ST Racing is pleased to announce that GT4 America championship leader John Capestro-Dubets will join Samantha Tan and BMW works driver Neil Verhagen aboard the #38 BMW M4 GT3 for the 2024 Indianapolis 8 Hours.

 

The Canadian team will take on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s annual eight-hour endurance race for a third time in 2024 as it looks to secure GT World Challenge America PRO/AM Team and Drivers championships at the series’ season finale on 4-6 October. While Samantha and Neil will be making their third and second appearances respectively at the Indianapolis 8 Hours, ST Racing newcomer John Capestro-Dubets (‘JCD’) will do so for the first time, marking his first competitive outing in the GT3 ranks.

 

Samantha Tan, team co-owner / driver (#38): “We're super excited to have JCD joining our lineup for the Indy 8 Hour! As the Silver class championship leader in the GT4 America series, we know John is a strong driver and we're confident that we'll be able to fight hard for the win at the Brickyard. Can't wait to close out the season together!”

 

Jon Miller, team manager: “I’ve known and raced against JCD for many years, and we’re thrilled to finally have him racing in one of our cars at STR. His competitiveness in anything that he drives, his deep experience and understanding of the job we’ve asked him to do give us tons of confidence that he’s the best guy to have in the seat. He will be the perfect addition to our lineup to help us fight for a top result at Indy, where we aim to close out what has been our strongest season to date. We tested with him recently to give him a chance to learn the ins and outs of the BMW GT3 and he exceeded all expectations. We can’t wait to get back to work with him again soon at Indy.”

 

John Capestro-Dubets, driver (#38): “The level of excitement for this opportunity is through the roof. I want to first thank STR and Las Barrancas Golf Course for making this opportunity a reality. GT3 has been my goal since I debuted back in the former Grand-Am series fifteen years ago. In 2014 was the closest I’ve ever been to racing in GT3 and unfortunately I never got a chance to take the green flag. A lot has changed since then, the cars now have ABS, TC, paddle behind the steering wheels and this crazy thing called AC! I’m here for it. The best part about this opportunity is the people I’m getting to do it with, to join an absolutely stellar driver line up with Neil and Sam is an honor. They’ve built an amazing team over here at STR and I’m a huge fan of all their successes this season. Looking to bring that winning mentality into the Indy 8!”

 

A champion in the hotly-contested Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America in 2022, ‘JCD’ made his sports car racing debut in 2011 driving a BMW in the Continental Sports Car Challenge, JCD took two podium finishes before going on to help BMW secure the series’ Manufacturers’ Championship the following year.

 

After runs in both TC America and the Michelin Pilot Challenge, JCD made his Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America debut in 2022, taking seven wins and 10 further podiums to secure PRO/AM championship honors first time out. Now an established GT4 America frontrunner, JCD has taken four wins in the GT4 America Series so far in 2024, and currently leads the Silver-class championship standings.

 

JCD is the latest American up-and-comer to make his transition to GT3 racing with Samantha Tan Racing. The native Californian follows in the footsteps of Varun Choksey, who made his own GT3 debut with ST Racing earlier this year at Sonoma and will also contest the Indianapolis 8 Hours for the first time in the team’s sister #28 BMW M4 GT3. Varun continues his fight for the GTWC America PRO championship alongside BMW M Motorsport legend Bill Auberlen. ST Racing will announce the third driver for the #28 car at Indianapolis in the coming weeks.

 

ST Racing meanwhile made its first Indianapolis 8 Hours appearance in 2022, impressing with Silver class victory on its event debut. Having fought back to 6th in-class last year, the team will be looking to secure its second class win at the Indianapolis 8 Hours and extend its run of GTWC America podium finishes in 2024 on 4-6 October.

 

Caledon, Ontario - AWA is pleased to confirm their entry in next year’s 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, fielding the #13 Orlando Corporation Corvette Z06 GT3.R in the GTD class. Toronto native Orey Fidani and British Pro driver Matt Bell will be resuming their roles as full-season teammates, once again accompanied by Lars Kern for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. 

 

This will serve as the Canadian team’s second consecutive season competing as a part of the Team Corvette customer racing program, and they are greatly enthusiastic about the continuation of this relationship. Looking ahead, AWA is striving for more success on track by utilizing all the knowledge and experience gained over the course of the current season. Furthermore, this serves as a testament to AWA’s ongoing commitment to the championship as a whole.

“I’m very excited to be returning to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with AWA,” said Orey Fidani. “I have been with this team since 2019, and I have grown so much with them as a driver over the years. I’m looking forward to another season in the GTD class with the Corvette. This year has been so important for us and we’ve learned a lot about the car throughout each round, with the help of GM and Chevrolet. We’re getting more and more competitive as we continue to progress, and I’m confident that 2025 will be even better.” 

 

“I’m really happy to be back with Orey, Lars and AWA next season,” added Matt Bell. “The 2024 season has been a challenging one, but the way this group of people have come together and responded to the learning curve has been fantastic. I’ve been proud to be a part of it and the results are starting to show on track. Team Chevy and Pratt Miller have been great to work with and they have helped us enormously. I can't wait to go into this next season with AWA and the Corvette.”

 

“We are still focused on finishing out this current season on a good note before we go Rolex hunting in January,” he continued. “We are making a big push for the Bob Akin Award, which would allow us to make a special trip to France in the middle of next year's IMSA season!” 

 

“I’m delighted to be continuing this amazing journey with AWA, Orey, and Matt,” echoed German driver Lars Kern. “We still have unfinished business in this current championship. For me, consistency plays a big role in achieving success, and I believe we are taking the right steps by keeping all the key factors. It will be our fourth year as a group and I can't wait for the next season to start. With one year under our belt with the new Corvette, we feel well prepared. Throughout the course of each round, the team has developed to a leading GT team, and working with GM and Pratt Miller has been an absolute pleasure. Before shifting our focus to what’s ahead, I want to finish this season on a high. Bring on Indy and Petit!” 

 

“It means a great deal to everyone at AWA to be returning to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for another season,” stated Team Owner Andrew Wojteczko. “It’s a privilege to be competing in such a high caliber series in an incredibly competitive GTD field. Orey, Matt, and Lars are a great teammate pairing and work extremely well together, so we’re thrilled to be keeping the same lineup and focusing on our overall progression. We have big goals we are looking to achieve, and we greatly appreciate our relationship with Team Chevy as we continue to move forward together.”  

 

“We are excited to have AWA continue with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R for the 2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R Program Manager. “By having the Corvette GT3 car for a second year, I’m confident that the learnings the team has gained this season will be advantageous for Orey, Matt and Lars, and will help them  be even more competitive next year.” 

 

The fourth driver that will be joining the team for the opening round of the season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be announced at a later date. 

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

 

7/7: BHA has had at least one car finish on the podium in each of the seven races this season, helping Hyundai jump to the lead in the manufacturer's standings. The BHA Hyundais hold four of the top five positions in the series points standings.

 

Twists and Turns Lead to Success: Only Sebring International Raceway has as many turns, 17, as VIR and the twist and turns are a solid match for the BHA Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars. BHA has had more success at VIR than any other track, with at least one car finishing on the podium in each attempt since entering IMSA in 2019. Taylor Hagler and Mason Filippi both have a win at VIR, while Mason and Harry Gottsacker lead the pack with four podium finishes each.

 

#98: Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi had their best overall results of the season at Road America. Filippi qualified second and the pair finished second, strengthening their points position. They sit 70 points outside of the top three.

 

Love Is In The Air: It's been a busy two weeks personally for Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker. Mason Filippi is married! Surrounded by teammates, family and friends, Mason married Morgan Hidde in Statesville, North Carolina on August 10. Mark Wilkins served as his Best Man. Harry Gottsacker proposed to his longtime girlfriend Andrea after the race at Road America. She said "yes!"

 

Lightening in the Throttle: The final episode of "Lightening in the Throttle," chronicles BHA and Hyundai's journey to the 102 Running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with the IONIQ 5 N. Titled "Race Day" the episode was released yesterday. Watch here: https://youtu.be/y1krCIsHt8A?si=40vy02r7Yj3y5HaF

 

$18,600k So Far: Hyundai Hope On Wheels has pledged to donate $100 for every lap a Hyundai Elantra N TCR leads during every race of the 2024 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Levine Children's Hospital will receive the donation based on laps led this weekend at VIR. 2024 Season Tally: 186 Laps =$18,0600 (Daytona: 12, Sebring: 21, Laguna Seca 23, Mid-Ohio 44, Watkins Glen 22, CTMP 35 and 29 at Road America).

 

2024 Best Start:1st (Daytona, Sebring, CTMP) 2024 Best Finish: 1st (CTMP)

2024 Rank: 3rd (1980pts)

 

Harry Gottsacker: “VIR is a great track, and we are looking to bounce back from disappointment in Road America. We are all hungry to get back to victory lane before the end of the season and keep fighting for the championship. The Elantra N TCR loves the high-speed stuff, so we have had our eyes on this race all season!”

 

Robert Wickens: "Ready to get back to work! VIR is always a fun challenge! It is a very technical track and the weather always brings an added challenge with the heat and humidity. We are starting the final stretch of the 2024 season and 3 more podiums is the goal at a minimum." 

 

2024 Best Start: 6th (Road America) 2024 Best Finish: 1st (Mid-Ohio)

2024 Rank: 2nd (1990pts)

 

Denis Dupont: "We'll do our maximum to regain the strong momentum we have had this summer. It’s Preston's home track and favorite place on earth so that should give us some help!" 

 

Preston Brown: "VIR is my home track and it looks like it's shaping up to be a great weekend conditions-wise. I can't wait to get in our Hyundai and close the gap to the JDC Audi in the IMPC championship."

 

2024 Best Start: 4th (Sebring) 2024 Best Finish: 4th (CTMP)

2024 Rank: 7th (1690pts)

 

Taylor Hagler:“Hard to believe we are headed to VIR already and to the final three races of the year. VIR is where I scored my first IMSA race win and holds a special place in my career. Bryson (Morris) and I have had good outings at the previous races, and we know that we have what it takes for a podium result. We will put our heads down and execute as we need to in order to fight for a spot on the podium again at VIR this weekend.”

 

Bryson Morris: "I am ready to go for VIR! Taylor and I showed great pace fighting for a win at Road America, so we see no reason why we can't do the same in Virginia at this event. We've shown good progress so far this year and a podium is on the horizon for us."

 

2024 Best Start: 2nd (Road America) 2024 Best Finish: 2nd (Road America)

2024 Rank: 4th (1910)

 

Mason Filippi: "Coming off of a strong result at Road America, Mark and I are looking forward to continuing the momentum. VIR is one of our favorite tracks and usually brings good challenges to us. Looking forward to pushing our Elantra N TCR machine to the limit!" 

 

Mark Wilkins:  “After a great Road America race we’re ready to carry the momentum forward to VIR this weekend. We had a really strong car there last year and I think it’s one of our strongest tracks of the season. We’re still chasing that first win of the season so we’ll be pushing hard to achieve that while working to extend Hyundai’s lead in the manufacturers championship. Mason did a great job bringing home a podium for us last year so he’ll bring the car to the checkered flag for us this weekend. I’m looking forward to qualifying duties and having some fun in the first stint. Let’s lead more laps for HHOW and bring home some hardware.” 

 

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.

 

A resilient weekend for Samantha Tan Racing at Road America ensured the team completed round five of this year’s GT World Challenge America still leading the PRO/AM Team and Driver standings.

 

Buoyed by its recent run of form at Elkhart Lake, which includes two wins and three further podium finishes on its two most recent outings in Wisconsin, ST Racing made a strong start to the GTWC America weekend with both cars qualifying for the opening 90-minute race of the weekend inside the top two of their respective classes. In a particularly impressive showing, ST Racing’s #28 BMW M4 GT3 started race one from the overall front row after topping the weekend’s first official practice session.

 

Fluctuating conditions and an on-track contact from another competitor however meant the Canadian team was unable to fully benefit from both the early pace of its BMWs. Despite the frustration though, two points-paying finishes for both cars at Road America means ST Racing continues to lead the PRO/AM standings by 43 points, and is still well in the fight for PRO class honors heading into the two final GTWC America rounds of 2024.

 

Samantha Tan, co-owner/driver: “Road America was an emotional rollercoaster and far more dramatic than our other race weekends this season… The unpredictable and constantly changing weather conditions made it increasingly difficult to find a good setup for the car. In Race 1, we unfortunately made the call to start on wet tires shortly after a downpour, but the track dried in mere minutes after we had set off on our warm up lap. We pushed hard till the checkered to make up for lost time after our extra pit stop for slicks. Our podium streak ended when we crossed the line P5 in class. Race 2 was our redemption race, with Neil starting P6 overall. After two strong stints and quick pit stop, I finished the race P4 overall, P2 in class. This kept us with a good lead in the championship points, but we will have to ensure we maintain focus in the last rounds and keep pushing as we near the end of the season.”

 

 

A strong start for BMW Motorsport legend Bill Auberlen sadly came to naught when an overambitious move from a rival behind led to minor contact at turn three. A bold decision to start the race on wet tires also backfired, as the rain that was predicted failed to materialize and the damp track dried out faster than expected.

 

Alongside a confusing and misguided drive-through penalty for the turn three incident, the #28 lost further time later on when a fueling issue brought the car back onto pit road. Consistent pace from both Bill and teammate Varun Choksey however meant the #28 nevertheless came home 4th in the PRO class.

 

In the sister car, a strong start by Samantha Tan meant the #38 BMW retained 6th overall at the start. Also compelled to pit early to change to dry tires before the mandatory pit window opened, the #38 recovered to finish race one 5th in the PRO/AM class, though a typically tenacious drive from BMW works driver Neil Verhagen.

 

Tellingly, race one at Road America marked the first time that ST Racing’s #38 BMW has finished off the PRO/AM podium in GT World Challenge America competition this season.

 

Better track conditions on Sunday proved crucial to salvaging ST Racing’s Road America weekend. Keen to remedy the team’s difficulties the previous day, Neil (#38) and Varun (#28) ran a consistent pace across the opening half of the race, maintaining 3rd and 4th in-class respectively before making their mandatory mid-race pit stops.

 

Rapid pit work by ST Racing’s mechanics meant the #28, now with Bill onboard, moved into the overall top 10 on-track, while the #38 (Samantha) rejoined the race in 4th. In a nod to her increasingly reliable race craft, a mature drive by Samantha was enough to secure 4th overall on the road and 2nd on the PRO/AM podium.

 

ST Racing’s championship hopes were further aided when a puncture dropped its closest title rival, Turner Motorsports, to the back of the field, one lap down.

 

Auberlen meanwhile completed a robust charge through the field to finish 6th overall and 4th in-class, as one of the fastest cars on track in the final stint. The #28 picked up the hard charger award by gaining 6 positions throughout the race.

 

Neil Verhagen, driver (#38): “Road America was a weekend full of ups and downs. The ever-changing weather made it tough to get a solid read on the track during each session. Unfortunately, in Race 1, our podium streak came to an end with a 5th place finish. However, we bounced back in Race 2, securing 2nd place on the podium—a crucial result for our championship fight. I’m excited to head to Barber Motorsports Park, which will be a new challenge for both myself and the team. Thanks again to everyone for the incredible support throughout the weekend!”

 

Bill Auberlen, driver (#28): “After the end of a challenging weekend at Road America I sit in my airplane seat headed home full of all the weekends emotions. All the highs, the lows and everything in between. We were P1 at times and last at times. It’s so easy to focus on choices and things that didn’t go your way, but honestly after this weekend I’m going to focus on all the amazing things. I mean seriously I’m driving the best race cars in the world for the best company in the world. I get to spend the better part of a week with my awesome team and teammates, engineers, guys, girls, friends and fans. Let’s keep things in perspective, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world and I never allow myself to forget that. 

 

Now I head home to my family which is always great. For the next couple of weeks I’ll train hard physically, reflect on anything than could have been improved and put that in my racing library. Meditate a bit and try to visualize how to get that next victory at Barber. I would like to thank BMW for building such amazing cars, my teammate Varun for bringing it every single weekend, my STR team for working so crazy hard, and to all our sponsors and supporters for letting us do what we do. Now let’s all meet up in Alabama together and celebrate the podium to come together. Makes it way more satisfying!!! See you all there.”

 

Samantha Tan Racing’s GT World Challenge America program continues in just a couple of weeks time in Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park on 6-7-8 September. The season finale – the Indianapolis 8 Hours – will take place on 4-5-6 October at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

Alongside its North American campaign, ST Racing is also set to make a one-off return to the 24H SERIES on 13-14-15 September as part of the 25th edition of the 24H BARCELONA at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.