Articles, In the News, Michelin Pilot Challenge

Battle at The BullRing: TCR Takes On Lime Rock Park

Posted on by Katie Brannan
21
Jul

The Lime Rock Park 100

Round 6 of the 2023 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge

July 22, 2023

Racetrack: Lime Rock Park

1.474-mile road course, features 7 turns

Race: Saturday, July 22, 2023, at 4:15 – 5:55 pm EST

TV: Live on NBC’s PEACOCK: www.peacock.tv

Listen: Live radio commentary for every session at www.IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com Live timing and scoring from each session available at www.IMSA.com. Live updates are available throughout the weekend on BHA social media and www.bryanhertaautosport.com

 

FAST FACTS:

 

Battle at the Bullring: Spectators will be in for quite the show this Saturday at the Lime Rock 100 as for the first time ever, the race will feature only TCR entries. Typically, TCR (Touring Car) and GS (Grand Sport) compete at the same time with 40 or more cars on track with two classes. This weekend the races are split as Lime Rock Park is just a 1.5-mile circuit. The competition will be fierce and the battle for points will be intense.

 

Nor’easter N Clubs: The passion for N is iNtense in the northeastern United States. Courtesy of Hyundai, 75 N owners will attend Saturday’s race. It’s an exciting schedule of events for members of the New England N Owners and the Long Island N clubs, with a Hyundai car corral, Tech Talks by Michelin and Hyundai, BHA driver meet and greets and transporter tours, and the opportunity to drive their own Hyundai on the legendary Lime Rock Park circuit.

Taking the Lead: Teammates Harry Gottsacker and Robert Wickens enter the back half of the 2023 season with a 20-point lead in the championship. The drivers of the #33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR have finished second three times this season, and they’ve led four of six races so far in 2023 for a total of 90 laps.

Must Watch: One of the most notorious and challenging races on earth, the legendary 24 Hours of Nürburgring is not for the faint of heart. Nicknamed “The Green Hell”, Germany’s Nüburgring isn’t just the longest racetrack in the world at 12.9 miles, but it features steep elevation changes, blind corners, and little room for error. Follow our fearless drivers Mason Filippi, Taylor Hagler, Michael Lewis and Harry Gottsacker from start to finish as we watch them use their skill, teamwork, and the all-powerful ELANTRA N TCR to conquer this iconic track. Road to 24hrs of Nürburgring | Part 2 | Next Level

 

Winners Circle: 2x IMPC Champions Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis scored their first race win as teammates at Lime Rock Park in 2021.

#1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR

2021 and 2022 Drivers/Team CHAMPIONS

2023 Stats: Best Start: 6th Best Finish: 6th Rank: 7th 1190 pts
Taylor Hagler: “I’m looking forward to Lime Rock as it’s a place we have had success before and captured a win in 2021. We have had pace all season, but the finishes haven’t been coming our way. It would be great to get a podium and turn our season around at the midway point.”
Michael Lewis: “Taylor and I are ready to get after it! LRP is challenging, but a lot of fun. You are constantly turning, almost like racing on an oval and the field is so close, because of that, there tends to be a lot of chaos. That’s what makes it fun for us and fun for the fans, they always have a lot of great energy at LRP!”

#33 Elantra N TCR

2023 Stats: Best Start: 3rd Best Finish: 2nd Rank: 1st 1470 pts
Harry Gottsacker IV: “Lime Rock is such a legendary track and it will be neat to have a first TCR only event there. It’s such a cool place with all the fans lining the hills and the natural back drop. I expect the race flow and strategy will be a lot different without the GS cars as we try to grab the overall win. We are really knocking on that door and we just have to keep putting ourselves in a good position.”
Robert Wickens: “Lime Rock is going to have a slightly different look this year since the GS class isn’t joining us. Hopefully we can build on our P2 last week at CTMP and get that first win of the season. Harry and I are only getting stronger as a pair and the 33 car as a group is looking for a strong second half of our season!”

#98 Elantra N TCR

2023 Stats: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 1st Rank:2nd – 1450 pts
Mason Filippi: “Looking forward to Lime Rock in our Elantra N TCR car. It will be a new dynamic being the only class in the field. We have a big entry list and I am excited for good battles and to push our BHA machine.”
Mark Wilkins: “It’s an awesome stretch of racing and coming off the podium at CTMP I’m excited to get back to the “Bull Ring” for some intense TCR only battles! Lime Rock Park is really a great course for our cars, and we’ve had some strong races here. GS traffic has always been a challenge for both classes and often the results are somewhat dictated by those interactions. I think it will be much different this year with far fewer cars on track overall. Track position will be important and with a shortened 100- minute race format it will certainly feel different. We have a big group of Hyundai N owners coming to the race and I’m excited to put on a great show for them while sharing in their passion for the N brand!”

The Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai N TCR cars at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on Saturday, July 8,2023.
Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian:
Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a multi-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 Rallycross, 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 American Sports Car scene beginning its immensely successful partnership with Hyundai. Together, BHA and Hyundai have won five championships in as many seasons, including four consecutive team and driver championships, and three consecutive (2020, 2021, 2022) manufacturer’s titles in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge. For more information, visit: www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.
BHA/Hyundai Customer Support: Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and part support representative of Hyundai TCR and TCA race cars for customer teams. The BHA/Hyundai Customer Support Team offers trackside engineering support, setup and tuning advice, and part and order fulfillments for the Hyundai Veloster N TCR and TCA teams and drivers from the BHA’s headquarters in Speedway, IN. Since its North American debut in 2019, the Hyundai Veloster N TCR has scored 27 race wins, and three TCR championship titles.
Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America focuses on ‘Progress for Humanity’ and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 830 dealers sold more than 724,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.
Katie Brannan

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