Two was the variety of the day to cap the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Problem season in Friday’s Fox Manufacturing unit 120 at Michelin Raceway Highway Atlanta.
Matt Plumb completed second Friday within the No. 46 Workforce TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4, which was sufficient to safe his second Michelin Pilot Problem Grand Sport (GS) class championship and first since 2013.
It practically would have been the No. 46’s second win of the yr, apart from a late-race cross by Riley Dickinson within the No. 91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport.
That transfer wrapped the second win of the season for Dickinson and co-driver Michael McCarthy. The pair bookended the yr having additionally gained the season-opening four-hour race at Daytona Worldwide Speedway in January.
The No. 46 Aston Martin that Plumb shared with Paul Holton was in a robust place coming into the race, needing solely a sixth-place end to clinch the championship. Holton solidified their spot when he gained the Motul Pole Award late Thursday.
Just like the season, the race featured a battle with championship rivals RS1 and co-drivers Trent Hindman and Stevan McAleer within the No. 28 RS1 Porsche.
As McAleer and Holton contended for the lead early within the race, they briefly ceded the place to Zach Veach within the No. 50 Hattori Motorsports Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo after he made a daring three-in-one cross to the within of Flip 10 within the opening quarter-hour.
Veach managed the tempo earlier than the second full-course warning of the race, which shifted the methods as groups dived to pit lane simply after the 40-minute minimal drive time had elapsed. Crucially, that included each McAleer and Holton, who leapfrogged the handful of GS class automobiles that stayed out previous to the warning.
The order shifted a bit as a handful of Touring Automobile (TCR) class automobiles moved to the general lead earlier than they shifted to fuel-save mode to make the race on one pit cease moderately than two.
GS automobiles, having made their closing stops wherever from 47 to 53 minutes earlier than the checkered flag of the two-hour race, then charged again by way of the TCR automobiles forward so as to retake the general lead.
There was an additional wrinkle in play with the second Workforce TGM entry, Bronze Cup GS class champions Ted Giovanis and co-driver Hugh Plumb, of their No. 64 Aston Martin. Hugh Plumb led the race for the steadiness of the second half earlier than needing a splash of gas within the closing 10 minutes of the race.
Dickinson’s pursuit of the leaders included battles with each GS title contenders. He made slight contact with the man Porsche of Hindman, though the motion was reviewed with solely a warning. Hindman and McAleer ultimately completed sixth.
A better, cleaner cross of others within the GS area together with Matt Plumb on lap 64 of 74 was for second place on the street and the online lead as soon as Hugh Plumb pitted.
“I hate to have that contact occur,” Dickinson stated. “I needed to come by way of the sector, I knew we had the tempo benefit. I knew each lap I’d be caught behind different automobiles in comparison with the No. 46, I’d run out of time. It’s a race we needed to go win, and we did.”
In the end, Dickinson held on to seize the victory by 1.849s over Matt Plumb. Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister, winners final outing at Indianapolis within the No. 39 CarBAhn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 completed third to finish the rostrum.
For Plumb and Holton, second matched the theme of their season – consistency – en path to the title.
“It sounds fairly good contemplating what a aggressive yr it was,” Plumb stated. “We’ve got had an extended and productive season. Issues have labored out effectively. It might be profitable, or be sixth.
“With this stage of competitors, we have now to settle typically. We might have settled for second within the race at this time, but it surely labored out.”
No. 98 Hyundai squeezes each drop of gas to win in TCR, No. 17 Audi locks down title
Jake Galstad/Lumen
The Touring Automobile (TCR) class warranted watching from begin to end, actually. For the second yr working, the season’s staff and driver championships have been determined on the drop of the inexperienced flag.
Final yr, the championship-leading (and pole-winning) No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR suffered a mechanical failure whereas bringing the sector to the inexperienced and the staff may solely watch as Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi gained the race within the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR, with teammates Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker ending fourth to clinch the motive force, staff and producer TCR titles.
It was greater than somewhat ironic Friday when, with Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor needing to complete eleventh or higher within the No. 17 Audi to assert the motive force and staff TCR crowns, the twelfth and closing starter within the class (the No. 73 Racers Edge Motorsports Honda Civic FK7 TCR) was unable to begin the race after experiencing mechanical issues of its personal. Mission completed for Miller and Taylor.
Quick ahead to a race dominated just about from begin to end by the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Workforce Hyundai of Tyler Gonzalez and Morgan Burkhard. Nearly is the important thing phrase, because the white flag waved to sign the ultimate lap, Burkhard peeled into pit lane for a splash of gas, handing the win to Wilkins, Filippi and the No. 98 BHA Hyundai.
“We have been all in the identical boat attempting to get to the top,” Wilkins stated after he and Filippi gained their second straight race of the season and second straight at Michelin Raceway. “It was a battle of who did a greater job of getting there.
“The No. 99 is identical automobile, and I didn’t know the place they have been [on fuel]. I used to be simply attempting to gauge off of all people else, actually. I felt like we have been all so related. I didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. It regarded the best way he was driving that perhaps he had a shot to make it to the top, so he needed to push, clearly somewhat bit extra. I believe we did a great job earlier within the stint to permit ourselves to run a bit extra aggressive on the finish, to place some stress on him. I suppose they have been ready for a yellow that by no means got here.”
Though sixth place was a disappointing and uncharacteristic displaying for a staff that amassed 4 wins and stood atop the TCR standings from the opening spherical of the season at Daytona Worldwide Speedway, there was loads of pleasure to be discovered within the JDC-Miller compound after the race.
“No query, final yr was heartbreaking,” stated Taylor. “The entire staff got down to make amends for that this yr. We had an important yr but it surely wasn’t simple. Some guidelines adjustments in the course of the season meant we needed to redevelop the automobile. Even this weekend wasn’t simple by any means. We had an off in qualifying that broken the automobile, so the staff was right here till midnight repairing the injury. Even once we came upon the [No. 73] wasn’t beginning the race, I saved ready for the opposite shoe to drop.”
Though the opposite shoe by no means dropped, Miller, Taylor & Co. had a tricky day on the workplace, so to talk.
“After all, it was in our minds that we’d gained the championship,” Taylor continued. “However we’re right here to race, and we needed to complete the season on a excessive notice. Though the crew did a unbelievable job fixing the automobile, we didn’t have one other session earlier than the race to check the repairs and the automobile was not precisely proper at this time. The Hyundais had extra pace and, clearly, a few them went the space on one pit cease, the place we needed to cease twice.”
In the meantime, the race win vaulted Filippi and Wikins into second place within the driver and staff standings and added one other feather within the proverbial cap of Hyundai, which had already clinched its fifth consecutive TCR producer championship.
“It’s been a tricky yr,” stated Filippi. “We had loads of ups and downs and on the finish we simply went for it. The synergy inside the entire staff has been superb. We’ve been engaged on gas save all final yr and this yr. The Hyundai is basically good round right here, enjoyable to drive and, after profitable the final race, Mark and I have been simply saying, ‘What if?’ It’s actually cool to win and get second place within the championship.
“For Hyundai to win a fifth producers championship is basically superb. There’s loads of robust competitors in TCR, and to win 5 straight championships is a tribute to Hyundai’s dedication to the sequence and their help of our staff.”
