(KMCom / Rafa Racing Team)
(KMCom / Rafa Racing Team)
(KMCom / Rafa Racing Team)
(KMCom / Rafa Racing Team)
Lexington (OH), June 9, 2025
The weekend was all about pure speed at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, host of the third round of the VP Racing Sportscar Challenge. Brazilian motorsport had plenty of reasons to celebrate with the exceptional performances of driver Kiko Porto (Toyota Gazoo Racing / Banco Daycoval / MC Games / Team: Rafa Racing), who demonstrated all his experience and determination on track.
After securing a heroic second place podium finish in Saturday's race (7th), Brazilian Kiko Porto reached the top step of the podium on Sunday (8th), winning the second race of the round. The victory was even more special considering the adverse conditions that marked the competition throughout the weekend.
Driving for Toyota Gazoo / Rafa Racing Team and current championship leader in the GSX category, Kiko significantly extended his advantage in the overall standings after his conquests at Mid-Ohio. Consistent performance has been the trademark of the Brazil driver throughout the season.
In both free practice sessions for his category, he recorded the fastest laps and the Brazilian showed perfect harmony with his car on the challenging Mid-Ohio circuit layout. The practice performance signaled the competitive potential that would be confirmed in the official races.
Pole position, secured on Friday (6th), came with a time of 1:27.815, but a technical penalty deleted the driver's time. In technical inspection, it was found that the front of the car was two millimeters lower than specified in the competition regulations, resulting in the penalty. Even starting from the last position on the grid due to the penalty, the brazilian staged a spectacular recovery drive to cross the finish line in second place in Saturday's race.
"In race one we had to use everything we had in terms of tire grip at the beginning to manage the overtakes. When I got to second place, there was no way to fight with first place, so I decided to just bring the points home," explained Kiko Porto about his strategy in the weekend's first race.
On Sunday, heavy rain fell over the Mid-Ohio track for the second race of the round. Behind the wheel of the number 8 Toyota GR Supra in the GSX category, Porto started in third place, but in the opening laps he had already taken the lead of the category, demonstrating exceptional mastery of the adverse wet track conditions. With a superior pace to the rest of the grid, the driver of car number 8 found no difficulty completing the race and receiving the checkered flag in first place in GSX. A victory that not only consolidated his leadership position in the championship, but also considerably extended his advantage over the competition.
"We won here at Mid-Ohio, in this nice little rain. Mid-Ohio, as always, present in my life. I was champion here in USF 2000, in 2021. This track, as always, giving me the opportunity to grow and achieve another victory. Very, very, very happy. Rain, we like it and let's go to the next one," celebrated Kiko Porto after the victory, demonstrating his special connection with the Mid-ohio circuit.
The VP Racing Sportscar Challenge is part of the IMSA - International Motor Sport Association calendar, one of the most prestigious organizations in North American motorsport. Kiko Porto's next challenge is scheduled for July 11-13, at a track that will be new to the Brazilian: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which will host the fourth round of the season and represent another opportunity for the brazilian driver to consolidate his championship lead.
IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge:
The category began in 2023 as a replacement for the IMSA Prototype Challenge. However, it kept the LMP3 class cars from previous seasons, but introduced GT4 cars to allow racing with other cars. Starting this 2025 season, the series brought a third category, GTDX, open to cars with GT3 specifications.
The competition is contested in two 45-minute races per event weekend, without pit stops or driver changes. Designed as a development category for other IMSA series, to compete in the VP Challenge drivers must have a silver or bronze FIA (International Automobile Federation) classification.
Text by Kako Marques / KMCom Assessoria
Follow Kiko Porto:
Brazilian duo receives erroneous penalty from race officials, denying Kiko and Werner a chance to fight for the podium.
Dupla brasileira recebe penalidade equivocada da direção de prova, que tira chance de Kiko e Werner brigarem pelo pódio.
Porto and Werner Neugebauer form Brazilian duo in the third round of the championship, with the second race scheduled for this Saturday.
Porto e Werner Neugebauer formam dupla brasileira na terceira etapa da competição e a segunda corrida será neste sábado.