The #39 Carbahn Motorsports Audi R8 GT4 converted their pole position to a win after Jeff Westphall completed a final lap pass on Trent Hindman in the #7 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage. It was a much-needed win for Westphal and Tyler McQuarrie after they fell victim to a drive-time penalty at Road Atlanta that cost them dearly in the championship fight.
“Typically, the Aston had so much power that it would pull away at the onset of every exit, but he got sideways, so I side-drafted him down the front straight,” Westphal explained. “To be honest, it was a Hail Mary. He made a mistake in the right spot, and I took advantage of it.”
Carbahn’s championship rivals, the #60 Kohr Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage, ended the race in third. That finish does negate some of the gains Carbahn might have made on Kohr Motorsports by winning this race. Kohr came into Laguna Seca with a twenty-point lead in the title fight and they will leave with a fifteen-point lead.
It was clear from qualifying that the #39 Audi and the #60 Aston Martin were going to be the cars to beat. The two qualified over half a second quicker than the rest of the field and had the race played out with no drama, it likely would have come down to one of those two. Like most Michelin Pilot Challenge races, though, there was drama. A hectic first half left multiple different strategies on the table for teams to choose from.
The #7 Aston Martin of Hindman and Alan Brynjolfsson was perhaps the surprise of the day. Brynjolfsson’s stint was excellent as he kept pace with the leaders. While other cars, including the #3 Motorsports in Action McLaren 570s GT4, cycled to the front on alternate strategies, the #7 Aston Martin was able to remain a factor at the fore of the field.
This second-place finish is a remarkable result for the team in just their second race with the Aston Martin after previously running a Porsche 911 Cayman GT4.
Two GS cars did not finish the race, both retired from the race in the first half of the event which was riddled with Full Course Yellows.
The #71 Rebel Rock Racing Camaro GT4 of Robin Liddell and Frank DePew retired from the race following contact with the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR. The #40 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4 retired from the race after the car lost power while under Full Course Yellow.
In TCR, the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Veloster N TCR of Gabby Chaves and Ryan Norman took home the win. The race, however, was defined by a lap one incident that involved three of the Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundais, including the race-winning #33 Hyundai.
Chaves made the race-winning pass on Jon Morley in the Corkscrew.
“I had a close battle for a couple of corners and was able to make the overtake. I was successfully able to defend for about a half a lap. After that, I knew we had the better pace and better tires at that point. We were able to manage the pace and drive away a little bit,” Chaves said.
The pole-sitting #98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and the #21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR, both from the Bryan Herta Autosport stable, were involved in the lap one incident. The #98 Hyundai was eliminated on the spot while the #21 Hyundai was repaired but ended the race thirty-five laps down.
With the #98 Hyundai out of the race early and the #33 Hyundai going on to take the win, Chaves and Norman now lead the championship by four points.
“It looked like there was some chaos at the exit of the Mario Andretti Hairpin,” Michael Lewis, one of the drivers in the #98 Hyundai, said.
“Just for sure bummed, but you’ve got to take it on the chin and just move on. We’ve got one race left. For the driver’s side, it’s definitely a bummer but in terms of the overall manufacture’s championship we’re still fighting hard,” Lewis added.
The #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR of Gavin Ernstone and Jon Morley ended the race in second. The #29 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Veloster N TCR of Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman rounded out the podium.
The #77 LA Honda World Civic TCR of Ryan Eversley and Taylor Hagler ended the race in fourth. More could have been in the cards for the team had it done been for two penalties they picked up in the first half of the race. One for passing under yellow and another, more severe stop and hold for sixty seconds for running through the light at pit exit.
The next and final round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge season is on Nov. 13 from Sebring, Florida. The same weekend as the Sebring 12 Hours.
Pics courtesy and copyright Michelin Racing USA
