Alexandra Hainer claims pair of runner up finishes in McLaren Trophy NA round at Road America
- RACERS
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Alexandra Hainer, in her first season of McLaren Trophy NA, added two runner-up finishes at Road America to her 2025 campaign in a shortened weekend due to adverse weather on Saturday, still retaining the lead in the ProAm standings with a remarkable run in Race 2, where she was just three tenths off a race win.
Alexandra Hainer, in her first season of McLaren Trophy North America, added two runner-up finishes at Road America to her 2025 campaign in a shortened weekend due to adverse weather on Saturday, still retaining the lead in the ProAm standings with just one round to go.
Alongside teammate Jesse Lazare, the Motorsports In Action duo finished both races on the podium, their seventh consecutive one, with Hainer charging for victory throughout most of her stint in Race 2 — only missing out on a win by three tenths of a second.
At the previous round, Hainer led a number of laps in Race 2 and also secured a pair of second-place finishes at VIRginia International Raceway, continuing an extremely consistent campaign. The duo had taken the championship lead following highly successful races at Circuit of the Americas, where Hainer scored two class victories and an additional podium result.
Road America, one of the most iconic and technical tracks on the calendar, rewards experience, yet Hainer proved once again she belongs at the top of the ProAm field.
In the opening session, the drivers of the #43 Motorsports In Action McLaren — in its scenic golden livery — encountered issues and couldn’t set a representative time, but they soon bounced back in FP2, running second in class and third overall with a 2:10.435 lap.
In Q1 on Saturday morning, Hainer’s first timed laps were in the 2:12.3 range, putting her second in ProAm and inside the overall top five. She improved some of her sectors but briefly fell to third in ProAm, eighth overall. On one final attempt, however, she found significant time with a 2:11.606 to reclaim second in class and sixth overall, in a very positive qualifying result.
Cloudy skies loomed over Race 1 with rain on the horizon. At the green flag, Hainer launched brilliantly, moving into sixth overall while retaining second in ProAm after a strong opening lap, quickly clearing several AM cars.
On lap two, Cook dropped from the lead and eventually pitted with issues, elevating Hainer to fifth overall and at the head of a five-car train. Harvey led the ProAm class, with Hainer running solid on 2:14.8 pace and beginning to gain a few tenths on the cars behind, slowly building a one-second gap by lap four.
A Full Course Yellow however was called soon after, as drops of rain began to fall, and with lightning in the area, the race was red-flagged and ultimately abandoned. Half points were awarded, giving Hainer a solid second-place finish.
For Sunday morning’s Q2 session at 8 a.m. local time, Hainer posted a 2:14.026 that placed her fourth in ProAm and 12th overall before a late red flag ended the session, leaving her unable to improve, as she also fought technical issues that left the Swedish-American driver frustrated by the result.
Lazare started Race 2 under finally dry conditions. At lights out, he immediately climbed to tenth overall, holding third in ProAm. By the end of the opening lap, he had passed Filgueiras to take second in class and seventh overall, running with strong pace and closing in on the AM entries of Sofronas and Harrison.
The gold-and-white Motorsports In Action McLaren soon cleared Harrison to take fifth overall, with ProAm leader Davis now leading outright, seven seconds up the road. On a charge, Lazare set the fastest lap of the race — a 2:10.086 — before overtaking Sofronas for fourth overall, then began hunting Pro class leader Li.
As the pit window opened, Lazare pitted on lap eight from second in ProAm, handing the car to Hainer. The ProAm leaders rejoined almost together, with Dempsey now in the #10 RWE Motorsport McLaren three seconds ahead. Kopczynski, in third, was handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.
Hainer immediately began reeling Dempsey in, going nearly a second quicker in the first sector and again in the second, closing the gap to just one second on lap 10. On a charge, she climbed to third overall once all mandatory pit stops were complete and set her sights on Dempsey for the class lead.
Quicker on pace but needing to be cautious, she looked for a clean opportunity to pass.
As the pair cleared Langberg for overall position, Hainer maintained momentum and piled pressure on Dempsey, but the #10 machine defended firmly. A three-way fight for the overall win developed as Pro-entry Pintos joined the battle and eventually passed both for the lead on lap 18.
Still pressing, Hainer positioned herself smartly to attack, but Dempsey closed every gap. On the final lap she made one last attempt out of Turn 5, carrying greater speed, but Dempsey defended once more. Hainer had to settle for second place — securing another runner-up finish in what has been a remarkable campaign for the Swede.
The championship finale will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 15–17, with every class title still up for grabs. Hainer and Lazare’s ProAm championship lead now stands at just 3.5 points.