In just the program’s third Michelin Pilot Challenge race, YRB Racing’s Allen Patten and Trenton Estep earned the team’s first-ever victory, claiming the GS class aboard the No. 66 “Car Blanche” Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo. In TCR, Denis Dupont and Preston Brown captured the class victory in the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian at Road America on Saturday.
The race began under damp conditions, although the field navigated the opening laps without incident. Hannah Grisham led the GS field to the green flag in the No. 26 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo, while Rocco Pasquarella paced the TCR class in the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic FL5 TCR.
Grisham’s lead was short-lived, as Robert Noaker took over the top spot in the No. 13 McCumbee-McAleer Racing Ford Mustang GT4 just minutes into the race. In TCR, Mason Filipi also wasted little time moving into the class lead, taking over from Pasquarella in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
Both leaders remained in control until the race’s first full-course caution after David Hampton became stranded in Turn 9 in the No. 14 Circle H Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo.
The caution triggered the first round of pit stops and driver changes. Noaker handed the No. 13 Ford over to Nate Cicero, while Filipi turned the No. 33 Hyundai over to Bryson Morris. The pit sequence, however, elevated Tim Lewis to the TCR lead in the No. 5 Honda.
The race resumed with just over an hour remaining, with Cicero immediately coming under pressure from Luca Mars in the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO and Gregory Liefooghe in the No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing Ford Mustang GT4. Liefooghe emerged from the battle with the lead, but his advantage was short-lived after the Mustang became stranded in the grass near Turn 12, bringing out the second full-course caution.
During the green-flag pit cycle prior to the caution, Daan Arrow moved past Mars for second in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 and inherited the lead following Liefooghe’s retirement.
The second caution once again shuffled strategy, with some teams staying out while others elected to pit. As a result, Matt Plumb in the No. 46 TeamTGM Ford Mustang GT4 and Mike Skeen in the No. 60 KOHR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 occupied the top two positions for the restart, while Celso Neto assumed the TCR lead in the No. 55 Gou Racing with Stallion Audi RS3 LMS.
Green-flag racing was brief, however, as Jeff Westphal crashed the No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO, bringing out the race’s third full-course caution and reshuffling strategy once again.
With less than 25 minutes remaining, the race restarted with Trenton Estep applying pressure to Plumb for the GS lead, while Denis Dupont began his charge toward Neto in TCR. Estep eventually completed the pass for the lead, while Dupont also worked his way past Neto to take over the top spot in class.
Both Estep and Dupont successfully held off their challengers until the race’s final full-course caution was triggered with fewer than 10 minutes remaining after Athan Sterling suffered a heavy crash in the No. 4 Medusa Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo. The race finished under caution, securing the maiden GS victory for YRB Racing and the TCR win for Dupont and Brown.
Paul Holton and Matt Plumb completed the GS podium with a second-place finish in the No. 46 TeamTGM Ford Mustang GT4, while Caio Chaves and Guilherme Salas rebounded from a roller-coaster race to finish third in the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2.
In TCR, Eddie Gou and Celso Neto finished second in the No. 55 Gou Racing with Stallion Audi RS3 LMS, while Mason Filipi and Bryson Morris rounded out the podium in third after leading much of the opening stint in the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
