McCumbee McAleer Racing Secures Historic Win at Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI — McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR) celebrated a significant milestone as Nate Cicero and Jenson Altzman clinched their first victory in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at the Road America 120 on Saturday. The duo claimed triumph in the Grand Sport (GS) class in a race marked by strategic maneuvers and five full-course cautions.
Cicero, making only his third start in the series, executed a pivotal pit stop just before the close of pit lane, allowing Altzman to take over without penalty. Altzman managed to cross the finish line just 0.467 seconds ahead of Steve Wetterau and Cameron Shields in the No. 4 CarBahn BMW M4 GT4 EVO. MMR co-owner Stevan McAleer, partnering with Austin Krainz, took third place in the No. 27 Auto Technic Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO, rounding out a dominant performance for BMWs, which claimed positions two through five.
Cicero expressed elation post-race: “This is amazing! I think the BMW was the car to have today, but our Mustang was on fire.” Altzman echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the challenges of race strategy in the Michelin Pilot Challenge: “Today we did that – everything lined up.”
Meanwhile, championship frontrunners Jan Heylen and Luca Mars faced adversity with a mechanical failure, placing them 17th and trimming their standings lead to 90 points over Altzman, who is now second in the standings. Jeff Westphal and Sean McAlister, finishing fourth, remain 120 points behind.
TCR: Herta Autosport Breaks Through
In the TCR class, Bryan Herta Autosport scored a critical win as Bryson Morris, partnering with Mark Wilkins, drove the No. 33 Hyundai Elantra N TCR to victory, marking Morris’s first in the series. The win came after a challenging season and was a relief for the team following a multi-car incident at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Morris secured the win by 3.252 seconds over Jaden Conwright, driving the No. 31 Audi RS3 LMS TCR. “It’s been a pretty tough season for us…” Morris remarked. Wilkins added, “It’s been a tumultuous season. So many crazy things have happened.”
The victory also marked Bryan Herta Autosport’s 30th in Michelin Pilot Challenge history. With this result, Harry Gottsacker in the No. 98 Hyundai and his partner Mason Filippi finished fourth, breaking a tie for the lead, while the No. 76 BHA entry, driven by Preston Brown and Denis Dupont, placed fifth.
The series will continue on August 23 with the Virginia is for Racing Lovers Grand Prix at VIRginia International Raceway, with live coverage set to begin at 2:15 p.m. ET across multiple platforms.
