Doran Racing, Bell Racing set to tackle VIR on Saturday

LEBANON, Ohio – This weekend Doran Racing, Tim Bell Racing and other IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) teams return to VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), a 3.27-mile, 18-turn road course and resort in Alton, Virginia that Car and Driver magazine named one of the top six road courses in North America.

The series hasn't raced at VIR since 2011, although for several years the facility was the site of its season finale. VIR was on the schedule in the series' inaugural season in 2001, and it's on the 2015 schedule too.

The track's famous oak tree died due to natural causes last summer, but the track has been repaved and widened a bit since the series' last visit here, and Saturday afternoon's race is sure to be fast and furious.

B.J. Zacharias and Tim Bell drove a Doran Racing BMW 128i in the Street Tuner (ST) class here in 2011, but this year Zacharias and Brad Jaeger will tackle VIR in the Doran Racing Nissan NISMO 370Z #14, while Bell and co-driver Dane Cameron will pilot the #28 370Z NISMO in the Grand Sport (GS) class.

Jaeger is fourth in the driver point standings, and Zacharias is just three points back in fifth going into this event. After this weekend's race at VIR, only two more events remain on the 2014 schedule.

The race is a timed event of two and a half hours, which is about the same time it takes to drive to the track from Jaeger's home in Charlottesville; VIR is near the Virginia-North Carolina border.

"VIR is sort of my home track since I live in Charlottesville,” said Jaeger. “I raced there in Skip Barber in 2003. I've tested cars there, and I raced a Daytona Prototype with Doran Racing there in 2008 and 2009. I haven't been on the track since it's been repaved though, and I'm anxious to see how it is this weekend. A smoother track will generate faster times, and I'm excited to see how it will work out with the Nissan. I think the Nissan 370Z is going to be very well at VIR. The combination of the track's esses and the car's lighter weight should make the tires last longer. Hopefully we'll have a great race!"

Jaeger started classes at the University of Virginia's business school, where he's pursuing his Master’s degree in Business Administration.

Mooresville, North Carolina-based Tim Bell Racing considers VIR sort of a home track as well.  The team has shown good pace in the black and orange #28 370Z NISMO and is hoping to improve on its season-best fourth place finish at Laguna Seca earlier in the season.

The action starts with two practice sessions on Friday at 8:00 a.m. ET and 12:45 p.m. ET. Jaeger will qualify the car at 5:10 p.m. ET Friday. He'll also start the race at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday and then hands the Nissan off to Zacharias.

Live streaming is scheduled for imsa.com, while Fox Sports 1 viewers can see the coverage on a tape-delayed basis Sunday, August 31 at 10:00 a.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

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Contact

Steve Yaeger
Nissan Motorsports
E-mail: steve.yaeger@nissan-usa.com
615-427-9172