Wickens and Gottsacker grab fifth IMSA title for BHA Hyundai

Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker were crowned TCR champions of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge when they finished fourth in the last round of the series, the two-hour race at Road Atlanta. It was the fifth consecutive year the title went to Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai. 

The race finished behind the safety car with Mason Filippi and Mark Wilkins claiming their third win of the season in the #98 BHA Elantra ahead of Bryan Ortiz and Tyler Maxson in the van der Steur Racing #91 Elantra. The podium was completed by the #73 LA Honda World Racing Civic FL5 of Mike LaMarra-Ryan Eversley. Despite they haven’t scored any win, Wickens and Gottsacker secured the title, 60 points clear of Filippi-Wilkins.

The JDC Miller MotorSports, Audi RS 3 LMS of Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor, the only car that was still in contention against the BHA teams, lying only 20 points behind the #33, was eliminated in an incident at the start. 

Miller was on pole, but at the start his Audi was hit at the back by Ortiz’s Hyundai; Miller stopped along the track and was towed back to the garages while the safety car was deployed. Racing resumed after ten minutes, with the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai cars of Filippi, Gottsacker, Ortiz and newcomer Bryson Morris leading the TCR field. After a second full-course-yellow, Ortiz moved up to second between Filippi and Gottsacker just before the safety car was deployed for the third time in thirty minutes. 

The green flag was waved with 75 minutes left, but the TCR leaders kept on going and pitted eight minutes after the half-race mark, with Filippi, Ortiz and Gottsacker being replaced by Wilkins, Maxson and Wickens. Moments later, another full-course-yellow period began when Denis Dupont’s Rockwell Autosport Audi pulled up. With 37 minutes left Sally McNulty’s Deily Motorsports Hyundai was the last TCR car to pit; she was leading the class in fifth position overall. 

During the last part of the race, Wilkins and Maxson were chased by the Honda cars of Eversley and Mat Pombo, while Wickens had slipped to fifth; then the rain started to fall with twenty minutes to go. Maxson was putting the pressure on Wilkins, while Pombo passed Eversley for third when a GS car crashed; the safety car came back into action with seven minutes left and circulated until the end while Pombo’s third-placed Honda Civic FK7 stopped with a technical issue only two minutes before the chequered flag.

Road Atlanta – Race

1. M. Filippi/M. Wilkins (Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N), 65 laps

2. T. Maxson/B. Ortiz (van der Steur Racing, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.577

3. R. Eversley/M. LaMarra (LA Honda World Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.546

Championship points

1. R. Wickens/H. Gottsacker, 3010 pts; 2. M. Wilkins/M. Filippi, 2950; 3. C. Miller/M. Taylor, 2900

Picture: IMSA/LAT Images