TCR World and life

What drew you to TCR Racing and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge? “My father and I started out as fans of long endurance races like the 24 Hours of Daytona and Petit Le Mans, and it really took a driving school for me to realize that this is something I could do professionally. I had a natural feel for driving and I have had some great coaches along the way to help me turn that skill into being competitive. My first test with a Honda Civic TCR was at Road Atlanta in 2019 and I loved it! I was really confident in the car and I was up to speed really quickly. I began in the TC America series, and my start to the year wasn't as fast as I would have liked because I missed the second round at Sebring due to an illness. The event where I felt most comfortable was at Mid- Ohio, where we ran strong all weekend; I set pole position and had a podium finish in second place. Then it was a natural progression for me as I saw the level of competition in TCR within the IMSA Challenge and knew that it would be a good place to continue to build my career.” What were your first impressions of the Veloster N TCR and working with Bryan Herta Autosport and Michael Lewis? “The Veloster is fast! I immediately saw how responsive it was to driver input and the mid corner speed was amazing. Working with BHA taught me how to work in a large, professional organization. We work together as a group to improve the effort of the team. Michael and I have learned from each other what we like in the car and our engineer, Kyle Compton, has found a way to give us a car that is a good balance of what we need. The season went great! Lime Rock was our best Now that you are champion, how much does that increase your confidence going into 2022? “They say that success brings success and so I'm excited to see what we’re able to do in 2022. I'm happy to be back with Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai for another season in IMSA. Of course, it would be awesome to race in Europe! I hope this could happen in the future, as part of the Hyundai Motorsport N programme. I have not had a chance to go to Hyundai Motorsport in Germany yet, but Andrea Adamo reached out to me after our championship weekend in Road Atlanta. They provide us with so much support and great equipment and cars. Their programmes speak for themselves with all of the wins and championships they have collected in TCR, ETCR, and WRC!” Three questions to… Taylor Hagler The first lady driver to win an IMSA title, Taylor Hagler made history when she was crowned champion in the TCR class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge, sharing a Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Veloster N with Michael Lewis.0 race. I ran a great first stint and had good pace and passed a lot of cars. Michael took over from me and battled hard to bring us our first victory as teammates.”