Speedway, IN, July 21, 2021 – Taylor Hagler became the first female to win in the TCR category of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) and score her first professional racing victory in the Lime Rock Park 120.
Driving the #77 Hyundai Veloster N TCR, Hagler and co-driver Michael Lewis, a six-time IMSA TCR race winner, took the victory by just .134 seconds over the Alfa Romeo in second place. “It’s been a long time coming. I feel like we worked hard for this. We’ve got the winning combination; the Hyundai Veloster N is an amazing car to drive, my crew executes flawlessly, and my teammate Michael is the co-driver of all co-drivers. I am really happy,” said Hagler.
This is Hagler’s second season competing in IMPC and her first driving the Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA). Hagler and co-driver Lewis have found consistent success racing together. The duo have finished on the podium in five out of six races and have a healthy 250-point championship lead with just four races remaining on the 2021 calendar. “Everyone at BHA and Hyundai wants to congratulate Taylor on her historic first TCR win in the USA,” said Bryan Herta, BHA team principal. “Taylor paired with Michael Lewis is proving to be a formidable combination. As we cheer them towards the championship, we continue to be amazed by their speed and consistency.”
It was Hagler’s first time racing at Lime Rock Park, also known as the “Bull Ring” due to its short length at just 1.4 miles with tight right turns. She earned her best qualifying result of the season and ran in the top three before turning the #77 Veloster N TCR over to Lewis for the hectic final stint. “Taylor did a great job. She adapted so quickly to this new track; she was fast, kept her nose clean and handed me a perfect car to finish the race,” said Michael Lewis. “The Veloster N TCR is a tough car and we needed it; there was a lot of bumping and contact out there.”
With the first half of the 2021 season complete, round seven takes place at the picturesque 4-mile Road America track in Elkhart Lake, WI, on August 7, 2021.
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