Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW Squad Seek Repeat Wins At Fast VIR Circuit in GT4, TC World Challenge Action

Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW Squad Seek Repeat Wins At Fast VIR Circuit in GT4, TC World Challenge Action

ALTON, Va. – The four Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW sports car drivers make the trek to one of their favorite racing venues this weekend (April 26-28) when they compete at VIRginia International Raceway in the annual Pirelli GT4 America and TC America competition at the high-speed 3.27-mile, 17-turn circuit in the pretty southern Virginia area.

The Plano, Tex.-based racing organization was honored last year as the top BMW sports car team worldwide by capturing prestigious “BMW World Sports Trophy” over all BMW customer racing squads in a special presentation in Munich, Germany last December.

Now, in 2019, the Fast Track Racing operation comes to VIR seeking more race victories after scoring the GT4 SprintX Am class win with drivers Toby Grahovec and Chris Ohmacht in the No. 92 EFI Global/Classic BMW BMW M4. Now, the same duo returns in the No. 92 VETS Indexes/Classic BMW BMW M4 GT4 sports car in the GT4 America Pro-Am division in the GT4 doubleheader set for Saturday and Sunday.

The Grahovec/Ohmacht combination also won at Utah in 2018 and placed third in the GT4 SprintX Am point standings.

Both Ohmacht and Grahovec will handle double duty this weekend at VIR with the Franklin, N.J., racer also competing the GT4 Sprint doubleheader races in the No. 92 BMW M4 GT4 machine, while the Celina, Tex., driver and former TC class champion returns to the TC America action at VIR with the potent No. 26 Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW BMW M240iR sports sedan. Grahovec is just four points out of the TC point lead after the season-opening weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last month.

Joining Ohmacht and Grahovec in the Fast Track Racing lineup will be the pair of Justin Raphael of Franklin, N.J., and veteran pro racer Stevan McAleer of Cold Spring, N.Y., in the No. 29 Raphael & Associates/Classic BMW BMW M4 GT4 car competing the GT4 SprintX Pro-Am category at VIR. The Raphael/McAleer combo is no stranger to the GT4 America Pro-Am podium as well with a second-place finish last year at COTA.

“I think our Fast Track Racing team is prepared for a strong weekend at VIR,” said Grahovec, who also serves as team manager for the Classic BMW contingent. “VIR is one of my favorite North America tracks. It is so much fun to drive with high-speed corners and long straights. It’s an old fashioned race course and I know our drivers really look forward to competing at VIR. Last year, Chris and I were able to score a class win in the new BMW M4 and that was a thrill. Now, we are looking for more GT4 hardware and a trip to the winner’s circle again.”

Ohmacht showed consistent improvement in his rookie season in the GT4 division last year. Now, the New Jersey driver looks for another strong performance in both the GT4 SprintX and Sprint races.

“I am looking forward to an exciting weekend at VIR,” said Ohmacht. “This is arguably my personal favorite track and we have been successful there before. It is certainly a full and very competitive field for this event. I know I will be very busy with competition in both Sprint and SprintX divisions. And I always look forward to teaming up with Toby again. We won last year together at VIR.”

Raphael and McAleer have proven to be a competitive duo at COTA and they currently rank fourth in the GT4 America SprintX East point standings entering the VIR weekend action.

“VIR is a phenomenal track and facility and I’m anxious to get back there,” said Raphael. “The GT4 competition is stellar and I expect another wild weekend on the track in the two GT4 SprintX races on Saturday and Sunday. I know that Stevan and I believe the No. 17 BMW M4 can be right in the mix at a track like VIR. The BMW M4 seems to fit the VIR circuit very well.”

McAleer, the veteran driver who is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, has been a regular competitor at VIR over the years and knows the tricky 17-corner layout very well. He expects a strong run for he and Raphael this weekend.

"It feels like we have been out of the seat for ages, so I’m excited to get back in the car at a fantastic race track on the GT4 America schedule,” said McAleer. “Justin and I currently sit fourth in the East Sprint X Championship standings and we look to fight for podiums both races this weekend. We will be trying hard to climb the points order. I also think our car should be more competitive than it was at COTA, as the BMW M4 has be strong at VIR in the past."

The Fast Track Racing/Classic BMW GT4 America team begins track activity this Friday (April 26) with practice runs beginning at 9:25 am and the two 60-minute Pirelli GT4 America SprintX races scheduled for 4:50 p.m. EDT on Saturday (April 27) and 10.00 a.m. EDT on Sunday (April 28). The GT America GT4 Sprint contests are scheduled for 1:05 p.m. EDT Saturday and 4:10 p.m. EDT Sunday.

The TC America 40-minute sprint events are set for 12:10 p.m. EDT Saturday and 8:55 a.m. EDT Sunday. 

All Pirelli GT4 America and TC America races at VIR will be live streamed on www.world-challenge.com and will be televised on CBS Sports Network at a future date.

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About Fast Track Racing/CLASSIC BMW:

Fast Track Racing is located at the Classic BMW headquarters in Plano, Tex., north of Dallas. Fast Track Racing has capturednumerous race events over the past decade and was recently awarded the BMW Sports Trophy award as the Top BMW Racing Team worldwide in 2018. It marked the first time an American racing organization has captured the prestigious award. In addition, the Fast Track Racing also won the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Team championship led by Karl Wittmer, Matt Travis and Jayson Clunie in BMW M235iR cars. Toby Grahovec and Chris Ohmacht won two GTS Am SprintX division races in 2018 and finished third in the SprintX final points in the new BMW M4 GT4 sports car. Classic BMW heads up the BMW customer racing program in North America, with customer-built cars and has already captured a 2016 Touring Car driver’s title with Grahovec and the BMW M235iR car. The BMW M235iR racing sedan also won the Touring Car manufacturer’s championship in 2017 and 2018. Fast Track Racing will campaign BMW M240iR and BMW M4 GT4 machines in 2019.

Contact: Tom Blattler, TB Communications, tomblattler@earthlink.net, 317.525.5692