Daytona, Fla. (22 January 2023) – Jr III (“Junior-Three”) Racing finished fifth in Race 2 of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge after taking the series first-ever pole and then finishing on the podium in Race 1 on Saturday, Bijoy Garg once again got back behind the wheel of the the No. 3 S2 Cyber Ligier JS P320 for the second 45-minute sprint race of the weekend.
The Saturday outing marked Garg’s first- ever sports car start, as he impressed with his speed to earn the pole award. The race didn’t start as hoped for, as the California native got loose going into turn one and spun. Rejoining the field last in the order, Garg quickly caught up to his fellow LMP3 class runners after just three laps as he pushed forward through the field to score a well-fought podium in his first IMSA start.
Looking to continue that momentum in Sunday’s race, Garg started on the front row once again based on his second-fastest qualifying lap. Garg kept the No. 3 LMP3 within podium contention until a bobble in the Le Mans Chicane on lap 14 looped him around. Returning to the race unscathed, Garg rejoined the field in fifth for the final 10 laps of the race. Once again he had good pace, focusing forward to net the second fastest lap of the race with a 1:46.22-second flyer around the fabled Daytona roval.
“Going into the race, I knew it was going to be a long one, and I had to keep my head down,” said Garg. “I feel like we accomplished a lot over the weekend. I learned a lot about the car and the track. Our results didn’t match our pace today; but overall I felt like the Jr III Racing crew guys gave me a fast car all weekend.”
Jr III Racing Team Owner, Billy Glavin was pleased with the effort and preparation from the team for their first VPSC weekend as they supported Garg’s IMSA debut.
“I think for the first weekend in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, it went pretty well, all things considered,” said Glavin. “I think Bijoy will be a bit more settled in the car for Sebring, and be a bit more comfortable with the format of the races. I believe we can translate our pace from Daytona to more races this season and we definitely have the potential to get some more wins.”
Round 2 of the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will be staged at Sebring International Raceway on March 11-12. Jr III Racing will also kick off its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign the following weekend with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
