BHA Shuffles Lineups in Three-Car Hyundai TCR Effort

Photo: Phil Abbott/IMSA

Bryan Herta Autosport has shuffled the driver lineups for its reduced three-car IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge effort, while retaining the two-time and defending TCR class championship-winning driver pairing of Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis.

Hagler and Lewis will continue to drive the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, although the Robert Wickens and Mark Wilkins combo has been split up.

Wickens, who scored two class victories last year in his first season racing since suffering spinal cord injuries, will now co-drive the No. 33 Hyundai with Harry Gottsacker.

Wilkins, meanwhile, will move over to the No. 98 entry with Mason Filippi.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, the pausing of Michael Johnson’s planned program left the team seeking additional drivers and funding for the program, which had at that time, already been reduced from six to three full-season cars.

Additional changes to the BHA lineup includes the promotion of Kyle Compton to technical director, taking the place of the departed David Brown.

Compton started as an intern with BHA in 2016 and has since engineered two championship winning efforts, his first with Ryan Norman and Gabby Chaves in 2020 and again engineering Hagler and Lewis to their first title as co-drivers in 2021.

Since entering its partnership in 2018, BHA and Hyundai have won five series titles, including four consecutive team and driver championships, three consecutive manufacturer’s titles (2020, 2021, 2022) and 19 race wins together in Pilot Challenge.

“We are entering the season as defending champions and our plan is to be consistent and work on some small things that we know we can improve on from 2022,” said Hagler.

“Part of the plan of being consistent is having a lot of key components remain the same like Michael and I behind the wheel and our Engineer, Stefano Galante calling the race.”

Wickens added: “After what was a pretty successful first season back, the goal was to win the championship and we didn’t achieve that.

“For 2023, I am hopeful to build on the foundations we put in, and working alongside Harry, who is a a proven race winner I think we have all the makings o challenge for the championship, and that is definitely the goal.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John