Title Contenders Emerging as Pilot Challenge Heads to Watkins

IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge reaches the halfway point of the season with this weekend’s LP Building Solutions 120 from Watkins Glen International, Round five of the ten-race championship and a 44-car entry list that features 30 GS and 14 TCR entries. The most recent round, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, revealed who may be title contenders with some significant shakeups.

With four top-four finishes in GS to start the year, Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars are well-positioned with a 200-point lead. The pair of past GS champions now sharing the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO have parlayed a mix of great strategy and pace thus far.

Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky in the No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 have balanced a pair of wins with a pair of ninth or worse finishes. They’re tied for second with the consistent duo of Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz, who have four top-six finishes in as many races in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

An alternator belt issue took Bryce Ward and Daan Arrow from second leaving Monterey, 30 points behind down to fifth, 280 back. Arrow will fall out of the title battle in Watkins Glen with a schedule conflict; Winward Racing taps its two-time defending WeatherTech Championship GTD champion Philip Ellis to race alongside Ward in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 this weekend.

On the flip side of how fast things can change, a pole-turned-podium brought Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister in their No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO up from 30th leaving Monterey to 14th leaving Mid-Ohio.

The TCR battle once again features the single No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR against the armada of Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCRs. Just 110 points separate the top five in the championship, with the No. 93 Honda in amidst the Nos. 18, 33, 76 and 98 BHA Hyundais.

Bryson Morris and Mason Filippi had a relative “off” day at Mid-Ohio, finishing eighth in the No. 33 Hyundai, which saw their lead drop from 110 points to 20 as teammates Denis Dupont and Preston Brown were second in the No. 76 Hyundai.

Karl Wittmer’s last-lap pass of Dupont positioned the No. 93 Honda fourth in the championship, just 100 off leaders Morris and Filippi in the No. 33 car. They entered Mid-Ohio seventh, 220 points in arrears.

Wittmer and co-driver LP Montour are heading into the stretch of venues where their 2025 title charge took hold, as they won back-to-back at Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Audi will try to get on the board this weekend with either the Baker Racing or Gou Racing w/Stallion RS 3 LMS TCRs. An Audi win would complete the set of all 18 participating OEMs winning at least one IMSA-sanctioned race this year by the end of June.

Pilot Challenge teams have two one-hour practice sessions, one apiece Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, before qualifying Friday afternoon.

The LP Building Solutions 120 takes place at 1:05 p.m. EST on Saturday, streaming live flag-to-flag on Peacock and ad-free courtesy of Michelin via IMSA’s YouTube channel.