CarBahn’s Westphal, McAlister Lead BMW 1-2 Finish at CTMP

Jeff Westphal was in one of those situations where he and CarBahn with Peregrine racing didn’t know whether the leading No. 39 BMW M4 GT4 EVO could make it to the finish of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge’s Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 without stopping for a splash of fuel.

Sean McAlister had put Westphal and the CarBahn car in that enviable position by driving a strong 58-minute first stint and stretching his fuel a lap longer than the Motul Pole Award-winning No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4 of Nate Cicero that led from the start.

The fuel question was rendered moot when a multi-car accident on CTMP’s Andretti Straight caused a 22-minute caution. Then Westphal’s two closest challengers took themselves out of contention when they tangled with a lapped car.

Westphal was in control over the final 20 minutes of the two-hour race and crossed the line for the overall and GS class win with a 5.603-second margin over the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW shared by Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz.

Gregory Liefooghe and Sean Quinlan took third place in the No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 fielded by Stephen Cameron Racing.

Westphal’s sixth career victory in Pilot Challenge competition, and second of the season, didn’t come without drama.

The four-car wreck triggered by a pair of TCR class competitors unfolded right as he was preparing to put the group of cars a lap down.

McAlister’s first Pilot Challenge victory came earlier this year with Westphal in the No. 39 BMW at the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring in March.

The second-place finish was a bonus for veteran sports car campaigner McAleer. The No. 27 BMW gained two places in the closing stages when race officials assessed incident responsibility to the No. 57 car for contact that delayed Liefooghe in the No. 19 Ford.

It was the first podium finish this season in Pilot Challenge competition for both McAleer’s teammate Krainz and Stephen Cameron Racing.

Vincent Barletta and Robby Foley charged from 15th place to fourth in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW, making it a 1-2-4 finish for the German marque, while Motul Pole Award winner Cicero and teammate Jenson Altzman rounded out the top-five in the No. 13 Ford.

GS class points leaders Jan Heylen and Luca Mars finished ninth in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport and unofficially still hold a comfortable 260-point lead in the standings.

Westphal and McAlister’s win moved them past Altzman into second place.

Happy Honda Homecoming for MMG at CTMP

The Montreal Motorsports Group roll continued into both its team and both drivers’ home country of Canada.

Karl Wittmer (of Saint-Lazare, Canada) and LP Montour (of Blainville) won their second straight TCR class race in the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR in a battle among their countrymen. It’s Wittmer’s fifth and Montour’s second career series wins.

Montour got to the lead on Lap 5 past the pole-sitting No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Bryson Morris, although that lead was short-lived when Sam Baker got past Montour for the top spot four laps later in his No. 52 Baker Racing Audi RS 3 LMS TCR.

The Honda pitted earlier than the Audi and it appeared as though that would play to the Audi’s advantage once the first scheduled stop was complete.

However, a drive-through penalty for a pit lane speeding violation briefly delayed the No. 52 Baker entry once James Vance took the wheel and began to catch up to the leaders.

The class’ race complexion changed with 40 minutes remaining as contact occurred between Vance in the No. 52 Audi and Mark Wilkins in the No. 33 Hyundai on the back straight at Turn 7.

The resulting contact also eliminated two GS class cars, the No. 95 and 71 entries, and produced a caution flag period of more than 20 minutes.

With two of the top challengers to the MMG Honda now out of play, Wittmer was able to bring his car home to the win by 2.149 seconds.

Montour succinctly summarized the hometown happy Honda day.

Tyler Gonzalez and Eric Powell finished second in their No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team Hyundai, their second podium finish in a row.

Returning to the podium for the first time since the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway was Ryan Eversley and Celso Neto, the 2025-26 IMSA 3D Scholarship recipient, in their No. 7 Audi.

Dupont and Brown entered the weekend 30 points behind teammate Harry Gottsacker in the No. 98 Hyundai, but late-race issues for Gottsacker’s co-driver Mason Filippi dropped their car down to eighth in class, unofficially creating a tie atop the TCR championship points standings.

RESULTS: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120