July 14, 2022
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.
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."
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.”
#2 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 10th 1350 pts.
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."
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."
#33 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 2nd Best Finish: 3rd Ranked: 6th 1250 pts.
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."
#54 Universal Coating Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 3rd Best Finish: 1st Ranked: 8th 1220 pts.
Michael Johnson: "I'm very excited to get back racing in Connecticut at Lime Rock! I got my first professional win (2018) here so it is always a special place for me. I've always enjoyed the flow and short lap times. Let's get another win!"
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."
#77 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 7th Ranked: 13th 1020 pts.
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”
#98 Elantra N TCR
2022: Best Start: 1st Best Finish: 1st Ranked: 2nd 1300 pts.
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."
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."
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 four championships in as many seasons, including three consecutive team and driver championships, and two consecutive (2020, 2021) 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 820 dealers sold more than 620,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2020, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.