08/08/2018, Grantsville, Utah
Both Hyundai drivers look to continue UMC winning ways in PWC Grand Prix of Utah
GRANTSVILLE, Utah (August 8, 2018) – The Utah Motorsports Campus has been a winning circuit over the years for Hyundai racers Michael Lewis and Mark Wilkins. And they hope to continue that trend this weekend (Aug. 10-12) in the Pirelli World Challenge TCR competition.
The two Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb/Agajanian drivers have tasted champagne and stepped to the top of the UMC podium recently in the Pirelli World Challenge road racing action at the popular 3.0348-mile, 14-turn road circuit southwest of Salt Lake City.
Both Lewis and Wilkins have two PWC victories in the past three years at UMC. Lewis won both GT SprintX races in 2016 and Wilkins won in the GTS Sprint race in 2015 and the GT SprintX contest last year in the PWC Grand Prix of Utah.
Now, the two BHA competitors seek additional winner’s circle celebrations this weekend with their Hyundai i30N cars in the TCR division with the Pirelli World Challenge doubleheader events set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. MDT and Sunday at 1:00 pm MDT.
This year, Lewis and Wilkins are no strangers to the PWC podium celebrations with Lewis, in the 98 BHA Hyundai i30 N TCR, with two wins, four seconds and one third in the first eight rounds in the 12-race campaign. Wilkins, in the No. 99 BHA Hyundai i30 N TCR, has recorded three victories and three runner-up finishes in the first eight 40-minute sprint races.
Lewis ranks second in the current TCR driver point standings with Wilkins in third entering Rounds 9 and 10 this weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus. Hyundai leads the TCR Manufacturers points in the category’s first season of competition in the Pirelli World Challenge.
“Utah Motorsports Campus is a really fun track on which to drive,” said Lewis, the 27-year-old Laguna Beach, Calif., racer. “In my opinion, it provides for some really nice racing because of how the corners all flow together. Then you have the massive front-straight that allows for drafting. Because of how well this track races, and from the many fast, long duration corners, I really like it.
“This is one of two race weekends left in our championship and it has been so fun to race the Hyundai i30N TCR race car for Bryan Herta Autosport, alongside Mark Wilkins. The entire team works very well together, and we will work hard to score more points for both the team and manufacturers championship. We look forward to seeing and interacting with the local race fans and we hope to put on a good show for everyone there!”
Wilkins, the veteran Canadian racer, enters the Utah Motorsports Campus events planning to continue his UMC success against a strong lineup of contenders.
“It has been a great season so far in our Hyundai i30N TCR,” he said. “The car has excelled at every circuit to date and I expect we’ll see more of the same at UMC this weekend. The circuit layout is great fun and makes for some awesome racing! I’ve had some great wins here and some hard to swallow losses. I suppose I have a bit of a ‘love hate’ relationship with the circuit.
“We have a big group of HMA employees and Hyundai dealership service managers coming out this weekend. Michael and I are excited to welcome them, share our season’s successes and put on a couple of great races for them this weekend! With only four races left in the TCR. we will be pushing hard for wins and keeping Hyundai at the top of the manufacturers point standings.”
TCR Practice gets underway at UMC at 10:35 a.m. MDT Friday (August 10) with the Round 9 40-minute sprint race set for Saturday (July 14) at 2:30 p.m. MDT. Sunday’s Round 8 TCR feature is scheduled for 1:00 a.m. MDT.
All TCR races at Utah Motorsports Campus will have live streaming on www.world-challenge.com.
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About Pirelli World Challenge (PWC)
The Pirelli World Challenge is a North American auto racing series launched in 1990 by the Sports Car Club of America. It has been managed by WC Vision since 2008, and sanctioned by the United States Auto Club since 2017. The series consists of seven driver classifications and several classes of vehicles, including: Grand Touring, GT Cup, GTS, TCR, TC and TCA. The series frequently races alongside the IndyCar Series on race event weekends. Each Pirelli World Challenge Touring TCR season consists of six event weekends with doubleheader races for a total of 12 rounds. Each weekend has one standing start as well as one rounding start. Each TCR race has a maximum 40-minute time limit.
About Bryan Herta Autosport
Co-Founded by Bryan Herta in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport has grown from a single-car Indy Lights team into a world-renowned auto-racing franchise. The team made its first foray into IndyCar action in 2010 with an entry in the Indianapolis 500 while continuing to run a full-time multi-car Indy Lights program. The 2011 Indianapolis 500 was the final race of the Centennial Era, a celebration of 100 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also known as “The Most Important Race in History,” the 100th anniversary of the inaugural 1911 race was the second IndyCar race in which Herta Racing competed.
Five years later, Bryan Herta Autosport, while partnered with Andretti Autosport, defied the odds again and won their second Indianapolis 500 with rookie driver Alexander Rossi. In 2015, Bryan Herta Rallysport made its debut in the exciting Red Bull Global Rallycross Championship.