TCR World and life

30 IMSA BryanHertaAut osport ruletheTCRclas s THE HYUNDAI VELOSTER N CARS ARE ANNIHILATING THE COMPETITORS It took six months before the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge could return to racing and when this happened everything has changed since the season opener in January. Back then, in Daytona, the Audi RS 3 LMS cars finished 1-2-3, but when the series resumed, the Hyundai cars proved uncatchable. Their domination annihilated the competitors, as the Veloster N cars took the first five spots in Sebring Qualifying and then filled the podiums in the 2-hour races at Sebring, Road America and Virginia International Raceway. The defending champions Bryan Herta Autosport are taking the lion’s share with their four cars currently placed first, second, third and sixth in the standings. SEBRING – THE HYUNDAI DOMINATION BEGINS IN QUALIFYING After posting the five fastest laps in Qualifying, with the Bryan Herta Autosport car of Gabby Chaves-Ryan Norman on pole position, the Korean cars filled the podium at the end of the two-hour race. Harry Gottsacker and Mark Wilkins teamed to win the TCR class, beating by three tenths of a second the sister car of Michael Lewis and Mason Filippi. The podium was completed by Alex Papadopulos-Ben Waddel of Forty7 Motorsports. Behind the Hyundai trio, the Audi RS 3 LMS cars run by FastMD Racing finished in fourth and fifth positions with Max Faulkner-James Vance ahead of Mikey Taylor-Michael McCarthy. ROAD AMERICA – THE BRYAN HERTA AUTOSPORT CARS FILL THE PODIUM Chaves and Norman claimed their maiden win, beating their teammates Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman. The two cars ran together for the whole two-hour race and crossed the finishing line only one second apart. A third Bryan Herta car of Wilkins and Gottsacker completed the podium. The KMW Motorsports Alfa Romeo Giulietta of Roy Block and Tim Lewis emerged as the best of the rest, as Lewis overtook Vance for P4 with 15 minutes left on the clock. Vance drove to the fifth place the FastMD Racing Audi RS 3 LMS he shared with Faulkner who had set pole position in Qualifying. Michael Lewis and Filippi, who were joint leaders in the standings before the race in the fourth Bryan Herta Hyundai, retired early in the race after Filippi collided with Gottsacker’s sister car.