will look to build momentum—or regroup—after a wild and unpredictable race in Virginia.
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