It was an all Hyundai podium again this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, with Bryan Herta Autosport earning their second consecutive race win since returning to competition earlier this month. Hyundai now leads the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) Manufacturers championship by five points over Audi.
This time, it was the BHA newcomers who led the way with Gabby Chaves and Ryan Norman scoring their first victory in the #33 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman finishing second in as many starts in the #29 Vertical Bridge Veloster N TCR. Sebring winners Harry Gottsacker and Mark Wilkins completed the podium with their third-place finish and extended their lead in the championship points standings.
Having led each of the first three races in the 2020 IMPC championship, Ryan Norman and Gabby Chaves prevailed to score their first victory at Road America. Ryan Norman took the lead on lap 3, and the duo never looked back. The two-hour race was caution free for the first 116 minutes and the race pace was frantic. Norman, Chaves and the entire #33 BHA crew executed flawlessly to secure the win. They jumped from seventh to second in the championship standings.
Spencer Brockman and Parker Chase made their IMPC TCR debut with BHA just two weeks ago at Sebring. The #29 Vertical Bridge Veloster N TCR was the fastest Hyundai in qualifying on Saturday at Road America, with Rookie Spencer Brockman behind the wheel; he started fourth. Brockman took advantage of the green flag when he charged to the race lead by the second lap. He had an exciting battle with teammate and eventual race winner Ryan Norman for the lead a short time later. Brockman pitted from second and turned the car over to co-driver Parker Chase. Chase defended the position with fast, consistent laps to finish second, scoring their first podium in just their second IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.
2019 Road America race winner Harry Gottsacker survived an early race bump to score his second consecutive podium finish. He charged from ninth to third before turning over the #21 black Veloster N TCR to co-driver Mark Wilkins. Wilkins had trouble free stint and finished third. Harry and Mark now lead the IMPC championship by five points over teammates Chaves and Norman.
Coming off their second-place finish at Sebring, Mason Filippi and Michael Lewis had high hopes for another podium at Road America. It wasn't their day, electrical gremlins prevailed, and their race was cut short. They are tied for third in the championship standings just 10 points out of the lead.
The next round of IMPC competition is set for August 22 at Virginia International Raceway.
2nd: #29 Vertical Bridge Hyundai Veloster N TCR
Drivers: Spencer Brockman and Parker Chase
Qualified: 4th (Brockman) Finished: 2nd
First podium finish in just their second IMPC start.
Spencer Brockman: “It was an awesome weekend overall for the #29 Vertical Bridge Hyundai Veloster and the Bryan Herta Autosport squad. It feels great to get our first IMSA podium so soon and I can't thank everyone enough here at Bryan Herta Autosport and at Hyundai. I'm really looking forward to VIR!"
Parker Chase: “It was a really great for Spencer and I. Finishing on the podium in just our second race with the BHA in the Vertical Bridge/Hyundai Veloster N TCR car is a great accomplishment. After a tough race at Sebring, it felt great to rebound and show our potential. I'm really happy with the hard work the BHA crew put in to this effort, they gave us a phenomenal race car."
Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian:
Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a 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 Rally Cross, 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 Pirelli World Challenge in partnership with Hyundai and dominated the TCR class, winning seven races with drivers #98 Michael Lewis and #99 Mark Wilkins in the Hyundai i30N TCR, securing the team and manufacturers championships in the process. In 2019, BHA and Hyundai moved to the IMSA Michelin Sports Car Challenge, and the transition was flawless. BHA swept the series driver and team championships with driver Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis finishing first in the #98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and young guns Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi finishing second in the #21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR. For 2020, BHA continues its successful partnership with Andretti Autosport fielding the #98 U.S. Concrete Honda w/ Curb Agajanian in the IndyCar series for driver Marco Andretti and a four-car Hyundai Veloster N TCR campaign in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Michael Lewis and Mason Fillipi (#98), Mark Wilkins and Harry Gottsacker (#21), Gabby Chaves and Ryan Norman (#33) and Parker Chase and Spencer Brockman (#29). Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and parts support representative of Hyundai TCR race cars for customer teams. For more information, visit www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.
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