IMPC: Maddie Aust completes rookie season with top-5 at Road Atlanta
- RACERS
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
Bryan Herta Autosport’s Maddie Aust wrapped up her debut IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign with a solid drive to fifth at Road Atlanta, while fellow female racers Megan Tomlinson, and Christina Lam finished just outside the top ten in TCR. After a strong first stint, Riley Pegram was hit and sent into the wall by a GS entry.
In the season finale of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida wrapped up their debut campaign in highly ositive fashion, claiming a fifth-place finish in the TCR class after a clean, consistent race. The result marked their third top-five of the season and cemented eighth place in the championship standings, an excellent outcome for the Bryan Herta Autosport rookie pairing, who have shown steady progress throughout their first year in the highly competitive field.
For the Canadian father-and-daughter pairing of Ron and Megan Tomlinson, coming off a top ten at Indianapolis last time out, the Road Atlanta finale brought a challenging but determined end to their rookie IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign.
It was a case of heartbreak for Larry and Riley Pegram, whose race ended prematurely after showing encouraging pace in the opening stint. Riley made a strong start and quickly climbed into the midfield, but unfortunately, her progress came to an abrupt end just before the pit window, when contact from a GS-class competitor sent her into the barriers.
Meanwhile, Christina Lam and teammate Eric Rockwell enjoyed a weekend that showcased strong progress and solid pace, even if the final result didn’t reflect their performance.
The Road Atlanta round, supporting the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend, was the final two-hour contest of the season and featured four female drivers in the TCR field, all completing their first full campaigns: Maddie Aust, Riley Pegram, Megan Tomlinson, and Christina Lam. All teams showed improvement across the practice sessions, with Lam and her Rockwell Autosport teammates showing particularly encouraging pace heading into qualifying.
Aust took on driving duties for the #9 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR and delivered a strong effort, clocking a 1:28.310 lap to secure ninth on the grid. Rockwell set a 1:29.269 for P14 in the #10 Hyundai he shares with Lam, just ahead of Riley Pegram in 15th and Megan Tomlinson in 16th.
When the green flag waved for the final time in 2025, Aust made a clean getaway and settled into the midfield battle. While she lost a position early to Bergstein, she quickly recovered with steady pace, running consistent 1:29s as she climbed to tenth after passing Rockwell. Behind her, both Rockwell and Pegram gained positions in a tightly packed TCR group, while Tomlinson recovered from a cautious start to improve her lap times and maintain a clean first stint.
As the opening hour unfolded, Aust’s solid pace allowed her to catch the sister Bryan Herta Autosport entry of Bergstein and move up the order as the pit cycle approached.
Aust extended her stint as others pitted, running as high as seventh before handing the #9 car over to Suellio Almeida on lap 42.
Unfortunately, chaos unfolded just moments earlier when Riley Pegram was hit from behind by a GS-class Porsche, sending her Hyundai into the barriers and ending her race prematurely.
The resulting caution also impacted pit strategy for several teams. Meanwhile, Christina Lam and her co-driver Eric Rockwell were delayed by a stop-and-go penalty for an improper pass-around, losing several laps despite competitive pace once Lam rejoined the race.
At the restart, Almeida found himself seventh in class and immediately on the move. He passed cars ahead to run fifth, briefly dropped behind Dupont, but then regained ground with strong, consistent laps in the mid-1:45 range. Holding steady within a few seconds of the sister BHA car of Harry Gottsacker—who was en route to securing the TCR title—Almeida maintained position while opening a healthy gap to the rest of the pack behind.
Despite late pressure, he brought the #9 Hyundai home in fifth after a clean and well-managed final stint, sealing another strong points finish for the team.
Further down the order, Ron Tomlinson brought the #98 Hyundai to the finish in P12 after recovering from an off-track moment at Turn 3, while Christina Lam ended the race in P13. Although the result did not reflect her pace, Lam’s speed and traffic management highlighted her progress during her partial debut season in the IMSA-sanctioned series.
Aust and Almeida concluded their maiden IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign with three top-five finishes, including a season-best fourth at Daytona, and eighth overall in the TCR standings.
Ron and Megan Tomlinson finished eleventh in the championship, narrowly missing out on another top ten finish at the season finale.
Fellow family duo Larry and Riley Pegram ended thirteenth in the championship standings, after a season featuring four top-ten finishes and a best of ninth at Sebring. Christina Lam, who contested five rounds, twice finished in the top ten and showed clear development throughout the season, particularly after switching to Hyundai machinery. All four female competitors concluded their rookie Michelin Pilot Challenge campaigns with growing momentum and valuable experience heading into 2026.
