Robert Wickens' comeback, we have been talking about it a lot. But he is in it to win it and man oh man, he has proven himself alongside co-driver Mark Wilkins. The Grand Sport championship for GT4 sports cars is incredibly close at the top of the shop between Alan Brynjolfsson and Trent Hindman in the #7 Volt Racing Aston Martin, and the #56 Murillo Racing entry, Kenton Koch and Eric Foss in their bronze-colored Mercedes AMG GT4. The Aston team has been the model of consistency. These two teams are both on hot streaks. Guess what, folks? Only 90 points separates these two teams coming into today's motor race at Lime Rock Park. Foss has had a broken foot and his usual co-driver Jeff Mosing is still recovering from injury himself.
The Aston Martin boys believe that Lime Rock Park is going to be their toughest test yet. We also have to watch polesitters RS1 and the #28 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, Stevan McAleer and co-driver John Dubets are going to be tough to beat as well. They were fast on long runs. In the touring car class, (TCR), Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler are the defending champions and currently have only a 40-point lead over their closest rivals in the #5 KMW TMR Alfa Romeo, Tim Lewis Jr. and Roy Block. Bryan Herta Autosport and the #33 is on the TCR pole with Robert Wickens starting the car.
This bull ring of a road course at Lime Rock Park, is in Lakeville, Connecticut, and we are two hours due north of New York City. This course is 1.5 miles with seven corners and predominantly right-hand turns. Watch turn one, Big Bend. Take a Captain Cook at the uphill too as the cars fly over the hill from West Bend, down the Downhill and onto the Sam Posey straightaway. We're set to go green here at Lime Rock Park. Safety car lights out. We've got a greeen flag! We're racing at Lime Rock Park! Already, it's Alfredo Najri going for the lead right off the bat. John Dubets, into turn one says, "not now, sunshine" and closes the door on the Toyota driver.
Here come the TCR cars as the Grand Sport entries file into their first lap of the race. Robert Wickens is the pole man in TCR and he leads away. John Capestro-Dubets is the full name of the driver in the Porsche and we'll call him by his initials, JCD. Traffic beginning to show. This is the original track layout. JCD is off like a rocket as Nate Stacy is pressing hard in the #60 Ford Mustang GT4 on cold tires. This is the #60 KOHR Motorsports car that Stacy is sharing with Luca Mars. The Toyota's tires are still cold and JCD has completely run off like a rabbit. Trouble early doors for the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4.
Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern will be on the back foot. The team has to change two left side tires front and rear. No damage to the car on that side. Dillon Machavern starting the car. They are a lap down already as Koch passes Najri. Mercedes vs. Toyota. The short wheelbase of the Supra means it is an evil handling race car. A cut down left front tire for the #95 entry. You push so hard more at Lime Rock than any other track. Nate Stacy is now probing his way around, trying to make the move on the #55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes AMG GT4. Trevor Andrusko starting the car sharing with Mike Skeen.
Andrusko flashing the lights. Hugh Plumb in the #46 Team TGM Porsche Cayman is trying all he knows to pass Najri ahead in the Toyota who is still squirming around on cold tires. He seems to be having trouble getting tire temp. That car is not handling too well. This track at Lime Rock is almost like an oval and it makes the car very unsettled. These GT4 cars are running handling wise, the same way you'd set up one of the new generation NASCAR Cup cars for an oval track, and of course, the new generation NASCAR Cup cars are not too far removed from one of these production based sports cars either. The technology is very similar.
John Capestro-Dubets leads this motor race as we have just gotten started. Capestro-Dubets in the Porsche followed by Kenton Koch in the AMG Mercedes, Alfredo Najri in the Toyota Supra and the other Porsche Cayman of Hugh Plumb. They are followed by everyone else in Grand Sport. Good battle for the TCR class lead too, look. Victor Gonzalez vs. Gavin Ernstone, and Roy Block. Honda Civic vs. Audi RS3 vs. Alfa Romeo Giulietta. We go onboard with Ernstone following right in the wheel tracks of Gonzalez and trying to make a move on the Honda driver.
He is having a tough time of it because of the narrow road here at Lime Rock and so many curves to deal with.
Meanwhile, Dubets continues to lengthen his lead over Koch at the front of the overall race and the battle in Grand Sport. We have seen JCD in the SRO series with identical cars to this one but I believe this might be his first go in IMSA in Pilot Challenge. Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker in two of the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra's run liner stern. Wickens, #33 and Gottsacker, #98. Gottsacker sharing with Parker Chase of course. We see already the TCR machines catching up to the tail enders in Grand Sport with this short lap here at Lime Rock Park. What did I tell you about this place being a bull ring? It is very true.
A third Hyundai is also in the fight, another Elantra N TCR. That is the #54 Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson driven car which has also recently come under the Bryan Herta Autosport umbrella. Johnson, in the car, like Robert Wickens, a driver with a disability, who had an accident, and like Robert Wickens, was determined and able to come into motorsports. I believe Johnson had a motorcycle accident, but he is one of those who has paved the way for racing drivers with disabilities to have race cars adapted so they can drive. This internecine Hyundai battle is fascinating to watch as they are right in this cluster with the back half of the Grand Sport field!
Mark Siegel and Sean Quinlan are in a battle of their own. Siegel aboard the #93 Carbahn with Peregrine Racing Porsche Cayman sharing with Tyler McQuarrie, and Quinlan sharing the #43 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 with regular co-driver Greg Liefooghe. What a crowded speedway we have at Lime Rock as the Grand Sport entries begin spreading out a wee bit. No grandstands here at Lime Rock Park. Fans can come and sit on the hillside by the track with a blanket and a canopy and watch the action. It is a true park and a great race track. It is not just a track. There are concerts, car club meets and swap meets that also take place here. A multi-faceted and legendary racing venue.
Lime Rock Park is the third longest running road course in the United States. So, a change of position at Bryan Herta Autosport as Harry Gottsacker has gone around Robert Wickens and I am sure Wickens is echoing the sentiment to his sister car after the crew tells him, "save your tires", and he probably says "tell that to Harry as well, please." Traffic with TCR and Grand Sport is going to be the big deall all day long. Every TCR car is Front Wheel Drive and that makes it even harder to save the tires because the front tires are steering and applying the power simultaneously. You can save fuel, coasting down The Downhill. Tires are critical.
How do you save tires in a Front Wheel Drive car on a circuit with right hand turns? Mark Wilkins says that the setup is what the team has worked on but this means the car will be looser at the rear. Take steering wheel angle out and take it easy on the throttle. Don't punch it. Gingerly use the gas pedal. The Grand Sport cars are a factor as traffic and risk. Stay clean and out of the weeds. Gottsacker makes a pass on Wickens through West Bend. The alignment on these TCR cars, a mechanic would look at it for a road car and say, "what on earth have you done with this car?!" Owen Trinkler is a two-time winner at Lime Rock Park. Trinkler won with Hugh Plumb in 2018 and 2019, back to back.
Mason Filippi in the #77 Hyundai has been experiencing tire degradation and being told to back it down. Ease off in the corners to get the most out of the tires. Car #77 has Mason Filippi at the wheel of it and he will hand over to Tyler Maxson later in the race. Saving petrol is fine and dandy but taking load off the tires means you lose lap time. Protect the left front. Gingerly squeeze on the power. Like I said before, don't punch it. Get to the halfway mark an hour in. Change only front tires. The traction control is not automatic then. It is not a switch you flip on the dashboard. It is all in your right foot as a driver. John Capestro-Dubets still has nearly a five second lead over Kenton Koch at the top of the shop right now.
Capestro-Dubets, how big of a lead does he need? He is taking rubber off the tires. The Porsche is handling well, but he may have to back off a touch, reading the delta between he and Kenton Koch. In the meantime, we watch the Najri and Plumb battle, the Toyota vs. the Porsche. Protecting tires will be crucial as we are hearing from the team strategists that like their TCR cousins, the GS cars will be able to stretch it to the hour mark on a full fuel load. Alfredo Najri is the cork in the bottle. Plumb may be biding his time and he does not want to rush. Former endurance racing driver John Fergus, who is a good pal of NBC Sports lead commentator and former driver, Brian Till, "you don't win races with your foot. You win them, with your head."
Mr. Fergus, you Sir, are so right. Dubets and Koch have run and hid it seems but the third-place scrap between Najri and Plumb is indeed the one to watch. These boys are glued together more or less and I keeping hammering on and on about it. But the traffic at this track is never ending. A myriad of brands are within the top ten, even the top 18 in the Grand Sport class. It is that candy dish of brands we keep talking about, all different flavors. Porsche, AMG Mercedes, Toyota, another AMG, Mustang, AMG, Porsche, Aston Martin Vantage, Porsche.
Trevor Andrusko is being chased hard by both Nate Stacy and Kenny Murillo. A wicked scrap is brewing in TCR as well, look. Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens, they both are still at the top of the shop in class. It is a jam-packed dogfight down the order, though. Audi and then a sea of Hyundai Elantra's and a Veloster tossed into the fray for good measure. Chris Miller leading over Michael Johnson, Mason Filippi, A.J. Muss, and Rory van der Steur. As we speak, van der Steur is off the road in the grass! Yikes!
He was a lucky chap to squeeze back onto the road in front of the GT4 BMW M4, the Sean Quinlan entry we talked about earlier. Quinlan, I believe is still at the wheel of it and will hand off to Greg Liefooghe soon. Gottsacker, Wickens and company, they are chasing the Audi, the #17 JDC Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Hyundai's running liner stern. Down the Downhill they go onto yet another lap. It is a short lap around Lime Rock Park and we almost have 20 minutes on the board. Pushing and shoving, look, between teammates with the #77 giving the #54 a nudge. Johnson being harried by Filippi it appears.
One of the other Hyundai's is also back there. Not sure if it is the #1 in the hands of Taylor Hagler or #2 with A.J. Muss driving. Hagler sharing with Michael Lewis and Muss with Ryan Norman. John Dubets is still serenely out front in the #28 Porsche ahead of Kenton Koch in the #56 Mercedes. You have missed nothing at the sharp end of this motor race, folks. Some dust kicked up on the front straight but John Dubets drives right through it into Big Bend. He is on a Saturday cruise right now, whistling off into the distance, and catching lapped traffic. He is catching those tail enders, down the downhill, here in round seven of Michelin Pilot Challenge. He has a gaggle of TCR machines ahead.
Screech! Someone's tires are squealing. That's Chris Miller spinning off the road. Yes. Miller aboard the #17 Audi is sideways. He'd gained four or five places in class. He is back on his way and still has many Hyundai's behind. Clean the tires and keep on trucking. Put that in your memory bank. The Grand Sport cars have the right of way. JCD now leads Kenton Koch by three and a half seconds. Two very different mindsets. Both are co-drivers for the drivers they are working with. They are not their regular co-drivers either. John Dubets is teamed up with Stevan McAleer and Kenton Koch teamed up with Eric Foss. Koch is feeling the pressure.
JCD and McAleer are looking for wins. McAleer missed the most recent MPC race at Mosport Park up in Canada, so he is not a factor in the championship. He is looking for wins. McAleer won the season opener alongside Eric Filgueiras at Daytona six months ago, back in January. Kenton Koch and Eric Foss are both under loads of pressure. In replay, Miller gets tapped by the Hyundai, by the #77. Taylor back on track. Getting the back end to turn, these TCR machines are loose. On the brakes, if you get nudged from behind, you will be on the whirligig. John Capestro-Dubets is still working through traffic with a three and a half second lead.
Dubets is being told to save fuel because the GS teams are in fuel save mode to make this race a one stop event. Dubets is also being made aware of how the TCR cars are performing, how those drivers are behaving, and Dubets' lead is shrinking. Is a spotter valuable? The answer is 100% yes. The teams have been spotting in the first few corners. This is such a tight, fast track. Extra knowledge, painting the picture of how the traffic is unfolding ahead. Make calculated moves so you do not lose the lead, A.J. Muss goes off the road and a shovelful of dirt flies in JCD's face. JCD has GT4 experience. Now, he ran in Michelin Pilot Challenge about a decade ago. He runs a GT4 car in SRO racing, but there, he is running against identical GT4 entries in one race.
He is not running alongside the TCR machines on the track at the same time. A little different dynamic, but he is biding his time and being efficient at the same time. The marshals have determined incident responsibility for A.J. Muss in his contretemps with Chris Miller and Muss is handed a drive through penalty. Those drive through penalties are 20 seconds or so all the way through the lane, but on a track this short, that's costly. Muss has had argy bargy with Rory van der Steur through Big Bend. This team feels they can get major results. John Capestro Dubets has clear road ahead and must be very relieved by that.
Kenton Koch, meanwhile, as we ride onboard the Mercedes #56, he has lapped traffic ahead. Our pals Alfredo Najri and Hugh Plumb are still back there in third and fourth spot and they have continued their battle in earnest as well. The TCR Hyundai battle also continues. van der Steur followed by Johnson and Filippi. Again, this traffic is an assorted candy dish. I know I keep saying it. But there's TCR and GT4 cars all over the shop here with varying performance levels and drivers of varying skill levels. Multi class racing is what sports car racing is all about and we definitely can see that here in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Porsche, AMG Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Aston Martin, BMW in Grand Sport. Hyundai, Audi, Honda, and Alfa Romeo in TCR.
Koch breaking away from traffic. In replay, we can see going into turn one, this is the Chris Miller shemozzle. Oof. Miller was loose and the Audi was veering a wee bit to the left and so his left rear comes across and taps the right front of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR. That is the #77 I believe. Hard to tell from the camera at Big Bend. Everyone else just sorts right through there, with JCD still leading the motor race but quickly catching the traffic as he was at the time. We see Nate Stacy in the #60 KOHR Autosport Ford Mustang now working his way through the TCR shuffle as well, look. Stacy runs tenth overall and tenth in Grand Sport.
One of the other Grand Sport contenders is back there. The #8 McCann Racing Porsche Cayman of Mike McCann and Andrew Davis. McCann at the controls, and he too is dealing with this TCR traffic. C'est la vie, here at this tight and twisty Lime Rock Park circuit. From the onboard camera we can see a battle emerging between two more Ford Mustang GT4's as we ride along with the #40 PF Racing car shared by James Pesek and Chad McCumbee, who won earlier this year at Sebring International Raceway, in hot pursuit of the #877 sister car for JG Wentworth Racing by PF Racing Mustang in the hands of Sheena Monk and Kyle Marcelli. So, two team cars are going at it hammer and tongs here.
Three Mustang's all in a line. It's a stampede! Stacy, Monk, and Pesek and you have Mike McCann and Owen Trinkler in the Porsche Cayman's, #8 for McCann Racing and #64 for TGM, they are in it, too. They are having a little party and I guess everybody was invited. Half an hour of the race done and dusted already. Pesek wants to work his way past Marcelli. There's no question of that. Our pal, JCD, though, John Capestro Dubets is serenely on his merry way in the lead of the motor race. Kenton Koch, uh... he's back there somewhere. Somewhere. Can you be more specific? Not now, unfortunately.
Through the uphill, we can see these cars pull the front tires off the ground. It must be incredible to watch in person. Yours truly has been to only one Michelin Pilot Challenge event. That was at the season opener at Daytona in 2020. Now, here's a wild statistic for you. Two of the factory Hyundai's, the #98 and the #33 are faster than all of the Grand Sport entries right now! Holy smokes! I wish I had a lap time chart in front of me to see what is going on. I think everyone is saving tires. But this track at Lime Rock is fabulous for a TCR car because they are much lighter than a GT4 car and with good downforce they whistle through the high-speed turns and their change of direction is very nimble. JCD is eking out a gap on Kenton Koch. It is nine seconds. So, either Kenton Koch is taking it easy on a Saturday cruise, or, his Michelin Pilot tires are knackered already, and he needs new boots on that car.
Now, we were just about to talk strategy. But hold that thought as we have the #40 PF Racing Ford Mustang into the fence! James Pesek has buried that car into the tire bundle on the side of the road. Jeepers creepers! What happened there? Full Course Yellow. Full Course Yellow. This is at the Downhill. We saw Nate Stacy and Trevor Andrusko trying to go side by side in the Downhill and that was a bit of a pickle for both of them. Game over. James Pesek unbuckling his safety harness with the door open and he's not a happy bunny right now. The marshals are trying to talk to him, but let me tell you, he is having none of it.
Now it could have been the other Mustang, the KOHR Mustang of Nate Stacy who went off the road. More fun and frolics in TCR? You don't say. #2 Hyundai Elantra vs. #5 Alfa Romeo. #5 is out of shape! That's a pig's breakfast in and of itself. But now, as we pan the camera back towards the exit of turn seven, dig this. Pesek and Stacy both get caught off guard and skid on the grass towards their demise from this race. Pesek was off the road, way early and barely got turned into the corner. Massive lose for Pesek, and and, crunch! Nate Stacy seemingly turned right into him. Oh deary me. No wonder he was furious. He will be fuming and want a piece of a fellow Mustang driver. I sense a brawl cometh.
You can hear his words too, cursing under his helmet. Apologies for rude language but he's rightfully ropeable here. Now, maybe that was Stacy, or it was the other KOHR Mustang, the #59 which has Bob Michaelian driving alongside Billy Johnson. Meanwhile we have a Captain Cook at the off for the #5 Alfa who skids onto the grass and is loose! You can see Pesek, storming away. He is still frustrated and will have to calm down before approaching anyone in the lane. If you are a reporter down there, when a man (or woman) is in this mood, be cautious approaching them with a microphone. He had nothing he could do.
Chad McCumbee has great history here having won three times with Stevan McAleer as a co-driver in the old ST (Street Tuner) class. Pesek will go to the medical center and the safety workers will clean the mess up and we will be back to greejn flag racing fairly soon I would think. The field circulates behind the safety car as we are nearly 40 minutes into the action here at Lime Rock Park and the marshals are observing parts of the track as we see the corner workers with the yellow flags. Forever thankful to the men and women who wear white, or orange uniforms, for keeping us safe. Withoutnthem there would be no motor racing.
We look again, in replay, in slow motion at Pesek's crash. Bang! Crunch! Right smack into the Armco barrier he goes. Skidding along the guardrail. I see what's happening. The safety team is assessing damage, physical damage, to the Armco barrier, that will have to be repaired before we can turn the cars loose again. These barier repairs may take a wee while as the field is led around behind the safety car. Pit stop time for the #56 Murillo Racing Mercedes for tires and fuel. He is being motioned out of the box. Go, go, go, go, go. More pit callers with a couple Porsche Cayman's. One is the #47 Nolasport entry for Matt Travis and Jason Hart. The other is the #22 Hardpoint car of Sean McAllister and Nick Galante.
The #40 Mustang has massive damage to the front left corner and is being loaded on the back of the low loader, the rollback truck. Barrier damage out of the final turn continues as now we see TCR cars in the lane and the first pit caller is the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Harry Gottsacker will be getting out and Parker Chase will step into the car for his stint. Tires are changed and fuel is added. #98 back on track now. I wonder if any other TCR entries took the opportunity to pit. Ah yes. A number of them did as they are coming around all in a line out of the lane. Now it is the turn of the GS entries.
#28 headed for the box at RS1 and now, Stevan McAleer will take over from John Dubets. Eric Foss will take over from Kenton Koch in the #56 Murillo Racing Mercedes. Tires and fuel and the leaders are back on track. So, it is as you were before they hit the lane. At the top of the shop we see the sister Murillo Racing Mercedes in P1, car #72 with Kenny Murillo now driving having taken over from co-driver Christian Szymczak. He is followed by Owen Trinkler, Stevan McAleer, Victor Gonzalez in the leading TCR entry, the #99 VCMG Honda Civic, Thiago Camillo in the #14 Riley Motorsports Toyota Supra, Mike McCann, Nate Stacy, Sheena Monk, Trent Hindman, and Nick Galante.
Another name to keep an eye on, is the #71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R. Robin Liddell and Frank DePew. We haven't called their number all day and now they are knocking on the door of the top ten. We have seen plenty of shuffling as we are getting a green flag in mere seconds. OK. It's go time once again here at Lime Rock. The safety car looks to be pointing people around. No. The lights are off though, so next time 'round we should be back to green flag racing. I think I jumped the gun but we should be back racing here at the end of this particular lap.
Wow. The #59 KOHR Motorsports teams is cutting it pretty fine with their pit stop as I think Billy Johnson will take over from Bob Michaelian although I cannot be too sure. Fuel, tires, and a driver change at the very least. #59 is now back on track. In a wee while we will be turning them loose again I think. We are getting close to the halfway mark here at Lime Rock. Lights out on the safety car and racing shall resume now. Green flag!
Kenny Murillo is the leader ahead of Mike McCann, and Nate Stacy. Kenny Murillo and company are looking for a one stop race. Teams pitted but did not do a driver change and have to finish out their 40 minute drive time yet. Mike McCann has a go at Kenny Murillo, but it ain't working. Nate Stacy side by side with Mike McCann and here comes Stevan McAleer too! McAleer to the inside on Mike McCann Jr. Elbows out for McAleer! He does not have the grip, loses track position and is now losing track position to the lapped Mustang who is not a factor nor is the Turner Motorsports BMW. So, it really and truly is the #22 Porsche Cayman of Nick Galante who wants a look in.
Galante though is stymied by all this traffic, so he isn't getting a bite of the cherry just yet. McAleer though has his hands full with Nate Stacy. Stacy is the third place car as we have another Captain Cook at the scoring pylon. Trent Hindman in the championship leading #7 Aston Martin Vantage GT4, I think he has handed off to Alan Brynjolfsson, in the championship leading entry which won the race at Laguna Seca earlier in the year. Hindman actually is behind the wheel and Brynjolfsson did the first stint.
Kenton Koch did not have enough drive time and with their pit stop being messed up, Koch has fallen down the order and has to claw his way back into the fight. Keep in mind, if you have been following Michelin Pilot Challenge, Murillo Racing has had victories in two of the previous three races. Kenton Koch says the car is good and has improved from qualifying. They did not get the track position necessary on the most recent pit stop but they wanted to do their shorter pit stop. Koch says the driver change just wasn't quick enough. Four tires will be essential with the tire degradation we have seen. Mark Wilkins has taken over the #33 BHA Hyundai Elantra from Robert Wickens.
Wickens says that his co-driver has to save the front tires. There are so many righthand corners here at Lime Rock Park. But also points out team #33 will be saving both fuel and tires which is a big ask. The TCR cars will have to capitalize on a mistake and especially for the #33 team. Find the opportunity and save your stuff. That is what Wickens has had to do and they believe they are quicker than their sister car, the #98 and can hold onto a loose race car. Did a mistake on the part of Kenny Murillo cause Stevan McAleer to make a successful pass? McAleer has fresh tires and Murillo has not pitted so he washed away and the ABS kicks in numbing the front end of the car.
McAleer has the grip and the track position. Save fuel, wbut they need another yellow. Robin Liddell though, the #71 is pushing and he has just made up another place on Matt Plumb. Rebel Rock Racing have nearly gotten on the podium in both of the two previous races at Watkins Glen and at Mosport Park. Nate Stacy running very well in the Ford Mustang with Thiago Camilo in the #14 Toyota Supra moving in for position. But the Ford Mustang is the most race ready car that appears in street trim and the suspension on thatnMustang is great. Attention, to the teams who have not made their driver change.
You all are going to have to back time this race from now, so you have 65 minutes left on the board, as we are nearing halfway. At 42 minutes that will be the limit the #60 team can use for Luca Mars, Nate Stacy's co-driver. The drive time only is established once he leaves pit lane and trips the timing beacon at the end of it. Robin Liddell is moving forward and the Camaro GT4 is coming alive. Liddell has won here at Lime Rock in a Camaro before. He is hungry for a victory. Rebel Rock saw a victory in 2021 and have had the potential this year, but are still knocking on the door. They want a slice of the victory cake. That is for dead sure.
Uh oh. Just as we talked about Liddell, Plumb gives him a tap and loosens him up into Big Bend. Matt and Hugh Plumb sharing the TGM Porsche. Oh. Plumb is off the road after Trent Hindman makes a sweet move. He did move ahead. The GS and TCR battles are both fun to watch as Mark Wilkins has taken over from Robert Wickens. Those two chaps are going for the hat trick. Will they manage it? Stay tuned to find out. Hindman does make his move around Nate Stacy after dropping Robin Liddell as in TCR, the battle rages. The cars fan out down the front straightaway as we ride aboard the #14 Toyota Supra. Man, this is extremely close racing! You couldn't fit a cigarette paper between the cars. More dust kicked up there.
Thiago Camilo in the #14 Riley Motorsports Toyota Supra moving in on Mike McCann Jr. in the #8 McCann Racing Porsche Cayman. We are about to reach the halfway mark in the race. Trent Hindman in the #7 Volt Racing Aston Martin, he is still in the wars as well, and wants to make his move on Camilo! He does just that. McCann closing on Kenny Murillo as well who has behind him one of the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's. That looks like the #95 Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern car. We have not seen hide nor hair of the #96 sister car of Robby Foley and Vincent Barletta during this race yet. Yours truly has not spotted them. They are out there, but must be down the order.
Stevan McAleer is whistling off into the distance while the rest of the pack of hungry wolves fight behind him. He is grinning like a stuck possum right now and has everything his own way here at Lime Rock Park. Now, look at this mess. Kenny Murillo is the cork in the bottle, and he still has all the wolves at his door. Unbelievable! Hindman, Auberlen, and a plethora of GT4 cars are scrambling to pass on the tight confines of the bullring here at Lime Rock Park. This is a true motor race, ladies and gentlemen. But man oh man, McAleer is just driving like he's on a cruise, going to the store for a jug of milk, or headed to the pub to meet his pals at Happy Hour.
Murillo gets passed by the BMW and those older Michelin Pilot tires he's on have to be like pencil erasers now. They will devolve into chewing gum and he's going to be squirming and shimmying around and knows he has to get a new set of boots on that Mercedes, pronto. Trent Hindman is a man on a mission, and he is coming in a hurry. Hindman, McCann, Liddell, Camillo, Marcelli, Hart, Trinkler, and Stacy. Pick the bones out of that one. I double dare you. There's some stellar drivers really going for it as we've gone past the halfway mark in the race.
Trent Hindman is the man on the move indeed, leading the championship fight. It is a big ask to catch Stevan McAleer. Hindman, though, he has really been going for it and here comes the #877 Ford Mustang GT4 in the hands of Kyle Marcelli, taking over from Sheena Monk. They had a massive wreck with a Toyota Supra at Sebring and since moved to the Mustang to continue racing as Kenny Murillo, he is the cork in the bottle. The battle behind is intense as Robin Liddell is flying through as well. Make your pit stop now, and you should make it to the end of the motor race, honestly.
Murillo, off the ground at the uphill and McAleer, he is in the lead of the motor race. The car is totally on rails according to John Dubets. He is amazed to be in this race with the RS1 folks as they are rivals in a different championship. This team has boatloads of speed in their pocket and saving fuel at Lime Rock seems to be easier than saving tires. Saving tires and fuel at the same time go hand in hand as the #71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R of Robin Liddell hit the lane. We now see a lead change in the TCR class as Stephen Simpson goes by Mark Wilkins in a battle of the Hyundai's.
Murillo gets loose, and he is the cork in the bottle without any grip. Mike McCann has passed him, and I think we can also see that Matt Plumb and his teammate Eric Foss are not happy with him being the slower driver. Please, don't be a Sunday driver! He may be holding up the train so Foss can go forward. Whether it is reality, or a strategy call does not matter. Foss wants a run, on Matt Plumb, but he turns Plumb around, smack dab into the Armco! Plumb spins the Porsche Cayman back across the track and thank heavens he didn't hit anyone else! Mama Mia! That was a close one!
Race over for Matt Plumb. You can see the steam beginning to emanate from the front of the automobile. They locked horns down the hill and Matty Plumb got the worst of it. How long this yellow will be, we'll find out. How many teams need to do fuel saving? Murillo and his team need to hit the pit lane while Liddell and the Rebel Rock Racing Camaro boys, they have already pitted. So, they are looking good and should be in the pound seats. Unless you are leading, topping up the fuel tank on a GT4 car is going to take longer with time being of the essence and the halfway mark in the race being passed already.
This is standard yellow procedure. Once the lane is open, GS cars pits, second lap by, TCR, and third time, everybody. Now, we can see there was a concertina effect into West Bend even before Matt Plumb loses the tail of the Porsche. Then, he's off the road into the grass... thwack, and he is careering across the road, down the hill and adds insult to injury by clattering the barrier on the opposite side. We watch from the onboard camera with Eric Foss in Mercedes #56. He has a head of steam looking to inside and Matt Plumb comes across him and he does not have the same rate of acceleration, and Eric Foss turns him around and well, you know what else happened. The inevitable, as the wall administers the coup de gras.
From another angle aboard Jon Morley's Audi RS3, he gets squeezed by the Hyundai. Plumb was a lucky luck boy to scrub off speed against the Armco because he was in no man's land, and let me say that if he'd gone any faster he and that Porsche Cayman would have been headed into oblivion. Plumb out of the car. This is a bitter pill to swallow. He is speaking to the safety workers, but he will be fuming. He will feel aggrieved after an incident like that and like we saw with James Pesek earlier, when a racing driver is in this mood, don't try to get an opinion out of him. If you are a reporter with a microphone, approach him carefully because he's liable to rip your head off.
The safety crews, the marshals, are cleaning up the mess on the downhill once again as the cars approach the downhill under the Airstream bridge. The #56 Mercedes is in the lane taking a penalty for incident responsibility. Take your medicine, and then get back in the fight. There's debris strewn on the grass that the marshals will get to so we may just have another extended Full Course Yellow here at Lime Rock Park. The manufacturer battles are interesting as we see the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin, Ford, Toyota, and AMG Mercedes duking it out in GS, while in TCR it is a mixed bag as well between Audi, Hyundai and the sole Alfa Romeo in the field.
Another replay. Here's the Plumb incident, as we see it all again, in slow motion. Crunch! He cops a whack on the right front corner and lazily spins across the road with steam spewing out the right-side radiator. Eyes like dinner plates, Matt Plumb cannot believe he takes two shots against both walls. But it's curtains for the #46 Porsche Cayman. Pit stop time for the GS leaders including the #28 RS1 Porsche as well as one of the Toyota Supra's, and the Volt Racing Aston Martin. Ford Mustang #59 for KohR Autosport is in and there is discussion going on in the Murillo Racing pit box. Track cleanup continues. You've missed nothing except for me chuntering on about nothing at this particular moment.
But, I will say that the drama here lies in the championship and the second-place man is indeed Eric Foss, the victim of this contact as the car is out. Foss, 20 laps earlier clicked his radio and said to his team, "good grief! Everyone is trying to annihilate each other out here! This is a war zone!" Foss was keeping his nose clean, but everyone is getting aggressive. It sounds like the Porsche pushed Foss off the road at first. Some piece of debris smashed the oil pan on the Benz. Murillo Racing are not out of it with three races left. An addendum. Of course, we saw the MPC race at Road America. Yours truly has been so busy with other sports car races that he is only now catching up with Pilot Challenge at Lime Rock.
So the results here are going to be what they are, but, they are reflective of how the series came out after this race and before Road America and not after Road America and before the championship heads, this weekend, to Virginia International Raceway, for the penultimate race of the year. Murillo Racing, dejected, will just have to keep digging. But it is hard racing and it seems that Matty Plumb was more at fault but if you told him that, he'd flip his lid for sure. Now, in replay, there's a stackup and Murillo is losing pace because his tires are dead. His Michelin Pilot's (that particular set) are like chewing gum.
Foss is behind Plumb, who is the meat in the sandwich between the bronze/orange Mercedes'. Plumb tries cutting across to defend that move and leaves it too late. Plumb, as we see the replay once again, is just along for the ride. Driving through the debris field, Foss cannot avoid it. He drives through the debris. The carbon fiber shards cut a hole in the oil pan on the motor, the oil drains out, and without the oil in the crankcase, the engine is liable to go bang, and that's exactly what happened. Thar 4-liter V8 in the Mercedes, coughs and sputters on its way to a rather smoky demise. Throw another bullet in it and get ready for the next race.
If this stuff happens to you, it can happen to anyone else as the marshals continue to clean up the wreckage. Close shave in the working area of the pit lane as the #14 Riley Motorsports Toyota Supra pulls into it's box ahead of the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman. The McAleer/Dubets Porsche is now sixth overall. Under this Full Course Yellow with just over 40 minutes to go is the #877 Ford Mustang GT4 for JG Wentworth Racing by PF Racing in the hands of Kyle Marcelli. The order has been jumbled in GS and in TCR too.
Jon Morley in the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR is the current TCR class leader. Hardy har har. Me computer is suggesting a game of Mahjong. Not now. We've got a motor race to talk about. Oh! Hold the phone. Lock the doors. What's going on? We've got a couple of cars spun off the road and with crash damage. The #22 Hardpoint Porsche Cayman is facing the wrong way up the road and the #60 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang has heavy right front damage and near full lock on the right front wheel, smoking like no tomorrow.
#60 to the lane and the #22, he gets it back on the road and can continue. There's a wee bit of damage to the #22 and the most severe, is that a toed in right rear wheel? The Kohr mechanics going to work, changing the tire, pulling the damaged front splitter out from under the car. That thing needs a whole new right front fender and the suspension looks damaged. A driver change for the #22 as well, look. So is it Sean McAllister? Or, is it Nick Galante? Hard to tell. The Hardpoint team are also looking at that left rear wheel of the Porsche which seems cattywampus from this camera angle with the camer facing back across the pit wall.
35 minutes left on the board before we can call this race done and dusted. You never know what you are going to get. Luca Mars is driving the #60 Mustang. Looking at the replay, Mars just ran into the back of the Hardpoint Porsche as we analyze the incident again. This was into the West Bend, and again, it is the concertina effect when the drivers are trying to keep heat in the tires. Alright. Green flag. Back to the racing. So, we have quite the top three right now, look, as Kyle Marcelli is leading Tim Probert and Robin Liddell. Somehow or other, the #65 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 for Probert and co-driver Brent Mosing, have they pulled a blinder on the strategy late in the game here?
Probert is 71 years old and is still out there driving. Good onya, mate. Robin Liddell may have had the right gamble on taking fuel earlier because now, the question becomes do Marcelli and Probert, who is running a second behind the leader, do those blokes have enough fuel in the tank to get to the finish? Sean McAllister in the #22 Porsche Cayman for Hardpoint, he had an interview with NBC Sports and said that it was an accordion effect down the hill through turn six. McAllister said something in the nature of, "the #60 forgot he had brakes and ran into the back of me."
The #22 car has a broken axle and the #60 has crash damage. Substantial crash damage. Drive through penalty for contact with the #28 Porsche for the #14 Riley Motorsports Toyota Supra. That was the pit stop we saw earlier, and my eyes were correct that #14 grazed the #28 RS1 Porsche. So, either Alfredo Najri or Thiago Camilo is copping a penalty at the moment. The refueler felt that one and the Porsche is missing a dive plane off the front end. Thiago Camillo's rear bumper has had a lot of bumping and boring throughout the motor race today.
Camilo, the 37-year-old Brazilian, he has never been to Lime Rock Park and is learning the track. Well, well. He is proving himself to be a fast learner of this short little speedway. Just be more cautious in a crowded pit lane so you don't hit equipment or another car. Good scrum here, look, between four cars. We are looking at the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman of Stevan McAleer and he is being harried along by both of the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's. #96 with Robby Foley at the wheel of it, and the #95 in the hands of Bill Auberlen. So, the two quick pro drivers are in those cars as we speak.
We have also seen the #7 Volt Racing Aston Martin, the championship points leaders, hit the lane for service in the last little bit. Half an hour of racing remains here at Lime Rock for Michelin Pilot Challenge and don't forget we have the WeatherTech Championship GTD classes (GTD Pro and regular GTD) in their own motor race, coming up later on today. You will be able to catch that event a bit later on down the road here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog once yours truly has sorted out the post-race for this one, and the pre-race headlines before we get to the WeatherTech event.
Right now, the order at the top of the tree has reshuffled as Mustang #877, Marcelli, is at the top of the shop, followed by Mike Skeen in the #55 FCP Euro by Ricca Autosport Mercedes AMG GT4, Jason Hart in the #47 Nolasport Porsche Cayman, Robin Liddell, and then Billy Johnson aboard the sister #59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang. The other blokes we have already talked about complete the top ten. So that list includes Hindman, McAleer, Foley, Auberlen, and Probert.
Fuel is good. But how much pace will drivers have with loading up the left side tires? We are just going to have to see. Bill Auberlen, to put a period on his situation, is that he is back inside the top ten on a fresh set of boots and running eighth in the overall. Stevan McAleer says the RS1 team is concerned about long run pace. Robin Liddell has a great drive up the uphill and into the downhill, he passes Mike Skeen and Skeen has his hands full with some hip and shoulder too, from Jason Hart. What does all this do? Trent Hindman gets invited to the party and has a massive head of steam! It all funnels down into the never never, going to turn one.
Hindman is pinned to the outside of Jason Hart in the Nolasport Porsche Cayman. So, Hart is going to slide right through that open door. You see, that was a sliding screen door is what that was. Right out onto the patio, mate. Hindman slams the screen door in his face, and we know that Trent Hindman's signature move here is 'round the outside. Skeen is loose trying to move past the Mustang and Hindman he sees a hole that he can go into. There's nothing between these chaps. I mean, you couldn't slide a piece of paper between the fenders of these cars. Unreal. BiIly Johnson is loose through the uphill and Skeen wants to take advantage of that evil handling Mustang being all over the shop.
Watch out with the close quarters racing because you could very easily cut down a tire. Johnson is tied right now with Matty Plumb for the most wins in the history of Michelin Pilot Challenge. Kyle Marcelli in another Mustang still leads the motor race and we have to wonder, five seconds back down the road, what does Robin Liddell have left in the locker? The Volt Racing pit crew is on the horn to Hindman saying, "mate, please be smart. Think big picture." Sheena Monk is amazed how her co-driver is scything through the field because she struggled in the middle of the stint and then the car has come back into the sweet spot.
She's stunned by how her co-driver has the car totally on rails and the fuel save has been working to their advantage for the PF Racing/JG Wentworth team. A lower fuel load, a lighter fuel load, will make it easier on the tires so those Michelin Pilots are not screaming for mercy around the circuit before the end of the motor race. The key is about pace to the end with about 27 minutes left on the board. Make that 26 and change. It is intense and always is at a track like Lime Rock. Kyle Marcelli continues to lead with the lapped Porsche Cayman behind. Andrew Davis is indeed a lap down. Watch out for the #71 Rebel Rock Camaro.
Marcelli will want to know how he can both save fuel and keep Liddell, the Scotsman, behind him. Marcelli won't want to hear this news. But the Rebel Rock team is telling Liddell "your pace is good enough, mate, that you will catch him in ten laps or so." Liddell is apparently turning laps half a second faster than those of Marcelli. Trouble in paradise in TCR for Michael Lewis aboard the #1 Michael Lewis driven Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra. That car is smoking badly just ahead of one of the sister BHA Elantra's. Now, we don't often see these Hyundai's with mechanical woes, but this looks like a bad tire rub on the left rear to me, not oil smoke, fuel smoke, or steam.
Lewis is going to be in dire straits because the pit lane is off to driver's right and he's committedd to the lefthand lane staying on the road. He passes pit in but may not understand the gravity of what's going on. He might think, "oh, the smoke quit. It's peachy!" Uh, sorry to tell you, Michael. But I think your tire is losing pressure. Through this shuffle, Mark Wilkins in the #33 sister BHA Hyundai, he has dropped to sixth place in class. We are showing a trio of Audi's at the top of the shop in TCR with Mikey Taylor, Jon Morley, and Dennis Dupont. That's JDC-Miller, Road Shagger Racing, and Belgard & Techniseal, the top three.
Dupont made contact with Lewis, and this pushes the rear fender, the rear guard, in on the tire and causes friction to rub it away. Onboard with Wilkins in the #33 we can see there was a bump between the #15 Audi and the #1 Hyundai. Lewis saves it but has bigger trouble immediately with that tire rubbing on the fender. We can see Taylor did the bump and run on Jon Morley, the old hip and shoulder trick. Works every time in a touring car. Poor old Morley was loose into Big Bend and Taylor... he just biffed him and went by. JDC-Miller have made a good recovery after Chris Miller got rotated early doors when we first started after the green flag.
Warm temperatures and hot cockpits may equal hot tempers before this motor race is over. Mikey Taylor, the South African, he has it covered and is as cool as a cucumber. The optimism is there despite what happened to them earlier on. The yellows may have helped the JDC-Miller Audi crew as we get closer to the end of the motor race here. Morley in the meantime, has his hands full with Dennis Dupont and with Tyler Gonzalez. Egad. He just lost two places and Road Shagger Racing isn't taking the bump and run from Mikey Taylor sitting down. Here at Lime Rock, once your tires fall off a cliff, if you don't answer the bell, your goose is cooked.
TCR cars are set up in a loose condition, so when you lose all grip, hang on, baby. It is a freakin' rodeo ride out there. Mikey Taylor is a lucky chap because he can put the Audi anyplace he wants as Tyler Gonzalez is moving in for a Captain Cook. Taylor is getting stymied behind the back half of the GS field through traffic. Tyler Gonzalez is one of the youngest drivers with the van der Steur team. They were second in the points, but they had trouble at both Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. They just need to finish. Gonzalez is the driver coach for his older co-driver, Rory van der Steur.
We can see Gonzalez is doing everything he knows to force Mikey Taylor into a mistake. The TCR division is super competitive. Great compliance for the Hyundai Veloster in this seventh race of the championship. Don't miss a lap of it as we are coming to the very end and soon. 18 and a half minutes on the board yet. Guess who is coming calling now. Dennis Dupont, he wants a bite of the cherry as well, look. Neither Gonzalez nor van der Steur have a Michelin Pilot Challenge win. They are hungry. They want a slice of that victory cake. It is getting feisty out here. Don't run to the fridge for that snack, ladies and gentlemen. You are going to miss something. Trust me. Hang in there for a wee while longer.
Dupont off the road and kicks up the dust. He's wringing out that Audi. Wow. This is good stuff here. Catching is one thing. Passing is something completely different. Lewis and Wilkins in the wounded Hyundai's have dropped way down the order to eighth and ninth in class respectively. The team at Bryan Herta Autosport will not be happy. The highest placed BH Hyundai currently, is in fifth place. Tyler Maxson aboard the #77 he shares with Mason Filippi. Kyle Marcelli has a second in hand over Robin Liddell in the overall in GS with Billy Johnson third. The Camaro in a Mustang sandwich.
Andrew Davis in the #8 McCann Racing Porsche Cayman, he is the cork in the bottle. But remember, Liddell and Davis drove together in Michelin Pilot for a number of years, and they won championship titles together. Davis, if he gets a yellow, he can get the #8 Cayman back on the lead lap but will have enough sense and respect to not ruin Robin Liddell's day since Liddell is in contention for a victory. Billy Johnson is also coming in a hurry looking to break the tie in the win column with Matty Plumb. Poor old Mikey Taylor is stymied by the GS cars which have more horsepower, but in the corners, the TCR machines have the advantage and Taylor just can't squeeze more straight line speed out of the Audi.
In the background, look, we find Billy Johnson really applying the blowtorch and coming after Robin Liddell. It is a battle of the American muscle cars for the victory here at Lime Rock with the Camaro the meat in a Mustang sandwich. Oh criminy. The #65 Murillo Racing Mercedes AMG GT4 has spun. This is our pal Tim Probert again, I believe. It is Probert and he is back on his merry way. Now then, did Mikey Taylor crunch into the Mercedes. Gonzalez moving on Taylor, they get together into the only left-hand curve on this whole circuit, and pinball right into poor old Tim Probert. Dennis Dupont is the lucky dog and snatches second place away in TCR. So, that shemozzle there, was manna from heaven for Dupont.
Here's it all again, in slow motion. Gonzalez, inside. Taylor, outside. Neither of them was going to back out, and again, poor old Probert, he was just minding his own business and thought, "OK, guys. What did I do? I didn't do anything wrong." That's squeezing three motorcars into a funnel and it ain't working. Now, after this, will we see a play review and see the marshals say anything about it? That's what I'm wondering. After reviewing the play... ten-yard penalty, still first down. OK. Enough with the football gibberish. But you get my drift. Robin Liddell asking his pal and former team mate, Andrew Davis to move over. Not on your life, sunbeam.
Liddell is loose and so he'll lose ground onto No Name straightaway which is not straight in the least and has a pronounced curve. Liddell is right on Davis's six right now. Mr. Davis makes the smart move and lets Liddell go by. Now, Liddell will focus forward and try to get past Kyle Marcelli for the race victory here at Lime Rock Park. It is the battle of Ford vs. Chevy. The great American muscle cars, duking it out for the win. Liddell is now right behind Kyle Marcelli and he is going to make a move, no question.
The Camaro is strong and Liddell goes for the lead. Marcelli doing all he can, hanging on by his fingernails. Liddell has the move done. No. Marcelli has the preferred line on the inside into the uphill! Liddell gets stuck behind Marcelli and here come both Billy Johnson and Trent Hindman into the picture. Johnson and Skeen are closing right in and you have to feel that Marcelli's tires are dead. He has no grip left. Liddell wide into the turn but now on the front straight he is coming right back at the Canadian at the wheel of the Mustang.
Aerodynamic trouble for Marcelli because the diffuser is loose under the car, under the rear bumper. Liddell does the bump and run and there he goes. Hard racing but clean. Johnson now right on top of Marcelli, look. Hindman in fourth is probably still being told to just keep the big picture in mind because they know that the Mercedes of Eric Foss and Kenton Koch are, as they say, out of race. Hindman knows that if there's points on the board you have to grab them. Strike while the iron is hot. Johnson, too, he wants to be on the podium. Recall that earlier Bob Michaelian, who is Billy Johnson's co-driver had contact with James Pesek who went off the road at the very beginning of the race.
Billy Johnson pressing the #59 to the front and Kyle Marcelli's tires are shot. Hindman is in the championship fight and nobody else in the top three is. So, if these three get into some carambolage, Hindman, the man will be in the catbird seat. You know that Johnson wants a win as well for KOHR Motorsports and wants to break the tie with Matt Plumb for most wins in the history of the Michelin Pilot Challenge. We saw the strength of the Camaro at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport Park), on Canada Day weekend, the race before this one.
Johnson slides the car and keeps it on the road, which had yours truly and our pal Calvin Fish in the NBC Sports booth, chortling with delight. Wow! Robin Liddell not letting any grass grow under his feet because he is mowing the lawn at the exit of turn two. Good one there, Brian Till, our lead commentator for this race on NBC Sports and Peacock today. Johnson and Hindman if they can clear the lapped Mustang ahead they could have enough pace to run down Liddell in the closing eight minutes and change. Rebel Rock Racing, they have found something as they've been climbing the ladder all year.
Frank DePew stayed on the lead lap, but I will say that they are right on the money as this race is coming to a close. In TCR, Stephen Simpson is now right on the tail of Dennis Dupont and Tyler Gonzalez. Yikes! So, the plot thickens again in TCR and you also have Tyler Maxson joining the party. This battle of the Mustang's in GS though, Billy Johnson has had just about enough of Kyle Marcelli's nonsense and he is going to give him the chrome horn for real this time. Robin Liddell, for him, things are peachy as he is whistling off into the distance. It is now or never for these three blokes though.
Robin Liddell has traffic to negotiate. Johnson's car is loose and is all over the road. Trent Hindman wants past Johnson. Hindman wants to pass just for a defense mechanism. Two world class drivers in these Mustang's, but if one of the two slips up, poor old Hindman is going to be in a pickle. Hindman clears Johnson speaking of having enough of another driver's nonsense. Now then, Hindman will do all he can to move past Kyle Marcelli. Johnson wisely decides discretion is the better part of valor. Hindman is going to work his way past Marcelli, and Liddell has a comfortable lead. A "comfortable lead"? Not around Lime Rock Park. That's an oxymoron. This place is so compact that there is no margin for error.
No security blankets for any of these blokes. It is not naptime yet. They will need a nap after a race this competitive though. Here comes Hindman on Marcelli. Marcelli slams the door in Hindman's face with TCR traffic ahead. The track here at Lime Rock Park is amazingly dirty after all the wheels being dropped off the road. Hnindman right up Marcelli's tailpipes. Poor old Jon Morley, our leader in TCR 20 some odd minutes ago, has fallen like a stone to tenth place in class, and so he must have mechanical troubles of some kind. It is not like that team to just plummet down the order.
Hindman to the outside on the straight. Smart driving, running the car out wide, instead of shooting straight for the apex. Cha ching. Hindman gets second place but Liddell is four and a half seconds up the road. Any one of these chaps could have turned it upside down by pushing too hard. Close but clean racing. The battle in essence is for the final step on the podium which Marcelli has, and Johnson wants. Hindman and Brynjolfsson are putting the best possible season together that they can and they've had a win and three podiums out of the opening half dozen races and TCR is still hot and heavy, look.
90 seconds or so to go. Mikey Taylor still holding on with Tyler Gonzalez sticking to him like glue and her he goes to the inside, a bit of argy bargy. Gonzalez is through! Wait. Nope. I spoke too soon! Taylor says "you can give it, Tyler. But can you take it?" Mikey Taylor is giving Tyler Gonzalez a dose of his own medicine. It is get your own back time in TCR going for the win! They touch again. The right front is done on Gonzalez's car. Left rear tire and the whole suspension unit on the rear is completely gone. Taylor was not overly aggressive in defending and Taylor still has the lead and a healthy race car. Robin Liddell through West Bend, with 18 seconds in hand over Hindman. Liddell will need to race one more lap. White flag this time by.
Mikey Taylor leads TCR but is the Audi healthy? Is there damage? Dennis Dupont is still chasing and Stephen Simpson now on the podium. The car unloads at the top as Robin Liddell works to return to victory lane and they are going to drink the champagne! Liddell and Frank DePew win for the first time since Sebring 2021! Mikey Taylor is going to hang on in TCR for he and Chris Miller, breaking their drought, for the first time, winning a motor race since Daytona 2021. Wow. What a motor race.
Overall/Grand Sport: #71 DePew/Liddell Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R
TCR: #17 Miller/Taylor Unitronic/JDC Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS SEQ
So, that is a wrap from Lime Rock Park! We have seen the race at Road America. Now that means just two races to go in Michelin Pilot Challenge and the next one is actually taking place this weekend at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virgina, this weekend. So, join us there for the penultimate MPC event of 2022. So long, everybody.
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