Lakeville, CT (July 21, 2021) – Taylor Hagler became the first female to win in the TCR category of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) and score her first professional racing victory in the Lime Rock Park 120.
Driving the #77 Hyundai Veloster N TCR, Hagler and co-driver Michael Lewis, a six-time IMSA TCR race winner, took the victory by just .134 seconds over the Alfa Romeo in second place. “It’s been a long time coming. I feel like we worked hard for this. We’ve got the winning combination; the Hyundai Veloster N is an amazing car to drive, my crew executes flawlessly, and my teammate Michael is the co-driver of all co-drivers. I am really happy,” said Hagler.
This is Hagler’s second season competing in IMPC and her first driving the Hyundai Veloster N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA). Hagler and co-driver Lewis have found consistent success racing together. The duo have finished on the podium in five out of six races and have a healthy 250-point championship lead with just four races remaining on the 2021 calendar. “Everyone at BHA and Hyundai wants to congratulate Taylor on her historic first TCR win in the USA,” said Bryan Herta, BHA team principal. “Taylor paired with Michael Lewis is proving to be a formidable combination. As we cheer them towards the championship, we continue to be amazed by their speed and consistency.”
Ryan Norman ran at the front of the field for much of the race in the #98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR before handing over the car to Parker Chase. Chase raced his way back into the podium positions late in the race before a mechanical issue took him out of the race. Parker Chase continues to hold third place in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Driver’s Standings.
With the first half of the 2021 season complete, round seven takes place at the picturesque 4-mile Road America track in Elkhart Lake, WI, on August 7, 2021.
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 three championships in as many seasons, including their dominating performance finishing first, second and third in the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, where Hyundai won its first manufacturers title. For 2021, BHA will debut the all-new Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR and continue with the proven Veloster N TCR with a three-car assault in the IMSA 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 26 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.