Megan Tomlinson completes first GT4 weekend in IMSA Pilot Challenge opener at Daytona
- RACERS
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Making her GT4 debut at Daytona International Speedway in the traditional four-hour IMPC BMW M Endurance Challenge, Megan Tomlinson completed valuable mileage with solid improvements over the weekend, with her team also leading laps overall.
Megan Tomlinson’s first race weekend in GT4 machinery in the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season opener was one of unpredictability and a steep but invaluable learning curve. Making her GS class debut at Daytona International Speedway in the traditional four-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge, Tomlinson joined father Ron Tomlinson and team principal Trevor Hill in the #22 Shopify Racing Porsche 718 GT4, tackling one of the most competitive GT4 fields the series has seen in recent years.
After racing in the TCR category last season, Tomlinson’s move up to GT4 represented a significant step in both pace and complexity. Over the course of the event on the Daytona road course, she steadily adapted to the GT4 platform, logging valuable mileage while navigating traffic, changing conditions and pressure from a strong 35-car GS field.
The weekend began with the traditional ROAR Before the 24 test, giving Tomlinson her first extended running in the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport at Daytona. The sessions were focused on learning the car, understanding long-run behaviour in one of North America’s most unforgiving endurance environments.
Qualifying duties for the #22 were handled by Hill, who set a 1:55.684 lap in a tightly packed session. With only fractions separating large portions of the field, the time placed the Shopify Porsche 26th on the grid but very much within the midfield fight.
From the start of the four-hour contest, the Shopify Racing Porsche settled into survival mode, aiming to stay clear of trouble in the heavy opening traffic. Hill took the green flag and completed the opening lap in 23rd overall. In the early exchanges, Madeline Stewart was able to slip past, but Hill responded by picking up a position of his own shortly after.
As the field began to string out, Hill focused on maintaining a consistent rhythm, keeping the car clean and positioning it for the first pit cycle. When the opening full-course caution was called around 40 minutes in, the #22 was running 20th in GS, having avoided the early drama that claimed several competitors.
Under that first caution, the Shopify Racing crew brought the Porsche in and handed driving duties to Megan Tomlinson. For Tomlinson, this marked her first competitive stint in a GT4 car in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge conditions, with the field tightly bunched.
Rejoining 22nd in GS, Tomlinson’s immediate objective was to build confidence and establish a consistent pace. She settled into the stint, prioritising clean laps; as the race cycled through multiple cautions and restarts, Tomlinson held position inside the top 25 and remained on the lead lap, gaining valuable experience in pack racing at Daytona. Following one restart, she was running 21st, while the constant interruptions made rhythm difficult to maintain.
As the race moved into its middle phase, Tomlinson began to show good improvements. During a long green-flag run, she was however caught into a spin, dropping the #22 down to 30th.
Despite the setback, Tomlinson regrouped and continued, maintaining steady circulation until the next caution allowed the team to reset.
During a later pit cycle, Ron Tomlinson took over the #22, rejoining 29th as the race entered its latter stages. His stint was focused on maintaining position and preserving the car while navigating the busy field.
With under an hour remaining, Hill climbed back into the Porsche for the final stint. A strategic decision to extend the run saw the Shopify Racing entry cycle to the overall lead as others pitted, in a highlight moment for the team as the #22 headed the GS field by staying out longer than any other competitor.
Hill continued while the rest of the leaders completed their final stops; ultimately, Hill made the team’s final pit stop on lap 95, dropping back into the pack but ensuring the Porsche reached the finish without further incident.
At the chequered flag, Hill, Megan Tomlinson and Ron Tomlinson were classified 24th in the GS class. While the result did not reflect the fleeting moment at the front, the weekend delivered a full four-hour GT4 race completed, crucial development mileage, and tangible progression for Megan Tomlinson in her first outing with the Porsche GT4 platform.
Megan’s GS debut provided in fact the foundation on which the rest of her 2026 season can be built. The second round of the calendar is now scheduled for 18-21 March at Sebring.