Fountain Valley, California – Hyundai extended its Manufacturers’ Championship lead in the 2024 IMPC series as the automaker secured a sixth double-podium finish of the season. Hyundai entries occupied three of the top four places as the No. 33 cars battled from the back of the field to secure podium results.

 

Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker fought from the back of the TCR field after a penalty negated their second place in qualifying. Despite the setback, Wickens found blistering pace, expertly maneuvering the No. 33 car through the field. After the driver change, Gottsacker moved into podium contention as he battled with teammate Mason Filippi in the No. 98 car for the final podium position, eventually securing a third-place finish. This impressive drive improved the No. 33 car’s championship standings, with the driver duo moving into second place in the 2024 IMPC Drivers’ Championship.

 

Mark Wilkins started in second place and held onto the position for the opening stages of the race, matching the pace of teammate and pole sitter Bryson Morris in the No. 77 car. However, during a pit stop under a caution period, traffic caused Mason Filippi to enter the race further down the field. After cutting through traffic, Filippi battled with Gottsacker and Gonzalez in the No. 33 and No. 99 cars before bringing home a solid fourth-place finish.

 

After securing his first IMPC pole position, Bryson Morris and co-driver Taylor Hagler finished sixth in the No. 77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR after their strategy was disrupted by yellow flags.

 

Hyundai now leads the Manufacturers’ Championship by 60 points. Up next, the Hyundai teams are set to take on the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 on Sept. 21, 2024.

 

Started: 3rd Finished: 7th 2024 Rank: 3rd (1980pts)

 

Harry Gottsacker: "We bounced back and were able to score a podium at VIR! We have two more shots for victory at Indy and Road Atlanta and we need those to keep closing the points gap. Thank you to the #33 crew for all the hard work as we didn’t make it easy on them this weekend."

 

Robert Wickens: "I made an unfortunate mistake in qualifying, but thankfully the team had our back. They did an amazing job rallying together to get our engine changed out and ready for the start of the race. Unfortunately, we lost out P2 start and had to start last but that didn’t stop us from moving forward. We kept to the game plan and ran a great race. Harry took over the car in P5 and did the hard work to get us into the podium for a hard-earned P3. It was a great reward for the whole BHA team after a long day of hard work." 

 

Started: 6th Finish: 10th 2024 Rank: 2nd (1990pts)

 

Denis Dupont: "Unfortunately we had a small mechanical issue that cost us a few laps and any chance to fight for a podium. We had a strong race car and the race was unfolding as hoped up to that point. We will come back stronger for Indianapolis."

 

Preston Brown: "It was a frustrating race at home. Collectively the team work diligently to get us back on track. We will keep pushing."

 

Started: 5th Finished: 6th 2024 Rank: 7th (1690pts)

 

Taylor Hagler: "We had a productive weekend at VIR, but unfortunately, we didn't have the result we hoped for. Bryson (Morris) did a great job in qualifying and the No. 77 BHA crew executed well on strategy and pitstops. We were in position for a podium result until the last restart. It was tight going into turn one and we all ran out of track. We will bounce back at IMS in September."

 

Bryson Morris: "It was a great weekend at Road America for the #77 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, showing great pace and racing at the front of the field. We've got the car dialed in and feeling good, now all we need is a bit of luck and we'll be on the podium. Huge thanks to everyone at BHA for doing such a great job and we'll continue this momentum at VIR."

 

Started: 2nd Finished: 2nd 2024 Rank: 4th (1920)

 

Mason Filippi: "This was an excellent race for the Manufactures championship. We had a quick car and fought very hard. I cannot wait for the season's final races to push for our first win. Mark drove an incredible first stint, and our BHA crew made a great stop. There are two more to go!"

 

Mark Wilkins: “P4 and progress in the drivers' championship. I enjoyed the opportunity to qualify and had a good race start from the front row. I settled into P2 and ran a strong opening stint. Our guys did a great job in the pits and our strategy put us in the right spot for the second half of the race. Mason pushed hard and had some good battles up front. It’s a tight fight in both the manufacturers and drivers' championships; anything can happen and scoring well in the final two races will be critical. I’m looking forward to Indy next month and another shot at the top step of the podium.” 

 

Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a multi-championship winning auto racing franchise. Led by IndyCar and Sports Car star Bryan Herta, Bryan Herta Autosport has won races in every discipline they have entered, including Indy Lights, Indy Car, Global Rallycross, and championship titles in Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA. BHA rose to prominence after winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 in what was the final race of the Centennial Era, a celebration of 100 years of racing at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with driver Dan Wheldon. Five years later, BHA partnered with Andretti Autosport, and defied the odds again, winning their second Indianapolis 500 with rookie driver Alexander Rossi. In 2018, BHA entered the American Sports Car scene beginning its immensely successful partnership with Hyundai. Together, BHA and Hyundai have won five consecutive team and driver championships, and four consecutive (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) manufacturer's titles in IMSA's Michelin Pilot Challenge. For more information, visit: www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.

 

BHA/Hyundai Customer Support: Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and part support representative of Hyundai TCR race cars for customer teams. The BHA/Hyundai Customer Support Team offers trackside engineering support, setup and tuning advice, and part and order fulfillments for the Hyundai Veloster N TCR and TCA teams and drivers from the BHA’s headquarters in Speedway, IN. in 2024, there are five BHA Customer Support Teams racing Elantra N TCR cars in Canada, The USA and in Mexico.

 

Hyundai Motor America focuses on ‘Progress for Humanity’ and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 830 dealers sold more than 724,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2022, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.