IMPC: three female drivers finish in the TCR top 10 as Hagler returns to IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge
- RACERS
- Jun 24
- 5 min read
The fifth round of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season at Watkins Glen saw three female drivers score top-ten finishes in the TCR class. Maddie Aust finished eighth, Megan Tomlinson ninth, and Taylor Hagler marked her return to the series with a tenth-place result after an eventful two-hour contest.
The fifth round of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season at Watkins Glen International — running in support of the 6 Hours of the Glen — saw three female drivers score top-ten finishes in the TCR class. Maddie Aust finished eighth, Megan Tomlinson ninth, and Taylor Hagler marked her return to the series with a tenth-place result after an eventful two-hour contest.
Two-time IMSA TCR champion Taylor Hagler returned to the series for the first time since 2024, stepping in for Bryson Morris in the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR as Morris was racing in the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. Hagler, who has recently competed in GT3 machinery — including the highly competitive ADAC GT Masters in Europe where she secured class podiums — quickly found pace at Watkins Glen.
In FP1, Hagler was immediately in the top three in TCR, setting a 1:57.355 lap, only a second off the class-leading MMG Honda. She followed that with another strong performance in FP2, again inside the top ten with a 1:57.3 lap.
In addition to Hagler, the TCR field also featured several female competitors: rookie duo Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida in the #9 sister Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai, Megan Tomlinson in her first full IMPC season sharing the #37 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS with her father Ron, and Riley Pegram in the #72 Pegram Racing Hyundai alongside her father Larry. Christina Lam also returned to the grid in the #10 Rockwell Autosport Audi RS3 LMS TCR, joining Eric Rockwell after an unlucky Mid-Ohio outing.
In practice, Riley and Larry Pegram went tenth fastest in FP1, just ahead of Aust/Almeida. Christina Lam and Eric Rockwell placed 14th, ahead of Megan and Ron Tomlinson in P16. Lam’s car, however, encountered difficulties later in the event with two engine changes required due to technical issues.
Qualifying on Friday afternoon saw Hagler clock an early lap of 1:57.676 to secure 12th on the grid. Aust followed closely with a 1:57.9 for 13th. Megan Tomlinson posted a 1:58.8 to take 15th before pitting. Riley Pegram improved late in the session with a 1:58.5 to slot into 15th, just ahead of Tomlinson and Christina Lam, who posted a 2:00.8 but was still improving in her final runs.
The two-hour race on Saturday started cleanly with all cars getting away well. Maddie Aust made a great start, moving up into ninth in TCR, while Hagler dropped back to 12th. On lap two, Megan Tomlinson and Riley Pegram unfortunately made contact at the Bus Stop chicane, with Pegram spinning and triggering a full-course yellow. Riley was able to rejoin but lost a lap. Tomlinson was later handed a penalty for causing the collision.
As the race restarted on lap four, Pegram was waved around to regain her lost lap but would need another caution to catch the pack. Hagler restarted well, taking P11 and chasing down Aust for the top ten. Aust dropped to 13th on lap six, while Lam climbed to P14 as Tomlinson served her penalty.
Hagler began lapping consistently in the 1:59s and was quicker than the cars ahead, steadily reducing the gap while pulling away from Aust. Lam was running strongly in P14, posting steady 2:01 laps, while Tomlinson set 2:00.3 laps as she worked to close a 30-second gap to Lam. Meanwhile, Pegram was recovering well after her earlier incident and closing on Tomlinson, with only six seconds separating them.
Hagler overtook Bergstein for P11 and began hunting the KMW Honda Civic of Tally. Aust, running around four seconds behind this battle, maintained a consistent pace and looked for further opportunities. Lam remained on a strong run, continuing to gain ground.
Approaching the pit window, Brown’s Hyundai came to a halt, bringing out another full-course yellow. During the pit stops, Hagler handed over to Mark Wilkins, who rejoined in P10. Aust pitted from 12th, with Almeida taking over, though they lost a few positions and came out P14. Ron Tomlinson took over from Megan and rejoined P13, while Larry Pegram jumped onboard following a strong opening stint from Riley and rejoined in P15. Lam pitted and Rockwell climbed into the #10 Audi, but the car suffered fuel pump issues after a contact and dropped three laps down.
At the restart with 52 minutes remaining, Wilkins began to make up ground, moving into P8 on lap 35 and battling Dupont in the #76 Hyundai, who retook the place a lap later. Almeida gained ground, cutting the gap to Gilsinger after the latter had earlier contact with Gottsacker. Rockwell rejoined the race but was four laps down.
Wilkins continued his fight, running ninth with Gilsinger in his sights. Almeida made further progress, climbing into the top ten and reaching P9. Ron Tomlinson gained positions, overtaking Miller’s Victor Gonzalez Racing Hyundai to move into P11 with 20 minutes to go. Larry Pegram was also setting quick laps and advancing through the order. Unfortunately, more fuel pump issues forced Rockwell to bring the #10 Audi behind the wall, ending Lam and Rockwell’s race early.
Pegram capitalized on a drive-through penalty for Miller for repeated track limits violations, moving into P12 on lap 48. However, heartbreak followed as the #72 Hyundai suffered a technical issue and broke down with 12 minutes to go, triggering another caution.
During the caution, Wilkins pitted and the #33 Hyundai dropped to P11. Almeida moved up to eighth under neutralization, and Tomlinson climbed to P10 after leapfrogging Wilkins during the cycle. The race resumed for a final ten-minute sprint, with heavy traffic and more contact at the Bus Stop chicane.
Almeida lost eighth to Eversley, while Tomlinson held position. A final brief yellow followed when the #19 Mustang of Liefooghe went off at Turn 5, and the race finished under caution.
At the flag, Aust and Almeida secured P8 — in another impressive top ten for the rookie duo. Megan and Ron Tomlinson completed an excellent recovery to finish ninth after their early penalty, marking their fourth top ten of the season and moving to tenth in the championship standings.
Hagler and Wilkins were classified tenth after regaining a spot following a post-race penalty for the Gou Racing Audi - resulting in a top ten on return to racing for two-time champion Taylor Hagler.
Larry and Riley Pegram endured a frustrating round: after being hit and spun early, Riley delivered a strong comeback stint to regain track position, and Larry was running well and closing on the top ten when the car broke down in the final minutes.
Despite the result, Christina Lam had a very positive opening stint, running solidly in the top 15 with consistent pace before the Rockwell Autosport Audi was sidelined by further technical issues after the driver change.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season continues with round six at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 10–12.
