2019 Daytona International Speedway - Michelin Pilot Challenge

In 2019, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) was celebrating its 50th anniversary. IMSA was founded by NASCAR’s Bill France and John Bishop (a former executive director of the Sports Car Club of America) and Bishop’s wife, Peggy. They succeeded in creating their vision which was to build a sanctioning body for professional road racing in North America. From its humble roots, IMSA currently sanctions seven different race series: IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship, IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA Prototype Challenge, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – USA, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – Canada, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the Ferrari Challenge.

2019 began with a number of changes to IMSA’s production-based sedan series.

First, Continental Tire which had been the series primary sponsor since 2010 was replaced by Michelin and the championship would be renamed the ‘IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge’.
This also meant the teams would be using Michelin tires.
Finally, the Street Tuner which had been a mainstay since the series inception was dropped from the championship.

The 2019 edition of the Michelin Pilot Challenge consisted of ten events (Daytona International Speedway, Sebring, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Watkins Glen International, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), Lime Rock Park, Road America, Virginia International Raceway, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta). Most contests were 2-hours in length with the exception of Daytona and Watkins Glen where competitors would race for four-hours.

There are two race groups competing in the Michelin Piot Challenge:

Grand Sport (GS): This category underwent some changes in 2017. The new rules accepted cars prepared to the SRO (Stephane Ratel Organisation) GT4 technical requirements. The quicker of the two groups, this class includes cars such as the Ford Mustang GT4, BMW M4 GT4, Mercedes-AMG, Audi R8 and Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. Vehicles competing in this group produce between 400 - 450 horsepower and are capable of speeds over 175-mph.
Touring Car (TCR): TCR is a global touring car category which was added to the Michelin Pilot Challenge series in 2018. Cars competing in this category include the Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, Honda Civic TCR, Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR and Audi RS3 LMS TCR. They use a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine which will produce between 300 – 350-horsepower.

Close, competitive racing with cars that fans could relate to contributed to the popularity of the series. It also provided an environment for automotive manufacturers to test and showcase their products.

The opening round of the 2019 Michelin Pilot Challenge took place at Daytona International Speedway as a support event for the Rolex 24. Forty-nine entries would compete for four hours around the 12-turn, 3.56-mile track which utilized an infield road course and almost the entire tri-oval in an event called the BMW Endurance Challenge.

The start of the first lap for round one of the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona International Speedway. Leading the field of forty-nine starters is the pole-sitter, Paul Holton. Following Holton, at more than a few car lengths, is the Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, Winward/HTP Motorsports Mercedes-AMG, Park Place Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport and the Carbarn Motorsports Audi R8.

Paul Holton was the fastest Grand Sport qualifier driving the Compass Racing McLaren 570S GT4. Holton broke the qualifying record by 2.993-seconds. At the start of the race, he sprinted into the lead. However, a pit speed violation by his co-driver, Kuno Wittmer dropped the duo down the race order. They charged back and on the final re-start, Holton shot into the lead and won by a margin of 6.931-seconds.

L.A. Honda World entered three Honda Civic TCR. Sharing the No. 37 Honda was open-wheel racer, Shelby Blackstock and former World Challenge competitor, Tom O’Gorman. They were never near the top of the timesheets in practice but found some speed in qualifying and started fifth in TCR and thirty-ninth overall. Changes made by the crew before the race gave Blackstock and O’Gorman the speed required to capture the victory.

Second quickest in the qualifying session was Corey Fergus driving the Motorsports In Action McLaren 570S GT4 – he missed the pole position by 0.804-seconds. Unfortunately, in the post-qualifying technical inspection, the McLaren was under the minimum and started at the rear of the grid. During the four-hour event Fergus and his co-driver, Jesse Lazare moved into second but lost the position on the final lap to finish third.

L.A. Honda World started the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championship with a one-two finish in the TCR category. Handling the driving duties for No. 73 Honda Civic TCR were former Street Tuner competitors, Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo. They started twelfth in the fourteen car TCR field. By lap-52, Pombo and LaMarra were in contention. During the final round of pit-stops, they moved into the runner-up spot and finished second.

‘Cautions breed cautions’ and that is exactly what happened after a lap-24 restart. Entering turn one the Grand Sport entries of TRG – The Racer’s Group, Ian Lacy Racing, Murillo Racing and Automatic Racing tangled. The Automatic Racing Aston Martin AMR Vantage fared the best in the encounter and was able to continue and finish thirteenth in Grand Sport. Taking the brunt of the incident was the TRG Porsche which retired.

Qualifying the No. 99 Automatic Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was Gary Ferrera. Ferrera was twenty-seventh fastest and would share the Aston Martin with the series veteran, Kris Wilson. During his stint, Wilson made great progress moving through the field and was running third in Grand Sport on the final lap. A well-timed pass allowed him to draft past the McLaren of Jesse Lazare and grab the runner-up spot by 0.007-seconds.

Starting at the rear of the field and fourteenth in the TCR category was the No. 23 Fast MD Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR piloted by Jared Salinsky, Nick Galante and James Vance. Their poor qualifying position seemed to be of little consequence. The trio made steady progress during the contest and by lap-87; they were in the class lead. The final round of pit-stops altered the race order but at the checkered flag, the trio was in third place.

Paraplegic, Michael Johnson scored his first series victory last year at Lime Rock Park. In the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, he grabbed his first class pole position. Sharing the No. 54 Audi RS3 LMS TCR with Johnson was Stephen Simpson and Mikey Taylor. Unfortunately, the team’s race ended on lap-28 when Johnson and the Audi of Lee Carpentier were involved in an incident at the ‘bus stop’.

Missing the top spot in TCR qualifying by 0.852-seconds was Lee Carpentier driving the No. 10 eEuroparts.com ROWE Racing prepared Audi RS3 LMS TCR. His partner for the four-hour event would be Kieron O’Rouke. At the start of the race, Carpentier battled for the class lead with the pole-sitter, Michael Johnson. Entering the ‘bus stop’ on lap-28, the two competitors made contact which severely damaged their Audis.

BimmerWorld Racing’s Nick Galante and Devin Jones captured the final Street Tuner championship. With the elimination of the class, Jones teamed up with BimmerWorld company principal, James Clay to compete in the Grand Sport category. The pair shared the No. 82 BMW M4 GT4 - which was gridded ninth for the start. A good race strategy and a steady performance by the two drivers resulted in a fourth-place finish.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GS	P. Holton / K. Wittmer	McLaren 570S GT4	101	-
2	GS	G. Ferrera / K. Wilson	Aston Martin Vantage GT4	101	-
3	GS	J. Lazare / C. Fergus	McLaren 570S GT4	101	-
4	GS	J. Clay / D. Jones	BMW M4 GT4	101	-
5	GS	A. Cindric / C. Briscoe / B. Johnson	Ford Mustang GT4	101	-
6	GS	R. Ward / I. Dontje	Mercedes-AMG	101	-
7	GS	A. Brynjolfsson / T. Hindman	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	101	-
8	GS	M. Travis / M. Vess / J. Hart	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	101	-
9	GS	S. Maxwell / C. Custer / T. Majeski	Ford Mustang GT4	101	-
10	GS	P. Gallagher / J. Pesek / J. Buford	Ford Mustang GT4	101	-
11	GS	K. Wilden / R. Randall / DJ Randall	Ford Mustang GT4	101	-
12	GS	T. Giovanis / G. Cosmo	Mercedes-AMG	101	-
13	GS	R. Ecklin Jr. / R. Abdolvahabi / B. Kidd	Aston Martin AMR Vantage	101	-
14	GS	H. Schmitt / G. Liefooghe	BMW M4 GT4	101	-
15	GS	J. Mossing / E. Foss	Mercedes-AMG	101	-
16	GS	T. McQuarrie / J. Westphal	Audi R8	101	-
17	GS	S. Rzadzinski / T. Collingwood / J. Tecce	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	100	Not Running
18	GS	J. Heylen / C. Luck / F. Poordad	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	100	-
19	GS	H. Plumb / O. Trinkler	Mercedes-AMG	100	-
20	GS	R. Foley / B. McKee / S. McKee	BMW M4 GT4	100	-
21	GS	M. Miller / P. McIntosh / P. Liddy	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	100	-
22	TCR	T. O'Gorman / S. Blackstock	Honda Civic TCR	100	-
23	TCR	M. Pombo / M. LaMarra	Honda Civic TCR	100	-
24	TCR	J. Vance / J. Salinsky / N. Galante	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	100	-
25	GS	G. Jeannette / R. Sales	Audi R8	99	-
26	GS	M. Miller / D. Katechis	Aston Martin Vantage GT4	99	-
27	TCR	T. Lamb / B. Henderson	Honda Civic TCR	99	-
28	GS	D. Machavern / S. Pumpelly	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	97	Not Running
29	TCR	M. Filippi / H. Gottsacker	Hyundai Veloster N TCR	96	Not Running
30	GS	T. Grahovec / K. Reid / J. Clunie	BMW M4 GT4	94	-
31	GS	B. Ward / C. Hohenadel	Mercedes-AMG	92	Did Not Finish
32	GS	N. Stacy / K. Marcelli	Ford Mustang GT4	92	Did Not Finish
33	TCR	R. Nash / R. McDonough	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	91	Did Not Finish
34	TCR	M. Faulkner / C. Mullan	Honda Civic TCR	86	Did Not Finish
35	GS	S. Hargrove / O. Fidani	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	86	-
36	TCR	A. Popow / A. Papadopulos	Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR	83	Did Not Finish
37	GS	J. Cox / D. Murry / J. Bleekemolen	Mercedes-AMG	78	Did Not Finish
38	TCR	M. Wilkins / M. Lewis	Hyundai Veloster N TCR	76	Did Not Finish
39	GS	K. Grala / A. Straus	BMW M4 GT4	69	-
40	TCR	G. Ernstone / J. Morley	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	68	Did Not Finish
41	GS	K. Koch / T. Cooke	Audi R8	62	Did Not Finish
42	TCR	C. Gilsinger / R. Eversley	Honda Civic TCR	54	Did Not Finish
43	TCR	R. Block / T. Lewis, Jr.	Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR	54	Did Not Finish
44	GS	T. Probert / B. Mosing / J. Piscitell	Mercedes-AMG	47	Did Not Finish
45	TCR	L. Carpentier / K. O'Rourke	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	28	Accident
46	TCR	M. Johnson / S. Simpson / M. Taylor	Audi RS3 LMS TCR	28	Accident
47	GS	D. Staveley / F. Gannett	Ford Mustang GT4	24	Accident
48	GS	C. Bellomo / R. Orcutt	Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport	24	Accident
49	GS	F. DePew / R. Liddell / A. Davis	Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R	2	Did Not Start

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