In the News, Michelin Pilot Challenge, Uncategorized

BHA Announces Four Car Team in 2025

Posted on by Katie Brannan
10
Jan
Speedway, IN (Jan. 10, 2025) – Five-time IMSA Champions, Bryan Herta Autosport will return with a four-car Hyundai Elantra N TCR team to tackle the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

BHA’s line-up of eight full-time drivers has two IMPC TCR championships, 21 pole positions, and 18 race wins. BHA will feature new liveries in 205, and the line-up also features the series debuts of Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida. Veteran Team Manager Phil Howard and Crew Chief Nate Smola return to lead the team as they race for their sixth series title.

Returning to drive the #98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR is the 2023 IMPC TCR co-champion Harry Gottsacker and seven-time race winner Mason Filippi. This will be the first time Filippi and Gottsacker have driven together since their rookie season in 2019 where they scored one race win and finished second in the series standings. The pair enter their seventh season driving for Hyundai. BHA engineer Megan Ryder returns to lead the #98 team.

2019 TCR Champion, Mark Wilkins and young gun Bryson Morris will pair to drive the #33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR. Wilkins has been with the BHA/Hyundai program since its inception and narrowly missed the series title the last two seasons while driving alongside Mason Filippi. Morris returns for his second full season with BHA, the Tennessee native is primed for his first TCR victory this season after winning the IMSA TCR pole position twice and winning the 24 Hours of Nürburgring from his pole-winning qualifying effort with teammates Gottsacker, Wilkins and Filippi in 2024. BHA Technical Director Chris Finch will lead the #33 team.

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown return in the #76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR to defend their stellar 2024 season. The pair had a podium debut with Hyundai, finishing second in the season-opener at Daytona. They went on to score the first win of the season for the brand at Mid-Ohio, and earned four additional podium finishes over the course of the season. Consistency continues with the #76 squad as Aaron Phifer returns as engineer.

New for 2025, BHA will enter the #9 Hyundai Elantra N TCR with series Rookies Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida driving. Aust joins BHA from a successful campaign in the SRO series. She is a multi-championship winning cheerleader having won on both the national and world stage. Aust is a sophomore at Texas Christian University where she is studying mechanical engineering. Brazilian Suellio Almeida’s racing resume is untraditional in that he became a SIM Racer at the age of 21 with no previous on track experience. He then became a SIM Racing coach and purchased a Radical Cup car with his coaching funds. He won the North American Radical Cup Championship in his rookie season and has since opened a SIM Racing academy in Dubai where he coaches Radical and GT drivers. Veteran motorsports engineer Mark Weida moves from the #33 team to the #9 team for 2025.

The Bryan Herta Autosport Customer Support team expands for 2025, welcoming the father-daughter duo of Larry and Riley Pegram in the #72 Hyundai Elantra N TCR from Pegram Racing. Victor Gonzalez Racing returns with a two-car team featuring Tyler Gonzalez and Eric Powell in the #99 alongside Lance Bergstein and Jon Miller in the #18 Elantra N TCR. BHA is the official sales and parts representative for Hyundai North America and provides technical support to the Hyundai teams.

The 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge kicks off at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test days January 17-19th at Daytona International Speedway. The season officially opens just one week later with the four-hour BMW Endurance Challenge, round one of the 2025 IMPC at Daytona. The race will air live on NBC’s Peacock TV and on IMSA Radio. For more information, visit www.bryanhertaautosport.com.

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Photos and Quotes Below

#9 Elantra N TCR

Maddie Aust (R) and Suellion Almeda (R)
Maddie Aust: “I’m beyond excited to run this season with Bryan Herta Autosport! I believe this is an incredible opportunity and am looking forward to learning a lot from such a successful team both on and off the track. I can’t wait to see what we will be able to accomplish together this year!”
Suellio Almeida: “After being champion in the Radical Cup, this is a significant step forward, so my goal is to blend in with the higher level of drivers as quickly as possible to compete for the top step. This means a lot because it’s my shot at showing the world even more what Sim Racers can do. I expect a higher level of competition than ever before in my career, and a lot of opportunity to grow my competitiveness.”

#33 Elantra N TCR

Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins
Bryson Morris: “I am super excited to be paired up with Mark Wilkins for the 2025 IMPC season. We drove together at the 24h Nürburgring where we ended up winning so hopefully this streak continues! This is my second full season with BHA and Hyundai, and it really is an honor to be chosen to come back after the great success we’ve had in such a short amount of time working together. It will definitely be a challenge with the new faces in the series, but I know Mark and I have what it takes to be able to win the championship this year, and that is the goal.”
Mark Wilkins: “Over the course of the past seven seasons I’ve been fortunate to drive with many talented teammates. I’ve learned so much from Harry, Robert, Michael and Mason over the years. For 2025 the driver pairings change up a bit and I’m really looking forward to sharing the seat with Bryson Morris. Bryson’s drive at the Nürburgring was sensational in very difficult conditions. His outright pace is impressive and at a young age he certainly has a bright future ahead of him in motorsport. Without a doubt we are after race wins and a championship. It promises to be a great season!”

#76 Elantra N TCR

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown
Denis Dupont: “I’m thrilled to continue this incredible journey with Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai, and Preston as my teammate. Last season, we showcased our competitiveness but lacked the consistency needed to contend for the championship until the end. This year, our focus is clear: maintain our competitive edge, improve our consistency, and fight for the championship all the way. I can’t wait for Daytona to hit the track and put the new EVO package on our Hyundai Elantra N TCR to the test!”
Preston Brown: “I’m looking forward to my second season with Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai. Last year Denis and I showed what we were capable of achieving as a team, and we will take that experience and use it as the base for our efforts in 2025. I feel like my driving made solid advancement last year as the season unfolded, and I know what I need to work on to continue to get on the podium. I can’t imagine a better place to be in January than at Daytona for the IMSA season opener!”

#98 Elantra N TCR

Harry Gottsacker IV and Mason Filippi
Harry Gottsacker IV: “I’m really happy to be back with Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport in the flagship #98 for 2025. It’s super exciting to reunite with Mason after we drove together in 2019 and have battled each other for the championship the past few seasons. We know the competition in IMSA is ramping up with new cars and teams and we’re expecting big things.”
Mason Filippi: “I’m stoked to reunite with Harry as my teammate. Driving the same car together again feels like a full-circle moment after starting our first season in 2019. Over the past six years, we’ve grown so much as drivers, and I’m confident we can build on that experience and everything we’ve learned to deliver even more success this year. This season, my expectations are high. I’m focused on delivering consistent results, fighting for wins, podiums, and ultimately competing for the championship. Hyundai has proven time and time again that they build race-winning cars, and I’m ready to put in the work to make this another successful season. I can’t wait to get started!”
Katie Brannan

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