Top Ten Finishes for Maddie Aust and Megan Tomlinson at Mid-Ohio IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Round
- RACERS
- Jun 10
- 7 min read
The fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the second endurance race of the season, saw another strong showing from several female drivers on the grid — including Maddie Aust and Megan Tomlinson, both of whom brought home top-ten finishes alongside their respective teammates.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Four Hours of Mid-Ohio, the fourth round of the 2025 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and the second endurance race of the season, saw another strong showing from several female drivers on the grid — including Maddie Aust and Megan Tomlinson, both of whom brought home top-ten finishes alongside their respective teammates.
Maddie Aust and Suellio Almeida in the #9 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR crossed the line in sixth place, narrowly missing out on another top five finish in what has been a very consistent rookie campaign for the duo.
The pair had impressed on debut with a fourth-place result at Daytona but were met with misfortune at Sebring, where a late-race fuel issue ended a promising run. They bounced back with a fifth-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, gaining six positions in a strong recovery drive — and at Mid-Ohio, the pairing again proved they are one of the most competitive new entries in the TCR field.
Also building on her momentum from Laguna Seca, Megan Tomlinson — sharing the #37 Precision Racing LA Audi RS3 LMS TCR with her father Ron — secured her third top-ten result of the season with a clean and consistent run to seventh in class. Coming off a ninth-place finish at Laguna Seca, Megan again delivered a fault-free drive, helping the team collect more valuable championship points.
Tomlinson has made a strong impression in her debut IMSA season, having recovered from an early penalty to finish seventh at Daytona. At Sebring, she showed competitive pace before misfortune struck, denying the team back-to-back top tens. She rebounded strongly at Laguna Seca and kept that form going at Mid-Ohio, contributing to a season of steady improvement.
The race also featured three more female drivers. Riley Pegram shared the #72 Pegram Racing Hyundai with her father Larry and showed excellent speed throughout the weekend, though a technical issue mid-race ultimately denied them a top result. Christina Lam returned to the grid for the first time since Daytona, joining Eric Rockwell and Bruno Colombo in the #10 Rockwell Autosport Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Meanwhile, Christine Sloss continued her rookie campaign in the GS class aboard the #15 Van Der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, aiming to add another Bronze Cup podium to her tally after achieving silverware in the previous three rounds.
The opening practice sessions showed promise for all female entries. In FP1, Riley and Larry Pegram set the 11th-fastest time, just a couple tenths off the top ten. Almeida and Aust clocked the 12th best time, with Almeida posting a 1:28.825, ahead of the Tomlinsons and the #10 Rockwell Audi driven by Lam, Rockwell, and Colombo.
FP2 saw improvements from several entries. Aust and Almeida moved up to P11 with a 1:28.009, while the Pegrams were just behind. Megan and Ron Tomlinson placed 14th, narrowly ahead of the Rockwell Autosport Audi.
In qualifying, Larry Pegram delivered a strong lap of 1:27.719 to place the #72 Hyundai sixth in TCR, just nine-tenths off pole. Almeida clocked a 1:27.878, good for eighth, in a tightly packed top ten. Megan Tomlinson qualified 14th in class with a 1:29.320, while Rockwell recorded a 1:29.437 to line up 15th.
Race day began on a damp but drying track following heavy rain showers, with most teams opting for slicks. At the green flag, Larry Pegram held seventh in the #72 Hyundai, while Almeida lined up ninth. Megan Tomlinson started 15th, and Christine Sloss took the start in GS on wet tyres. Sloss made a good getaway but spun early and dropped to the back, prompting an early stop to switch to slicks.
On lap 2, Rockwell went off into the gravel but managed to rejoin before a full course yellow was called. Almeida moved up to eighth, then overtook both Rumburg and Pegram, climbing to sixth when teammate Wilkins suffered a puncture. Megan Tomlinson moved up to 13th while avoiding on-track chaos, and Rockwell advanced to 14th after a pit stop from the #33 BHA entry.
When Celso Neto pitted with engine issues, Almeida gained another spot to sit fifth, with Larry Pegram in seventh after 20 minutes. Megan climbed to 12th and Rockwell to 13th, as Almeida posted strong laps and continued to close on the next TCR runner — albeit with several GS cars in between.
Thirty minutes in, Pegram was pressuring Rumburg for position, and Megan Tomlinson continued to improve in P12. Wittmer, running second in the #93 MMG Honda, went off and pitted, allowing Almeida to jump to fourth and Pegram to sixth. Shortly after, the #57 Winward Mercedes went off into the barriers, triggering a FCY just as pit windows opened.
Most TCR entries pitted at this time: Almeida came in from third, Pegram from fifth, and Megan Tomlinson from ninth. Rockwell also pitted from 14th, while Christine Sloss stayed out to attempt a wave-by before pitting from second in the Bronze Cup.
After the first round of stops, Almeida returned in fourth. Riley Pegram took over the #72 Hyundai and rejoined in seventh after a strong opening stint from Larry. Megan remained in the car and came out in 11th, having gained a position through the pit cycle. Lam took over the #10 Audi and returned to IMSA action after her season opener at Daytona.
However, Lam was soon handed two penalties — one for a crew violation and another for pit lane speeding — which led to a pair of drive-throughs. Megan Tomlinson spun in the grass but recovered without damage, maintaining P12. Riley Pegram dropped to 11th under caution.
At the next restart, Almeida picked up an advertising board that lodged in the front of the car, forcing an unscheduled pit stop to remove it. He dropped to tenth as another FCY was called due to debris at Turn 11. Pegram moved back into seventh.
Ben Sloss took over from Christine in the #15 Aston Martin, now running second in the Bronze Cup and P20 in GS. Megan Tomlinson moved up to ninth as Almeida rejoined behind her. Lam pitted under caution but her car came to a halt in the fast lane, resulting in another penalty.
Racing resumed with 2h46m to go. Almeida began making up ground and climbed to seventh by lap 44, just behind Riley Pegram. Riley made a strong restart to take sixth. Unfortunately, Ben Sloss went off and sustained damage to the #15 Aston Martin, ending their race from second in class.
As the race resumed once again, Riley Pegram held fifth ahead of the #76 and #33 BHA Hyundais, while Almeida was eighth. Riley fell to ninth by lap 53. Megan Tomlinson held 11th and remained on the lead lap, while Lam rejoined 18 laps down.
Almeida reclaimed eighth after passing Pegram and set his sights on Yoshihara’s MMG Honda. Megan rose to ninth as others cycled through pit stops. Almeida moved into sixth before pitting, having briefly taken the TCR lead mid-cycle: Maddie Aust took over and rejoined fourth, around 40 seconds behind the top three.
Riley Pegram, after pitting on lap 72, handed the car back to Larry — who unfortunately received a penalty for too many crew members over the wall, dropping the #72 Hyundai to 12th. A further technical issue cost them more laps, though they eventually rejoined, as the team battled a mechanical failure that caused a brake issue.
Maddie Aust held fifth place and lapped competitively, before losing a position to the #5 KMW Honda of Mathew Lewis and settling into sixth. Megan Tomlinson stayed consistent in seventh, then pitted on lap 90 to hand over to Ron Tomlinson for the final 90 minutes. Ron rejoined ninth and climbed to eighth during the pit cycle.
Aust maintained a handful of seconds over Miller in the VGRT Hyundai, while Lam ended her stint several laps down. Colombo took over and was immediately served another drive-through for a pit lane violation. A further issue forced Colombo to pit 20 minutes later, and the car was brought behind the wall.
With an hour to go, Aust remained in sixth and pitted on lap 111, staying in the car. Just before the restart, the #14 AR Motorsports Porsche of Merrill came to a halt at Turn 6, bringing out another FCY with 55 minutes left. This disrupted fuel strategies and set up a sprint to the finish.
At the restart with 45 minutes to go, Aust held sixth with a comfortable margin over Ron Tomlinson, who ran seventh with a lap in hand over the next car. Larry Pegram ran in 12th, still showing good pace despite the earlier issues. Colombo rejoined 30 laps down.
A FCY for a splitter lost by a Mustang was followed by another caution after contact between the #27 and #96 BMWs at Turn 12 with 20 minutes to go. At the restart, Aust held sixth with just a small buffer to Tomlinson behind.
In the final minutes, Maddie Aust managed to gradually extend her margin and took the chequered flag in sixth place — a valuable result that adds more points to her and Almeida’s strong rookie campaign.
Ron and Megan Tomlinson brought the #37 Audi home in seventh, capping off a clean, mistake-free run. The duo has now collected three top-ten finishes in a row, a testament to their growing consistency.
Larry Pegram crossed the line in 11th after a promising run that was hampered by penalties and a technical issue. Despite the result, both Riley and Larry showed top-six pace and continue to be contenders when trouble-free.
Christina Lam’s teammate Bruno Colombo took the flag in 14th in class. Though multiple penalties and technical issues marred their race, the entire Rockwell Autosport lineup gained valuable experience in a challenging outing.
Both Maddie Aust and Megan Tomlinson continued to impress in their debut campaigns; Aust and Almeida’s consistency keeps them in touch with the championship front-runners, while Megan Tomlinson's performances highlighted her development as a driver.
In the championship standings, Maddie Aust sits in fourth place with 980 points; Megan Tomlinson is eighth, with 910 points, while Riley Pegram is eleventh.
The next round, the LP Building Solutions 120, a two-hour race at Watkins Glen, is scheduled for 19-22 June.
