CSM has announced a manufacturer switch for the final two races of the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, moving from Porsche to Aston Martin while adding a second entry, beginning at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) next weekend.
Both entries, the No. 2 and No. 3, will field Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evos. The full-season No. 2 effort of Morgan Burkhard and Gordon Scully remains unchanged, while the additional CSM entry will feature the team’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge driver, Ismaeel Ellahi, alongside first-time CSM driver Ayrton Houck.
Houck’s agreement with the program also includes an extended effort with CSM in SRO America, where he will compete in the GT4 America season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, October 8–11.
The Indianapolis-based program has competed in the entire Michelin Pilot Challenge season under the Porsche banner, campaigning the team’s No. 2 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS with Burkhard and Scully.
Outside of Michelin Pilot Challenge, CSM has fielded additional Porsche entries across the IMSA paddock, including a GSX effort in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge with Ellahi and a single-car effort in Porsche Carrera Cup North America with driver Nikita Lastochkin. It remains unclear whether the manufacturer switch will affect CSM’s future participation in Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), CSM made its initial switch to Aston Martin competition in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, replacing its Porsche GT4 effort with the Vantage GT4 Evo for Ellahi. The transition proved successful, with Ellahi scoring the Race 2 victory in the GSX class.
The team states that the move to Aston Martin is “a strategic move ahead of the 2027 season.”
“Moving both cars to the Aston Martin now is an important step in our preparation for 2027. It gives our engineers and drivers three race weekends to build a meaningful base of knowledge in Michelin Pilot Challenge conditions,” CSM co-owner Stephen Simpson stated in the release.
“Ayrton has already tested with us several times and has consistently impressed the team with his pace, feedback and approach. Ismaeel’s development in such a short period has been exceptional, and his CTMP victory showed that he is ready for this next challenge. Gordon and Morgan give us the experience and continuity we need, so we believe these lineups create a very strong foundation for the rest of this season and for 2027.”
