First overall and first 2016 win for # 3 Magnussen & Garcia in the GT-only race at VIR
Jan Magnussen started the # 3 on the pole. Tommy Milner in the # 4 started beside him qualifying second on the front row.
Thanks to flawless pit stops Antonio Garcia kept the # 3 out front of the # 66 Ford GT of Joey Hand.
The race at VIR seemed to go wrong for the # 4. Tommy Milner, the surprise winner at Road America gave up 2 places at the start.
At the 40-minute mark he made a move passing the # 62 Risi Ferrari of Giancarlo Fischicella. But in doing so carried too much speed through the esses that put him off course in the tricky dipping off-camber left hander, into the grass on the run up to the former Oak Tree turn.
Then came a drive thru penalty after a pit stop with one-too-many crew members over the wall manning an air hose to blow out the grass & debris he had picked up.
The always steady Oliver Gavin now driving made up ground to 4th place, protecting the points lead ahead of the # 67 Ford GT of Michael Westbrook that opted for new tires and started from last.
Video of # 4 crash and # 3 victory
It all unraveled with just 6 minutes to go. Gavin reportedly encountered oil on the track descending the Cowpens “roller coaster” section. The sudden loss of traction sent the # 4 off course, crashing into a tyre barrier that shattered the rear bodywork. Gavin made it back to the pits where the crew discovered leaking fluids and called it quits. The 9th place result shrunk the lead to 7 points heading into CoTA on Sept 17 and the season ending 10-hour Petite Le Mans finale at Road Atlanta on Oct 1.
