The number 13 was definitely unlucky for some on Sunday at Virginia International Raceway as a clean finish for the top three in GT Le Mans turned into a smackdown where contact handed an unexpected win to the No. 3 Corvette Racing C7.R driven by Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen.

Contact with 13 minutes left on the clock for the leading No. 25 BMW Team RLL M6 driven by Alexander Sims – a car that controlled the race with ease from the opening lap – forced the Briton to pit lane for a new tire.

Behind him, Garcia in the No. 3 took the lead as Dirk Muller, in the No. 66 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing GT, engaged in repeated contact toward the end of the lap with Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette; the hyper aggression led both to spin off track and hit each other once more as they came to a rest.

With a late change in what looked like a potential podium containing the No. 25, No. 66 and No. 4, Garcia, FCGR’s Ryan Briscoe in the No. 67 GT and Giancarlo Fisichella in the returning No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 488 filled in to the delight of their respective teams.

The gift to the championship-leading No. 3 Corvette gave Garcia and Jan Magnussen their third win of the season and extended the duo’s points margin over the No. 66 Ford with two races left to run.

Fisichella, who was flush with the red mist all day, ran as high as second before throwing it away with an off-track excursion in the final 30 minutes. It made the wild turn of events and his podium promotion with 13 to go yet another entertaining aspect of the event.

“Unbelievable for us to come away with the win,” Magnussen (pictured at left, below) said. “To have things turn around like it did with BMW coming up short, Ferrari falling off … Antonio and the crew did a fantastic job.”

After three straight fourth-place finishes, Garcia was pleased to be in a position where his Corvette had the speed to capitalize on the misfortune taking place father up the road.

“Another long day at the office but it was a good one,” he said. “Definitely good to have the competitive pace and be up front. That was something we were not used to in the last races. [The contact up from was] part of the race and I think we definitely deserved this.”

Although the No. 62 Ferrari was capable of more than third, team manager Dave Sims took pride in all the Houston-based team achieved after missing almost half the season due to budgetary limitations.

“Anytime you get a podium is good,” he said. “It could have been our race. A podium, after missing four races, is an extra bonus.”

In GT Daytona, Change Racing authored a weekend of perfection after leading every session, taking a conclusive pole, and leading the entire race in the No. 16 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 driven by Jeroen Mul and Corey Lewis.

Turner Motorsport’s Jens Klingmann drew down the immense lead built by Mul before Lewis took the car to the finish line, but still came up 1.035s short at the finish line in his No. 96 BMW M3 GT3. Jeroen Bleekemolen finished a distant 54.3s behind the BMW in third with his No. 33 Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3.

“It’s indescribable,” said Mul, who gave Change team owner Robby Benton his first WeatherTech Championship win. “We’ve been waiting for success like this all year long. This weekend was our weekend; we hit a straight home run, led every session. Thanks to Change Racing for preparing such a great car. I’m just absolutely over the moon.”

Lewis, who climbed from the car and hugged Mul, closed his visor and wept after being overcome by the emotions of winning at Change Racing’s home track.

“That was absolutely an unbelievable weekend through and through,” Lewis added. “I was able to keep the Turner boys off, which wasn’t an easy feat. This is a home race for us, and I can’t thank this team enough. It’s amazing for our first win.”

Respectful driving was in short supply at VIR. Broken bodywork, a spate of punctured tires, and penalties for unskilled driving ensured the 2h40m race was rarely lacking drama. Credit the two class winners for using smarts and just a touch of restraint to reach the top step of the podium while so many others suffered from the adverse effects of embracing unchecked aggression.

With a month break until the penultimate round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, all those with title aspirations would be wise to rewind the race at VIR and learn from its winners.

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