Press release
908KB
november 23, 2021 - Hyundai
Hyundai Sweeps IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Titles
- Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) Drivers #taylorhagler and #michaellewis Win the Drivers’ Title
- Taylor Hagler Becomes First Female IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Champion and Touring Car #racing (TCR) Champion in North America
- For The Second Consecutive Season Hyundai Wins All Three Available Titles, With the Manufacturers’ Crown Confirmed at The Season Finale Alongside Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships
Braselton, Ga., Nov. 15, 2021 – The Bryan Herta Autosport pairing of #taylorhagler and #michaellewis clinched the TCR class drivers’ title in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge by finishing fifth at the series finale at Road Atlanta. The result also allowed them to secure the teams’ championship, while Hyundai was confirmed as manufacturers’ champions for the second consecutive year.
The championship win is a second at the wheel of a Hyundai for Lewis – who also won the drivers’ crown in 2019 – but a first for Hagler in her first season as part of the Hyundai Motor America-supported team. The title also makes her the first female IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge champion and the first female Touring Car #racing (TCR) champion in North America.
Hagler’s and Lewis’ run to the championship was earmarked by incredible consistency. Across the 10-event season they scored only one win, courtesy of a late pass for the lead at Lime Rock Park but amassed a total of six podiums – by far the highest tally in the class. They only finished outside of the top five once in the campaign. Their performance across the year put them in a comfortable position entering the two-hour finale. The pair only had to start the race to be guaranteed enough points to end the season in celebration.
Hagler and Lewis also gave BHA the teams’ title for a third consecutive season. The manufacturers’ crown was decided in the final corners of the final race of the season. Hyundai entered the weekend with a slender lead over their closest rivals but points for third – provided by Hyundai Motorsport Customer #racing Junior Drivers Tyler Gonzalez and Tyler Maxson in their Copeland Motorsports Veloster N TCR – allowed them to increase their advantage in the final standings.
In the car’s debut season, BHA’s pair of Elantra N TCR cars were similarly crucial to securing the sweep of the titles. The Elantra N TCR crews won a race apiece. Parker Chase and Ryan Norman scored the model’s first win in IMSA competition at Mid-Ohio – the same track where the Veloster N TCR had its own maiden victory in 2019 – before Mark Wilkins and Harry Gottsacker led a 1-2-3 for the team at Hyundai USA’s home race at Laguna Seca, Calif.
Between them the two Elantra N TCR scored six podiums and accounted for four pole positions – the most of any model on the grid. The pace of the new-for-2021 package was on full show in qualifying for the finale where the two cars locked out the front row before leading the early part of the race. Chase would be the best placed of the Elantra N TCR drivers in the championship – taking second place. That finish was equaled by his #98 team, with the #33 of Wilkins and Gottsacker ending the year fourth in the teams’ points.
Further information in the press release to download
48719-HyundaiSweepsIMSAMichelinPilotChallengeTitles
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48722-HyundaiSweepsIMSAMichelinPilotChallengeTitles
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