Forte Racing Closes Competitive LMP3 Season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Monrovia, California (Saturday, October 3, 2026) – Forte Racing brought its 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season to a close Friday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, capping a competitive year that saw Brian Thienes finish third in the overall LMP3 drivers’ championship following a season-long battle among one of the series’ strongest fields of Bronze-rated drivers.
Driving the No. 77 Thienes Engineering Ligier JS P325, Thienes entered the season finale tied for the Bronze Cup championship, setting up a winner-take-all battle across the final two sprint races at Road Atlanta. The fight ultimately came down to the closing minutes of Friday’s finale, with Thienes running ahead of his championship rival for much of the race before a late Full Course Yellow erased the gap and set up one final restart. The championship was decided following the restart, bringing a closely contested season-long battle to an end.
Despite narrowly missing the Bronze Cup title, Thienes completed another successful season with Forte Racing, finishing third in the overall drivers’ championship while demonstrating consistency across both the sprint and endurance portions of the schedule.
Brian Thienes: “Not one of my better years, but I’m still happy to be third in the overall drivers’ championship. This year had the best group of Bronze drivers. We were all very competitive, usually running within tenths of a second of each other, and the Bronze championship came down to the last 10 minutes of the last race. I’m very proud of the team this year for providing a very reliable car and honored to be working with Pete Jacobs, one of the greatest race car engineers in the world.”
Thienes was joined at Road Atlanta by Jon Hirshberg in the No. 86 Revenge Dakine Ligier JS P325. Competing in five events during the 2026 season, Hirshberg continued to build experience with the new-generation Ligier while showing steady progress throughout the year. He closed his partial-season campaign ninth in the overall championship standings.
Jon Hirshberg: “I want to thank everyone at Forte for a great 2026 season. It took some time for us to adjust to the new car, but we got up to speed quickly and enjoyed a few podiums this season. I’m looking forward to getting more testing in this winter and going for gold next year.”
Road Atlanta provided a demanding final test for both Forte Racing Ligiers. The 2.54-mile circuit combines high-speed corners, significant elevation changes and rapid directional transitions, requiring the team to find a balance between aerodynamic stability and mechanical grip.
Technical Director Peter Jacobs saw encouraging signs from both cars from the beginning of the weekend, with Thienes immediately competitive and Hirshberg continuing to make gains as the event progressed.
Peter Jacobs: “Road Atlanta is an exercise in extreme vehicle balance, managing high aerodynamic load against steep elevation changes and high-speed directional transitions.
“Turn 1 High-Speed Uphill Compression. Coming off the main straight, drivers enter Turn 1 at high speed. As the suspension compresses up the hill, the aero load spikes, heavily loading the front left and rear tires. Mechanically, the dampers must manage this extreme vertical compression to prevent bottoming out the front splitter without making the ride rate so stiff that it destabilizes the car over the curbs.
“The Esses require lightning-fast direction changes. Engineers must dial in mechanical roll stiffness carefully.
“High roll stiffness, stiffer anti-roll bars, improves initial turn-in response and transient stability through Turns 3, 4 and 5. However, making it too stiff reduces compliance over the aggressive curbs, risking upset of the aerodynamic platform, which relies on consistent ground clearance to generate underbody ground effect.
“Turn 12 Downhill Compression onto the Front Straight. Turn 12 drops dramatically downhill into a sweeping right-hander. Because the car unweights over the crest before compressing at the bottom, mechanical grip drops temporarily, making the rear aero balance critical. If the rear wing isn’t producing stable downforce here, the rear end will easily step out at over 130 mph.
“Straight out of the box, both cars were outpacing competitors that had just recently been testing.
“Jon Hirshberg made huge strides, improving throughout the weekend.
“Brian Thienes never disappoints as he battles it out with drivers more than half his age.
“I have to thank my little brother from another mother for giving me all the tools that make our cars competitive.”
Team Manager David Cozart echoed Jacobs’ assessment of the weekend while pointing to the progress made throughout the 2026 campaign and the foundation the team has established heading into next season.
David Cozart: “Atlanta was a solid finish to our 2026 season. Both Brian and Jon drove exceptionally well at this last event. It was really fun to watch Brian handle the car with such authority. Jon was equally impressive. He has truly grown this season and is putting all the pieces together.
“With that momentum, we look forward to testing and a competitive 2027 season. Lastly, I want to thank my crew and drivers for a great and memorable season.”
For Team Owner Shane Seneviratne, the season-ending weekend was an opportunity to recognize both the results and the work behind them as Forte Racing continued developing its LMP3 program throughout 2026.
Shane Seneviratne: “I’m very proud of what Brian, Jon and the entire Forte Racing team accomplished this season. Brian fought for the Bronze championship all the way to the final minutes of the final race, and that says a lot about the level of competition this year and the consistency he showed throughout the season. Jon made tremendous progress every time he got in the car, and it was great to see that development over the course of the year.
“Pete, David and the entire crew put a tremendous amount of work into this program, especially as we continued learning and developing the new Ligier. We have a strong foundation to build on, and I’m excited about what we can accomplish together in 2027.”
Forte Racing now turns its attention to offseason testing and preparation for the 2027 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge season. The new season will begin February 26-28 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.
Additional details regarding Forte Racing’s 2027 program will be announced at a later date.
For updates, behind-the-scenes coverage, and live action from the paddock, follow @ForteRacing on Instagram.
ABOUT FORTE RACING (Formerly US RaceTronics)
Founded in 2023, Forte Racing is a motorsports team based in Los Angeles and Charlotte. Under the watchful eye of Shane Seneviratne, the team competed in various racing series, including the IMSA WeatherTech GTD Championship, the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge, and Lamborghini Super Trofeo and, in 2025, expanded by adding a single-car entry in the inaugural McLaren Trophy America Championship.
Building on the foundation of US RaceTronics, the team has quickly built a strong reputation with multiple podium finishes, race wins, and several North American and World Championships. The team expands to a four-car McLaren Trophy America program for 2026 in addition to continuing their presence in the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge.
For more information on driving opportunities, series details, or event attendance, visit www.forteracing.com.
About O’Gara Motorsport
O’Gara Motorsport was founded in 2014 by owner Tom O’Gara and celebrated winning the 2015 North American Lamborghini Super Trofeo driver and team Championships. The team goal is to achieve victories in the Series as well as showcasing the brands of their sponsors both on and off the track. With a vertically integrated platform that starts at the dealership and accelerates to the top levels of professional sports car racing, everyone at O’Gara is dedicated to providing a comprehensive program for anyone, from the casually curious to the dedicated racer.
