Round two of the 2021 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge brings the drivers, teams, and cars, to Sebring International Raceway, the famous, rough, bumpy airfield circuit once known as Hendricks Field, a training base for WW. II. Air Force pilots to fly B17 and B25 bombers. The teams and drivers of Michelin Pilot Challenge finished their 2020 season at this very race track, back in November. Now, they return to have another crack at it. Pole position for today's race in the Grand Sport (GT4) division, belongs to Wright Motorsports and the #16 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, with Max Root and Jan Heylen sharing the driving chores. Root, the Porsche standout who has a bunch of sports car racing experience across several championships, he will start the car.
In the TCR class, for the two liter turbocharged touring cars, it is the Daytona winner, the #17 UniTronic JDC Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR will runn well and so will Gavin Ermstone and Jon Morley. But the pole in class goes to the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic FK7 TCR of Brian Henderson and Robert Noaker. What a gorgeous day in Central Florida for the second race of the Michelin Pilot Challenge series. This track like Daytona is so unique, McLaren won at Daytona. If your car is good here, it will be good anywhere. Porsche's have the speed. Look out for the two Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's who won last November with Robby Foley and Vincent Barletta. 35 cars will start. Green flag! We're away. Max Root leads away as Russell Ward goes to second spot. Brian Henderson makes the start for TCR as everyone is trying to go for it on cold tires with much cooler temperatures than we saw yesterday. The GS cars will be faster. In the meatime, the "Zebring" #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, combining real racing with sim racing. Whoops! We have an issue with the #46 Chevrolet Camaro in strife and James Pesek in the #40 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4, the only Mustang entered in today's motor race.
Poor old Hugh Plumb has big damage to the TGM Chevrolet Camaro. James Pesek hops the curb, can't turn, and got sent off the road. In the meantime, we can see the McLaren 570S, the AWA McLaren. Orey Fidani qualified the car on the front row and we also see the Volt Racing Aston Martin working it's way back to the front. Contact, look, between the #3 MIA McLaren, Sheena Monk at the controls, gets clouted by Mike McCann in the Audi. Game over it appears for the TGM Camaro. The pit lane is different on the backstretch compared to the WeatherTech series pit lane on the front straight. Tyler Gonzalez in the #27 Copeland Motorsports Hyundai Veloster is in trouble, sharing with Tyler Maxson.
Braking seems to be the trouble for the #40 Mustang. When James Pesek went to the brakes in the Tower Turn, the pedal went to the floor. The suspension kocnked the brake pads back into the calipers. Frantic action here at Sebring as the race begins. We now watch the TCR battle as the #73 L.A. Hond World Honda Civic leads the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR. That's the Jon Morley and Gavin Ernstone car vs. the duo of Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo.
At the sharp end, Max Root leads Russell Ward by a second and a half. Dillon Machavern third, Orey Fidani fourth, and Alex Papadopoulos fifth in the #83 FASTMD Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4 he shares with James Vance. The battle is heating up in TCR as well as we have the #14 Toyota Supra spun off in the esses on the back part of the course. That is the Javier Quiros, Alfredo Najri car for Riley Motorsports, trailing smoke. This is the sole Toyota Supra in the field. Quiros has heavy damage as he gets zonked by a car going into turn ten.
The team finished seventh at Daytona back in January. Riley Motorsports is developing the car for Toyota Central America. Javier Quiros is a long-time driver from San Jose, Costa Rica. Alan Brynjolfson in the #7 Volt Racing Aston Martin clobbered the Toyota. He and Trent Hindman won in IMSA Prototype Challenge last weekend here at Sebring. Alex Papadopoulos dealing with the bumps through Sunset Bend at turn 17. Turn one is a blind corner also with huge bumps in it. Sebring changes the character through the course of the day. It is a very cool day today. The grip levels won't change dramatically.
Sheena Monk and Spencer Pigot in the #3 McLaren 570S GT4 are running well and Vinnie Barletta is really pressing hard in the "Zebring" liveried BMW M4 GT4. One half of the car is real life racing livery and the other is for sim racing. Poor old Javier Quiros, it's game over. Done for the day for Quiros and Najri. Dillon Machavern passes Russell Ward through Sunset Bend. Manage the tires. This is a harder compound Michelin Pilot tire for the championshio. The cars are porpoising around all over the place and turn one as well as turn 17 are extremely bumpy.
Turn one you are on full power before Kristensen corner, while in turn 17 you are off throttle before hitting the front straightaway. Foley, when he is not driving in Michelin Pilot Challenge, he is doing sim racing. Alan Brynjolfson sharing with Trent Hindman in the Volt Racing Aston Martin, will have to take a penalty and recover. Team manager Mike Johnson knows how the sports car racing world works. Meantime, James Pesek and Chad McCumbee have the PF Racing Ford Mustang in the pit lane, having the brakes fixed. James Pesek's father, J.R. Pesek, has built a 3.87 mile, 19 turn Ozark Raceway in Osage Beach, Missouri. Maybe it will be a track the IMSA championships race at in the future. We shall see.
Serenely in the lead, Max Root motors on aboard the #16 Wright Motorsports Porsche Cayman and in TCR, it's the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic, well in the lead and bish bash boshing it right now, with nearly 20 minutes of racing on the board. A scrum here as Foley says "oh no you don't" to Mike McCann in the Audi, and the two cars continue their battle into turn one another time. Good battle too in TCR as it is the #17 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi, vs. both of the factory Hyundai Elantra's for Bryan Herta Autosport. Chris Miller sharing the Audi with Mikey Taylor. Check that. I believe there is only one factory Hyundai Elantra. That's the #98 machine driven by Ryan Norman and Parker Chase.
Bryan Henderson is being monstered by Gavin Ernstone at the moment. Ernstone is bullish about the chances of Road Shagger Racing doing very well. Ernstone will hand the car over to Jon Morley. They are now running a car with the sequential gearbox. They have a brand new automobile, that was campaigned as well in the Canadian Touring Car Championship. #51, the Copeland Motorsports Hyundai Veloster N TCR, has A.J. Muss at the controls. He is a snowboarder and a racing driver, who had brain damage during a surgery that did not go well. He is really improving though as a racing driver.
He has very little racing experience but his snowboarding experience really helps. Muss wants by Taylor and makes the pass going through the esses and through Le Mans corner onto the Ulmann straight. This is where the support race pit lane is. Some manufacturers are on a one stop strategy while others will need some yellow in this race. So far we have been clean and green. The #71 Rebel Rock Chevrolet Camaro is off the road and so is the #96 Turner BMW. Frank DePew and Robin Liddell once again, sharing the aforementioned Camaro.
Alexandre Papadopoulos is planning to pit soon. Again, we see Vin Barletta too deep into turn ten and he's off the road, clattering through the grass, and getting back on the road, thankfully. Max Root meantime, is on a Friday afternoon cruise. He's 6.3 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Ryan Norman and Harry Gottsacker in the two factory Hyundai Elantra's for Bryan Herta Autosport battle amongst themselves. Gottsacker sharing the second Elantra with Mark Wilkins. Good battles in GS all over the track as well. Trying to keep track of them. The Monk/Pigot McLaren is being hounded by the #09 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 of Automatic Racing shared by Brandon Kidd and Rob Ecklund.
Max Root, out front, still having it all his own way in GS. More TCR scrapping to watch as well, look. Hyundai vs. Honda. The #88 VCMG Honda of Victor Gonzalez is hounding Rory van der Steur for Van der Steur Racing. VCMG has run successfully in the SRO championship for TCR as well. Gonzalez really wants to go for it applying the blowtorch to Rory van der Steur, sharing with Dennis DuPont. Compliance of suspension over the bumps, and twisty, medium speed corners, like the Tower Turn, are key. If you have a combination that works at Sebring, the car will work anywhere. A.J. Muss, too, he is being closed in on by the battle between van der Steur and Gonzalez. Gonzalez is moving in.
Jon Morley says the Audi drives differently with their new gearbox. They are not using the DSG transmission on that RS3. Ernstone is going for it. Spencer Pigot will take over the Motorsports In Action #3 McLaren 570S from Sheena Monk, soon. The heat and tire degradation are a big deal. The car is fine after Monk had a little contact someplace. Through Kristensen corner, Monk clipped one of the Camaro's and then got biffed by Papadopoulos as well. Max Root continues to lead the motor race. When will he pit? We shall find out soon.
Ah. Pit stop time look, for the #83 FASTMD Audi R8 LMS GT4. Five lug nuts on each wheel for the GT4 and TCR cars. No central locking wheels like in the WeatherTech Championship. Pit stop time as well for the #93 Audi R8 LMS GT4 for Carbahn with Peregrine, being shared by Tom Dyer and Sameer Ghandi. Pit stop time as well for Mercedes #10, the AMG GT4 for LAP Motorsports/Bluff City Racing of Anton Dias Perera, and Scott Andrews. Turner Motorsports in the lane, too, for the #95 BMW. Bill Auberlen will take over from Dillon Machavern. 40 minutes is the drive time window. Less than an hour and 20 minutes to go.
Splitting strategy is the deal. We stay under green flag conditions. Orey Fidani has taken over the #13 AWA McLaren 570S GT4 as well. Robby Foley takes over the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 sharing with Vinny Barletta. Meantime, our leader is in the lane. Max Root is handing the #16 Porsche Cayman over to Jan Heylen. John Wright and Kevin Doran are on the strategy. Doran, a longtime sports car team manager, with teams run by legends like Al Holbert and Gianpiero Moretti. Audi #17 is in too. Mikey Taylor taking over from Chris Miller. They want the championship and maybe are not as focused on winning individual races.
Bill Auberlen on fresh Michelin Pilot tires, he has the advantage after Max Root was on worn tires. Jan Heylen will be applying the blowtorch. Kuno Wittmer has taken over the #13 AWA McLaren from Orey Fidani. Watch your steering input on new tires over the bumps. Whoa! #19 does 3/4 of a spin and saves it, mashing the throttle, pulling the Hyundai out of a skid! Whew! That was close! Rory van der Steur slows down more than A.J. Muss anticipated and Taylor Hagler, she takes advantage. She finished on the podium at Sonoma in the SRO race you read about here on the blog a couple weeks back.
HTP Motorsports running well, chasing the leaders with Indy Dontje at the wheel of the car. That's the #4 Winward Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 and they just committed to racing the new DTM series with GT3 cars in Europe. More woes for the PF Racing Ford Mustang. That car is trundling 'round on a flat right front Michelin Pilot tire. Deary me, there goes the carcass. Full Course Yellow. It's been a trying day for James Pesek and Chad McCumbee. Meanwhile, the Steve Cameron Racing BMW M4 is in the lane as well. Not sure who will get in. That's the #43 car of Greg Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan, another team competing in both Michelin Pilot and in SRO, a different championship, again, which you've also read about here on the blog.
Mercifully, the pink Mustang has made it's way to the pit lane for service. A new tire and he's back on track. But there's tire debris all over the shop here, necessitating this Full Course Yellow. The safety car has been deployed. Track cleanup continues here at the airfield. The flag marshal in the flagstand is aving the white flag? This is confusing. The white flag along with the double yellows. But the race is not close to being over yet. We shall see what happens. Track cleanup continues. You have missed nothing. This could be an extended Full Course Yellow with all the debris on the road. There's probably more out there right now than we can see.
The #71 Rebel Rock Racing Camaro is in the pit lane for tires, fuel, and a driver change. Robin Liddell presumably taking over from Frank DePew. The #7 Volt Racing Archangel Aston Martin is also in the lane. So are some other GS class contenders. The beleaguered #40 PF Racing Ford Mustang is catching up at the moment. This is the only GT4 spec Ford Mustang in the 35 car field. This is the automobile that brought out the yellow flag when the tire came apart of course. Remember, it was the right front Michelin that let go. The TCR cars are in the lane. Gavin Ermstone is in the lane and so is Mik LaMarra in the L.A. Honda World Honda Civic TCR.
Mat Pombo will take over the car. At Road Shagger, Jon Morley is taking over from Gavin Ermstone. The #17 JDC-Miller Audi does a splash and a dash. Robert Noaker takes over the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic, but, they have brake issues according to Brian Henderson. So, we have some definite drama in TCR and we'll set up how things are goin in the class, shortly. Stand by for more. The bonnet is up on the Honda #84, the Sabelt sponsored automobile. Bill Auberlen leads Jan Heylen and Indy Dontje under yellow. We are just past halfway into the motor race. Still 55 minutes to go. Out of Sunset Bend, we are back to green and ehre comes Jan Heylen! No dice. Auberlen runs wide and Heyl,en makes the pass into Kristensen Corner!
Robby Foley is now sixth and here comes Indy Dontje and Kuno Wittmer as well, look. Wittmer wants by Dontje. The McLaren was strong at Daytona and they are strong here as well. Robby Foley is applying the blowtorch to Spencer Pigot through the Tower Turn. There's a water tower there, and now they go through Bishop Bend and Le Mans corner, and then into Gendebien Bend. Through turn 15 and onto the Ulmann straight as Foley is giving Pigot all he can handle. Wittmer pops out trying to get by Dontje. Heylen is scrubbing off his tires to get rid of the clag, the built up rubber. Wittmer is right on Dontje's six.
Wittmer wants it. He is the shark. Dontje is the minnow. Dontje can't quite cover. The Dutchman and the Canadian going at it. Insofar as good sportsmanship, be proactive. You are entitled to get the lane you want but don't react to the bloke in front of you or you will be penalized by the marshals. Dennis DuPont still leads TCR over Parker Chase, Mikey Taylor, and Jon Morley as well. Poor old Morley needed more petrol and got leapfrogged. Indy Donjte is still scrapping with Kuno Wittmer and Wittmer gets the spot. Blame the bumps for that one, chaps.
Robby Foley is continuing to monster Spencer Pigot, the IndyCar and sports car veteran. 49 minutes left on the board. Pigot scrapes his way past Dontje. Robby Foley now is going after Indy Dontje. Maybe the team didn't adjust the tire pressures correctly. Spencer Pigot is coming to grips with antilock brakes which prototypes and IndyCars do not have. Those are the cars Pigot has experience with. Pigot takes Dontje by surprise as we see the replay again in slow motion. In TCR, Morley has moved by and we have a battle between the Hyundai's. They are closing up on the #65 Murillo Racing Grand Sport Mercedes AMG GT4.
Tim Probert and Brent Mosing co-drive the Mercedes as there's some argy bargy between Mat Pombo and Jon Morley. A little "casual contact" perhaps. Pit stop time again for the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. Meanwhile, the scrap rages on in TCR. It is hot and heavy, an intramural scrum between the Hyundai teams while the Audi boys may just be getting an occasional look in. Here's a good scrum. Eric Foos, Greg Liefooghe, and Trent Hindman. Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin. Meanwhile, pit stop time for Wright Motorsports and Turner Motorsports. Fuel for Jan Heylen and their final pit stop. No tires. Fuel only and he's down and away.
Bill Auberlen has pitted the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 after Robby Foley also pitted. Just a top off on fuel. That's it. Ditto, likely for the Aston Martin and Volt Racing. They topped their fuel off at the end of the yellow flag and team manager Mike Johnson made a call for the Aston Martin squad to go for it. Trent Hindman at the controls. Hindman and co-driver Alan Brynjolfsson have been recovering. Meantime, Dupont, Taylor, and Morley are thrashing away for TCR honors. Indy Dontje in the lane as well giving up third spot to make a pit stop.
Tires on the wall, but maybe this is fuel only for the blokes from Winward. Yes. Fuel only and he's back on track. The Gonzalez Honda TCR goes off and on at Le Mans corner. Jan Heylen,. meantime,. is slicing and dicing his way through the TCR traffic. 40 minutes on the board. Time is of the essence here in Michelin Pilot Challenge at Sebring. Don't forget, tomorrow is the big day, the 69th 12 Hours of Sebring and we shall have wall to wall coverage of the entire motor race here for you on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog.
Kuno Wittmer meanwhile,. has appeared to take the lead of the motor race as the battle rages on between GT4 and TCR. We still see this scrap between the JDC-Miller and Road Shagger Audi's and the Hyundai for van der Steur Racing. The L.A. Honda World Civic is also lurking. Again, just over half an hour to go. It's crunch time now. Again, Mikey Taylor had the run on Vincent Dupont for the TCR lead. He might be light on petrol while his rivals won't need a splash and a dash. The leader is in. Kuno Wittmer is in the lane, and Jan Heylen, he is going to be bearing down on the McLaren. McLaren loses 33 seconds and 27 on the stop, totaling a minute. Jan Heylen sails by.
Mikey Taylor has whistled off into the distance whle Dupont, Morley, and Pombo continue to scrap. Jan Heylen, he has lit the afterburners. Amazing. Dupont, Pombo, Morley... this is the TCR battle. The new gearbox for the Audi requires the clutch and Gavin Ermstone still is recovering from a broken foot, so the new transmission is a struggle to use. Morley tries to get by his rivals and Dontje is steaming along trying to pass. Morley is trying for two into one and Morley and Pombo both nearly go off the road! They were close to getting on the access road which could've caused a massive shunt!
Pombo was a lucky chap as he could've looped it. Spencer Pigot leads overall in the #3 Motorsports In Action McLaren 570S GT4. We have not seen this team in the lane. The team is reading the lap times. He has clrear sailing right now, but he will have to pit if he gets caught in the TCR scramble. Greg Liefooghe, Scott Andrews, Robin Liddell, and Jan Heylen complete the top five. Everyone else has stayed on the same tires while Kuno Wittmer has fresh Michelin Pilot tires on his McLaren. Pigot still leads. Half an hour to go yet. Hyundai #33 in the lane in TCR. That's the Elantra for Gottsacker/Wilkins entry. One of the Turner BMW's went off the road in replay.
Meantime,. the TCR battle is still hot. Pombo all over Dupont like a cheap suit. Both of them whistle past the #17 Audi. Audi to the lane. No wonder. The JDC-Miller team, TCR leader, Mikey Taylor in for service. The team is changing tires as well. Maybe they sensed a tire issue. Something is wrong with the left front on that car. One of the mechanics knows it. Jon Morley now leads for Road Shagger Racing with their Audi. Morley had the preferred line in turn one over Dupont and made the pass. Auberlen goes around Dontje for sixth. The BMW has more straightaway speed than the Mercedes. This is the battle for a podium place as the clock winds down.
Auberlen a couple laps back, ran wide through turn one. Dupont and Michael Lewis in the #77 Hyundai scrap for third in TCR. Lewis sharing that Veloster with Taylor Hagler. Lifting and coasting into the corner is the best way to save petrol as the McLaren #3 of Spencer Pigot is in the lane for a new left front tire and a splash of gas. The MIA team has gambled. Front tires only for this car. Pit stop done and dusted. Pigot back on track. Pigot probably has some understeer. Ooh! DuPont had to pit and Lewis got snookered big style! Jeepers creepers! Greg Liefooghe now leads Robin Liddell and Jan Heylen. Mikey Taylor is still in the pit lane. The front axle is broken and they had a speeding penalty. This team was in it for a title, but they are going to be on the back foot after this race today.
Greg Liefooghe in the BMW leads the motor race sharing with Sean Quinlan. Robin Liddell is second. The Camaro got hit with the Balance of Performance for sure. Liefooghe and Liddell should pit soon. Trent Hindman, he wants it going for Dontje. Hindman and Dontje are both having to be so, so brave here. These cars are taking a pounding around Sebring and why wouldn't they? Sebring eats race cars. Off power, under braking, that's the tough part. The flow through the final corners before the Ullmann straight are incredible. The Mercedes does not have the speed of the BMW and Hindman in the Aston Martin is still pushing. He took new tires and that could be an advantage.
This race still has more twists and turns. Again, Greg Liefooghe is your leader. The intramural Hyundai Veloster scrum continues in TCR. Michael Lewis vs. Mason Filippi vs. Parker Chase. Hindman is still monstering Auberlen for fourth spot in GS. Mat Pombo is endeavoring to reel in Jon Morley for the TCR lead too, look. Morley is being balked by the Mercedes, the #10 automobile. The clock is ticking. Less than 15 minutes remaining. Pombo is right on Morley's tail, and keeping him honest. Great battles all over the track in today's motor race.
Morley and company had trouble in Free Practice on Wednesday. Gavin Ermstone believes they can win. They were in position last November but lost the podium due to mechanical woes. The Honda team had an engine let go at Daytona. Overheating is the concern for the Honda teams. Take care of your equipment. Think big picture. Get points on the board. Pombo off in the dust and back on. Eleven minutes left in the motor race. The Audi has more power under acceleration than the Honda. Morley is a driving instructor, a race driving instructor and Gavin Ermstone, a real estate agent by profession, has started well. Morley ran open wheel racing and stopped racing for a while but is back on track now.
These two blokes are really going for it. Pombo wants to give Morley the rough end of the pineapple. But Morley is standing up to the pressure. Meantime, Greg Liefooghe will need a splash and dash but with less than nine minute to race, when will he take it? Pombo creeps up on the back of the Audi. He hits the dust with the left rear, keeping his foot in it. No news up front. Liefooghe leads Liddell. Liefooghe has had to give up the lead to make a pit stop. Their only hope was a yellow and they might be a shade short. So, Robin Liddell could assume the lead, but they too, are perhaps on fumes. They will roll the dice. It's all they can do. Uh oh. Speaking of fumes, the Camaro is smoking. Is that motor getting sick?
That V8 is spewing smoke. Meanwhile, Jon Morley is being reeled in by Mat Pombo hand over fist. Poor old Liddell has an oil leak. Jan Heylen is second. But Liddell is a past champion in Michelin Pilot Challenge. The marshals will be instang messaging the team about the smoke. What is causing it? Don't oil down the race track. Oh boy. Black flag for #71. They will have to come to pit lane. Jan Heylen will take over the lead once more. Greg Liefooghe has dropped to fifth spot. Two laps to go. Liddell could pull this off even with the black flag for the oil leak.
You are allowed to see the black flag twice before they stop scoring you. Be aware of your mechanical issue. Jan Heylen is still in the picture. But he might not have the time to catch the rather smoky Camaro. White flag. One lap to go. This could be a miracle for the Rebel Rock Racing team. Heylen can see him and knows he has a problem. Liddell is managing the motor race. Heylen I don't think will be close enough. If it stops smoking, it might run out of oil. That could be rear end grease. Maybe an axle seal or a CV joint is busted.
Rebel Rock won two races in MPC in 2019. Down to the Le Mans curve and the Ulmann straight for the last time. They won the four hour race at Road Atlanta last summer. Liddell is trundling towards turn 17. Heylen not close enough. Liddell is going to win this race even with a wounded race car! Rebel Rock Racing win it!
Overall/GS: #71 Liddell/DePew Chevrolet Camaro GT4
TCR: #61 Morley/Ermstone Audi RS3 LMS TCR DSG
So, Morley and Ermstone win in TCR with a new Audi with the DSG sequential gearbox. What a motor race for round two of Michelin Pilot Challenge! The third race of the championship will be at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, coming up in the middle of May, another two hour race. We look forward to that one and will cover it on the blog. Have a good afternoon and take care, everyone. Michelin Pilot Challenge from Sebring is done and dusted. Congratulations to Rebel Rock and Road Shagger for their race wins today. So long, for now.
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