DAYTONA, FL (Sunday, January 18, 2026) – RAFA Racing Team extended its extraordinary run of form in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge with yet another commanding weekend, reinforcing its status as the benchmark operation in the series in the GSX class.
This weekend’s Daytona marked 14 consecutive VP Racing SportsCar Challenge race weekends in which RAFA Racing Team has finished P1 in every practice session, claimed pole position for both races, and converted that pace into race-winning results with an incredible 13 wins from 14 races.
At the sharp end of the field aboard his Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2, series debutant Westin Workman delivered a flawless performance, sweeping the weekend with two overall victories, highlighted by a dramatic recovery drive in the second race after early technical adversity.
“Yeah, not a bad start at all,” Workman said. “I’m very happy to go two for two in the VP Challenge series. Honestly, the way the race went today and how the whole weekend went as a whole, I wouldn’t have rather had it any other way.
“Coming out of the pits today, I felt a weird scraping on the ground, and I didn’t have power steering; I could barely turn the car on the outlap, so I radioed it in.
“They called me back to the pits and fixed the air jack, but I still had no power steering. I stopped right away, cycled the power, and thankfully it came back. I was very happy that everything shook out the way it should.”
Once back up to speed, Workman charged his way forward, turning a challenging situation into a statement victory.
Beyond the results, Workman emphasized the broader value of the weekend, which featured mixed conditions and unexpected challenges that added to his development behind the wheel of the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.
“The main thing we wanted to get out of this weekend and the VP Challenge as a whole was experience and more seat time in the Supra,” he explained.
“Getting one race in the dry and then racing in the wet today was really beneficial for my growth. Then today, having to fight from the back with some issues and still move forward showed us how to stay calm, deal with those problems, and still make the best of it.”
While Workman controlled the overall classification, Rafa Martinez added to RAFA Racing Team’s trophy haul with two Bronze class podium finishes, scoring P3 in class in both races.
“Right at the end, cars got together in front of me at the bus stop,” Martinez said.
“There was a Bronze car I was racing with, and they spun. I managed to just get around it and lock in the podium.”
Martinez’s result capped off a measured drive that saw him rebound from a difficult opening phase and steadily build momentum through the middle portion of the race.
“I didn’t have a great start, but in the middle part of the race, I picked up the pace and managed to stay with the pack. With the yellow flags as well, everything kind of came back together, and we ended up with a good result. I’m really excited about it.”
The weekend also gave Martinez a closer look at RAFA Racing Team rookie Workman’s approach and performance from within the team environment, something he found particularly impressive.
“I was very impressed with Westin,” Martinez said.
“I’d never seen him race in person before or really gone through his data like that. Watching him this weekend and seeing how he works was impressive. Having him on the team and seeing him win both races showed exactly what he’s capable of.”
RAFA Racing Team’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge entry of Kiko Porto (last year’s VP Racing SportsCar Championship winner) and Varun Choksey completed important testing miles during the Roar before the 24 weekend in preparation for next week’s opening round of the championship.
The duo completed a total of 130 laps across five sessions, with the No. 12 Toyota finishing sixth in the final practice session this morning. The duo will be back on next Wednesday for the opening practice session of race week as they prepare for Friday’s season-opening four-hour enduro.
