Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Its round three of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
The track today, is very wet. 2.25 miles, elevation changes, and it's easy to overdrive the corner. Get a drive into turn four. The esses are very narrow. One lane. Watch out for The Carousel. Kenton Koch and Tyler Cooke are on the pole aboard the #2 Audi R8. Tom O'Gorman wants a win for Honda at their home track. The race is underway now. The track is damp. There are weepers off turn two. The starting line is on the backstretch. Jesse Lazare vs. Kenton Koch on the front row. Audi vs. McLaren! Go! Big move by Nate Stacy in the KohR Ford Mustang. Tiptoe through the damp. It's been cool and wet. Alan Brynjolfson makes a big move in the Porsche Cayman, the Volt Lighting car.
Kenton Koch leads Jesse Lazare and Paul Holton. Compass360 debuted their GT Daytona McLaren in the WeatherTech race. The sand trap is a mud bog right now. Tons of rain has fallen before this race began. Kenton Koch, Jesse Lazare, Robby Foley, Jeff Mosing, they are all in it. Nate Stacy and James clay battle. Stacy in the Mustang gets past the BMW. Robby Foley is harrying Russell ward as the #71 Frank DePew driven Chevrolet Camaro, and he spins it, look. He shares with veteran Robin Liddell. Now, we still are watching Jesse Lazare chasing Kenton Koch as we are under Full Course Yellow. We expected a yellow this early in the motor race due to the conditions out there.
Rebel Rock Racing, rescued. The safety car lights are off. Kenton Koch, is in the pound seats at the moment but here comes jesse Lazaere and here comes Paul Holtom, look. The McLaren's can fly when they drop the hammer. The McLaren's have lost weight and have a new ECU since the most recent race at Sebring back in March. Holtom is all over Jesse Lazare like a cheap suit. Holton has been going from strength to strength. Just amazing. The track has been a tad dry, but still damp. Go stiffer on the suspension, just a little bit.
Keep an eye on the amount of mud and clag getting onto the road. Clean your tires. Kenton Koch had trouble with that on the restart. Chad Gilsinger is second to Brian Henderson in TCR at the moment. The Atlanta Speedworks Honda leads the HART Honda, who have been in racing now for 30 years. Congratulation. Shelby Blackstock and Tom O'Gorman want the hat trick for the #37 LA Honda World Honda Civic TCR. Robby Foley, James Clay, and Nate Stacy have been all over Russell Ward who is the first driver in the #33 Winward/HTP Mercedes AMG GT4 he shares with Indy Dontje.
Holton is in the danger zone as he's trying Jesse Lazare. The Hyundai has moved up to third in TCR, look. Mark Wilkins calls the Hyundai a "corner rascal", and indeed it is, because he is all over the Honda of Shelby Blackstock. Good racing so far. Mark Wilkins shares the #98 BHA Hyundai Veloster with Michael Lewis. We are just 20 minutes into this race and the TCR cars are battling Grand Sport/GT4 cars. Shelby Blackstock passes Jade Buford, in the PF Racing Ford Mustang he shares with James Pesek. Now, Mason Filipi is having hood issues on his Veloster, the #21 car Mason Filipi is sharing with Harry Gottsacker. He hits the poit lane to fix the bonnet. He has also run really well in the TCR class of another championship.
Get within your pit window, but don't go down a lap. Mason Filippi might lose a lap. Nate Stacy, defending champion of this race, he jumped the original start of this race. Alan Brynjolfson got a good start, but Stacy may have pulled out of line and made it three deep. Jesse Lazare leads aboard the #69 Motorsport in Action McLaren, coming up on Frank DePew in the Camaro as Shelby Blackstock is 21st in the overall, leading TCR. That's Honda Civic TCR #37. We have our second yellow flag as a car is off the road. Bryce Ward slides across the grass in his Mercedes AMG GT4. Jesse Lazare is in the lane for fuel ands tires. No driver changes yet.
We are 1/4 into this race. A tech problem for the #46 Mercedes AMG GT4 of Owen Trinkler and Hugh Plumb, the Team TGM car. Kenton Koch, Robby Foley, James Clay. and more didn't pit as James Clay wants by Foley. Tyler McQuarrie and Jeff Westphal won at Sebring and they are competitive here, too. Clay tries foley and foley nearly slams the door in his face! Jeff Mosing is coming in the #56 Mercedes AMG GT4, the Murillo car. Chad Gilsinger makes contact with Ted Giovanis and Giovanis is off the track.
All the TCR cars are on a heavier weight limit except for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR. We have a third Full Course Yellow, chaps, to rescue Ted Giovanis sharing his TGM Mercedes with Guy Cosmo. We are set to race here at Mid Ohio once more. Green flag back in the air. Kenton Koch, James Clay, Robby Foley, James Clay, the top four. Gavin Ernstone and Ryan Nash battle in TCR. Ryan Nash also makes contact with Chad gilsinger, as Tyler McQuarrie passes Robby Foley. In pit lane, Henry Schmitt hands his BMW M4 GT4 over to Greg Liefooghe. Kenton Koch is still leading. He won in Mazda MX5 Cup here at Mid Ohio. Off the road is the #40 PF Racing Mustang, James Pesek at the wheel of it, gets nudged by the #59 Ford Mustang. Rod Randall snuck up on Pesek, and, whack!
Big damage, look, for the #40, the pink car. Shelby Blackstock is hounding Mark Wilkins, stuck behind the #31 Porsche Cayman GT4, of Jeff Courtney and Fred Roberts, the Bodymotion Racing Porsche Cayman GT4. Courtney ran a Maserati GT4 car before, sans the ABS. Kenton Koch still leads, with pit stops to come. We are close to halfway through the motor race, and rain is moving in. This motor race is about to get spicy. James Clay still has Tyler McQuarry right on his six. Jesse Lazare is languishing down in eighth even after his pit stop. McQuarrie still can't make the move. Tyler McQuarrie recently ran an off road race. Keep an eye on the sky. Kenton Koch is frustrated with Greg Liefooghe, but Liefooghe isn't giving an inch.
Ditto for Tyler McQuarrie trying to press by another of the BMW's. The sprinkles are increasing. The #75 Compass Racing McLaren is behind the wall. Paul Holton and Kuno Wittmer, game over for those blokes. Wet tires could come out for the cars in the last hour of this motor race. NBC Sports' Calvin Fish says Mid Ohio is an ice rink in the rain, as he was a driving instructor here at this track during his career. James Clay is holding off Tyler McQuarrie, but McQuarrie, he isn't giving up by any stretch of the imagination.
Another Full Course Yellow! Jeff Mosing has taken his turn on the waterslide, spinning off the road trying to power past the Rebel Rock Camaro. Poor old Jeff Mosing is off in the puddle and it looks like game over. James Vance has slid off the road, driving out of the way due to a tech problem. Vance and Nick Galante, share the car. It's still misting out there. Tires will be a big deal as we close in on the finish of this race with less than 55 minutes left. It is not wet enough for rain tires. Keep the slicks. #2 in the lane, as Tyler Cooke gets into the car. Different spelling, no relation. Devin Jones takes the #82 BMW M4 GT4 over from James Clay.
Jones will push the Bimmerworld car to the end. They are going for rain tires. But, if it's half dry, those rain tires will be toast. GS cars come in first, then TCR cars. Back time it to the end. Michael Lewis will take over the Hyundai from Mark Wilkins, and Tom O'Gorman taking over from Shelby Blackstock. Chad Gilsinger is handing his HART Honda Civic TCR to Ryan Eversley. Slicks for the Hyundai Veloster, Michael Lewis taking over and he is now at the wheel of it, on slicks, with Phil Howard and John Ward on team management. Argy bargy for Chad Gilsinger, and it shows on the side of the automobile.
Jesse Lazare is in the lane and Corey Fergus, are in the pits and Fergus is now at the wheel. He has come to Mid Ohio, since he was a babe in arms at eight days old. 46 minutes left now. Mark Wilkins' late father, Greg, was a star in a Porsche in Michelin Pilot Challenge, several years ago. Rain on the road. How severe will it get? Less than 45 minutes to go as we head for a restart. go for wet tires! How about that! James Clay and Devin Jones, they will be in the pound seats. Trent Hindman leads Dylan Murry. Porsche Cayman GT4 vs. Mercedes AMG GT4. Michael Lewis is hanging tough on slick tires.
Jon Morley in the #61 Audi RS3 TCR is running really well. The race track has not been lost to the rain yet. Tom O'Gorman is chasing Michael Lewis. O'Gorman is going for the hat trick with Shelby Blackstock. On the outside, don't hang a wheel off in the grass, or you will wreck. Eversley is off the road, look. He is trying his best to run outside the line to avoid the oil in the track surface. Too much speed for Eversley. John Morley is cutting through the TCR field like a hot knife through butter. He is the co-driver with Gavin Ernstone. Trent Hindman leads the motor race in the #7 Park Place Motorsports Volt Lighting Porsche Cayman GT4 with just 35 minutes left to race.
Rain is still falling, but not enough for full wets. Hindman runs a 1:31.7, and Kyle Marcelli in the #60 Mustang is down in the 1:37 bracket on slicks, Nate Stacy's co-driver. James Clay says that Devin Jones is flying, and with their tire strategy, they may be in the driver's seat. Super ugly argy bargy between the #12 Audi now in the hands of Russell McDonough. Devin Jones can't get the power down on the slick tires. The TGM Mercedes is back on track now. It is far from game over for Joe Varde and that team. The Mark Motors Racing Audi RS3 has also been in the TCR fight. Marco Cirone and Remo Ruscitti sharing the car.
Under 27 minutes to go, and Trent Hindman is still your leader as Bill Auberlen has changed over to slick Michelin tires. Matt Pombo, second in TCR has slid off the road, chasing michael lewis. In replay, he drops rthe righrt side wheels at turn one, spins, and... bang, into the wall. Pombo didn't have too big a smash into the wall. He will have a little damage, but might get back into the race. Honda reps from all three plants are here, after 45 years of racing the Honda Civic, since 1974. Poor old Tom O'Gorman might be busting up his tires. Harry Gottsacker in the Hyundai, second in TCR, he has a fuel issue. Shut down the electronics and restart them again to run at full power, much like powering down your computer at home.
Sixteen minutes to go, as Dylan Murry wants to take the fight to trent jindman, and here comes murry. No dice. Go back inside? Maybe. Murry has to run wide and square off the corner. hindman leads the motor race with just 15 minutes remaining now. Here comes Eric Foss in the Murillo Mercedes to get a lap back, and Robin Liddell is moving up having taken over from Frank DePew. Rain intensifying. Michael Lewis gets passed by Harry Gottsacker. Remo Rusciti and John Morley are also in the fight in TCR. Remo Ruscitti has been flying. TCR cars are stuck behiund the GT4 machines, the Grand Sport class.
Gottsacker defends from Ruscitti and here comes Lewis! No lane there, and ruscitti is in the TCR lead! John Morley is also in this fight. This is great stuff here, mate. Lewis gets a run on remo ruscitti. Wow. He makes a pass at The Carousel as we hace our sixth Full Course Yellow. Stephen Simpson is off the road in the #54 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Less then ten minutes to go now as the safety crew rescues the Audi. Trent Hindman, Dylan Murry, and Jeff Westphal, are still your top three in Grand Sport/GT4 as the end of this race draws near.
Green flag out again. Trent Hindman is flying. Mike Lewis is back in the lead in TCR now. He has pulled a gap on Remo Ruscitti. John Morley is pushing his way past to try and get to the front of TCR along with co-driver Gavin Ermstone. The track is drying. Lewis has found a rhythm. Lewis needs to clear the GS traffic. They clear Greg Liefooghe. TCR cars, these blokes are passing the GS boys art will. Ruscitti tries to block and here comes John Morley! Can Morley hang on over Ruscitti? Nope. Ruscitti goes back under lewis and lewis has to push to get back past the Audi as they round up the McLaren, gapping Morley in the Audi.
Jade Buford has been playing catch up aboard the PF Racing Mustang and Kenny Wilden is finishing the race in the #59 Kohr Racing Mustang. Less than a minute, one lap to go as Lewis passes Rusciiti, and Ruscitti was blocked by Kenny Wilden! Wilden has to give way! Morley and Ruscitti resume their battle. Trent Hindman is going to win this race overall. Bryan Herta's teenage son Colton has won in IndyCar, and now, his team will win with Hyundai in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Park Place Porsche and Trent Hindman, and Alan Brynjolfson win!
TCR not over yet and rusciutti gets turned by Morley as Hyundai wins TCR, Michael Lewis and Mark Wilkins!
Overall/GS: #7 Brynjolffson/Hindman Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport
TCR: #98 Wilkins/Lewis Hyundai Veloster N TCR
The next round of the championship for Michelin Pilot Challenge, is at Watkins Glen International Raceway, in upstate New York, in late June.
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