Aurora Straus completes solid IMSA Pilot Challenge round at Watkins Glen with P19 finish
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Coming off her first top-ten finish in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Aurora Straus again completed a clean and determined fifth round of the season at Watkins Glen, where the Murillo Racing pair fought through to 19th in the GS class.
Coming off her first top-ten finish in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Mid-Ohio, Aurora Straus again completed a clean and determined fifth round of the season at Watkins Glen, where the Murillo Racing pair fought through to 19th in the GS class, collecting valuable points as they continued building consistency in their first full season together.
Returning to the championship for her first full campaign since 2023, Straus joined Murillo Racing alongside her husband Kenny Murillo in the #24 Mercedes-AMG GT4, and while the opening races at Daytona, Sebring and Laguna Seca had repeatedly demonstrated the team's competitiveness, setbacks and misfortune had prevented them from capitalizing on their pace. That finally changed at Mid-Ohio, where a clean, well-executed race produced a deserved eighth-place finish in the GS class.
Arriving at the fifth round at Watkins Glen International, supporting the prestigious Six Hours of The Glen, Straus and Murillo aimed to build on that momentum around one of North America's fastest and most demanding road courses.
The Watkins Glen weekend began under mixed weather conditions, with Friday morning's opening practice taking place on a wet circuit that immediately challenged drivers to adapt to changing grip levels. Murillo Racing nevertheless enjoyed an encouraging start to the event, as they completed the opening session ninth fastest overall in the GS class.
Conditions improved considerably for the second practice session as the circuit dried, allowing teams to explore the full potential of their GT4 machinery. Murillo posted a best lap of 1:55.6, placing the #24 Mercedes 24th overall in the competitive GS field.
Qualifying later that afternoon saw Aurora Straus climb aboard for her opportunity to secure the starting position. Straus steadily improved throughout the fifteen-minute session, ultimately recording a best lap of 1:57.100. The time placed the Murillo Racing Mercedes 25th on the GS grid.
Saturday afternoon, the two-hour contest saw Straus taking the opening stint aboard the #24 Mercedes-AMG GT4, lining up 25th overall. When the green flag waved, she immediately produced an positive getaway; avoiding trouble through the opening corners while several competitors battled aggressively around her, Straus gained two positions on the opening lap to move into 23rd place.
The field negotiated the first corners cleanly, allowing Straus to settle quickly into her rhythm.
Over the opening laps she concentrated on maintaining consistent pace, circulating steadily in the low 1:58-second range.
Ahead of her, incidents in the GS field gradually promoted the Murillo Racing entry when a puncture for the Unitronic Motorsports Porsche of Miller allowed Straus to gain another position and move into 24th.
Straus avoided mistakes and continued executing precisely the opening stint, preserving the car while keeping it in contention before the driver change.
As the race approached its first scheduled round of GS pit stops with approximately one hour and fifteen minutes remaining, Straus brought the #24 Mercedes onto pit lane from 24th position.
The Murillo Racing crew completed a flawless service and driver change as Kenny Murillo climbed aboard for the second half of the race. Following the pit sequence, Murillo rejoined 23rd in class before beginning his recovery through the midfield.
As several rivals encountered issues, including mechanical problems for Machavern, Murillo steadily climbed up the order. By the time the race reached the halfway point, the #24 Mercedes had climbed into 21st overall, remaining on the lead lap and continuing to benefit from the consistency both drivers had demonstrated.
The second round of pit stops approached with around 45 minutes remaining, and Murillo returned to pit lane on lap 37 for the team's final scheduled service. The Murillo Racing crew completed another clean stop before sending the Mercedes back into the race for the closing stint.
As the final pit cycle unfolded, Murillo found himself once again mixed among both GS and TCR traffic.
With around half an hour remaining, the Mercedes continued circulating inside the top 20, and although the outright pace was not quite enough to challenge for the top ten as it had at Mid-Ohio, the team continued extracting everything possible from the package.
As other cars encountered trouble, including some contact in the GS field and differing fuel strategies, the #24 Mercedes climbed to 19th position with approximately 15 minutes remaining.
Bill Auberlen, running ahead in the #38 Random Vandals by ST Racing BMW suddenly lost a wheel, with the incident triggering a Full Course Yellow with just 12 minutes remaining, bunching the entire field together for one final sprint.
When racing resumed with just 4 minutes left on the clock, the restart proved particularly chaotic.
Murillo found himself among traffic of the leaders while simultaneously attempting to maximize every remaining opportunity before the chequered flag.
However, before the field could complete another full green-flag lap, another Full Course Yellow was required after a kerb became dislodged at the Bus Stop chicane. The caution immediately neutralized the race once more and with insufficient time remaining to resume racing, the event finished behind the safety car.
Murillo crossed the finish line in P19 in the GS class, completing another clean recovery after Straus' composed opening stint.
“Progress is never linear in motorsports. It’s always five steps forward and four-and-a-half steps back", Aurora commented. "We are learning a lot as a team. It has been a few years since Murillo has been here, but the team really hasn’t missed a beat."
"The guys have been super on it every pit stop, and I am really grateful for them in particular. In races like this, it is hard enough for me and Kenny to stay motivated, and I think it takes a lot of extra hutzpah for the crew to stay motivated too.”
Following five rounds, Straus sits 17th in the GS championship standings with 700 points.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge now heads to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on 10–12 July, where Straus and Murillo will look to return to the top-ten form they displayed at Mid-Ohio.
