Samantha Tan secures season-best IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge finish with seventh at Mid-Ohio
- RACERS
- 1 hour ago
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Samantha Tan recorded her best result to date in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a strong seventh-place finish in the GS class at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as she and teammate Bill Auberlen completed a determined recovery drive in the fourth round of the 2026 season.
Samantha Tan recorded her best result to date in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a strong seventh-place finish in the GS class at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as she and teammate Bill Auberlen completed a determined recovery drive in the fourth round of the 2026 season.
Despite losing ground while avoiding a major first-lap accident, the Random Vandals by ST Racing duo fought back through the field over four hours of racing to secure their strongest finish of the year to date and continue their upward momentum in the championship.
The Mid-Ohio event marked the second endurance race of the season following the Daytona opener, with teams tackling another demanding four-hour contest around the technical Mid-Ohio circuit.
Tan arrived at the fourth round looking to build on the momentum generated at Laguna Seca, where she had secured her first top-ten finish of the 2026 campaign alongside veteran BMW driver Bill Auberlen.
The Canadian stepped up to the highly competitive GS class this season after winning the 2025 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge GSX Bronze championship, returning to GT4 competitions in the #38 Random Vandals by ST Racing BMW M4 GT4. While results in the opening rounds had not fully reflected the pace shown by the team, strong performances at Daytona and Sebring demonstrated their potential before misfortune intervened. The eighth-place finish at Laguna Seca thus finally provided a reward for their efforts.
Mixed weather greeted competitors throughout practice at Mid-Ohio, with rain affecting portions of Friday's running, particularly during FP2. Despite the changing conditions, Tan and Auberlen quickly emerged as strong contenders, with the BMW proving competitive throughout the weekend.
Tan took qualifying duties for the #38 BMW M4 GT4 and had a solid effort in the GS session: her best lap of 1:27.378 placed the car 19th in class.
When the green flag waved for the four-hour contest, Tan lined up 19th in GS. However, there was early drama as an accident unfolded at the crest of the hill when Chris Miller was spun in the GS class pack. Several drivers arrived unsighted and were unable to avoid the incident, resulting in heavy damage for multiple cars, including the #4 Aston Martin, which lost a wheel in the impact. Race control immediately deployed a caution.
Tan found herself directly behind the incident as it developed; displaying excellent awareness and quick reactions, she took evasive action by driving through the grass to avoid the wreckage. While the maneuver cost her positions, it prevented damage to the BMW and kept the team's race alive.
Following a caution period, racing resumed approximately ten minutes into the event.
Tan immediately began fighting back through the field. She first overtook Aurora Straus before moving past Carnevale to climb into 17th position. Showing impressive pace, she quickly began closing on Madeline Stewart and was consistently around half a second per lap quicker than her rival.
After several laps of pressure, Tan completed the pass on Stewart on lap 24 to move into 16th place. Once clear, she immediately pulled away and demonstrated strong pace, continuing an excellent recovery from her first-lap setback.
The first round of pit stops began shortly after the one-hour mark. Having completed a strong opening stint, Tan brought the #38 BMW to pit lane on lap 36 and handed over to Auberlen. Her drive had successfully recovered several positions despite the unfortunate opening-lap and placed the team in a strong position for the remainder of the race.
Auberlen wasted little time making his presence felt. Soon after taking over, he set the fastest lap of the race with a blistering 1:26.517 and immediately began moving forward through the GS field.
The veteran BMW ace passed the BSI Racing Toyota of Goodman to move into 13th position and continued to chip away at the cars ahead whenever he found clear track.
As the race approached halfway, the second pit cycle began. Auberlen had climbed as high as tenth before making the team's second stop of the day.
Following the second round of pit stops, the pace of the #38 BMW continued to pay dividends. Auberlen worked his way back into the top ten and, with 1 hour and 40 minutes remaining, when one of the front-runners hit trouble, Auberlen continued to gain ground and soon found himself closing on the #26 Aston Martin of Hannah Grisham.
The race then saw its first full-course yellow since the opening lap when Burkhard suffered a heavy crash in the #2 CSM Porsche. Attempting to pass a Mustang on the main straight, he was forced onto the wet grass and subsequently crashed heavily into the wall, bringing out another neutralization.
At the time of the caution, Auberlen had climbed to ninth in GS.
Racing resumed with 1 hour and 22 minutes remaining. Auberlen continued his charge and remained in contention for a strong finish.
As the final round of pit stops approached, the Random Vandals by ST Racing BMW moved up to eighth position after Auberlen gained another place, moving ahead of Weisenberg.
The final scheduled stops took place with approximately 50 minutes remaining. Auberlen pitted on lap 124 with 48 minutes to go, entering pit lane ahead of Kenny Murillo while running seventh in class.
Shortly afterward, another caution was triggered when the #14 Circle H Racing Aston Martin became stranded on track. The resulting Full Course Yellow compressed the field and set up an intense final sprint to the finish.
When racing resumed with 30 minutes remaining, Auberlen was running sixth and in the battle for a top-five result.
The BMW continued to show strong pace; Auberlen closed to within five seconds of Bell's Copeland Motorsports Toyota, which occupied the final top-five position. However, Kiko Porto mounted a counterattack and eventually reclaimed a position from the BMW, limiting further gains.
Nevertheless, Auberlen successfully brought the #38 BMW M4 GT4 home in seventh position at the end of four hours of racing. The result marked the best finish of the season to date for Tan and Auberlen and represented another step forward for the Random Vandals by ST Racing operation.
Tan's excellent recovery drive in the opening stint and Auberlen's trademark charge through the field combined to turn a difficult start into a highly rewarding result.
With four rounds completed, Tan and Auberlen now sit seventh in the GS championship standings on 770 points. The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season now heads to Watkins Glen on June 25-28, where the BMW duo will look to build on their strongest result yet and continue their pursuit of the championship front-runners.
