The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series is usually a support series for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but the series gets top billing for the round at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The Michelin Challenge race at Mid-Ohio is also one of only two four-hour races on the series schedule, along with the opening round at Daytona. BMW has traditionally done well at Mid-Ohio and they did this year as well, though they fell short of the win.
Qualifying at Mid-Ohio went well for BMW, with Jeff Westphal getting the pole in the #39 Carbahn with Peregrine Racing M4 GT4 EVO. The #27 Auto Technic Racing M4 GT4 EVO driven by Stevan McAleer was right behind Westphal in second, and Turner Motorsport driver Dillon Machavern was in sixth in the #95 Turner Motorsport M4 GT4 EVO (shown in top photo). Overall, there were seven M4 GT4 EVO entries in the GS class at Mid-Ohio.
Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister finished third in the #39 Carbahn with Peregrine Racing BMW after starting from pole.
There was beautiful weather for the Sunday race day, after wet and stormy weather had worked its way through the area over the previous few days. The race start was interrupted by an accident before the end of the first lap that brought out a caution, but over the course of the four hours there were only three cautions, so the race became as much about outright pace as strategy. After the first 54 minutes and before pit stops, the #39 was running in first, the #27 was in second, and Machavern has worked his way up to fourth in the #95 car.
After the first pit stops, the #27 Auto Technic Racing car came out ahead of the #39, with Auto Technic driver Austin Krainz doing a good job of holding off Mercedes-AMG driver Daan Arrow in the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG before eventually relinquishing the lead. The #57 Mercedes-AMG came into the weekend second in points behind the #95 Turner Motorsport duo of Machavern and Luca Mars and was on pace for a strong finish but fell back significantly when the car suffered alternator issues during the race.
Steven McAleer and Austin Krainz finished a solid fourth to move into third in the championship.
It seemed like victory would come down to one of the three BMWs that were running at the front all day, but the Ibiza Farm Motorsport #44 McLaren had a great pit stop to get out ahead of the BMWs, and their pro driver Michael Cooper held the lead for the rest of the race, with a final pit stop also faster than the BMWs. None of the BMWs had the pace to catch the McLaren, but they had a good battle among themselves, with Jeff Westphal in the #39 BMW putting pressure on Luca Mar in the #95 car for second place.
The top cars were brought closer together with a third caution with 39 minutes left, but the #44 McLaren stayed in front for the win followed by the #95, #39 and #27 BMWs. “We didn’t have the qualifying we were looking for, but the Turner Motorsport guys always put a great car on track,” said Machavern. “The first stints were super fun. We struggled a little bit with front traction in the heat of the day, but we made a really good adjustment, and the car was great. We were just thinking about conserving the car and maximizing points, and that’s exactly what we did. The crew did an awesome job in pit lane, and Luca had a stellar stint keeping the other BMW behind.”
Bill Auberlen and Samantha Tan finished in the top ten in seventh.
Bill Auberlen and Samantha Tan also had a good day in the #38 ST Racing by Random Vandals M4 GT4 EVO. They were the only other BMW in the top ten in seventh, after starting the race in nineteenth.
The second-place finish by the Turner duo of Machavern and Mars allowed them to retain the driver points lead after four rounds, with the McLaren duo of Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky now behind them in second. The Auto Technic Racing duo of Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz are now third in driver points, and BMW is leading the manufacturer points. The next round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge series will be at Watkins Glen in New York on June 27th, as a support race for the Six Hours of The Glen WeatherTech championship race.
BMW drivers Luca Mars (far left), Dillon Machavern (next to Mars), Jeff Westphal (far right) and Sean McAlister (next to Westphal) celebrate on the podium with the winning McLaren drivers.
—David Haueter
[Photos courtesy IMSA / Lumen Digital Agency]
