A stronger showing from the four AMR Vantage GT4 crews in Michelin Pilot Challenge

 

 

There will be happier faces within the Aston Martin Racing powered IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series camps this evening as the four such powered teams each delivered better performances than last at this evenings two-hour race at Watkins Glen International.

Hannah Grisham and the #26 Heart of Racing ANR Vantage that she shares with Hannah Greenemeir had yesterday stolen the racing headlines to become the first women to claim an overall pole position within the series.

The former #66 Van Der Steur AMR Vantage GT4 of Allen Patten and Trenton Estep had been grabbing the headlines earlier in the weekend after it was confirmed that the Van Der Stuer family were stepping away from the team that they had created and that would move on under the racing name of Car Blanche with YRB Racing now taking over the reins of the team.

The #14 Circle H Racing of David Hampton and Thomas Merril as well as the #4 medusa Motorsport entry of Hunter Yearny and Aaron Sterling had not endured repeated issues and accidents over the last couple of rounds so a good performance from them both was much needed by all.

 

Having had rain in earlier sessions, the race was run under perfect dry conditions as Grisham held her nerve and maintained her race lead into the opening corners whilst both the remaining GS and TCR classes battled early for position.

Pitting earlier than the halfway stage, Grisham relinquished the race lead to hand over to Greenemeir to come out in second whilst the #66 Car Blanche entry was again rounding out the top ten but as the race stayed decidedly green, the #26 car would begin to fall down the order as the race clock dropped into the final half hour.

 

Eventually blotting their copybook, the race came under the control of the first of a series of short Full Course Yellows as first a TCR car stopped on track before a drain cover become lose on track forcing the race to finish behind the Safety Car.

At the end however, the #66 Car Blanche car had pipped the #26 Heart of Racing entry for position just before the cautions began as their finished P5 overall with the all-female crew just behind in P6. The #14 Circle H entry had rallied from their new last starting position to finish P8 whilst the #4 Medusa crew this time finished in P24.

The Michelin Pilot Challenge Series now moves onto the Canadian Tires Motorsport Park in two weeks’ time.

Photo credits – Teams / social media