Carbahn Audi GT4 Scores Sebring Win

Tyler McQuarrie and Jeff Westphal earned some redemption after their near-miss at Daytona by scoring a dominant win in Friday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring International Raceway.

McQuarrie qualified their Carbahn Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT4 on the inside of the front row and turned in a solid opening stint.

The Audi GT4 came to life late in the tire run, and the pairing capitalized on that by cycling their way to the front of the field during the pit stop cycle.

Westphal brought the car home seven seconds clear of second place Devin Jones and exorcised the demons of Daytona in the process, where the team led late before having to make a stop for fuel in the waning moments.

It marked Audi’s first win in Pilot Challenge competition with its GT4 contender.

Jones, the ST class champion in the final year for the class last year, was impressive in the final stint, driving his way into podium contention in the final 20 minutes in the No. 82 BimmerWorld Racing BMW M4 GT4 after taking over from James Clay.

Jones passed the ailing Jesse Lazare with six minutes to go to take the second spot, relegating the No. 69 Motorsports In Action McLaren 570S GT4 to the final step on the podium.

Dylan Murry and Kyle Marcelli completed the top five for Riley Motorsports and KohR Motorsports, respectively.

O’Gorman, Blackstock Win Back to Back

Tom O’Gorman and Shelby Blackstock followed up their win at Daytona with a statement-making run at Sebring, earning consecutive wins in the TCR class for LA Honda World Racing.

The pair struggled in practice to find a setup that they found comfortable for their Honda Civic TCR, but a breakthrough late in Practice 2 resulted in a strong qualifying effort that put them fourth in class.

A smooth pit stop and some late fuel saving by O’Gorman helped seal the win.

Pole-sitters Mikey Taylor and Britt Casey Jr. finished seven seconds up the road in second place for JDC-Miller Motorsports, while Ryan Eversley and Chad Gilsinger made it two Hondas on the podium with a third place run for the HART squad.

RESULTS: Alan Jay Automotive Network 120