Michelin Pilot Challenge Will Have Eight M4 GT4 EVOs in 2026

The entry for the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series is becoming clearer. We now have the official entry list for next weekend’s Daytona test, before the season opening race at Daytona on January 23rd. There are eight BMW M4 GT4 EVO entries in the GS class from six different teams, which is two more than last year.

Turner Motorsport is the winningest team in Michelin Pilot Challenge and will be back with two entries for 2026, and all four drivers are previous champions in the GS class. Robby Foley and Vin Barletta will reunite in the #96 Turner Motorsport M4 GT4 EVO, after winning the championship together in 2023. “I’m really excited to be back racing in GS with Vin,” said Foley. “I’m really passionate about this series, and we’ve had a lot of success in the past, so I’m hoping to pick up where we left off in 2023.”

Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars will be teaming up in the #95 M4 GT4 EVO. Machavern has been with Turner since 2018 and won the series championship in 2017 in a Porsche. Mars is new to Turner and to BMW, but not new to the series; he won the championship with Jan Heylen in an RS1 Porsche last season. Both drivers have a lot of experience in GT3 cars as well as GT4. “I’m really looking forward to joining Turner Motorsport,” said Mars. “They’ve been around for a while and have had success with the BMW so I’m looking forward to getting in the car at Daytona. The goal is obviously to win another championship, but also just being with the team and learning the car.”

The CarBahn with Peregrine Racing team led by BMW stalwart Steve Dinan will also return with two full season entries. Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister were the most successful duo in a BMW in the series last year and will be back together in the #39 M4 GT4 EVO. Pairing up in the #37 car will be Steve Wetterau and Cameron Shields.

Auto Technic Racing will also be back in Michelin Pilot Challenge with the duo of Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz, who proved to be capable of running at the front in 2025 with five top five finishes, including two podiums. “Last year was our first full season in Michelin Pilot Challenge and we exceeded our expectations,” said team co-owner Rob Driscoll. “We’re looking forward to returning this year for even better results.” Auto Technic Racing is also one of the top BMW teams in the SRO GT4 America series and will return to that series with two entries in 2026.

As previously announced here, Random Vandals Racing will expand into Michelin Pilot Challenge after winning two championships in SRO GT4 America last season with the M4 GT4 EVO. BMW legend Bill Auberlen will team up with Samantha Tan in the #38 ST Racing by Random Vandals entry, and Robert Megennis and Nicky Hays will drive the #92 Random Vandals Racing entry. Megennis has previous BMW experience in the series, having driven for Turner Motorsport in 2023-2024.

Another BMW entry to watch in the series is the #66 Thunder Bunny Racing car of Allen Patten and Trenton Estep. Patten proved to be very quick in the M4 GT4 EVO for the team last year in SRO GT4 America competition after switching over from a Toyota Supra earlier in the season, and Estep has been very competitive in the Porsche Carrera Cup series.

Overall, there are 34 entries from seven different manufacturers signed up for the Daytona test, which is up from 27 entries in 2025. Daytona testing begins on Friday January 16th.

The Daytona test weekend will also host the first two races in the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge series, which is a one-driver sprint series. That series is off to a rough start in 2026, as there are no entries in the GTDX class for GT3-spec cars, which had a few BMWs racing in the class in 2025. There are 11 entries in the GT4-spec GSX class, including the #26 Auto Technic Racing BMW of Tiger Tari.

Lead photo by David Haueter