VIR is one of America’s first permanent road racing tracks, structured much different than a traditional NASCAR track. This man-made road course, crafted by North Carolinians, expands well over three miles long with elevation changes, straights and dramatic turns — a favorite amongst fans and drivers. 

Kenton Koch, a driver with Random Vandals Racing based out of North Carolina, is excited for the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS running this weekend.

An inside look at Kenton Koch’s car. (Spectrum News 1/Sydney McCoy)

“VIR has been, it’s been pretty good to me,” Koch said. 

The pro driver has won numerous titles at the track in his over 11 years of pro racing, but he has been behind the wheel almost his whole life. He gained interest in the craft after attending the L.A. Auto Show when he was 6, but having to wait two years to finally get behind the wheel of a go-kart. 

“The day I turned 8, I asked Dad for a go-kart. And eventually Santa came home with a go-kart, and we ended up going racing and kind of the rest is history. There was a bit of a a big journey that happens from karting to cars to where I’m at now,” Koch said. 

The 6-foot-4 driver is sporting a BMW M4 GT3 this weekend with the sports car having modifications, such as a quick seat adjuster, an exhaust pipe that goes through the engine out to the front passenger side wheel and more. 

“The cars [in sports car or GT racing] are definitely very representative of their street car counterparts. And when you look at this BMW GT3 car, you see the huge resemblance to the street car, and the actual chassis is built from the street car chassis, and NASCAR, they’re obviously much more purpose built. Their chassis doesn’t come from the street car. They’re cosmetically designed to look like the street car. But for the most part they are purpose built. This is purpose built, but from the actual street car derivative,” Koch said. 

Regardless of the car design or track, the strategy between NASCAR and GT may be similar to what Koch calls a chess game, plotting for the right move and saving gas and tires. 

Kenton Koch also pilots airplanes along with race cars. (Courtesy: Kenton Koch)

“When the green flag drops, it’s a whole another level of adrenaline that that gets pumping … when you’re out there just lapping, you’re focused on executing the corners and the brakes on hitting your marks. But when it comes to racing, you’re now trying to go fast …” Koch said. 

The Californian moved to North Carolina to further his career in racing, now even getting the chance to fly himself in airplanes to races up and down the east coast. 

“This is one of the races that I see most of my friends that are in Charlotte come out to the race. So it’s pretty cool to be able to have that kind of support,” Koch said. 

Hopefully, he will gain another win this weekend to continue his momentum with fans getting the chance to get close to their favorite drivers. 

“The coolest thing about sports car now is the teams are getting more creative with how they engage the fans, and I think honestly the random vandals is a contributor to helping get in touch with the next generation,” Koch said. 

Next month, Virginia International Raceway will host the IMSA Michelin GT Challenge and Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix from August 23-25.