Race Report: GP2 Pole, Reliability Troubles at WRL VIR
Alton, VA | September 2-4th, 2022
For the first weekend of the month, Million made a journey across the country to Virginia International Raceway.
He would be competing in the World Racing League series for team Chattanooga Tourenwagen in their BMW E46. The car was entered in GP2, slotted in-between the quickest and slowest cars in GTO and GP3.
This was Million’s second event in the series after competing in, and winning, this exact event one year ago in September 2021. The circuit, and series for that matter, captivated him to the point of seeking another opportunity at this event. Over 70 cars entered between five classes would provide a tight, multi-class experience.
Through the help of mutual friends, Million found home with the competitive Chattanooga Tourenwagen squad for the weekend. They had been coming off numerous podiums in previous events at Road Atlanta, Daytona, and Road America. Million would join team owner Zachary Mortimer and fellow team drivers Justin Ford and Jason Smith in the #348 on this occasion. With Million’s years of experience with the BMW E46 platform, it was a great pairing.
During combined Friday practice and qualifying, Million was able to record the fastest time of the day in GP2. The 2:08:5 lap was enough to secure pole in the 8-car class. “There was definitely more in it! I had a GTO-class car spin in the final corner directly in front of me on the hotlap and I backed off. Happy to have it be enough for pole! The car is a lot of fun, very stable and punchy. Looking forward to tomorrow!”.
On Saturday morning, Million would start the 8-hour race for the team. Gridded behind about 50 higher class cars, it was to be a busy start and stint. After briefly losing the lead, Million regained the position in the opening half hour and pulled away to about a minute lead. During the stint, Million boxed for a splash of fuel in order to carry the car deeper into the race. From the roughly two a half hours Million spent in the car, an hour was taken up by Code 35 and full-course yellow procedures for incidents and stationary vehicles. The #348 remained clean and consistent with no contact or faults. Only a few laps into Smith’s stint after a successful pit stop and driver change, the car lost power. An engine failure was suspected and realized. Believing their weekend was over, the Chattanooga Tourenwagen team located an engine at nearby Quantum Speed Works. The engine replacement was completed in nine hours and the crew left the circuit around 11:00 PM.
For Sunday, Ford started in the #348 from pole courtesy of Million’s fastest class race lap from the day prior. Ford executed a great stint, keeping on pace with the leaders and staying out of trouble. Through good strategy and fuel mileage, Ford found himself in the lead after over two hours in the car and pit to swap over to Mortimer. Within a lap, the car lost drive yet again with a suspected transmission problem. The crew again worked tirelessly to repair the car and successfully reentered the race with two hours remaining. Smith brought the car home within 50% of the leader’s lap total, crucial for their championship aspirations.
While it was a shame to not have their potential realized, the pace and comradery made the weekend an enjoyable experience nevertheless. Million wants to thank the team for their trust in his abilities and inclusion this weekend. He looks forward to competing for the team at some point in the future and making up on unfinished business.
Million’s next event will be September 9-11th at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the US Touring Car Championship. The team will use this event as the warm-up for their main focus; NASA Nationals in ST4 and ST5 from September 15-18th. Million will contest the ST5 championship in the #24. Monday, September 19th will be the fifth round of NASA WERC as the team will again enter #24 in E2 and #25 in E1.
Look for Matt Million’s ‘September Update’ to be published by the end of this month. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.