Ric Team Racing continued its strong 2026 campaign in the LMP2 class, with the #87 Dallara P217 of Afonso Reis and Francisco Silva taking victory in the Virginia Sports Car Grand Prix at VIR by 14 seconds. It marks the team’s third win in five races, further strengthening its hold on both the overall championship and Sprint Cup standings.
A race shaped by two full-course yellows, six lead changes, and multiple incidents saw strategy, consistency, and discipline prove decisive in extreme heat conditions. Flight Level Racing climbed from tenth to third, while several front-running contenders lost ground through mistakes and penalties.
Pole Start Unravels for Grow Racing Team
Tiago Maduro Dias delivered pole position for Grow Racing Team with a 1:38.989 and initially led the race under control, building a gap while managing tires and fuel.
That early advantage disappeared quickly. Just over 20 minutes into the race, Dias found himself involved in a car contact incident with the #90 GT AM Porsche of Fischer Motorsport and dropped from first to tenth in class, a moment that fundamentally changed the trajectory of the #14 entry.
Tiago Maduro Dias: “Honestly, it’s hard to even gather myself right now. We got the pole, held the lead, and I was saving tires and fuel while still pulling out over four seconds. Then in traffic I got spun around after contact with the #90, in a situation where from my seat there really wasn’t much more I could’ve done.”
“After that it turned into damage limitation. As we were climbing back up from last, I misread one moment in the fight ahead and, trying to take advantage of an opportunity, the contact with the #30 ended our race.”
“I think people sometimes underestimate how brutal these multiclass races are. It’s a nonstop stream of split-second decisions. The pace is there, but converting that into results means getting everything right, and we’ve just been on the wrong side of key moments.”
Early Incidents and First Caution Disrupt the Field
The race barely settled before its first key moment. Just seconds after the green flag, the #81 Gowin Racing entry was involved in contact with the #11 Vision 1 Motorsports car at Turn 1, later resulting in a 60-second post-race penalty for Garret Spenst after Race Control deemed the move careless.
Additional incidents followed in the opening half hour, including a rear-end collision by the #30 Fury Simsport car and a positioning error from the #22 Twin Turn SR entry, both resulting in post-race penalties.
The first full-course yellow at 34 minutes reshuffled the order dramatically. Track Limits SimRacing cycled to the lead, gaining eight positions during pit stops, while Superstar Racing Team lost track position after pitting from second.
Strategy Cycles and Second Caution Reset the Race
The second full-course yellow at 1 hour and 10 minutes created another reset, compressing the LMP2 field and setting up a final sprint under green. The race repeatedly swung between teams, with Track Limits SimRacing, Gowin Racing, and Ric Team Racing all taking turns at the front.
Superstar Racing Team recovered from its earlier setback to rejoin the fight for the podium, ultimately securing second place.
Samuel Hoff: “First off it was a great race for the #47 team. We brought home a very solid result in only our third race in the car. Sadly we did not have anything for the #87, as they were just way more consistent and razor sharp through traffic.”
“We felt our chances slip when we came in under the first full-course yellow and dropped from a podium restart to the back of the LMP2 field. That put us in traffic while the #87 had clean air and could run away.”
John Santoro: “We went into the race focused on getting to the end without major incidents. The cautions didn’t really change our plan, we knew we had three stops. The guys out front just had very strong pace all weekend.”
Ric Team Racing Takes Control in Final Stint
The decisive phase came in the closing stages, when Francisco Silva reclaimed the lead for Ric Team Racing on lap 50. From there, the #87 controlled the race, balancing pace with clean execution to secure the win and minimize incident points.
Francisco Silva: “After getting into the car following Afonso and seeing that we had a good gap, I tried to manage the race and avoid incident points. That worked well, and we ended up being the team with the fewest.”
“We are still taking it race by race. Our direct rivals are still within reach, and any slip-up will push us back.”
“It’s always good to win in the main category, but the focus is on consistency. That’s how we believe we’ll win the championship.”
Flight Level Racing Charges to the Podium
One of the standout performances came from Flight Level Racing, with the #757 Dallara climbing from tenth on the grid to third place. The team capitalized on clean driving and strong execution in difficult conditions.
Kekoa Lycett: “It was a very demanding race, especially with the heat. The biggest thing was staying patient and not overdriving the car. Starting tenth, I knew opportunities would come if we stayed consistent.”
“To work through the field and come away with a podium is something I’m really proud of. I honestly wasn’t even aware we had taken the lead at one point, I was just focused on executing every lap.”
Matthew Oravecz: “Once Kekoa put in strong stints, I knew we had a shot at a podium or even a win. I pushed hard, but a few small mistakes on the hot track cost us that chance.”
“Still, this shows what the team is capable of. There’s a lot of talent here, and I think we can fight for a championship.”
Turn 5A Incidents and Penalties Impact Final Order
The most consequential sequence of the race came at Turn 5A late in the event, where separate unsafe rejoins by the #420 Track Limits SimRacing and #23 Twin Turn SR entries resulted in post-race penalties for both cars. Race Control upheld both decisions after appeals, emphasizing the need for predictable behavior in a high-risk section of the circuit.
Track Limits SimRacing, which had led multiple phases of the race, ultimately fell to seventh after accumulating penalties and losing time following the incident.
Gregory Meismer: “First I have to commend our engineers for giving us a car capable of winning. Unfortunately, my final stints didn’t deliver.”
“There were a couple of key mistakes that cost us what could have been a podium. We’ve analyzed them and will come back stronger.”
The #23 entry recovered to finish fourth despite its own penalty, aided by a strong drive from Lucas Moncla.
Dominik Isenberg: “I don’t even know what to say. We’ve already been turned around multiple times this season, and today just went downhill again.”
“But I have to say, that was an incredible recovery drive from Lucas. He closed a huge gap and kept us in the fight.”
Mixed Outcomes Across the Field
Gowin Racing secured fifth place with its late-entry #81 lineup, despite the opening-lap contact penalty. The #22 Twin Turn SR car finished sixth, while Fury Simsport ended eighth after mechanical issues, penalties, and a garage stop.
Matthew Luke: “It was a tough race. We had gearbox issues early that sent us to the back multiple times, and eventually had to go to the garage.”
“It’s hard to stay focused when things keep going wrong, but we’ll regroup and aim to be back at the front in Miami.”
Grow Racing Team dropped to ninth after its early setback, while Vision 1 Motorsports rounded out the top ten following a post-race penalty for exceeding maximum drive time.
Damien Behnke: “I feel bad for letting the team down. The full-course yellow came at a tough moment for deciding on a driver swap, and we miscalculated.”
“The restart trains stood out to me. The LMP2 class is so close right now, it creates some of the best racing in VSCA.”
Championship Momentum Shifts Toward Ric Team Racing
Ric Team Racing now holds 1,940 points in the LMP2 championship, maintaining its lead over Twin Turn SR by Debeka Bornheim by 200 points. Vision 1 Motorsports remains third, 365 points back.
In the Sprint Cup standings, the #87 also leads, while Superstar Racing Team’s second-place finish elevates it to third, adding a new contender to that fight.
The next round takes the LMP2 field to Homestead-Miami Speedway on May 9. With Ric Team Racing building momentum through consistency, rivals will need a clean and disciplined race to prevent the championship gap from widening further.