2022 Championship Season Review

October 3, 2022 – Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian (BHA) drivers Taylor Hagler Michael Lewis are the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Champions. Hagler and Lewis clinched the title with an exciting third place in the final race of the season at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The pair became the first ever two-time title winners in IMSA’s TCR category and Michael Lewis became the first ever three-time TCR Champion.

The title is the fourth consecutive team and drivers’ title for Bryan Herta Autosport, the third consecutive manufacturers’ title for Hyundai and the first championship for the Elantra N TCR in North America.

For 2022 Bryan Herta Autosport expanded to a stable of six Elantra N TCR racers, their biggest commitment to the championship to date, and all six BHA Elantra N TCR’s finished on the podium. Three of the six team entries were victorious, including a win from Harry Gottsacker and Parker Chase at Mid-Ohio, Back-to-back victories from Mark Wilkins and Robert Wickens at Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, and Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis’s victory at the penultimate round at Virginia International Raceway.

Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson, drivers of the #54 Universal Coating Elantra N TCR entered the weekend tied for third position in the standings with BHA sister car, the #98 Elantra N TCR. The pair prevailed with Simpson’s phenomenal late race battle to second place, and their third podium finish of the season. This result secured third place in the standings, their best-ever series ranking. The finish also makes Johnson the first driver ever to finish inside the top three in a professional racing championship using hand controls.

Harry Gottsacker and Parker Chase were the first BHA drivers to break into victory circle in 2022, with thier win at Mid-Ohio in May. In addition to thier victory, the Texas natives drove the #98 Elantra N TCR to third at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP), rounding out the BHA podium sweep North of the border. Harry Gottsacker scored his sixth series pole position at Laguna Seca, setting a new IMSA record for the most TCR pole positions. Gottsacker and Chase were also awarded the 2022 VP Fuels Front Runner award.

Robert Wickens much anticipated return to racing, came in January, driving for BHA and Hyundai in the #33 Elantra N TCR alongside teammate Mark Wilkins. Wickens and Wilkins’ debut featured a popular podium (3rd) at the season opener at Daytona, in Wilkins first race driving with hand controls, and later, back-to-back victories at Watkins Glen and on their native soil in Canada. In addition to their five top-five finishes this season, Wickens recorded his first IMSA pole position at Lime Rock Park. Wickens finished sixth in the championship, split from Wilkins in the final standings after the latter was forced to miss the Mid-Ohio date.

Mason Filippi and Tyler Maxson opened their season strong winning the pole position at Daytona and at round two at Sebring in the #77 Elantra N TCR. They went on to capture two more poles: at Watkins Glen and CTMP and won the series award for the most pole positions won this season. Filippi and Maxson also set a new record within BHA, as the driver pairing with the most pole positions in a single season ever. The #77 team finished on the podium twice and finished eighth in the series standings.

U.S. Olympian AJ Muss joined BHA in 2022, co-driving with 2020 Champion, Ryan Norman. Their season was highlighted by Muss qualifying on the front row at Daytona and their podium finish at Watkins Glen. Although the #2 Elantra N TCR ran up front all season, misfortunes dominated their races, Muss and Norman finished the season ranked 11th.

Replays of the 10-race IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season are available on NBC’s Peacock.

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2021 and 2022 Drivers/Team CHAMPIONS

2022: Best Start: 5th (Road Atlanta) Best Finish: 1st (VIR) Ranked: 1st 2920 pts.

Taylor Hagler: “There was a lot of pressure going into the final race, we knew we had some work to do to keep us in contention for the championship. This means a lot to me. To be the first female to now win two championships in Michelin Pilot Challenge and to now match Christina Nielsen with her back-to-back titles in WeatherTech is very rewarding. It also means a lot to me to help Michael set his records, being the first driver ever to win three TCR titles in North America. It’s pretty overwhelming.  It was important for Hyundai to win the Manufacturer’s championship and I’m happy we could support that, and give them a bonus Driver’s Championship! I am proud of my driving, but it takes a team, I can’t say enough about Michael Lewis, Stefano Galante (engineer), Phil Howard (team manager) and everyone on our #1 Elantra N TCR. We had so much fun and a lot of success in 2022!”

Michael Lewis: “What a season. We did it! The team did an amazing job all season long to put us in contention for the championship. I am so grateful to be a part of this Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai team. The team’s long hours at the shop and on the road are what gave Taylor and I excellent Hyundai Elantra N race cars each weekend. I enjoyed working together with Taylor and seeing her do amazing things on the track and working with every member of this team as we all gave it our all out there. This series is so competitive and to win the championship means a lot. We had a lot of friends from Hyundai at Road Atlanta, and it was super fun to celebrate the championship with them and our team. Let’s keep the party going!”

2022: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 11th 2180 pts.

AJ Muss: “Our 2022 IMSA season has been a rocky road to say the least. A lot of ups and a lot more downs. we fought through as a team, and I can’t thank BHA or Hyundai enough for this incredible opportunity. I’ve learned so much, and I’m a better driver now than I was when I arrived at BHA. I’m glad we were able to help Hyundai achieve their third straight manufacturers’ title and congratulations to Taylor, Michael and the #1 Elantra team on their title.”

Ryan Norman: “Wow. It’s been a character-building season. There were a few races where it seemed our luck might be turning, but that didn’t ever happen. Driving with an athlete like AJ was neat experience. Being an Olympian, he is so versed in his physical and mental training. Congrats to Hyundai, Taylor and Michael on another well-deserved championship and thanks to all of the guys on the #2 team, and especially our engineer, David Brown for all of their hard work.”

Mark Wilkins: “What an incredible season for Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport! Congratulations Hyundai on yet another manufacturers championship and congratulations to Taylor and Michael on your back-to- back championships! Although Road Atlanta didn’t end up like we would have hoped, Robert and I had so many incredible moments from the 2022 season. The podium at Daytona and back-to-back victories at Watkins Glen and CTMP really defined our season. With those incredible highs came some very challenging lows and ultimately, we lacked the consistency we needed to be in the championship fight. I want to thank our friends at Hyundai and every team member at Bryan Herta Autosport for their incredible efforts this season! It’s a privilege to work alongside so many incredible people and represent such a fantastic manufacturer!”

Robert Wickens: “Personally, there were a lot of highs and lows this season. The podium at Daytona and the back-to-back wins were very satisfying. But ultimately, we weren’t consistent enough to fight for the championship. It was an honor to be a part of such a great team and to contribute to Hyundai’s third manufacturer’s title. Congratulations to Taylor and Michael and the #1 team on their championship. Thank you to Hyundai for believing in me. It’s great to be back in a race car and I look forward to more success in the future.”

2022: Best Start: 3rd Best Finish: 2nd Ranked: 3rd 2650 pts.

Stephen Simpson: “Wow…what a final half of the season. Three 2nd place finishes and our best finish in the championship…ever. I am so proud of Michael and his driving all season. Big thanks to Hyundai and everyone at Bryan Herta Autosport, including our engineer who gave us very competitive race cars, Chris Finch.”

2022: Best Start: 1st (3 poles) Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 8th 2340 pts.

2022: Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 1st Ranked: 6th 2580 pts.

Harry Gottsacker IV: “Road Atlanta was very much a fitting end to our season with some ups and downs. We had great pace this season and it was nice to be recognized by IMSA with the VP Fuels Front Runner award for the season. It is a huge personal accomplishment to get the record for the most poles in IMSA TCR. It was really neat to share the car with Parker, who was my teammate when I started in professional motorsports. Thank you to all of our BHA crew and Hyundai for all of the support this season.”

Parker Chase: “It was awesome racing alongside Harry this season. We were fast all year long and it was nice to win again at Mid-Ohio. It’s a very competitive championship, so it’s really rewarding to win races and congrats to The #1 for winning it all. Congrats also to Hyundai on their 3-peat.”