Fountain Valley, California – Hyundai extended its Manufacturers’ Championship lead in the 2024 IMPC series as the automaker secured a sixth double-podium finish of the season. Hyundai entries occupied three of the top four places as the No. 33 cars battled from the back of the field to secure podium results.

 

Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker fought from the back of the TCR field after a penalty negated their second place in qualifying. Despite the setback, Wickens found blistering pace, expertly maneuvering the No. 33 car through the field. After the driver change, Gottsacker moved into podium contention as he battled with teammate Mason Filippi in the No. 98 car for the final podium position, eventually securing a third-place finish. This impressive drive improved the No. 33 car’s championship standings, with the driver duo moving into second place in the 2024 IMPC Drivers’ Championship.

 

Mark Wilkins started in second place and held onto the position for the opening stages of the race, matching the pace of teammate and pole sitter Bryson Morris in the No. 77 car. However, during a pit stop under a caution period, traffic caused Mason Filippi to enter the race further down the field. After cutting through traffic, Filippi battled with Gottsacker and Gonzalez in the No. 33 and No. 99 cars before bringing home a solid fourth-place finish.

 

After securing his first IMPC pole position, Bryson Morris and co-driver Taylor Hagler finished sixth in the No. 77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR after their strategy was disrupted by yellow flags.

 

Hyundai now leads the Manufacturers’ Championship by 60 points. Up next, the Hyundai teams are set to take on the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 on Sept. 21, 2024.

 

Started: 3rd Finished: 7th 2024 Rank: 3rd (1980pts)

 

Harry Gottsacker: "We bounced back and were able to score a podium at VIR! We have two more shots for victory at Indy and Road Atlanta and we need those to keep closing the points gap. Thank you to the #33 crew for all the hard work as we didn’t make it easy on them this weekend."

 

Robert Wickens: "I made an unfortunate mistake in qualifying, but thankfully the team had our back. They did an amazing job rallying together to get our engine changed out and ready for the start of the race. Unfortunately, we lost out P2 start and had to start last but that didn’t stop us from moving forward. We kept to the game plan and ran a great race. Harry took over the car in P5 and did the hard work to get us into the podium for a hard-earned P3. It was a great reward for the whole BHA team after a long day of hard work." 

 

Started: 6th Finish: 10th 2024 Rank: 2nd (1990pts)

 

Denis Dupont: "Unfortunately we had a small mechanical issue that cost us a few laps and any chance to fight for a podium. We had a strong race car and the race was unfolding as hoped up to that point. We will come back stronger for Indianapolis."

 

Preston Brown: "It was a frustrating race at home. Collectively the team work diligently to get us back on track. We will keep pushing."

 

Started: 5th Finished: 6th 2024 Rank: 7th (1690pts)

 

Taylor Hagler: "We had a productive weekend at VIR, but unfortunately, we didn't have the result we hoped for. Bryson (Morris) did a great job in qualifying and the No. 77 BHA crew executed well on strategy and pitstops. We were in position for a podium result until the last restart. It was tight going into turn one and we all ran out of track. We will bounce back at IMS in September."

 

Bryson Morris: "It was a great weekend at Road America for the #77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, showing great pace and racing at the front of the field. We've got the car dialed in and feeling good, now all we need is a bit of luck and we'll be on the podium. Huge thanks to everyone at BHA for doing such a great job and we'll continue this momentum at VIR."

 

Started: 2nd Finished: 2nd 2024 Rank: 4th (1920)

 

Mason Filippi: "This was an excellent race for the Manufactures championship. We had a quick car and fought very hard. I cannot wait for the season's final races to push for our first win. Mark drove an incredible first stint, and our BHA crew made a great stop. There are two more to go!"

 

Mark Wilkins: “P4 and progress in the drivers' championship. I enjoyed the opportunity to qualify and had a good race start from the front row. I settled into P2 and ran a strong opening stint. Our guys did a great job in the pits and our strategy put us in the right spot for the second half of the race. Mason pushed hard and had some good battles up front. It’s a tight fight in both the manufacturers and drivers' championships; anything can happen and scoring well in the final two races will be critical. I’m looking forward to Indy next month and another shot at the top step of the podium.” 

 

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 consecutive team and driver championships, and four consecutive (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) 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 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. in 2024, there are five BHA Customer Support Teams racing Elantra N TCR cars in Canada, The USA and in Mexico.

 

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.

 

Alton, Virginia – Sunday afternoon’s two hour and 40-minute sprint race at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) showed the perseverance and strength of the Vasser Sullivan Lexus team, with each team battling to the fullest until the very end. Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat and the No. 14 RC F GT3 team finished the day sixth in the IMSA GTD PRO class, while Parker Thompson and Frankie Montecalvo finished 10th in the GTD class in their No. 12 Lexus RC F GT3.

 

The British driving duo of the No. 14 RC F GT3 had an up and down day in the final sprint of the 2024 season. Starting from sixth, Hawksworth had a solid start and was running quicker laps than the leader early on after maneuvering around GTD traffic. The team pitted the No. 14 early in the first stint, but on his out lap, Hawksworth was contacted by a competitor, spinning him around in the turn four grass. The spin resulted in time lost, but Hawksworth methodically gained back on the leaders with solid laps, reaching as high as fourth during a pit cycle. Barnicoat hopped in the No. 14 RC F GT3 on the final pit stop and after the lone full-course yellow with just over 30 minutes remaining, he restarted in sixth and held off the GTD PRO competitors to hold position as the checkered flag flew.

 

Thompson and Montecalvo similarly had to fight through adversity Sunday. Montecalvo began the afternoon behind the wheel of the No. 12 RC F GT3 from the seventh starting spot. After a chaotic initial start, he made up ground before handing the car over to Thompson on the first pit stop with just under two hours remaining. Thompson battled the GTD pack during his stints, restarting sixth for the final run to the checkers. A late spin in the “Oak Tree” turn would ultimately hamper a well-fought race, with the No. 12 finishing the day in 10th.

 

The Vasser Sullivan Lexus team will return to racing action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 22, for a six-hour endurance race, the penultimate event of the 2024 IMSA season. To keep up with all the racing action, follow Lexus Racing on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok by using #LexusPerformance.  

 

Vasser Sullivan Driver Quotes 

“Yeah, a bit of a tough day. We had a really good start to the race, made our way through the GTD cars that we ended up behind in qualifying. Got up to sixth and then, the guys called a good strategy to pit on the early side. Unfortunately, the Porsche (#77 AO Racing) pitted a little earlier and came out on hot tires behind us. We managed to make it out of the pit lane ahead of them, but we had the contact going into turn four. It looped us around and we lost a good bit of time. We got going again, got up to fourth, but knew we were at a bit of a fuel disadvantage. Cycled back to sixth and then Ben (Barnicoat) did a good job at the end to hold off the 77. Without the contact, we realistically had a top-five day going, or maybe even a little better depending on strategies playing out. Disappointed to not get a higher position, but we did everything we could on a difficult day.”

 

“Yeah, very hot day, but, this VIR track, we always comment on how much of a pleasure it is to drive. It’s such a great layout, but it’s very hard for racing and obviously, we started a little further back than we wanted. I think we made a great strategy call on the first stop to pit a little bit early, but unfortunately, Jack (Hawksworth) got spun around by a competitor on his out lap. If that hadn’t had happened, I think our race would have panned out in a different way today. That spin, unfortunately, put us in traffic and it is very hard to overtake. We couldn’t get back out into clean air, so then it was just about getting what you can and it was a really hard battle there at the end for sixth position. Got that job done and salvaged a few points to close the gap going into the last two races of the year. It was definitely a hard-earned P6 and huge thanks to everyone at Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing for giving it their all again this weekend.”

 

“The No. 12 boys, as always, were doing a good job pushing through adversity. But, unfortunately today, for some reason we did not have the pace throughout the stint on the Michelin tires. We had good pace at the start, but by the end of the stint, it was very tough. I was pushing all I could to keep sixth (position), and unfortunately, the ‘Oak Tree’ (turn) got me, as it has so many other drivers. We can take away some positives, but really, we will use this as fuel for the rest of the season. We have two crown jewel endurance races coming up and we want to finish out the season strong to get the momentum back.”

 

“Yeah, it was a tough sprint race to end out the calendar there. Lot of bumping, a lot of hitting off the start. Fell back a little bit, but we fought our way back up to where we needed to be and just tried to work on strategy. The guys did a great job getting us to where we were hoping to be at the end, but it didn’t go our way today. It was a tough finish, but Parker (Thompson) did a phenomenal job keeping us in the mix for those last two stints and we’ll look towards the final endurance rounds we have to end the year.”

 

About Lexus    

The Lexus RC F GT3 enters its eighth season in the GTD class, and third year in the GTD PRO category, competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Over the last six seasons, Lexus and Vasser Sullivan have combined to earn 15 wins, 42 podium finishes and 23 pole positions with the RC F GT3. Lexus won its first full-season IMSA GTD PRO Manufacturers Championship on the strength of two wins and podium positions in nine of 11 races in 2023.    

 

Lexus' passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its customers. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury customers in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 244 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With eight models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers nine F SPORT models, one F performance model and one F model. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.  

  

 

After an incredible start, damage curtailed the progress made by the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 as the team worked around the issue to get the car to the checkered flag in 12th position at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR).

 

Despite strong pace from both Kyle Marcelli and Danny Formal, a damaged airjack from an early collision hindered the team’s performance as pit stops became difficult, forcing changes to strategy and pit stop protocol.

 

Kyle Marcelli took the green flag of Michelin GT Challenge at VIR and quickly moved the No. 45 car into fourth position, showcasing the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2’s impressive pace. However, upon making an overtake near the start of the race, contact stripped the car of the rear bumper, damaging the bodywork as well as the airjack system. Marcelli continued to hold onto fourth position despite the damage before pit stop sequences.

 

Danny Formal took over after 45-minutes of green flag competition, with the team unable to change tires due to the damaged jack system. Formal battled on, doing a second stint on the original tires around the punishing corners of VIR. After a second and improvised pit stop, Formal finished the final stint, bringing home a 12-th place result.

 

“The problems at the beginning of the race were very unfortunate,” said Wayne Taylor, Team Principal of WTRAndretti. “We have proven we have the pace and the ability to be competitive. The No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini team did a great job today overcoming tough circumstances.”

 

Next up, the No. 45 DEX Imaging Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 team will head home to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks, a new six-hour endurance event, on September 20-22, 2024.

 

Kyle Marcelli: “We were off to a great start today. I think the whole WTRAndretti team was fired up. We had a good start, moved the car forward. We were running in fourth position and had some quick sectors. I think we were fastest in sector two in the first stint of the race. All was going well. We made a few tweaks to the car overnight and all for the better. I was really enjoying my first stint. I made a pass on a car into Turn 4, but as we were going through Turn 5, he came across my rear bumper and tore the bumper off and damaged the airjack. That put us on the back foot. The car still had pace, but we just couldn’t make pit stops properly. Danny had a really tough first stint; he had to stay on the same set of tires and double stint them. I just feel bad for the group. Today was a day where we saw a glimpse of hope at the start of the race and tough luck took us out. Two more to go, and we’ll continue to give it our best.”

 

Danny Formal: “I’ve been racing for a long time now, and this was by far the most difficult race I’ve had to experience. The team deserved a lot better. We had some crazy speed. Kyle probably did the best stint I’ve seen from him in four years of racing together. That was unbelievable what he was able to do in the first stint; it was just incredible. Our guys did amazing to try to fix the problem in the first pitstop, but we couldn’t fix it, so on a high degradation track, I had to double-stint tires with no rear bumper. I’ve never experienced degradation like that before, and I felt like a champion of drifting. But the car was phenomenal. I’m so proud of this team. They deserve a result, and it just hasn’t come our way. We had some seriously crazy pace. On my final stint, I was able to lap faster than the leader. The pace was there, but unfortunately didn’t happen for us today. We’ll regroup and go back to Indianapolis in a few weeks, and we’ll get the No. 45 WTRAndretti DEX Imaging Huracán GT3 EVO2 the good result it deserves. We all need it.”

 

Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

 

WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.

 

Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.

 

WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Lamborghini Squadra Corse, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.