An heroic fightback netted Rebel Rock Racing another strong top-10 finish as the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) continued with its eighth round of 2024, the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix.
And with team owner/driver Frank DePew putting on his best race performances of the year in the accompanying VP Racing Challenge event, there were plenty of reasons for the outfit from DeLand, FL, to leave Virginia International Raceway satisfied.
DePew, who hails from Richmond, VI, and his Scottish co-driver Robin Liddell were both on top form across the weekend; Liddell third and fourth-fastest in the IMPC’s two Friday practice sessions and DePew qualifying a season’s-best fifth for the VP races.
The speed the Sebring race winners showed in their Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was in evidence during the opening 20 minutes of Saturday’s two-hour race as DePew, who qualified 20th, rose to 16th spot and sought to make further progress.
An unfortunate trip across the grass at the Uphill Esses damaged the Aston Martin’s splitter and diffuser, leading to an early unplanned pitstop to have loose bodywork removed under orders of the IMSA technical officials.
Slick work by the Rebel Rock Racing crew meant that Frank could rejoin the race without falling off the lead lap and the eight-time IMPC race winner increased his pace to ensure he remained ahead of the overall leaders on-track.
Such was Frank’s rapid pace – despite the damaged car – that the team swapped its usual tactic of swapping drivers as soon as he had reached his minimum 40-minute drive time and instead left him out a further 15 minutes, hoping to reduce the chances of being lapped.
This strategy paid off handsomely as a stationary car on the side of the track led to Full-Course Yellow conditions being declared – by which point Frank had risen from 16th to fourth.
This meant the driver change could be completed while the rest of the cars circulated at slow speed and significantly minimized the time loss, leading to Liddell resuming the race 14th once the safety car had left the circuit.
Chaotic scenes at the restart meant that the #71 Aston Martin – which avoided several spinning cars – held 10th spot when the race went green for a final time with 25 minutes left.
Making up two positions in one lap and another two over the next three laps elevated Liddell to sixth, but contact from a rival on the last lap pushed him off the track and dropped him to seventh place; a result that puts him and DePew seventh in the driver standings and sixth in the team table.
DePew’s two VP Challenge performances were laden with impressive pace. A season’s-best fifth in the GSX class (and third-best bronze driver) in qualifying was followed by a memorable overtaking move on a rival to steal fourth spot at Oak Tree corner.
A spin while being lapped by a faster LMP3 car dropped him out of contention and another incident in Race Two caused his retirement after an opportunist move on two rivals had earlier given him a GSX podium spot and the bronze class lead.
The next round of the IMPC takes place on the Indianapolis Road Course on September 19-22 while the VP Challenge concludes at Road Atlanta on October 9-12.
Frank DePew said: “Unfortunately I dropped a wheel off on the exit of Turn 10 and did significant damage to the front splitter and the rear bumper assembly. This resulted in IMSA requiring us to make an extra pitstop to pull off the loose body parts which significantly reduced the downforce on the car. Without that I feel we would have been in a position for the win.”
Round 9 of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120, takes place on Saturday, September 21st with the Green Flag scheduled for 1:05pm ET.