IMPC: Maddie Aust’s consistency pays off with P6 in Laguna Seca, climbs to third in standings
- RACERS
- May 6
- 3 min read
Maddie Aust continued her impressively consistent start to the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season with a sixth-place finish in the TCR class at Laguna Seca, maximizing the third round of the championship to move up to third in the standings.
Maddie Aust continued her impressively consistent start to the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season with a sixth-place finish in the TCR class at Laguna Seca, maximizing the third round of the championship after two consecutive top-five results to move up to third in the standings alongside Bryan Herta Autosport teammate Mark Wilkins.
Consistency has defined Aust’s campaign so far in her second season in the series. Driving the #98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, the Texan - who brings experience from both single-seaters and touring cars - returned to Bryan Herta Autosport for 2026 with a new teammate in Wilkins and immediately established herself as a front-runner.
Back-to-back fourth-place finishes at Daytona and Sebring made for a strong start, and although Laguna Seca would not yield another top-five, the duo once again executed a clean and efficient race to secure valuable championship points.
The weekend began with steady progress in practice. Wilkins set a 1:32.234 lap in the opening session, placing eighth fastest in TCR, before improving by over a second in second practice to climb to seventh, as both drivers continued to find time and build confidence in the car. In qualifying, Aust took over driving duties and posted a 1:32.032 lap, which placed the #98 Hyundai 12th on the grid in class and set up a race focused on recovery and strategy.
Starting the two-hour race from P12 in TCR, Aust navigated a clean opening lap as the field made it through the first corners without incident, settling into 13th place. The race was quickly neutralized, however, following a heavy accident for the #67 BSI Racing Toyota of Weisenberg at Turn 2, which flipped into the barriers and brought out a lengthy caution period.
When the race resumed around 20 minutes later, Aust remained in P13 before another major incident, this time involving the #21 Victor Gonzalez Racing Cupra of Tally, which crashed heavily at Turn 1 and also ended up on its roof, triggering a second Full Course Yellow.
During the neutralization, Aust gained ground as some competitors pitted, moving up to eighth in class while staying out. When the race returned to green with 1 hour and 20 minutes remaining, she continued her forward progress, climbing to seventh and managing the restart effectively.
Running cleanly and maintaining solid pace, Aust held P7 under pressure from Baker in the #56 Audi, defending well while keeping the car out of trouble.
Another Full Course Yellow was deployed with 1 hour and 8 minutes to go due to debris at Turn 2, prompting most of the TCR field to pit as soon as the pit lane opened. Aust, however, stayed out, and the strategy briefly elevated her to the race lead by lap 31. At the subsequent restart, she cycled back into fifth place, having gained significant track position through the alternative strategy.
Aust eventually made her pit stop on lap 36 with approximately 50 minutes remaining, handing over to Wilkins with a safer fuel window for the run to the finish. Wilkins rejoined in eighth position but immediately began to make progress, setting the car’s fastest lap of the race and closing in on the Gou Racing Audi ahead. He soon passed Gonzalez to move up to seventh and continued to pressure Gou as the race entered its final stages.
In a dramatic late development, Celso Neto - who had been running in a leading position in TCR - hit trouble and came to a halt with just two laps remaining, promoting Wilkins to sixth place. From there, the #98 Hyundai held position to the chequered flag, securing another solid result for the Aust/Wilkins pairing.
While not quite matching their top-five finishes from the opening rounds, the sixth-place result at Laguna Seca represented another clean, mistake-free performance and further evidence of their consistency. With three strong finishes from three races, Maddie Aust and Mark Wilkins now move up to third in the TCR championship standings with 810 points.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season continues at Mid-Ohio on June 5–7, where Maddie Aust will aim to extend her run of consistent results and potentially return to the top five or higher.
