All Three BHA Elantra N TCR Entries Finish in the Top Five at VIR
Hyundai Motor America earned two positions on the podium at the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix this weekend. The current IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) Drivers’ Championship leaders Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker captured a second-place result, their sixth podium finish this season followed by Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) teammates Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi in third. With the podium finish at the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers Grand Prix, the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driver pairing of Wickens and Gottsacker continue to sit atop the TCR Drivers’ Championship standings by 50 points. The pair had to fight their way through the field in the early part of the race after starting at the back of the grid following a post-qualifying penalty, while both their BHA teammates – Michael Lewis in the No. 1 entry and Wilkins in the No. 98 led multiple laps early in the race.
As multiple Safety Car periods shuffled the running order, it was Wickens and Filippi who led the charge to catch the leaders in the second half of the race. However, when a final incident left the result to be decided by a single-lap sprint at end of the two-hour event, Wickens was unable to mount a final challenge for the win, though the points for second preserved his and Gottsacker’s championship lead. Seven Elantra N TCR cars competed at VIRginia International Raceway under the Hyundai banner and all seven entries earned a top-ten finish at the drop of the checkered flag.
The IMPC season continues with two events remaining on the calendar as the field next heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, which will host as the series’ second four-hour endurance event on the schedule – the IMSA Battle on the Bricks on Saturday, September 16th.
· Top Finishing Hyundai: Second place for the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker
· Top Qualifying Hyundai: Second place for the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR driven by Michael Lewis and Taylor Hagler
Taylor Hagler: “It was a positive day for us and the Bryan Herta Autosport team today. Michael and I had a solid and clean race and made forward strides in both of our stints. The late race yellow really evened the playing field and allowed me to make some big moves to finish in the top five today. Thank you to the team for a big effort over the weekend and helping us battle back from some issues in practice.”
Michael Lewis: “Everything was great! We had fun racing at VIR and had a fast car. It was fun running up front! Thank you to the team for the really fast pit stops.”