Lime Rock Park 120
Round 7 of the 2022 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge
July 15-16, 2022
Racetrack: Lime Rock Park (LRP), Lakeville, CT
1.5-mile road course, features 7 turns
Race: Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 11:05am 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:
Historical First Wins: Taylor Hagler re-wrote the IMSA history books when she and co-driver Michael Lewis won the Lime Rock 120 in 2021. The win made Taylor the first woman ever to win in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, and the first woman to win a TCR race in North America. Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson scored their first TCR win in 2018. It was Johnson’s first Sports Car victory, and the first victory for an IMSA driver racing with hand controls. Johnson, a paraplegic broke his back at the age of twelve racing motorcycles, he was competing 15th national title when he was injured.
Lime Rock Park Track Record: Stephen Simpson holds the track record for the fastest TCR lap time at 55.025 seconds at 96.697mph. Simpson set the record on July 20, 2019.
Mark Wilkins set the fastest lap of the race in 2021 with a 55.069 second at 96.620 mph.
Two for Two: Michael Lewis has a perfect record racing with Hyundai at Lime Rock Park. Lewis and Mark Wilkins won at LRP in Hyundai’s debut season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2019. IMSA returned to the park in 2021 and he won again, this time with co-driver Taylor Hagler. Both wins came in Lewis’s championship winning seasons. Lewis the first ever two-time IMPC TCR Champion, and Hagler currently lead the 2022 TCR Championship by 40 points.
POLE! The #77 Elantra N TCR team have won the pole in four of six races this season. Mason Filippi qualified first at Sebring and Watkins Glen, and co-driver Tyler Maxson was fastest at Daytona and CTMP. The only two poles missed this season were when the pair raced the Veloster rather than the Elantra N TCR car at Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio.
Back-to-Back Wins: Mark Wilkins and Robert Wickens opened July with back-to-back victories. They earned their first of the season at Waktins Glen and then raced from 15th to first, a spectaculor show for their home crowd at Canadian Tire Motorsprorts Park the following week. The victories sent Wickens to third in the points standings, tied with teammates Harry Gottsacker and Parker Chase. Wilkins is ranked 9th, 200 points behind due to missing Mid-Ohio.
Next Level: Hyundai’s racing web series, “Next Level” returns with the 2022 season debut on Friday, July 15th. The episode titled “Drive to 3-Peat” takes viewers on an intense and thrilling journey behind the scenes, on and off the track with the Hyundai competitors in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
#1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR
2021 Drivers/Team CHAMPIONS
2022: Best Start: 5th Best Finish: 2nd Ranked: 1st 1690 pts.
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Taylor Hagler: “Lime Rock was where Michael and I captured our first win in IMSA together, and I’ve been looking forward to getting back there all season! It was a turning point for us last year, certainly a confidence builder getting that first win. I really enjoy the high-speed nature of the track and how it is constantly flowing. I think the Elantra N TCR will really suit the track characteristics. We have had a good season so far and I’m hoping we can continue to build a nice points lead at Lime Rock in the last half of the season.”
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Michael Lewis: “Lime Rock is next! I love this track as it is so unique. It’s super- fast in our TCR cars and there is so much action happening between traffic and perfecting your line. This race has a great fan turnout too and it definitely gets you stoked to go racing.”
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#2 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 10th 1350 pts.
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Ryan Norman: “Our results this season don’t represent our pace and they certainly don’t represent the efforts by AJ and I and the #2 Elantra N TCR team. This track suits our style and it’s going to be one heck of a battle this weekend.”
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AJ Muss: “It felt so good to get that podium finish at Watkins Glen, Ryan and I are focused on a repeat this weekend. Lime Rock Park is a great track, it’s obviously been a great track for the Hyundais. This track likes an elbows out approach. Ryan and I can shine in those circumstances, mix in some patience, Elantra N TCR speed and a great strategy and we’re all set.”
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#33 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 6th 1250 pts.
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Mark Wilkins: “It’s race week and I’m really looking forward to getting back to Lime Rock Park! This is a really challenging and chaotic circuit. Physically, it’s always a bit difficult; It’s busy with little time to rest (short lap) and it’s always the hottest race of the season. On top of the physical challenges, we tend to mix it up with the GS cars a lot here and that adds to the difficulty. That being said, I love this race and I embrace the challenge. We’ve had a lot of great success at Lime Rock Park in the past and I expect we’ll be in the thick of it for the win again this year. Coming off of two wins and a podium sweep at CTMP, I think the team has a great deal of momentum going into this weekend. If Robert and I can keep up our string of wins, we have a real shot at getting ourselves back in the championship fight.”
Robert Wickens: “After a great few weeks I am looking forward to getting back to business at Lime Rock. This June/July stretch was always going to be an important time of the season with 3 races in 4 weeks. Thankfully the entire 33 car has been performing well and we are hoping to keep this string of good results going this weekend at Lime Rock.”
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#54 Universal Coating Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 3rd Best Finish: 1st Ranked: 8th 1220 pts.
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Stephen Simpson: “I love this track and the intensity it requires. Nothing would be better than to get another victory here with Michael at Lime Rock Park.”
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#77 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 7th Ranked: 13th 1020 pts.
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Mason Filippi: “Looking forward to getting to ‘The Bullring.’ Lime Rock is a fun, fast track in our TCR cars, and dealing with traffic and strategy due to the short, high-speed lap is tricky. Tyler and I are hoping for a strong end to our season. We’ve got qualifying down, we have the speed, just searching for a good race result.”
Tyler Maxson: “I always look forward to Lime Rock Park. The fast track provides for some of the best racing all season long as it is a high-speed chess match. While it is important to be fast, it is more important to position yourself for a chance to attack in the final thirty minutes of the race. We have proven our pace in qualifying throughout 2022, and will look to continue that, but also top the podium for both Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai. A win or podium this weekend can really go a long way in helping finish our 2022 season strong”
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#98 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 1st Ranked: 2nd 1300 pts.
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Harry Gottsacker IV: “Lime Rock is a race that is one of the biggest tests for drivers, cars, and crew. It is typically one of the hottest races we have all year and there is no time to take a break on such a short track. The racing is typically elbows out and that fits with how the 2022 IMSA TCR season has been. We keep getting better with our #98 Elantra N TCR and we want to keep putting it on the podium and fighting for wins.”
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Parker Chase: “Looking forward to rolling off at Lime Rock on Friday morning. With the track being only a mile and a half, I think the competition will be tight and mixed up a lot with the GS cars similar to what we saw at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The championship is getting tight, so the rest of the season is going to be about staying out of trouble and maximizing results the rest of the year.”
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