Pilot Challenge Takes Battle to Watkins Glen

The competitiveness of the GS class in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge has again led to its unpredictability, with four different winners in as many races this season.

Aaron Telitz had a front-row seat for the most recent outing, nursing a fuel-starved car to victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 9.

He’s hoping to carry that momentum to Saturday’s The Esses 120 at Watkins Glen International in the No. 88 Archangel Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4 that he shares with Todd Coleman.

“We kind of had a rough start to the year, Todd and I did, where at Daytona we had some contact and kind of limped the car home, and then Sebring the whole car catching on fire,” Telitz recalled.

“Then obviously the four-hour at Mid-Ohio, just nailed it. First win of the of the year for Archangel and first win for Todd in GS; first win for myself in GS too!

“We’re just going to look to keep going with that form. We’ll just keep shooting for big results the rest of the year.”

With the depth of the GS field, Telitz knows that won’t be easy. Twenty-five cars are on the class entry list for the Glen, any number of which could take the checkered flag first.

“It’s so competitive,” Telitz said. “It’s four different winners out of four races (to start the season). There’s no one running away with the championship, there’s no one team that looks like they’re the ones that are going to win every weekend or anything like that.

“Sure, the Aston looked really good at Mid-Ohio (sweeping four of the top five finishing positions), but you never know what might happen at The Glen. It’s a different car, a different team, different drivers every weekend that seem to be making an impact in that series because it’s so competitive.”

The No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin and driver Matt Plumb lead the GS standings by virtue of finishing in the top six in all the races thus far without a win.

Six other teams are all within 250 points of the No. 46.

The TCR class still finds Chris Miller, Mikey Taylor and the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS 3 LMS TCR – three-time winners in 2024 – in control, with Mid-Ohio winners Preston Brown, Denis Dupont and the No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR 270 points back.

Fourteen TCR cars are entered at Watkins Glen.

Two practices and qualifying are set for Friday on the 3.4-mile road circuit.

The race, which marks the halfway point of the Pilot Challenge season, streams live (Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA.tv elsewhere) beginning at 12:50 p.m. ET Saturday.