As the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge begins the home stretch, Rebel Rock Racing arrives at Virginia International Raceway with singular focus and a clear mission: to capture its first victory of the 2025 season and keep alive its impressive streak of at least one GS Class race win every year since 2019. The pressure is on, but so is the motivation, as the team fights to extend its seven year run of success.
For Team Owner, Frank DePew, victory at VIR would be especially sweet as the 3.27 mile, seventeen turn natural terrain road course in Southern Virginia is his home track. The track has also served as a proving ground for the team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 EVO, with countless miles of testing logged here over the past two seasons. That experience could be the difference-maker as the team from Deland, Florida looks for win number one of the season.
Frank DePew:
Paul Newman said, "If there's a Heaven on Earth, it would be VIR” and its very hard to disagree with him. As always I look forward to racing at VIR and as a VA boy, it is my home track. I have raced here since I got my NASA and SCCA licenses 2 decades ago, restarting a racing bug that I got as a child from my uncle John Bergeron who raced a TR4 in SCCA.
I did a lot of racing here in the early 2000's as an amateur, but in an uncanny way, since there are 10 events every year for the Michelin Pilot Challenge I find that I have been here less since I started competing at this level. Robin and I were fortunate enough to win here in 2023 and are certainly hoping for a win this weekend, but as always that is a tall order in such a competitive series with many great drivers. Having won a race each year since we started racing together in 2019 we want to carry that streak into 2026. Ultimately, it's where my racing heart lies and hopefully the bad luck we have had to an extent this year will not follow us here and we can get the job done.
Robin Liddell:
VIR is one of the standout road courses in North America; a track which is both challenging and fun to drive. We had a great car here last year and we are certainly hoping that we can compete for the win again this year in the Aston. With the level of competition as it is now in IMPC we need a perfect weekend if we are to get on the top step; as always that’s the goal!
Rebel Rock Racing will be in action in both the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the VP Racing Challenge which has races on both Saturday and Sunday. The Green Flag for Saturday’s Virginia Is for Racing Lovers 120 will drop at 2:20pm ET. To follow all the weekend action from Round 8 of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, please follow Rebel Rock Racing on Twitter at @RebelRockRacing, on Instagram at @rebelrockracing and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rebelrockracing2.0.