Three-Way Fights for GS, TCR Titles Entering Finale

It could not have been scripted any better if the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season had been written. Championships in both classes feature three-way battles for the crown heading into the season finale, the Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday.

Here’s the lowdown on the competitors bidding for each class title:

GS Class: The No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 with co-drivers Robby Foley and Vin Barletta is 60 points ahead of the No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R with drivers Robin Liddell and Frank DePew. The No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 shared by Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak is just 70 points out of first.

TCR Class: The No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR (co-drivers Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker) is 20 points up on the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3 LMS TCR (co-drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor), with the No. 98 BHA Hyundai (co-drivers Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi) 130 points behind their teammates.

Turner, Rebel Rock, Murillo Vying for GS Honors

There are 25 GS cars entered this week, meaning a potential 290-point difference between finishing first and last in the race. It also means any of the three contenders could capture the championship without even finishing on the podium, depending on where the others finish.

Foley, Barletta and the No. 96 BMW won twice early in the season and have remained in contention with three straight top-five finishes heading to Michelin Raceway.

“Our approach for the race will be pretty simple,” Foley said. “We’ll treat it like any other with a bit more emphasis on watching the (Nos.) 71 and 72 cars. I think it’s also very important to minimize silly risks and think of the big picture. We’ve certainly given away a position or two in the last few races to protect the car and make sure we’re there with a shot heading into Petit.”

Since what was thought to be a disastrous 32nd-place finish in the season opener at Daytona, the No. 71 Rebel Rock Camaro has been on a tear of late. Liddell and DePew have placed second, first, first and fourth in the past four races to claw their way back into the title picture.

“It’s business as usual for Rebel Rock,” Liddell said. “We race to win, or at any rate to maximize our performance, and what will be will be.”

Added DePew, “I’m excited about the race and the possibility before us, and of course if we were to win the championship it would be a fairytale, but it’s absolutely not on my radar as we approach the race weekend. … It would be quite wrong for us to give it any consideration at any point until we are merely a few laps from the finish.”

The No. 72 Murillo Mercedes was the early frontrunner in GS but Murillo and Szymczak have struggled to close out in recent races. It’s led to a change in philosophy for this week.

“We need to change our approach to the weekend to something more aggressive,” Murillo said. “Our more passive approach hasn’t worked for us as our competitors have seriously upped their game. This championship means everything to the Murillo Racing team, as this has been a long time coming. It’s our turn to win this year, and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure we come out with that championship trophy.”

The GS manufacturer championship is a two-horse battle, with Mercedes-AMG holding a 40-point edge over BMW.

Two Bryan Herta Hyundais, Unitronic/JDC-Miller Audi Battling in TCR

The No. 33 BHA Hyundai leads the class despite Gottsacker and Wickens not winning yet this season. Their strength has been consistency, with five straight podiums leading into this week and no finish this season lower than sixth place. They are seeking to deliver the Herta team its fifth straight driver and team championships.

For the No. 33 to secure the title, the simplest path is to finish ahead of the No. 17 and no worse than eighth overall in TCR.

“I’m approaching the race in that we need to win the race,” Gottsacker said. “If we win the race, the championship is taken care of for us. It’s been great being at BHA and Hyundai as manufacturer champions, but we want this championship for our No. 33 bunch. We’ve been working really hard for this for a long time and I’m excited to see where we are at after two hours (of racing) on Friday in Atlanta.”

Miller, Taylor and the No. 17 Unitronic Audi have a straightforward mission to capture the championship: finish ahead of the No. 33 in the race and no worse than sixth to eliminate the No. 98. A win by the No. 17 secures the title, as does a second-place finish as long as the No. 33 is behind it. If the No. 17 places third or lower, it must finish at least two positions ahead of the No. 33.

“We started the season with an entirely new platform for us with the second-generation Audi RS 3 LMS and it took us a few races to get a handle on it,” Miller said. “By the time we were really competitive, we had a pretty big points deficit to our championship rivals so we really started to have a more aggressive must-win mindset around the middle of the season.

“Bryan Herta Autosport is a great team and they have great drivers, so we know we can’t expect them to make a mistake in Atlanta. But we know that if we win the race, there’s nothing they can do, so really we will just keep the same mindset that has helped us to have such a successful second half of the season.”

For Filippi, Wilkins and the No. 98 Hyundai, it’s pretty clear cut. They must win and have the other two contenders finish ninth or lower in the 13-car TCR field.

“The strategy going into the final race for Mark and I is to keep executing like we have all year,” said Filippi. “We are going to go for a win and push hard to win the championship. We are not too far out of it and anything can happen. We will focus on the manufacturers’ championship for Hyundai and push hard for our drivers’ championship.”

Hyundai is chasing its fourth consecutive manufacturer championship but trails Audi by 40 points heading into the race.