Hello, and welcome, everyone, to the picturesque Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, and Seneca Lake. The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York never could have dreamt that a Cornell University law student's idea of racing the streets of Watkins Glen could have a now 67-year legacy. If you are a racing driver, racing at this wonderful speed palace is a bucket list item.
Watkins Glen International Raceway is the venue for the latest round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championship. We last spoke to you from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the 4-hour race that happened there a handful of weeks ago prior to the great 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. This time, we have another two-hour event, a more traditional race for the Michelin Pilot Challenge competitors in Grand Sport for GT4 machinery and in TCR for touring cars. We have a highly unusual situation after qualifying today as we look at our class polesitters.
This situation sees a GS car on the pole, with the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman of Stevan McAleer and Trent Hindman at the top of the shop in a 25-car field. ...And would you believe, on the outside overall pole, starting second, and first in class in TCR, is the #6 Montreal Motorsport Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR. L.P. Montour set the fastest time to qualify on the outside pole in the car he shares with Bryan Ortiz. We welcome, on NBC Sports, Dave Burns, Brian Till, and Calvin Fish. The driver and team talent in Michelin Pilot Challenge, this is a major deal as we have the cars on the formation lap, readying for the race.
Right now, there is a 230-point spread in the championship in GS. Mat Plumb leading Robin Liddell and Frank DePew, Bryce Ward and Daniel Morad, Michael McCarthy and Riley Dickinson, and Robert Megennis and Dillon Machavern. Matt Plumb had another podium at Mid-Ohio two weekends ago. Let's take a gander at the TCR points. Currently, the margin from first to second is 170 points between Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor at JDC-Miller Motorsports and the #76 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Denis Dupont and Preston Brown, with a 370 point spread between first and fifth spot.
Miller and Taylor have won three races this year. In the pit lane we have Chris Wilner and Ryan Myrehn taking care of things. Again, Montreal Motorsport, they have qualified second and in and among the GS cars. They hope to put the pieces together. The TCR cars will be a major factor with traffic overlap. We are going to keep a sharp eye on all of this as we look at this 3.4 mile circuit. We are 270 miles northwest of "The Big Apple", New York City. Down to turn one, a critical braking zone. Watch the exit and the braking zone. The Inner Loop has been changed and has more room in it. Look too, to The Boot, the Toe and the Heel, turns six through eight. This is a bucket list track for racers and fans, both.
Two TCR cars have collided on track! William Tally has damage and, he is just drilled, on the warmup lap by the #89 HART Honda Civic FL5, Tyler Chambers at the wheel of it. This is the defending champion car, and they are out. Tyler Chambers is being told off by one of the officials to say, "mate, what on God's green earth did you do?!" The straightaway is wide enough to use half of it but how did this happen? The clock is running as we remain under the safety car. We need to clean up this mess. Everyone's strategy for fuel is predicated by a two-hour race.
58-60 minutes on a fuel load for TCR. GS cars will be thirsty. We saw what Archangel Motorsports did to win the most recent race at Mid-Ohio. We had another race with a major incident in it, and there is still debris. I believe the race we saw earlier with the major shunt was the one-make Porsche Carrera Cup North America series. What goes down, then comes back up. We could be getting ready for a start. The safety car does not have a light bar on it. Tim Lewis Jr. says that it is unfortunate for KMW with TMR as William Tally was trying to reclaim their starting place and they have significant rear suspension damage.
OK. Green flag at Watkins Glen and we are underway! Leading the motor race so far will be the Porsche as Jesse Lazare is making an early move and here come the TCR cars. L.P. Montour leads the field and then goes wide into turn one! Cold tires, maybe he got into the ABS, the antilock brakes. On cold tires, ABS does not work effectively. We thought the #19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin of Rory van der Steur had trouble, but no. He makes the move on Jesse Lazare but he is dropping like a stone as Paul Holton is running well, teamed with Matt Plumb in the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.
Play your part and do not wreck the championship chances of your co-drivers as Michai Stephens has been passed by the #21 Porsche Cayman of Jake Pedersen. Now, L.P. Montour is in the pit lane for a change of the cut down left front Michelin tire. The carcass was flailing around. Tire rubber has wrapped all around the suspension. In this replay, he is well clear of the other cars but he turns in and the car goes straight. Was there some argy bargy that damaged the sidewall? It deflated and came down instantly. Paul Holton being harried by Rory van der Steur while Trent Hindman now leads the motor race by 1.7 seconds. Montreal Motorsports are beside themselves and the tire just let go on it's own. Thank you, Ryan Myrehn, for that report.
Nikita Lastochkin is now ahead of both Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's of Francis Selldorff in the #96 and Dillon Machavern in the #95. They won here last year with Robby Foley and Vincent Barletta. Oh dear. The #09 Automatic Racing Aston Martin with John Potter at the wheel of it, is stopped on the road and there's more woe as the #19 also has issues. That is Rory van der Steur. Left front tire is flat as a pancake. Now, it is hard to see what could be going on with these tires. It must be contact or debris, honestly.
A brush with one of the Porsche Cayman's. It is still early doors and there must be carbon fiber or metal the drivers are running over as we have a Full Course Yellow now on the speedway. John Potter just sits there, and he is trying to do a reset. He will be racing tomorrow in the 6 Hours of The Glen. The reason there is debris on the road, there was a massive accident in the second of the Porsche Carrera Cup championship on the opening lap with Jake Pedersen and Moisey Uretsky, getting into the wreck. Both of them are racing now in Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Chris Wilner in the lane has the news. Possibly the tire pressures have gone too low and all weekend they have been battling car setup with the high loads of the circuit and low starting tire pressures. Cosemetically, the car is OK. Factory Aston Martin driver, Frenchman, Valentin Hasse-Clot has been working with this team. I would be very surprised if low tire pressure was the biggest issue but running over the curbs will peel the tire off of the bead. So, this is a big deal as the safety crews have come to John Potter's rescue.
Jeff Westphal at CarBahn with Peregrine Racing had a massive wreck at Mid-Ohio, and after a shakedown, there were computer codes and a no start condition on the car with a VIN number module failure. They had to fly overnight to get parts, install them, and the car started an hour before the race began. This incident at Mid-Ohio was absolutely massive! Nothing malicious. It was just a fluke accident. Green flag and now, Paul Holton is all over Trent Hindman like a honeybee on a flower. Now, the McLaren is using the corner exit speed advantage but runs out of steak into the Inner Loop.
Jake Pedersen is all over Michai Stephens who in turn is harrying Jesse Lazare. Francis Selldorff as well makes a move on Michael Stephens as the #39 BMW M4 GT4 is making a move, the CarBahn with Peregrine Racing entry. Every car is different even if they are the same make and model. The Turner Motorsports BMWs are also moving ahead. Sean McAlister, and team boss Steve Dinan, have really done a lot of work, Dinan throwing the kitchen sink at this car as Brandon Kidd stops and starts, the sister Automatic Racing car with the Invisible Glass sponsorship. They lost the power steering, the helmet fan, and everything else. Brandon Kidd sharing with Tom Long.
Our mate in pit lane, Chris Wilner, they were college roommates as Brandon Kidd became a racing driver and Chris became a racing reporter, a racing journalist. Bryce Ward makes a move on the Kellymoss with Riley Porsche Cayman. This is Michael McCarthy and Riley Dickinson. Todd Coleman, too, is in this fight in the #88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin who won the race we had last time out, the 4-hour enduro at Mid-Ohio. Jenson Altzmann in the #13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 is running very well. Now, trouble still for the #9 Aston Matin with Brandon Kidd at the wheel of it, left side tires off in the grass.
Chris Miller makes a pass on Harry Gottsacker in TCR. Audi vs. Hyundai. Miller leading TCR and Gottsacker in second. JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR vs. Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR who started at the rear due to a technical infringement after qualifying and now, several automobiles have been pinged by the stewards for drive through penalties for jumping the restart. Here are those cars. #82, #71, #43, #16, and #61.
#82 GS Behrman/Blind van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
#71 GS DePew/Liddell Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
#43 GS Quinlan/Liefooghe Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4
#16 GS Fukuda/Lambros Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
#61 TCR Ernstone/Morley Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR
Meanwhile, Harry Gottsacker is up to second spot behind Chris Miller as we have raced now for 25 minutes. The car needs to do what it needs to do, and it must give the driver confidence that it will stay underneath you on the track as they go through the laces of The Boot. There is a 141-foot drop between the Inner Loop and the whole of The Boot. The toe of The Boot, you can turn in with more speed and then pick up the speed. We are under Full Course Yellow again as Brandon Kidd is still stopped on the road in the #9 Automatic Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4. Automatic Racing not having the weekend they have been looking for.
Several Control, Alt, Delete, moments later, Kidd is still having trouble. Kidd sharing with former touring car champion Tom Long. This has to be driving team boss David Russell absolutely crazy! We have half an hour of racing on the board and now, the #88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin is in the lane for service. They are fully servicing the car of Todd Coleman and Aaron Telitz. 48 seconds for a full fuel fill. You can save at least 20 seconds on your next stop if you are past the 40-minute minimum drive time. The #43 Mustang for Stephen Cameron Racing is in the lane as well, Sean Quinlan at the wheel of it. It is a drag race out of the lane for both of them. Get the driver change done and be accurate even under yellow.
Porsche, McLaren, Porsche, the top three. Jesse Lazare and Jake Pedersen are both pushing hard to get to the front. Pedersen, hails from Utah, a musician, a guitarist, a snowboarder, and a racing driver. He is showing his talent in more than just one place. High cornering loads, when the car is pressed into the track, there is more negative camber on the rear. The Porsche Cayman's are good with negative camber around corners, but the tires can really get hammered because of that. Be gentle and aggressive, but measure things out.
Chris Miller in the pit lane now. Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi for Bryan Herta Autosport have stayed out. Chris Miller doing a double stint after an air pressure adjustment on the pit lane and a change of only the front Michelin tires because of the front-wheel drive on these TCR touring cars. The balance will come to you later in the race. It is about setting the car up for the second driver. That's the situation we are definitely looking at. The Full Course Yellows can certainly help.
Drivers can attack with the tires cooling off. We've blabbered about fuel mileage all season particularly in the 4-hour endurance events. It is National Strategist Appreciation Day today! Wow. Even the two-hour races are endurance oriented and the power and fuel standpoints on Balance of Performance seem to be working. It is a bear to talk about BoP but it is a part of the situation in sports car racing as it is in this current age. Harry Gottsacker has come from the back as they were disqualified. Harry Gottsacker is putting on the moves for the lead and his co-driver Robert Wickens is proud of what he is doing. Track position is what they are looking for.
The Hyundai chassis is so stiff that to scrub in the front tires, they seem to be pulling the inside rear wheel off the ground. It isn't uncommon to see a front wheel drive car lifting the front wheel on a long duration corner, but at slow speed. That is something I don't think I've seen before. Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi in the second #98 BHA Hyundai. The biggest movers we have seen in TCR thus far in the race, Gottsacker up 13 places, Ernstone up six, Brown up three, and both Taylor Hagler and Chase Jones have moved up two places. BHA car #33 did not win races but they won the championship in 2023. Wickens earned his first win here in TCR at Watkins Glen. Good to see the #5 KMW TMR Alfa Romeo back on track as we set up for a restart and we've got it! Trent Hindman punches it and continues on his merry way in the lead.
An hour and 20 minutes of racing left. So, we are closing on halfway. Side by side stuff as the Carbahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 is pushing hard, Sean McAlister driving. Into the Inner Loop, a huge clump of cars as the #92 Random Vandals BMW M4 GT4 of Paul Sparta is mixing it up with many cars and there goes Nikita Lastochkin in the #67 Porsche Cayman for Czabok-Simpson Motorsports as L.P. Montour is now back in the lane. Bryce Ward scrapping with Ken Fukuda in the meantime. Car #93 cops a penalty for being too fast on pit lane and car #57 is dinged as well, for running over pit lane equipment.
#93 is the sister Montreal Motorsports Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Dai Yoshihara and Karl Wittmer. #57 is the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 in the hands of Bryce Ward co-driving with Daniel Morad. Pitting under green is a loss of 20 seconds. Plenty of time on the board to work the strategy and hope for yellows. The field is a mixed candy dish of many flavors as far as the cars, and you need to know who you are racing against. Right now, the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, the Machavern and Megennis car and the #82 van der Steur Racing with Ruckus Racing Aston Martin, Brady Behrman at the wheel of it, sharing with Scott Blind.
You can send it on the entry to the Inner Loop with reduced curbing there, all the way to the Armco barrier. These production-based cars can take the bumps through there unlike what we will see tomorrow with the high downforce prototypes in the WeatherTech Championship with the GTP cars and the LMP2 cars in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. Sean McAlister has a great race car underneath him. Kudos to Steve Dinan and the team putting a great setup under that car. Jesse Lazare is being pressured and now, Tom Collingwood is doing all he can to keep the Francis Selldorff BMW away from him. That is the #38 BGB Motorsports Porsche Cayman, Tom Collingwood sharing with Spencer Pumpelly.
Selldorff in the sister #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, the car he shares with Robby Foley. Altzman on DePew and he makes it stick! Mustang vs. Aston Martin. Altzman has been on and off the pit lane. Two sides to the strategy coin, or more, early doors. Selldorff passes Collingwood. Team boss John Tecce, calling the strategy at BGB Motorsports. Again, Spencer Pumpelly will take over the car. That purple Porsche Cayman is a tribute to the hippie liveried Porsche 917 that raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in the very early 1970s. Altzman is up on the wheel as the Ford Mustang GT4, the new version, is starting to find its feet.
Jake Pedersen goes to the inside of the #64 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4, Ted Giovanis and Hugh Plumb. You need to commit and can't go half-heartedly into that turn because there will be contact, and the stewards will notice. Michael de Quesada says he is feeling the heat and because of that, Jesse Lazare is struggling on tires, but he is confident. But before we finish the interview, there is a spin in the final turn and that is DePew in the #71 Aston Martin! Oh dear. We are past the 40-minute minimum drive time. Gavin Ernstone brings the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi to the lane and now, does Frank DePew have the fire in the hole in the Aston Martin?
That is the big question. He does indeed and this is the perfect opportunity for him to pit for a driver change and there was contact between he and Michael McCarthy in the #91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche Cayman. I don't think DePew saw McCarthy was there. He was established alongside, and he tucked Frank DePew up like a kipper. The stewards have the incident under review. Oh my! We have a massive incident, front end in first of Chase Jones in the laces of The Boot. This is the #80 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR, and I will bet you dollars to donuts there is more than one car involved.
The team is getting better as Jones has run the previous three races not racing the season opener at Daytona back in January. Jake Pedersen, too, in the #21 sister Kellymoss with Riley Porsche Cayman is stopped on the road and we were singing his praises just a wee while ago. He's fourth in the Grand Sport class and that is the shortcut up and out of The Boot and maybe he got into a clatter with the TCR car we saw, the Hyundai. Oh well. Six of one and half a dozen of the other in that case. We are continuing under Full Course Yellow.
Some damaged cars drive to the garage and others are being towed away. In a short yellow procedure, the pit lane stays closed. For the GS cars they need to push. The Grand Sport cars can do it on one stop. The #80 Hyundai is being cleared away. The GS teams, before the yellow thought they could do the race on one stop, and they are in fuel save mode according to our mate Ryan Myrehn in the lane. Some teams that have already pitted, they can come in and short fill the car and leapfrog the others. Jenson Altzman now in tenth place.
The co-drivers are waiting to finish the motor race here. We are setting up for a restart. I think drivers can run hard without fuel save. Some teams are hitting the lane including the leader as we go green. McAlister in the BMW goes for the lead but now, it is the #44 of Moisey Uretsky who says, "not now, sunbeam." Robin Lidell in the #71 Aston Martin is going for it as the #69 Motorsports In Action McLaren is in the lane for a driver change, but there is a spinning rear wheel on that automobile in the pits and that is verboten in terms of safety. So, the McLaren will surely cop a penalty since the stewards, and the pit lane marshals are seeing that now with their own eyes.
Gavin Ernstone pitted the #61 Road Shagger Audi handing over to Jon Morley and Robert Wickens is now into the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai. The GS cars will not make it on gasoline in the tank if we don't see another yellow. 53 minutes on a full tank but still an hour and two minutes left on the board, so we are closing in on the halfway mark in the motor race currently. Spinning left rear tire on the #69 McLaren. The driver should have had his foot on the brake. It's a hornet's nest at the top of the shop in Grand Sport right now. Holton, McAlister, Uretsky, van der Steur, and the rest. Aston Martin, Aston Martin, BMW, Porsche. McAlister is not as experienced, but he is doing a great job with the backup BMW M4 GT4 at CarBahn with Peregrine.
Paul Holton gets a tad taily through the Bus Stop and Robin Liddell; the veteran Scotsman needs no second invitation and pokes his nose through to the lead. Rebel Rock have had a fraught race thus far. Half of the race remaining, one hour. Meanwhile, side by side stuff between the Turner Motorsports boys! Pardon me, mate. May I play through? Selldorff and Machavern. Holton in the meantime, look, has Sean McAlister right on his six. In terms of fuel range, teams can stop under green and get to the end. We have just seen Greg Liefooghe serve a penalty in the #43 Stephen Cameron Racing Mustang for running over equipment on the last pit stop which drops he and co-driver Sean Quinlan down the order.
When will McAlister hit the lane? We'll have to wait and find out as Liddell wants to work his way up to get a lap back through the climbing esses. Into the second half of the race and McAlister goes past Holton in the Inner Loop. Yikes! McAlister squeezes Paul Holton out of the way, not aggressively. Maybe the ABS setting is on low in the #46 Aston Martin with a puff of smoke off the right front. Steve Dinan at CarBahn with Peregrine Racing has really put a setup on this BMW and Jeff Westphal will take the car to the checkered flag. Don't run risk of another yellow falling and making a pig's breakfast of your strategy.
Paul Holton in the lane changing over to Matt Plumb in the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin. A slow stop for their team. Team boss Joe Varde, team manager actually, looking for a final run with 56 minutes to go and now Sean McAlister is all over Rory van der Steur like a cheap suit. The older generation Aston Martin compared to the new one has three liters less fuel in the tank. McAlister says, I am going to make my move. Don't get too wide. Climbing up the hill, this is dodgy! van der Steur gives way to McAlister and now Hugh Plumb wants a bite of the cherry but is several laps behind.
The BMW has the drive. This is a massively exciting motor race. BMW with good torque up the hill. We know McAlister has the pace. Give your cohorts racing room and don't let things turn into a pinball machine at the top of the circuit. McAlister in the lane to hand over to Jeff Westphal to get to the finish. This team had a massive accident at Mid-Ohio last time out in the 4-hour race there. Sean McAlister with zero laps this weekend, he has driven to the front! Jeff Westphal to take it home and now a TCR automobile is doing a Control, Alt, Delete, Karl Wittmer from fourth, was slow in the #93 Montreal Motorsports Honda.
Robin Liddell is the fastest car on the road. Liddell is a lap down and he needs to push, push, push. For Rory van der Steur the strategy has changed, and they are pushing for three more minutes to the 48-minute mark. van der Steur is told to use the brake bias to counter the tire degradation. If you have a car that won't turn in, give it rear brake to rotate the car and ease the understeer. The dominos should start falling here in a wee while. Top up the tank and get to the finish as Eddie Gou is now the erstwhile TCR leader aboard the #55 Gou Racing Audi. Father and son, Eddie and Edward Gou, from Mexico, operating the largest moving company in Mexico for many years.
A good battle now between the two Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra's, Robert Wickens in #33 and Bryson Morris in #77. Morris sharing with Taylor Hagler. Second place, fourth in line is Dillon Machavern in the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW with Rory van der Steur leading the motor race in the #19 Aston Martin. Francis Selldorff is in third spot. There is debris on the front straightaway it appears. That looks like a piece of plastic trim instead of carbon fiber but it is sticking up. #82 the sister van der Steur Racing Aston Martin is in for fuel, new tires, and a driver change as Scott Blind will get into the car after Brady Behrman finishes his stint.
Scott Blind will be back with Archangel Motorsports for the remainder of the season. Scott Blind is a real character in addition to being a driver. van der Steur in the lane as well handing over to Valentin Hasse-Clot, the rapid French Aston Martin factory driver in the European Le Mans Series. They had pil cooler woes in Free Practice as the Turner Motorsports BMW's are in the lane now. Dillon Machavern with a partial fuel fill and he is down and away. The strategies are shuffling through as we have less than 45 minutes to go.
Jesse Webb now at the controls of the #34 JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4. Aaron Telitz too seems in good shape in the #88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin who won the race last time out at Mid-Ohio. Pit stops continuing as Francis Selldorff in the sister #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4, the student at Boston College, who is now turning over to veteran racer Robby Foley. Robby Foley will finish the motor race. Traffic has such as factor on pitting or not. Traffic plays a part on the in lap. If you have a good car and a clean track, give me some good laps to make up time. It is like a sailboat racer; you make up the time and cannot see it, but you are able to move ahead of your rivals. Same in sports car racing.
The driver needs to be honest enough to say "I can" or "I can't" as far as lap time. Then the strategists make the decisions. Valentin Hasse-Clot is beginning to motor behind Foley and poor Spencer Pumpelly has a left rear flat tire! This is not what BGB wanted! Coming out of the Bus Stop, you are damned if you do, damned if you don't. Take the shortcut but lose a lap and he just did it. VHC tucks to the inside of Robby Foley who has to give it up. That's a close shave through the uphill esses! Yikes! Foley had to know discretion is the better part of valor. Hasse-Clot wanted it and now, even more misery for the #38 Porsche Cayman because that wobbly tire is slanting sideways and about to fall off the rim, look.
40 minutes to go. Debris on the road run over by Foley protecting the line. No broken parts but that right front Michelin tire might be vulnerable. Our Chris Wilmer in pit lane has Rory van der Steur for an interview. He says "that was one of the hottest stints I have ever done, and my heart rate was through the roof! Once we had a flat tire, I thought we were done, and we scored a yellow when I was in pit lane. I just hope we can at least get on the podium." Track temperature has plummeted from 117 degrees down to 100 with cloud cover overhead.
If the ambient temperature does not come down, you won't get the tires cooled off. Will Lambros now at the wheel of the #16 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 for Skip Barber Racing sharing with Ken Fukuda. Let's have a Captain Cook at the top ten in Grand Sport.
1. #16 Lambros/Fukuda Skip Barber Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
2. #92 Sparta/Koch Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82)
3. #57 Ward/Morad Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4
4. #46 Plumb/Holton Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
5. #34 Stephens/Webb JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4
6. #28 McAleer/Hindman RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman RS CS
7. #95 Machavern/Megennis Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82)
8. #19 van der Steur/Hasse Clot van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
9. #96 Selldorff/Foley Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82)
10. #39 McAllister/Westphal Carbahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 (G82)
While we are at it, we should also look at TCR and the top ten.
1. #33 Wickens/Gottsacker Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR
2. #77 Morris/Hagler Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR
3/ #61 Morley/Ernstone Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR
4. #76 Dupont/Brown Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR
5. #17 Taylor/Miller Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR
6. #98 Wilkins/Filippi Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR
7. #99 Gonzalez/Williams Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR
8. #55 Gou/Gou Gou Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR
9. #93 Wittmer/Yoshihara Montreal Motorsport Group Honda Civic FL5 TCR
10. #73 Wu/Ottis Racer's Edge Motorsports Honda Civic FK7 TCR
#38 is struggling back to the pit lane and he has made it with three wheels on ye olde wagon. As we said above, the track temperature has plummeted. The cloud cover helps. Rory van der Steur said though that if the ambient temperature does not come down, the tires will still be a bit sticky. Will Lambros, the car started by Ken Fukuda, they are not far out of the ballpark with strategy. They are five laps outside the window of making it to the end. A couple other cars on that same strategy. Matt Plumb and Jesse Webb pitted a little later than that.
Stevan McAleer, Kenton Koch, and Daniel Morad, also seem to be on identical strategies as we close in on half an hour remaining in The Esses 120 here at Watkins Glen. Jesse Webb might be the first one who can get home with one more stop because Michai Stephens pitted a lap or so after Jeff Westphal stopped in the lane on the last pit stop cycle. Webb running fifth. Plumb has three laps less fuel. Kenton Koch wants to bounce back after a terrible incident at Mid-Ohio.
There is no way that wreck was intentional, but the consequences were big. Meanwhile, Daniel Morad is harrying Kenton Koch and right behind Morad is Matt Plumb in the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin. 35 minutes remaining in the race now. Russell Ward has been supporting his father, Bryce Ward, and Daniel Morad, racing in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Bryce Ward has done a lot on the simulator and is improving as a driver as we see debris hanging off the left rear corner of the #34 JMF Mercedes which we also saw happen in the previous event at Mid-Ohio, two weeks ago.
Believe you me, poor old Michai Stephens is feeling the heat from Robert Megennis. Megennis is on the attack in the #95 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4. That loose aerodynamic device is not helping matters here. Kenton Koch in second. Car owner and co-driver Paul Sparta tell us in his interview with Ryan Myrehn in the pit lane, that they will need a yellow to get back into contention with just over half an hour remaining in the motor race. Sparta thinks it is worth it to take a gamble. Half this field in GS don't want a yellow because they feel they can run Harry Flatters to the finish.
Stevan McAleer is next in the serial in seventh in the #28 RS1 Porsche Cayman. McAleer and Trent Hindman could have gone deeper into a run before pitting and maybe his performance was compromised when poor old McAleer had to focus on fuel save. Hasse-Clot almost clonks McAleer in the apex of the heel of The Boot. Thankfully, he did not make contact. VHC is not done yet! He wants past McAleer and wants it, now. With Hasse-Clot getting stymied behind McAleer this will allow Robby Foley to have a bite of the cherry.
Westphal too, for CarBahn has a big head of steam! The decision from RS1 to pit, strategist Justin Bellizotti felt like if they didn't pit, they'd be leapfrogged by people doing a short fill later on. They rolled the dice. I think McAleer's pace is compromised. I agree with Calvin Fish on that assessment because he is definitely stymied, poor old McAleer, and Webb ahead in the Mercedes is the cork in the bottle preventing the Scotsman from making hay while the sun shines. In TCR, Mikey Taylor is being harried as well by Denis Dupont.
Four GS cars stacked up behind the TCR cars and they cannot passnby. The TCR machines are so amazingly quick around Watkins Glen, and it is showing as we speak. Robert Wickens the TCR leader has Jon Morley within striking distance running in second place. Then it is Mikey Taylor in third and Bryson Morris in fourth place. Denis Dupont rounds out the top five in the TCR order. Road Shagger have been in and out of the pit lane but they are in decent shape although Mikey Taylor has the fuel advantage and JDC-Miller could go for four out of five.
Wickens, Morley, and Taylor. Oh jeez! A massive penalty coming up in GS and it is... dun, dun, dun... Stevan McAleer! Multiple track limit warnings, and he will cop a drive through penalty! It is not showing a penalty yet unless he does it again. Turn one, outside the red and yellow curbing, turn eight, and turn ten. The marshals will give the drivers a little leeway. In qualifying it is far more stringent. But if you are using it to your advantage they will come down on you. So, McAleer is serving his drive through penalty which will drop he and Trent Hindman down the order.
Will Lambros is at the top of the shop un the #16 Aston Martin. Hos co-driver Ken Fukuda tells us that his heart is in his throat. It is all team at the Skip Barber team with Lambros 'driving like an animal" says Fukuda. More debris on the road. Maybe the #16 car will go for it. Fukuda is a registered EMT. He sold everything he had, three different times, in order to go racing! Then, he earned the IMSA Diverse Driver scholarship, and here he is. Mikey Taylor in third is dfar daster than the TCR leader with 25 minutes to go.
Lambros having a great run and this team has struggled this year. They damaged a car in the opening race at Daytona. They did not run at Sebring. They have been dealing with poor finishes in recent races and sit way down in 43rd in the points standings. So, if they win today, they will get a massive boost. Yikes! Morley is off the road and runs wide in the Inner Loop! In this replay, he fires it down the inside, Robert Wickens did not see him, and... boom! Mikey Taylor sees this and this could be manna from heaven from car #17. Robert Wickens will be low on fuel and now, the incident between #61 and #33 is under review. That was a massive hit!
The #16 Skip Barber Racing School Aston Martin has just pitted. Mikey Taylor is now second just behind Wickens and Taylor has saved fgas. He goes right by Wickens! He sailed right by and now Wickens has to solve the answers to Taylor's riddle. Wickens has to save his stuff but he knows this is the championship leader who he will be chasing. With 20 minutes to go, it is now Kenton Koch at the wheel of the #92 Random Vandals Racing BMW M4 GT4 in the lead. A warning for contact given to Morley in Audi #61. Koch is on the same strategy as Will Lambros who just pitted. He will need fuel and we are closing in on the finish here at Watkins Glen.
Paul Sparta said they needed three laps of yellow to make it on fuel. We have had four different winners in Grand Sport in Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2024 thus far and we could be looking very well at a fifth different winner in as many races. Megennis and Machavern have not won yet in 2024 either. It is a double-edged sword between race wins and contending for the championship. Paul Holton has done a great job setting up for Matt Plumb. Plumb is tied with Billy Johnson as the winningest driver in Michelin Pilot Challenge in Grand Sport racing with 20 victories.
Daniel Morad is in front of Plumb in second spot. He is on the exact same fuel strategy as Kenton Koch. Paul Holton said (with an asterisk), "we are good. But, hey, that's just what the boys are telling me, so take it with a pinch of salt." Don't tell the driver everything. Just do what you need to do, as you are told by the engineer. Then, have the engineer tell you. Dane Cameron was able to do it in GTD at Lime Rock years ago. It is not as easy to do at Mid-Ohio, which is why Telitz's drive that he parlayed into a victory a couple of weeks ago was so amazing.
Morad and Winward Racing must be in the same spot fuel wise as the Random Vandals guys in the #92 BMW. They pitted on the same lap. With that said, Morad is crushing it right now. Kenton Koch ran a time extremely close to the fastest lap of the day. In no way is he slowing things down. No, no. Far from it. They are running a pace to keep the lead but they need help from a yellow as far as fuel save to get this car to the finish. Luca Mars is running 11th in GS in the white #59 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 he is sharing with Bob Michaelian. One of three Mustang GT4's in this race I believe.
Yes. I counted, and there are three entries from The Blue Oval. He is in a good scrap now with the #44 car with Michael Cooper at the wheel of it. That's the Baby Bull Racing Porsche Cayman that Cooper is sharing with Moisey Uretsky. There are battles throughout the field and as Calvin Fish on NBC Sports points out, we've spoken at great length about the fabulous driver talent within Michelin Pilot Challenge. Michael Cooper, Luca Mars, and others are duking it out and even outside of the top ten. Mikey Taylor has a healthy 2.6 second advantage over Robert Wickens in TCR. Taylor must be careful so he doesn't get embroiled in the GS battle.
Hold the phone. This is a surprise. One of the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT4's is in the lane. Is this a scheduled stop? Is this a penalty? That's the #96 Selldorff/Foley automobile and I don't see any penalties on the board. So, this is a head scratcher. Did he have to top up on gas? Ah. A penalty for track limits. Well, well, well. Foley is one of the most experienced drivers in the field. We saw a similar mistake by Stevan McAleer earlier. The stewards must look at this, watching their laps times and they tell you "don't do it." Just like a parent punishing their child for bad behavior, there will be a price to pay.
If you gain a time or distance advantage on your opponents, oh boy, you are in trouble Mister or Mrs. Road Shagger Racing did not enter the previous 4-hour race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course but they are here at Watkins Glen, they came to play, and they are delivering even as we reach the climax of this motor race this afternoon. They did have a small wrestling match with the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai, and Jon Morley is the driver bringing the car home. Gavin Ernstone looking on from the pit box. He tells us that if it wasn't for Jon Morley he wouldn't be anywhere. Timing and scoring, looking at it, Ernstone thinks the #61 team should have been leading the motor race.
Hard racing, and Ernstone cannot believe that they were warned, and Wickens in the Hyundai wasn't. Ernstone says, "I thought we had the lead, Wickens came over and then we got pushed off the track, and we got a warning. It was upside down. It was like 'reverso world'." They can catch the #33 if the Hyundai sputters on fuel. The #61 was indeed established into the turn. It doesn't matter what I think, sitting here at my computer, typing like a madman to tell you these stories. A warning does not do anything, as we see the #59 Ford Mustang GT4 in the pit lane.
Trouble with a left front cut down tire. Gavin Ernstone has a very clean racing suit and white hat. Now we see a battle with both TGM Aston Martin's, but we must remember that the #64 entry is a way behind. It is multiple laps down. Matt Plumb has made a pass on Daniel Morad heading for the Inner Loop. This might just keep Daniel Morad from moving forward. No. That isn't Matt Plumb. I tell you a lie. That is Hugh Plumb, his brother, or Ted Giovanis, driving the #64. Matt Plumb is behind and now poor old Morad, is the meat in Plumb brothers, TGM Aston Martin sandwich. How long will Morad keep his cool?
Speaking of almost losing your cool, Morley in the Audi gets shoved by the #67 Czabok-Simpson Porsche Cayman. That's either Sebastian Carazo or Nikita Lastochkin who has had enough of Mr. Morley and wants to use him up and beat him to the punch like a rented mule. Carazo is at the controls. Morley nearly ended up in no man's land, truly. Balance of Performance does not matter. The TCR cars fly through sector two here at Watkins Glen no matter what. I wonder how much patience Daniel Morad has because Matt Plumb is closing on him hand over fist.
Plumb let him by. Morad is now second chasing down Kenton Koch for the win. Do Random Vandals and Winward Racing each have enough fuel? Is Matt Plumb in the pound seats to make a move? How about Robert Megennis? He still has plenty left in the locker. Jeff Westphal is also in the fight. A couple of BMW's, the #95 Turner Motorsports entry and the #39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing entry. They need more and will they get it if the top runners are running out of fuel? Less than seven minutes to go. What will Kenton Koch's lap time be? Has he been able to answer the bell compared to the #57?
That #92 BMW M4 GT4 has been stout. Uh oh. Koch headed for the pit lane. He needs a splash and a dash just when we were singing his praises.
Wow. Morad comes with him into the lane, look. Paul Sparta was right when he said they needed three laps of fuel to hit the window and they didn't quite get there. Winward told Morad he only needed six seconds of fuel and that's all he needs. Not a points risk for Random Vandals but they have rolled the dice anyhow. So, Matt Plumb, does have the fuel save? TGM are in formation even though the other car is laps down. We spoke earlier about Matt Plumb and Billy Johnson being tied for race wins in Michelin Pilot Challenge. There is a caveat to that. They are tied at 20 wins apiece in the Grand Sport division. However, Billy Johnson had a win in a different class for his 21st. He can re-tie Billy Johnson, and these guys are legends in production sports car racing.
If the championship stays this way, five winners in five races in 2024. Westphal is still second in the green and gray BMW and this has been a remarkable story after the savage crash this team experienced at Mid-Ohio a couple of weekends before. A podium run, currently. Westphal has passed the identical BMW of Megennis. They went to California and got the car back all the way from the west coast to the east coast and had the trouble with the VIN numbers. The electronics would not communicate on the spare car. But they were able to make it work. Westphal's co-driver Sean McAlister had zero laps here at The Glen, but he gets out there in his stint when the race starts and is quick as a jackrabbit right out of the box.
Sports car racing is a team sport. All have to work flawlessly if you are going to win races and championships. The lead battle though, there is not much of one because the gap now between Plumb and Westphal stays stagnant at eight seconds. Matt Plumb knows what he has been told. He can see the pylon and sees the data on his dashboard. Plumb did a 1:58.1 and Westphal is in the 1:56 range. Two laps to go. Does Matt Plumb have enough fuel in the tank? That is the big question. Another second and Westphal is closing. But, poor old Kenton Koch has salt rubbed in the wound and it stings, because he has a flat tire!
Flat left front. White flag next time by. Then it will be one lap to go. Two Aston Martin's in line but one is the leader and the other is way down. Matt Plumb last won a Michelin Pilot race even before I had the full opportunity to cover this championship the way I do now, in May of 2017 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and has waited a total of almost seven years, 2,605 days, for another victory! Can you believe it? Team TGM has been strong, and you do want the trophy. Final lap. White flag. 1:58.4 for Plumb. Westphal in the 1:57's won't be enough. But I say that in a guarded manner. Plumb has three and a half miles of road to go.
Hats off to Paul Holton as co-driver, as he has played the part perfectly and Sean McAlister in the #39 entry as well for CarBahn with Peregrine Racing. Oh wow! A late development, folks. Jon Morley, in the #61 Road Shagger Audi is out of fuel! He just radioed the team. They were just short. Blimey O'Reilly! That's just brutal! Two corners from home! Matt Plumb will tie Billy Johnson's record! He wins at Watkins Glen! Matt Plumb, Paul Holton, and Team TGM win at Watkins Glen!
In TCR, Mikey Taylor is going to get his fourth win in five races, with a handful of turns to go, leading by 3.2 seconds over Robert Wickens as another TCR car runs out of gas. But UniTronic with JDC-Miller Motorsports earns their fourth win of 2024! That is a huge statement to win four of five races! It's unreal.
Overall/Grand Sport: #46 Plumb/Holton Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4
TCR: #17 Miller/Taylor Unitronic/JDC Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR
Next up in about three weeks or so, or a little less, by now, is the Michelin Pilot Challenge event north of the border in Canada at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, in conjunction with the WeatherTech Championship. It will be the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park 120. Join us, north of the border, eh, in Ontario, Canada, at the fabled Mosport circuit, (I still use the proper name, not the corporate name), for the next round of the championship, as we are into the second half of the Michelin Pilot Challenge season for 2024, well and truly. Bye bye for now.
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