ALTON, V.A. (August 23, 2026) – Turner Motorsport leaves VIRginia International Raceway with a pair of podium finishes and valuable championship points. Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars secured a third-place podium finish to reclaim the GS championship points lead, while Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher earned a second-place podium finish to move into second in the GTD championship.
Machavern started the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO from ninth and quickly gained two positions. The Turner crew sent Mars out in third after a quick pit stop, and he managed fuel well while keeping the Turner BMW out of trouble and ahead of other championship contenders. In the final 15 minutes, Mars remained patient and kept the big picture in mind while making the final few key passes to secure a third-place finish in the Virginia is for Lovers Grand Prix. The result provided much-needed redemption after unfortunate luck at Watkins Glen International and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. With two rounds remaining, the No. 95 now leads the championship.
In the No. 96 BMW M4 GT4 EVO, Vin Barletta started from 27th in class and gained five positions during his stint. Foley took over in 17th and managed fuel while maintaining consistent lap times. As competitors on a different strategies were forced to pit, Foley made the final couple passes to secure a 12th-place finish.
In the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Gallagher started fifth, managing his Michelin tires and energy before handing the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO over to Foley in third.
Foley continued to manage energy while navigating challenging high tire degradation. The Turner BMW remained in third until the class and championship leaders made contact. The No. 96 inherited second place, giving the team its third podium of the season and moving into second in the championship battle.
Quotes
Luca Mars, Driver of the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO
“It’s really rewarding to be back up here because we started off so good, and then we had a couple of really unfortunate results, including a mistake by me that set us back in the last one. But this is exactly what we needed to turn the season around – to get third and retake the championship lead. The whole Turner Motorsport crew gave me a killer car today. Dillon did a great job in the opening stint, giving me the car, and the strategy calls and pits stops, which is what we needed to get the podium there at the end. I’m really thankful to the whole team and all the guys for the hard work. Even after some of the bad results we had, we kept pushing and it feels really deserving to get this P3.”
Dillon Machavern, Driver of the No. 95 BMW M4 Gt4 EVO
“It feels amazing to be back out and it’s a little nerve-wracking how quickly you can lose it and then take it back because how we lost it was very similar to how the 13 just lost it. So we need to be super aware of our surroundings and minimize risk where we can, and that’s kind of our strategy going into today – to be conservative and stay in our lane, and it paid off for us.”
Patrick Gallagher, Driver of the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO
“It was a blue-collar day. We brought our lunch pail and went to work, just grinding one out, trying to stay consistent. We didn’t have the speed of the 57 and 27. They seem to be able to drive through the field, and we can’t. So, when you have that, you just got to keep your nose down and keep working. So based on that, we’re second in the championship points.
“I think what you’re seeing is us still being in the fight without a race win so far this year is a culmination of all our efforts. It just comes down to the whole group around us and making good decisions all the time, and it’s good to have LIQUI MOLY, H&R Springs, Belle Haven and all our partners with us at the front fighting for a championship with two races to go.”
Robby Foley, Driver of the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO
“It’s not a win, but it feels pretty damn close just based on how quick those guys were. As Patrick said, we fought through the day and did our best. There was a lot of craziness ahead of us, and we took advantage of that to end up P2. So yeah, he coined the term blue collar day, and it was a blue collar P2 for sure.
We didn’t have the pace today for the 27 and 57. Low grip tracks aren’t necessarily our strong suit. Normally we are quite good here, but as the grip level has changed at VIR a little bit, today, I think everybody just struggled a bit with tires. It was so hot, long green flag stints in the last two stints. I think the other two did a little bit, but ultimately, probably just didn’t have the pace to fifth those two cars. But it was a great day for our group, and on these days where you’re not quite quick enough to win, P2 feels damn good.”
Will Turner, Team Owner
“Two podiums – what a weekend! It feels like the old days, meaning that we often had success in both programs on the same race weekends, but that hasn’t happened in a while.
“Lots of points for us this weekend and a little bad luck for some of the other championship competitors. It looks like this is going to come down to the last two races, or maybe even that last race, in both series, and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
#taco #taco
