Top ten finishes for Megan Tomlinson, Christina Lam in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in Indianapolis
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Megan Tomlinson and Christina Lam both secured hard-fought TCR top-ten finishes at Indianapolis, with Tomlinson finishing eighth in the #37 Audi and Lam taking tenth in her first outing with the #10 Hyundai in an action-filled IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway delivered a hectic and action-filled contest and it ended with two female drivers celebrating hard-earned top ten finishes in the TCR class. Megan Tomlinson and Christina Lam both secured strong results, with Tomlinson and her father Ron climbing to eighth in the #37 Audi RS 3 LMS, while Lam with Rockwell Autisport's #10 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, finished in tenth.
The weekend began with promising starting positions: Tomlinson lined up 14th in class, just ahead of Lam’s teammate Eric Rockwell in 15th. For Lam, the event marked her first outing with the team’s Hyundai, having previously raced in an Audi. Both cars managed clean starts, settling into 14th and 16th in the early laps.
The first full-course yellow was triggered by debris on the front straight, neutralizing the race within the opening stint. Ten minutes later, racing resumed: Tomlinson had pitted under caution and restarted from 11th, while Rockwell stayed out and slipped back to 15th. By the 45-minute mark, the cars that had stayed out were forced to stop, dropping Rockwell to 13th while Tomlinson remained in a stronger position.
Another caution followed at the 53-minute mark when gearbox issues sidelined the #18 BHA Hyundai at Turn 1. With minimum drive times met, most of the TCR field pitted during the caution — including both female entries. Tomlinson rejoined in ninth, setting up a strong handover to Ron Tomlinson, while Lam took over the #10 Hyundai from Rockwell and rejoined in 12th.
Less than ten minutes later, another yellow was thrown when the #59 Ford Mustang lost its rear bumper. The bunching of the field allowed both Tomlinson and Lam to restart near the fringes of the top ten. Although positions initially held steady, looming penalties for others opened the door for late-race opportunities.
With just over 20 minutes left on the clock, chaos struck again. Contact forced the #28 Porsche into a puncture, scattering debris, while Maddie Aust’s #9 Hyundai was pushed into the gravel after contact with Pegram’s car, triggering yet another full-course caution. When the race resumed, Ron Tomlinson was running tenth, while Lam followed closely in 11th.
In the final sprint to the checkered flag, both cars gained ground as penalties ahead reshuffled the order. The Tomlinson duo crossed the finish line in eighth, climbing six places from their starting position, while Christina Lam secured tenth place, marking her second top-ten of the season.
“Finishing eighth at Indy is really exciting,” said Megan Tomlinson. “Our Precision Racing LA crew gave us a fantastic car, and we had a weekend where the stars aligned and things came together. It’s motivating to finish with a result that shows that we are competitive and hungry for results. It was a hard fight especially in the heat, and I’m really thankful for the effort from everyone involved. What an honor to have a good weekend at such an iconic and historic venue like IMS. We’re looking forward to keeping the momentum rolling.”
Lam also wrapped up a positive outing, moving up positions across her stint and celebrating another top-ten finish in the highly competitive TCR class.
With the penultimate round at Indianapolis complete, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge now heads into its season finale at Petit Le Mans, where the final championship decisions will be made and the female competitors will look to carry forward the momentum gained at the Brickyard.