Wet, Damp and Dry, Michelin Handles High Speeds of Road America

• Wayne Taylor Acura DPi wins overall
• Vasser Sullivan Lexus takes GTD PRO—GTD to Winward Mercedes-AMG
• Era Motorsport wins LMP2, LMP3 to Riley Motorsport
• Murillo Mercedes-AMG, KMW Alfa Romeo Claim Michelin Pilot Challenge Wins

Elkhart Lake, Wis. —August 7, 2022 – The longest circuit on the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech season provided a wide-ranging test of Michelin performance as the race conditions evolved from damp to wet to dry on the high speed, high-load 4.048-mile Road America circuit.

“IMSA’s diverse field of car manufacturers, circuits, and race durations provides Michelin with a never ending series of opportunities to develop and demonstrate our performance technologies,” said Jason Anzalone, director of motorsport, Michelin North America.

“The level of commitment by the drivers in the changing conditions, knowing that they will get Michelin performance regardless of their tire selection reflects their trust and confidence in us and is something that we work every day to earn and maintain,” said Anzalone.

Wayne Taylor Racing Takes First IMSA Win at Road America

Filipe Albuquerque passed Oliver Jarvis of Meyer Shank Racing with tires in the grass during the final stretch of the race to give teammate Ricky Taylor and Wayne Taylor Racing the overall win. The No. 10 Acura didn’t change tires during their last pit stop, double stinting the MICHELIN® tires. The No. 02 Chip Ganassi Cadillac took second and the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Cadillac finished third. The championship race is now tightened in DPi between Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing.

Vasser Sullivan Lexus Scores First GTD PRO win, Winward Racing on top in GTD

Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat held off the No. 9 Porsche 911 of Pfaff Motorsports to give Vasser Sullivan and Lexus the win in GTD PRO. Pfaff took second while No. 3 Corvette Racing finished third.

Winward Racing with drivers Russell Ward and Philip Ellis aboard took the checkered the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG to get its first victory of the 2022 season. The No. 39 Lamborghini Huracan of Peregrine Racing finished second and Vasser Sullivan in the No. 12 Lexus RC F took the last spot on the podium.

Era Motorsport wins LMP2, Riley Motorsport Victorious in LMP3

Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel finished on top of the podium for No.18 Era Motorsport in LMP2. No. 8 Tower Motorsport took second with High Class Racing scoring third.

Gar Robinson and Felipe Fraga drove No. 74 Riley Motorsports took the victory in LMP3. No. 13 AWA finished runner-up and No. 54 CORE Autosport closed the day out in third.

Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG and KMW Motorsport Alfa Romeo Win Road America 240

Kenton Koch wheeled the No. 56 Mercedes-AMG to the lead with just minutes remaining giving Murillo Racing and teammate Eric Foss the GS victory in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Race. Tim Lewis drove the No. 5 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce to the front of the TCR field in the final laps. This marked the third win of the season for KMW Motorsports. Winners of the Michelin Moment of the race included the No. 66 Porsche 718 of Kelly Moss in GS and the No. 5 in TCR–both for strategy calls.

Michelin Scorecard

Michelin has created a scorecard showcasing the breadth of manufacturer success in IMSA. 14 manufacturers have won so far during the 2022 IMSA season with all 17 reaching the podium. Mercedes-AMG was the biggest mover at Road America with two wins across GTD and GS. Below is the Michelin Scorecard.

Michelin 53 Percent Sustainable Tire Shown to IMSA Partners at Road America

Motorsport plays a vital role in accelerating the development of sustainable solutions. Michelin proved this by presenting a racing tire in 2022 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that contains 53 percent sustainable raw materials. The tire was onsite at Road America for the IMSA State of the Sport.

Michelin Post-Race Notes

• Car makers, consumers and truck fleets rely on Michelin’s reduced rolling resistance to improve fuel economy. What role does this efficiency play in racing? Watch the Road America Michelin Tire Tech Minute to learn how.
• The race weekend at Road America produced large entry lists with a total of 111 cars on MICHELIN® tires between WeatherTech, Michelin Pilot Challenge and Porsche Carrera Cup North America.
• Parker Thompson and Trenton Estep were winners of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America races at Road America.
• The top four finishers of the Michelin Pilot Challenge were four different manufacturers—Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin.
• Qualifying and race lap records were set in LMP3 by Malthe Jakobsen and Felipe Fraga.

Next up:

The 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship now heads to VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia for the Michelin GT Challenge. The race is Sunday, August 28^th and can be seen on USA and Peacock at 2:00pm ET.