IMPC: Taylor Hagler contends for race victory, secures sixth-place finish at Road America

Taylor Hagler delivered a strong performance in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Road America, finishing sixth after an excellent first stint where she ran solidly in the top five and was in contention for the win until the final laps. Despite being shuffled back in the closing stages, the BHA duo showed competitive pace throughout the race and gained valuable championship points.

Photo credits: Michael L.Levitt / Bryan Herta Autosport

Taylor Hagler and teammate Bryson Morris enjoyed a strong showing at Road America in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge as the duo finished in sixth position. Hagler qualified the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian machine in fifth place and drove an excellent opening portion of the race in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.

Morris contended for the race victory during his stint before a full course yellow period and subsequent restart saw him shuffled back through the order.

Hagler arrived at Road America after building substantial momentum in the previous two rounds of the championship. Back-to-back top-5 finishes saw the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian pair moved into sixth place within the overall standings. A good strategy call from the team at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park allowed Hagler and Morris contend for a podium result, ending the two-hour contest in fourth position.

Hagler scored a podium finish at Road America during the 2022 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season and was looking to replicate this result and score her first podium finish of the campaign.

Prior to the race weekend getting underway, Taylor was looking ahead to the challenge of Road America. She commented, “Road America is such an iconic stop on the IMSA schedule each season. In the No. 77 BHA Hyundai Elantra N TCR, we have been consistently progressing and that showed at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Seeing the podium so close is motivating and we know what we need to do to be able to continue the momentum we have to stand on the podium this weekend."

The first on-track session of the weekend took place on Friday morning with free practice one, enabling Hagler and Morris to get up to speed at the challenging circuit. It was a productive session for the duo who set the seventh fastest time among the TCR class competitions, with their fastest time just a second away from the pacesetters.

The second session on Friday afternoon was disrupted by a number of red flags, however the duo were able to end the day in sixth position.

Taylor got behind the wheel for qualifying early on Saturday morning and immediately jumped to the top of the times with her first flying lap. Extracting peak performance from the tyre was a challenge due to the nature of the fast and flowing circuit. The session was prematurely ended by a red flag with Jon Brel off course at turn 9, however Hagler had set a good time which placed the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian machine fifth in class.

Photo credits: Michael L.Levitt / Bryan Herta Autosport

Starting the two-hour race from fifth position, Hagler made a good start and although falling behind Preston Brown on the opening lap, she remained in the leading group of cars. Reclaiming a place inside the top-5 of the TCR class on lap two, Taylor was displaying great confidence and she was soon running faster times than race leader Dai Yoshihara. On lap four, she fell to sixth after Willam Tally moved ahead in his Alfa Romeo Guilietta as the leading TCR runners began to fight through the slower GS class traffic.

In this stage, Hagler had the task of saving fuel to keep the #77 Hyundai in contention in the final stint; through blazing temperatures, this factor became critical as Hagler had to limit  air conditioning and keep the windows up for optimal aerodynamics.

Hagler’s pace remained strong during the middle portion of her stint and after ten laps were completed, she remained just ten seconds behind the race leader. Her consistent times ensured she stayed ahead of championship leader Chris Miller in his Unitronic/JDC-Miller Motorsports Audi RS3.

A full course yellow period on lap 16 brought Hagler’s stint to an early end as she pitted during the caution period and handed over to Bryson Morris. It was an excellent stint from Taylor who ensured the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian machine remained in podium contention.

Following the first pit stop of the race, Morris rejoined in third position following great work from the crew. The American racer held a provisional podium spot on the restart and was immediately challenging for the TCR class lead. The pressure applied by both Morris and teammate Mark Wilkins forced race leader Morgan Burkhardt into a mistake at the opening corner on lap 23, elevating Bryson into the runner-up position.

The Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian teammates were now beginning to edge away from their rivals while trading fastest sectors of the race. On lap 30, Morris pitted for the final time and jumped Wilkins as the pair of Hyundai Elantra’s took on routine service. Meanwhile, a number of rivals remained on the racetrack and chose an alternative strategy with the hope of a late-race caution period.

On lap 34, the KMW Motorsports machine of Tim Lewis made its stop with the Alfa Romeo Guilietta emerging just ahead of Morris. Bryson applied significant pressure during the out lap, however Lewis maintained position.

Photo credits: Sideline Sports Photography

Morris now ran fourth overall, although a net second with both Denis Dupont and Andy Lally remaining on track and would require a final stop unless there was a series of late race interruptions. Remaining close to Lewis during the middle portion of his stint, Bryson remained in podium contention before a second full course yellow period was called for on lap 41. Despite a heavy impact for Jack Hawksworth, the marshals were able to recover the stricken car and enable racing to resume for a final ten minutes.

On the restart, Morris was shuffled down from fourth to ninth in the closing stages. Despite this setback, his pace remained strong and this allowed him to move ahead of Tyler Gonzalez with just three laps remaining.

Unable to save the required amount of fuel, both Dupont and Lally fell down the order in the closing stages which allowed Bryson to take the checkered flag in sixth position. It was a solid result for the duo who contended for the race victory for a large portion of the two-hour contest.

“Overall, it was a strong weekend in Elkhart Lake", Hagler commented. "Road America always poses a challenge for fuel strategy with how long the course is."

"The No. 77 BHA team called a good strategy today and executed well on pit lane to put us in a good position towards the end of the race. The last restart was close and chaotic, but we were able to hold on to a sixth place finish.”

Hagler and Morris were able to continue their good run of form and bank another large haul of championship points at Road America. Taylor backed up one of her strongest qualifying performances of the season with a good opening portion of the race in which she was able to hold down a top-5 position for the majority of her stint.

The duo will be looking to challenge for a podium result when the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge returns at Virginia International Raceway on the weekend of August 23rd/24th.