IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge: Mid-Ohio Qualifying Results
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course — Thomas Merrill secured pole position in the Grand Sport (GS) class for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio, clocking a time of 1m26.331s (94.158 mph) in his No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. Merrill’s late-session performance edged out Paul Holton, who finished second in the No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO by a narrow 0.115 seconds.
Merrill, competing in only the second race of his team’s IMSA tenure, attributed the success to effective strategy and good timing on track. “We struggled early… but this is an unbelievable result for a brand-new team,” he remarked.
Co-driver David Hampton, who has also been gaining experience in multiple events this weekend, will share driving duties in the four-hour race. Merrill highlighted the potential strategic elements of the race, especially with rain expected.
In the GS class, Dillon Machavern and Francis Selldorff will start third in the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO, while the point-leading No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of Jan Heylen and Luca Mars will line up in eighth.
TCR Qualifying Insights
In the Touring Car (TCR) category, Karl Wittmer set a new lap record with a time of 1m26.747s (93.706 mph) in his No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR, surpassing his previous record set last year. Wittmer will share driving duties with LP Montour and Dai Yoshihara.
"It’s Honda’s proving ground… the car has delivered,” Wittmer said, reflecting on the impressive performance.
The No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR, driven by Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi, qualified second, 0.306 seconds behind. The No. 99 entry from Victor Gonzalez Racing took third position.
The leading Hyundai team in points, Preston Brown and Denis Dupont, will start from 11th as they aim for their third consecutive four-hour win.
Race Broadcast
The race is set to commence at noon ET and will be streamed live on Peacock and the IMSA Official YouTube channel, ad-free courtesy of Michelin.
