2020 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge | Mid-Ohio 120 Double-Header | September 25-27, 2020

Rounds: 6 & 7 of 10 in the 2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge
Racetrack: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mansfield, OH
2.258-mile road course, featuring 13 turns 
Race 1: Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 1:05 pm ET (10:05 am PT) (2 Hours)
Race 2: Sunday, September 27, 2020 at 10:35 am ET (7:35 am PT) (2 Hours)
TV: LIVE on NBC Gold Track Pass
Live timing and scoring from each session available at www.IMSA.com
Live radio commentary for every session at www.IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com

BHA FAST FACTS:

Sweet Ohio Memories: Bryan Herta Autosport scored their first IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race when Michael Lewis and Mark Wilkins finished first in the #98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR. Combined, the BHA line-up of phenomenal drivers have won 9 races at Mid-Ohio.

Road Trip: Mark Wilkins has taken up a new form of travel to the race events this year. He will drive the all-new 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid to Mid-Ohio. "This has been a season of road trips for me. I love driving and I’ve had a unique opportunity to sample some of Hyundai’s finest new vehicles. I took the Palisade to Road America and more recently have been racking up the miles on the all-new Sonata Hybrid! I look forward to my drive to Mid-Ohio, the car is really nice to drive and I think of it as a long practice session on the way to the race event. I definitely push it to its paces! The mileage with the hybrid is absolutely phenomenal, it's 730 miles round trip and I should be able to do it on about a tank and a half of fuel, less than $40"

Five in a Row? The Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Veloster N TCR cars have led 258 of the 391 (65%) laps raced in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) this season. Three of the four cars have won a race, including the last four races, and every BHA car has finished on the podium at least once. The BHA Hyundai’s are currently ranked first (#33), second (#21), third (#98) and 11^th (#29) in the championship. Hyundai leads the manufacturers championship by 17 points over Audi and has a 22-point lead over Honda and Alfa Romeo.

Young Guns:  Parker Chase (19) and Spencer Brockman (20) made their IMPC debut in the #29 Vertical Bridge Hyundai Veloster N TCR when IMSA returned to #racing after the quarantine at Sebring.  The duo has wasted no time getting up to speed in their Hyundai Veloster N TCR, they have finished on the podium the last three races in a row.  Parker set the fastest lap in the four-hour race in Atlanta earlier this month and they’ve led 39 laps so far this season.

Bryan’s View: “Mid-Ohio was a breakout weekend for us last year as Michael and Mark scored our first IMSA win as team there. So, coming back to a track that was really a launching point for us is exciting. The Ohio fans always give us a warm welcome, we are looking forward seeing them this weekend.”

#33 Hyundai Veloster N TCR
Drivers: Gabby Chaves and Ryan Norman
Best Start: 1st  Best Finish: 1st  Championship: 1st (146 points)

• The #33 car has led every race this season, 177 total laps led, more than any other car.
• An Ohio native, Ryan Norman grew up in Cleveland.

Gabby Chaves: “I am super excited and focused after a small break coming off our win at Road Atlanta. This doubleheader at Mid-Ohio will be really important for us in the championship fight. I can’t wait to get back on track with Ryan and the 33 Veloster N TCR and do our best to keep the streak going for Hyundai!”

Ryan Norman: “Having grown up in Cleveland, #racing at Mid-Ohio is always really special for me, but this year probably more than ever. Heading into the doubleheader as the championship points leader is exciting. Mid-Ohio is certainly one of my favorite tracks, I've got lots of wins and podiums there and plan to add a few more this weekend and hopefully extend our championship lead in the #33 Hyundai Veloster N TCR.”

#21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR
Drivers: Harry Gottsacker and Mark Wilkins
Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 1st Championship: 2nd (144 points)

• Mark Wilkins (and former co-driver Michael Lewis) are the defending IMPC race winners at Mid-Ohio.

Harry Gottsacker: “The schedule for this weekend will be an interesting one with two race events in one weekend, knowing how strong the Veloster N TCR handles on a track like Mid-Ohio gives me a lot of confidence going into the doubleheader. It will be busy for sure, but it is a track that I really enjoy and look forward to each season. We had a great car last year and Mid-Ohio and I felt like it was one of my standout races of the 2019 season. Mark and I are ready to bounce back from our issues at Road Atlanta and fight for the championship!”

Mark Wilkins: “What’s better than one race at Mid-Ohio? Two! Our first victory for the Veloster N TCR in IMPC took place at Mid-Ohio last year, so needless to say I’m excited to get back there and even more excited for two races and copious amounts of track time! It’s a huge weekend for points with results likely setting the stage for the balance of the season.”

#98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR
Drivers: Mason Filippi and Michael Lewis
Best Start: 3rd Best Finish: 1st  Championship: 3rd (141 pts)

• Michael Lewis (and former co-driver Mark Wilkins) are the defending IMPC ace winners at Mid-Ohio.
  

Mason Filippi: “I can't think of anything better than the Mid-Ohio Double Header! The Hyundai Veloster N TCR was amazing there last year, it is the type of track that really suites the Veloster with tight, twisty sections. I had a really good start there passing multiple cars on the green flag last year. It was definitely one of those moments that stands out in my mind from last season and I know this year we will be even better. It will be awesome doing two back to back races and I can’t wait to battle for the win on Saturday and Sunday.”

Michael Lewis: “We are at the halfway mark in the season, and as a team, we’ve been scoring many manufacturer points for Hyundai in our Veloster N race cars. We will keep working hard to get more points for Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport during this double-header weekend at Mid-Ohio! We hope to give our fans who watch our races at the track this weekend and on NBC a good show in both races!”

#29 Vertical Bridge Hyundai Veloster N TCR
Drivers: Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman
Best Start: 4th Best Finish: 2nd  Championship: 11th (114 points)

• Parker Chase set the fastest lap of the race at the previous round at Road Atlanta.
• Parker and Spencer have finished on the podium three races in a row.

Parker Chase: “Thrilled to get this double header weekend underway at Mid-Ohio. It’s going to be a fun but yet challenging on all of the drivers. Coming off our 3rd straight podium, we have yet to see the top step. Bringing home our first victory at Mid-Ohio is certainly our main goal and it will be very rewarding to do so.”

Spencer Brockman: “It's been a few years since I raced at Mid-Ohio and I can't wait to hit the track in the Veloster N. The car is perfectly suited for this type of track. We've had a fast car at every race so far, this weekend should be no different. The podium has been good to Parker and I since we started in IMPC in July, yet we are still 11th in points. It's a tight battle and another couple of podiums this weekend in the Vertical Bridge Hyundai should push us to the top-five.”

Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian:
Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a championship winning #auto #racing franchise. Led by IndyCar and Sports Car star Bryan Herta, Bryan Herta Autosport has won races in every discipline they have entered, including Indy Lights, Indy Car, Global Rally Cross, and championship titles in Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA. BHA rose to prominence after winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in what was the final race of the Centennial Era, a celebration of 100 years of #racing at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with driver Dan Wheldon. Five years later, BHA partnered with Andretti Autosport, and defied the odds again, winning their second Indianapolis 500 with rookie driver Alexander Rossi. In 2018, BHA entered the Pirelli World Challenge in partnership with Hyundai and dominated the TCR class, winning seven races with drivers #98 Michael Lewis and #99 Mark Wilkins in the Hyundai i30N TCR, securing the team and manufacturers championships in the process. In 2019, BHA and Hyundai moved to the IMSA Michelin Sports Car Challenge, and the transition was flawless. BHA swept the series driver and team championships with driver Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis finishing first in the #98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and young guns Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi finishing second in the #21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR. For 2020, BHA continues its successful partnership with Andretti Autosport fielding the #98 U.S. Concrete Honda w/ Curb Agajanian in the IndyCar series for driver Marco Andretti and a four-car Hyundai Veloster N TCR campaign in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Michael Lewis and Mason Fillipi (#98), Mark Wilkins and Harry Gottsacker (#21), Gabby Chaves and Ryan Norman (#33) and Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman (#29). Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and parts support representative of Hyundai TCR race cars for customer teams. For more information, visit www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.