Hello, and welcome, everyone, to the second round of the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Championship from the historic Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida, in the Central Highlands region of the state. Before we begin, wishing a Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone. As always, Grand Sport and TCR will be the two classes competing together in one race today. On pole in Grand Sport, the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport to be driven by Frenchman Alexandre Premat, and Scotsman Stevan McAleer. These two and their team were the big winners, taking home the trophy at Daytona in the season opener back in January. They are looking to double up in the W column, today. The cars are on track, on their warmup laps. The object is to win, at the oldest track in IMSA.
Robert Wickens is still aiming to win, in his motorsport comeback. This is round two of ten in the 2022 championship for Michelin Pilot Challenge. You need a little bit of everything from your race car. The warmup lap is underway. Alexandre Premat and Stevan McAleer are on pole in Grand Sport. On pole in TCR will be Mason Filippi aboard the #77 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Filippi sharing with Tyler Maxson. Gavin Ernstone and Jon Morley, after their crash at Daytona, Ernstone has an injured leg from that and an injured hand from an off-track incident, maybe a fall. Here comes the field through Sunset Bend, turn 17.
Race number two of Michelin Pilot Challenge 2022 is green! We are underway at Sebring! Alexandre Premat jumps into the lead alongside Luca Mars, the 16-year-old rookie in the Ford Mustang GT4 followed by Kenny Murillo and Mike McCann. In TCR, it's a clean start and to the lead in the class it looks like Mason Filippi stays in front. The Daytona winning Alfa Romeo is also in the fight. This is how it will be all afternoon long. Hugh Plumb wants to make a pass in the #46 TGM Porsche Cayman GT4. So, Alexandre Premat leads the motor race. One of the other drivers in this #28 went to a different championship.
Alexandre Premat has raced for Audi in prototypes and in DTM, both for Audi. KohR Motorsports has won at Sebring in Michelin Pilot Challenge before as we see Alan Brynjolfsson making his move in the Aston Martin. He and Trent Hindman are looking for a win with the Aston platform. There are no track limits here at Sebring but you still have to be self policing because this legendary circuit will cause you to lose time if you go off the road. Ah. Spin there, out of the hairpin, look. That is the #38 Audi R8 LMS GT4. Full Course Yellow. That is the Farhan Siddiqi driven FastMD Racing Audi, who was tagged by Paul Kiebler IV aboard the #27 Automatic Racing Aston Martin. Siddiqi sharing with Max Faulkner, while Paul Kiebler co-drives with Jon Branam.
Under Full Course Yellow, the cars circulate behind the safety car. The star spangled Aston Martin is now being rescued. The driver, Mr. Sidiqqi, is OK. #27, is done for the day or so it appears. Game over. The field remains behind the BMW safety car. Alexandre Premat leads Luca Mars, Kenny Murillo, Mike McCann, and Alan Brynjolfsson, with the top ten being rounded out by Alfredo Najri, Hugh Plumb, Trevor Andrusko, Manny Franco, and yours truly is not quite sure who is in tenth place. Missed the tail end of the graphic.
The rear hatch of the Aston Martin is open which tells me there is something wrong with the rear end or the driveline of that car as the marshals rescue it. So, they are loading it onto the flatbed to take back to the garage. Let's go for a lap 'round Sebring. We are 90 miles south of Orlando, nestled among the orange groves, renown for the bumps. 17 turns. No margin for error. Down to turn one, it is blind to the inside. Cannot see the exit. Next up, turn three, Kristensen Corner, good overtaking place.
Turn seven at the hairpin is the best overtaking move. Sunset Bend, turn 17, is very challenging to see, and the bumps make the corner different on each lap. Luca Mars, age 16, is running his first race in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at age 16. He is from Pennsylvania. Team boss Dean Martin is very impressed with this young hot shoe. His father, raced Mustang's with Dean Martin. Luca Mars won in class in a Mustang in Trans Am here at Sebring just a few weeks back. Luke Rumburg is tenth in the #6 Forbush Motorsports Toyota Supra GT4.
So, that is your updated on the top ten just after we talked about Luca Mars. Back to green and we are racing again. Luca Mars is giving Alex Premat everything he can handle. He is roolling good speed in the turn. Kenny Murillo, 2021 SRO GT4 champ, he is pressing hard. Alan Brynjolfsson is pushing hard, too, and here comes Mike McCann as well in the Porsche. Porsche, Ford, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Porsche. McCann is really pushing. This team was on pole at Daytona, the #8 McCann Motorsports entry. BMW is coming on strong too with the M4 GT4.
Dillon Machavern in the #95 Tutner Motorsports BMW M4, sharing with Bill Auberlen. They were so close to the title last year. He is racing for the 499th time for BMW and the 12 Hours of Sebring will be his 500th start, coming up on Saturday. McCann Racing changed the whole wiring harness to remedy mechanical woes. Mike McCann is in his third race of the day today having run both 40-minute Porsche Careera Cup races earlier. Alan Brynjolfsson is being mnstered by Alfredo Najri. Aston vs. Toyota, and here comes Hugh Plumb in the #46 TGM Porsche too!
This is massive scrap. Tire degradation will be a huge deal in this race becuase it was raining cats and dogs during Free Practice for the MPC teams. Alexandre Premat continues to lead the motor race with nearly half an hour on the board already. Good scrap going on in TCR here between the two factory Hyundai's for Bryan Herta Autosport as well. Two? Make that four! There are four of the cars for BHA i TCR and they run right together in series for the TCR lead. Harry Gottsacker is challenging Robert Wickens as we speak. Wickens of course, making his return to racing this season after his dreadful IndyCar wreck at Pocono Raceway which left him with injuries for which he now uses hand controls in the car.
He won on his return at Daytona and is looking for the first-place trophy today as well. Wickens says his only objective is to be a winner and he is proving that in spades. This is the first race of three in the Super Sebring weekend we will be covering this weekend. Wickens lost a place at the start but into turn seven, he sends it on his teammate. That's a classic racing pass. He went right 'round Mason Filippi. The #17 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi has had tire issues, Chris Miller at the wheel of it. Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis in another BHA Hyundai was penalized having the wrong tires on the automobile.
Robert Wickens knows how to maximize a race car, according to his team mate, Harry Gottsacker. IndyCar was the next level for Wickens. Issues for the Alfa Roemo of Roy Block who may be running slow or has damage. Hard to say. Wickens meanwhile, is a winner as we said. You have to race. Testing just is not enough. Oh dear! Big accident and the lone Camaro in this motor race, Frank DePew, with a brand new Camaro for Rebel Rock, defending winner of this race, crunched into the barriers! Now, he is back on the road. Let's see what happened. Ah. DePew runs wide and had contact with someone and spun off the road. He was trying to go inside in turn eight and ran out of room, turning the Toyota Supra, one of them/
Full Course Yellow again. So, ladies and gentlemen, again, we hit ye olde reset button. Run to the fridge for a snack or a glug of something to drink, and then, we shall resume the race soon. It appears the Supra is back on the road as well. That is the #21 entry, the Riley Motorsports car of Scott Andrews and Anton Dias Perera. Race leader Alexandre Premat will head to the lane. He is going to top up on fuel and the team will have to back time the race. Slice the cake for the rest of the motor race and they will have the opportunity to put Stevan McAleer into the car later on.
This is a long stop for a full fuel load for both GS and TCR cars. More teams are also in the lane for service. We see FastMD, Volt Racing, and others, making their stops in GS. #RespectTheBumps. That is a hashtag for a reason here at Sebring. Now, we have a new leader, and it is the Ford Mustang GT4 of Luca Mars. Mars in the #60 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang. Nate Stacy is his co-driver. Robert Wickens felt very good after his podium finish at Daytona. He says he was trying not to be emotional and was able to be happy. He was very relieved to come back and succeed.
He wanted to win, he set his goals. He knows a championship is a possibility. Again, race car drivers want to win. That is the only reason they compete. In it to win it. Wickens is still at the wheel of the car. He has not handed off to his co-driver yet. Grand Sport cars and then TCR pit followed by anyone. Some GS cars will be in the lane for a driver change as drive time for the first driver has been completed. Mark Wilkins, is Wickens' co-driver. He has won a Michelin Pilot title and has won a lot of the big sports car races around the world. He will be able to help Robert Wickens find ways to find speed in the Hyundai Elantra.
The #5 Alda Romeo Giulietta, that won Daytona, they are still having issues today. They have momentum, but have an issue now. A power issue in the engine or so it seems. They are still diagnosing this trouble. More TCR pit callers, and GS as well, for topping up on petrol with 45 minutes elapsed already. Coming closer and closer to the halfway mark in the race. This one is flying by! Minimum drive times have been met for the midfielders as we have Luca Mars and Kenny Murrilo running 1-2 as a Toyota runs wide and slams the wall! Luke Rumburg has clobbered the fence! Is he OK? He is a welder by profession. The left front corner of that Toyota Supra is knackered. It's crunched.
You never do the same lap twice at Sebring. They are always diffferent. TCR, the front wheel drive touring cars, they are all over the shop, with great grip, front wheel drive, aero effect, and turbocharged two liter four cylinder motors. Half of the field are Hyundai's. There are Audi's, Alfa Romeo's, and Honda's out there as well. Taylor Hagler has handed the #1 BHA Hyundai to Michael Lewis. In replay, we see that Luke Rumburg rushes through turn 17 and absolutely clouts the wall! Goodness gracious! Amazingly, that car is just barely running. Poor old Rumburg is going to be hanging on by the skin of his teeth.
Porsche #28, Alexandre Premat, he has lost position and has a penalty in his future but is on full tanks insofar as fuel. He ran a red light in the lane and so he will have to visit the sin bin, a drive through penalty. A stop + 60 seconds! Oof! They won't lose a lap but their hands will be tied with a 29 car field of GT4 entries. Yikes. Stevan McAleer is suited and booted, ready to race. Dillon Machavern passes Luke Rumburg and Rumburg still has grip. Rumburg is a tough cookie. Incredible that the steering is not damaged on that automobile. That Toyota Supra is made of strong stuff and is not wimpy. No modern race cars are. Bill Auberlen getting set to go for his stint in the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW.
Meantime, another accident! What is this? The #77 Hyundai has a destroyed front end! Oy! What's worse, is the damage for another Toyota Supra that is also completely written off! This... this... what is happening? Sebring is eating cars today! It will chew you up and spit you out if you aren't careful. Good golly Miss Molly, we need a replay on this fracas... stat! Cough, cough, cough... what's all that smoke? The fire department. Why is there water spewing out the radiator? That's the water department. Your car has been towed away to the scrapyard, mate. Kyle Marcelli and Mason Filippi are the drivers of these wrecked cars.
Through the Fangio curve, the two cars locked horns. We watch from the #21 onboard camera. Marcelli goes inside and a shrinking gap means that there was contact, breaking a toe link, and a monster hit into the barriers. Kyle Marcelli had just taken over from Sheena Monk in the #3 JG Wentworth Racing by Infinity Autosport Toyota Supra GT4. Mason Filippi aboard the BHA Hyundai Elantra N TCR #77. It may take a while to clean the wreckage up. You have missed nothing as track cleanup continues. Yours truly is poking around checking other news for a soon-to-come post on the WeatherTech Championship headlines of the day.
That Toyota Supra is completely destroyed through the Fangio chicane. Both Kyle Marcelli and Mason Filippi got out of their wrecked automobiles under their own steam. Sheena Monk will not get to drive today. She says that Kyle Marcelli got a good run and had the corner while the #77 slammed the door. Maybe Filippi was not aware he was there. It is an unfortunate incident. They were on a good strategy, but now it is game over for both cars. Luca Mars gives up the wheel of the leading Ford Mustang as the GS cars are in the lane. KohR Motorsports have been stacked in their stall. Bob Michaelian should be handing to Billy Johnson in the #59 and Nate Stacy should take over the #60 from Luca Mars.
#60 has to be pulled back. They are both back out of the lane now but the Ford Mustang team are going to be on the back foot now. Count your driver to the pit box. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... stop. #59 is still trapped in the lane. Nate Stacy is experienced and quick, but so are the other drivers. This field is stacked with talent. Nate Stacy should be in the lead ahead of Kenny Murillo, Mike Skeen, Jason Hart, Stevan McAleer, Trent Hindman, Chad McCumbee, Billy Johnson, Robby Foley, and Eric Foss. TCR cars to the lane now. Ford, Mercedes, Porsche, and Aston Martin mix it up in GT4/GS.
Robert Wickens' trainer grabs him and helps him out of the car as Mark Wilkins is now being belted into the car. They continue practicing their teamwork to help the drivers in and out of the car, but with a shorter fuel load. All other TCR machines have pitted. 45 minutes remaining in the race. Chad McCumbee is now leading in the #40 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 sharing with James Pesek. Audi makes it's way to the top of the shop in TCR. Eric Rockwell is the driver of the #15 Belgard & Techniseal Racing Audi RS3 LMS DSG, sharing with Preston Brown.
Nate Stacy will have to go for it, 40 minutes on the board before this motor race is done and dusted. McCumbee has a pack of hungry wolves behind him as we go back to geeen. Mustang leading BMW. McCumbee is a Street Tuner and a Grand Sport champion. Eric Foss is monstering the top two. He is very aggeessive and will be a factor in that bronze colored Murillo Racing Mercedes. One of the Hyuindao's is off the road. Big damage to the left front corner of the car, or maybe it is a motor? No. It is left front tire damage. Wickens and company will not win today.
McCumbee, Foley, Foss, the top three. If you must do fuel save, do it now. Bank on it going green the rest of the way. Don't burn the fuel to maintain track position. Be smart. What has happened to Mark Wilkins? We need to find out. One of the Porsche's has gone off the road and Wilkins, he made contact with an Audi, or perhaps a Porsche, and that cut down the tire. McCumbee's margin has grown as Foss piles the pressure on Foley, look. Owen Trinkler is now really pressing the #14 Toyota Supra of Andy Jakos. Eric Foss moves by Robby Foley who could be in fuel save mode. Trent Hindman also passes Bill Auberlen. Aston Martin vs. BMW.
Keep temperatures down and save fuel. Greg Liefooghe is charging but poor old Robby Foley is dropping like a stone. Foleyu cannot fight back on Liefooghe as Hindman wants a place. Meanwhile, Mark Wilkins is in the lane and the left front tire is toast. The right front is straight but the left front corner is towed in. It is cattywampus. The control arm is busted. Tristan Herbert at the controls of the #44 Audi and Jon Morley aboard the #61. NGP vs. Road Shagger Racing. NGP is New German Performance. Ernstone and Morley have been having to get the new car up to snuff, like breaking in new shoes.
So, in TCR, Mikey Taylor now leads in the #17 JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR, sharing with Chris Miller. They have as much fuel as anyone else, have the track position, and are two seconds up on the competition. Robert Wickens had a great first stint. But now, the Hyundai boys are on the back foot. They cannot repair it on track. Hard to say if they will go back on track with just half an hour left to race. Wickens says the team will be back. With all the rubber on track, and Wickens' first drive on the full Sebring course, it feels good, but they are going to have to go to the next race. A few more GS stops as Murillo Racing cange tires and top off with petrol, the #65 sister car of Tim Probert and Brent Mosing.
The McCumbee/Pesek Mustang will need another stop. Hindman is getting stymied by Liefooghe. Hindman finally passes Liefooghe, determining the BMW was holding him up. Owen Trinkler in the #64 TGM Porsche Cayman is next on their shopping list. That team finished second at Daytona. Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas were supposed to start the #540 Black Swan Racing Porsche Cayman in the race today but a crash put them out before the race this morning. Hindman is on a charge. He has pulled a gap on Liefooghe.
Hindman and Brynjolfsson are a top notch driver duo, but they just have not been able to win lately. However, Hindman has the position on the Porsche who wriggles and almost spins! Yikes! Late race tire degradation and more weight on the Porsche Cayman means they are guessing the setup and learning by doing, flying by the seat of their pants. Poor old Owen Trinkler will have to press hard if he wants to catch up. Another Murillo Racing Mercedes in the weeds. That is the #72 that has spun, Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak, a real estate agent by profession. Szymczak high sides the car as Billy Johnson in the Mustang was bearing down on him. So, Billy Johnson is now ahead of Nate Stacy.
Luca Mars says that he got a good start and got rid of his jitters. He apologizes for messing up on overshooting the pit stop. Mars says he was hung up on loosening his seatbelts. He is learning. He is also a quick driver. More smoke, from a flat tire on the #18 CB Motorsports Hyundai. Caleb Bacon, the TCA champion in SRO in 2021. His grandpa, Al Bacon, a four-time Daytona IMSA winner, and a winner at Sebring, is here, to watch his grandson race. Just 20 mintues to go in the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120.
We have seen some great debuts for drivers in today's race. Going through turn 17 is like riding a mechanical bull. Hindman has the pace and he is pressing hard on the #14 Toyota Supra, Andy Jakos at the controls. Jakos is driving proactively and won't let Hindman by. He is not intimidated. That's for dead sure. The gap is compressing between the top four. Jaksos throws the blcok and side by side with Hindman. Hindman is told to go ahead as Foss fights the Mercedes through Sunset Bend. Can these cars make it tot he end of the race on fuel? Through Le Mans corner, Hindman gets the power down. Jakos tries to block and knows discretion is the better part of valor.
James Pesek says PF Racing was tight on fuel but are still in good shape. It must be the same deal at Murillo Racing. Jeff Mosing shrugged and said, we'll see. Oh no. ANother car off into the tire barriers and that is the #38 Audi I think, in the wars once again. He has stuffed it into the barriers. There is just one Audi in the GS field today. That is poor old Max Faulkner whose co-driver Farhan Siddiqi also crashed earlier. In replay, we can see through the Tower Turn, Faulkner gets in too late, maybe losing the ABS, and... wallop! It is like a vacuum cleaner and sucked him into the turn. He was at ther wrong angle, perpendicular to the turn, completely askew. Faulkner is OK and could continue in the race. Yikes!
So much history and character. Drivers will say, do not resurface Sebring. No track limits despite the bumps. Sebring was built as Hendricks Field, to train B17 and B24 bomber pilots in WW. II. What history will we add in this Michelin Pilot race? We're headed for the finish and will find out in a wee while. Chad McCumbee leads GS. Mikey Taylor leads TCR. Should PF Racing win, it will be a huge deal for them. The Pesek family have built a track, the Ozarks International Raceway, that will have it's first race this summer. PF Racing had pink cars back in the day, and then switched, before the fans asked "where are the pink Mustang's?" They changed the scheme back to pink and the rest is history. So, we have Trent Hindman, Eric Foss, and Chad McCumbee, going for the win. Scrub the tires before the restart.
Trent Hindman knows he has pace too. Think of the championship. They want a win. So, is it the win it or bin it attitude? Or do you play it smart? They crawl down the Ulmann straight. Green flag this time by. Just under four minutes to go. McCumbee has to get the jump. That is what he wants. McCumbee off and running. Hindman wants by Foss. McCumbee is in the clear. Jakos and Hindman want by Foss and here comes Liefooghe. Foss is now monstering Chad McCumbbee as the field compresses. It ain't over til it's over. The fat lady has not sung yet! Foss wants it. Hindman wants it, but no.
A couple other cars off the road including the Nolasport Porsche of Jason Hart. Oh dear. So, McCumbee and the Mustang, it has a lot of downforce. It handles and brakes and has the power of a muscle car. White flag this time by. Hindman trying to set up the pass on Foss using all of the road and then some. McCumbee is whistling off into the distance. Hindman wants by the Mercedes and wants to beat Janos in the Toyota. One to go this time. Hindman late on the brakes. Foss on the outside and he does not hang on. Hindman to second. Jaoos has the preferred line for third spot. Mikey Taylor and Michael Lewis will slug it out in TCR.
McCumbee has the gap. No traffic. Clear sailing. Clear road. Trent Hindman has to push but he might not make it. McCumbee very experienced now in GT4 racing. Jon Morley has a run for the lead and here comes Karl Wittmer in the Honda. Lewis inside Taylor and Karl Wittmer goes to the TCR lead. Now, Michael Lewis is going to try chasing Karl Wittmer. Wittmer, the youngest of the four racing Wittmer brothers. Michael Lewis wants it as they head for the final two turns. McCumbee into Sunset Bend for the final time. A clean exit and Chad McCumbee, PF Racing, and Ford, win Sebring!
Ij TCR, Wittmer sideways in Sunset Bend, and he is going to hang on for the TCR win! Holy cow! What a motor race!
Overall/Grand Sport: #40 McCumbee/Pesek PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4
TCR: #99 Gonzalez/Wittmer Victor Gonzalez Racing Team - VGRT Honda Civic
FK7 TCR
What a finish! What a finish! A great race today in Michelin Pilot Challenge at Sebring! Join us for round three of the championship coming up at the end of April at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, for more of this wonderful racing action in Michelin Pilot Challenge! After today's race, trust me, folks, you won't want to miss it. So long for now, from Sebring. But stay tuned. Next up is qualifying for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
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