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BHA Dominates at Laguna Seca

Posted on by Katie Brannan
14
May

  • Bryan Herta Autosport sweeps the podium at Laguna Seca.
  • Denis Dupont and Preston Brown in the #76 car win the third race of the season in Salinas, California.
  • BHA has won all three races so far in this 2025 season.
  • Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins in the #33 car have won pole at every race this year.
  • The #33, #98 and #76 Hyundai Elantra N TCRs led a combined total of 67 laps, resulting in Hyundai Hope on Wheels donating $6,700 to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown won the third race of the 2025 season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after starting the race in twelfth position. With eleven laps to go, Dupont took the lead and held it until the end.

BHA has dominated the start of this season, winning all three poles and all three wins.

Mark Wilkins qualified on his birthday and achieved pole position, marking the third consecutive pole this season for the #33 car. The #33 car ultimately finished the race in third place.

Harry Gottsacker IV and Mason Filippi in the #98 Elantra N TCR started the race in second position behind the #33 car. They crossed the finish line in second place.

Suellio Almeida and Maddie Aust finished in fifth place after starting the race in tenth.

Dupont and Brown are in the lead in the championship points standings. Gottsacker and Filippi are 40 points behind in second, while Morris and Wilkins sit in third.

BHA hosted 100 N Club members at Laguna Seca where they had an opportunity to lap the track in their own cars, meet and mingle with the drivers, and enjoy a behind the scenes experience in the N Lounge.

Hyundai Hope on Wheels is donating $100 to local children’s hospitals for every lap led by Hyundai in the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Hyundai led 67 of 70 laps in the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120, resulting in $6,700 to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

Photos and Quotes Below

Mark Wilkins celebrates his birthday pole.

N Club members joined the BHA drivers on the podium after a successful weekend at the track.

N Club guests driving through the famous Corkscrew at Laguna Seca.

#9 Elantra N TCR

Started: 10th Finished: 5th

2025 Rank: 6th (730 pts)

Maddie Aust (R) and Suellio Almeida (R)
Maddie Aust: “It was a good weekend for me and the #9 car! It was fun to learn a new track and we definitely showed improvement throughout the weekend!”
Suellio Almeida: “Laguna Seca was an extremely productive round where I felt like I connected more to the car. I improved during the race and I am definitely carrying over the learnings to Mid-Ohio, and I feel like we’re closer and closer to a podium!”

#33 Elantra N TCR

Started: 1st Finished: 3rd

Laps Led: 46

2025 Rank: 3rd (780 pts)

Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins
Bryson Morris: “Overall, the Laguna Seca weekend was a good one getting pole position and a third place finish in the race. Unfortunate that we fell from the lead at the last restart but that’s just how racing goes sometimes. Mid Ohio up next and I really like that track so let’s see how we get on when we get there.”
Mark Wilkins: “Podium sweep for BHA and Hyundai is a job well done! We have had so much success at Laguna over the years and it’s great to keep that momentum going. Lots of positive takeaways. For us on the #33 our goal is race wins. Although a podium is a great result, we want the top step and will be pushing hard at mid Ohio to get there. A huge thank you to the team for all of the hard work and congratulations to our teammates on their successes this weekend. It was great to see so many N club members join us and cheer us on once again this year, we really appreciate all of the support. Bring on the next one it can’t come soon enough.”

#76 Elantra N TCR

Started: 12th Finished: 1st

Laps Led: 11

2025 Rank: 1st (940 pts)

Denis Dupont and Preston Brown
Denis Dupont: “I’m very happy with the win at Laguna! Scoring a podium sweep for BHA makes us all very happy.

Preston did an excellent job in his first stint, gaining a few spots and avoiding contacts with other cars.

Now we focus on Mid-Ohio where we will try to carry that positive momentum.”
Preston Brown: “I couldn’t be more thrilled with the win at Laguna Seca this past weekend. Qualifying was tough for me, so I knew my task would be to make steady progress forward and hand the car over to Denis ready for battle in the second hour. I focused on pushing as hard as I could while avoiding any incidents and that paid off. A huge improvement versus our result last year, but we aren’t taking our eye off the ball… It’s already time to focus on Mid Ohio.”

#98 Elantra N TCR

Started: 2nd Finished: 2nd

Laps Led: 10

2025 Rank: 2nd (900 pts)

Harry Gottsacker IV and Mason Filippi
Harry Gottsacker IV: “Our #98 Hyundai Elantra N was a hot rod all day and we focused on managing the tires all race. We were able to have great pace all race and battle back from adversity to still finish second. Mason left it all out there and it was great to see him going for it over the last few laps. It was cool for the team to sweep the podium and I’m looking toward to Mid Ohio where we have had success in the past.”
Mason Filippi: “Great day for Bryan Herta Autosport, 123 Hyundai! It was an epic battle at Weathertech Raceway. Our 98 crew did an awesome job, and Harry had a killer first stint. Looking forward to keeping the momentum at Mid Ohio.”
Katie Brannan

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