Brown, Dupont race to first series victory in TCR nail-biter

The TCR class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge featured fuel-saving drama in the 4-hour race at Mid-Ohio, with Preston Brown and Denis Dupont both gaining their first win in nail-biting fashion at the wheel of the #76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N.

Dupont stopped with the rest of the TCR leaders for a full tank of fuel during the final full-course caution with just over 80 minutes remaining. When racing resumed 10 minutes later, the #76 crew was running second and planning to go the distance without stopping. One by one, the other TCR contenders began stopping for late splashes of fuel. Dupont inherited the lead with 28 minutes to go when Tim Lewis pulled the #5 KMW Motorsports Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce in for a splash. That changed the thinking in the #76 Hyundai pit and Dupont too pitted for the splash-and-go. He returned in the lead and pulled away to win by 4.2 seconds over Lewis, William Tally and the #5 Alfa Romeo. The #17 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS 3 LMS, with Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor, finished third – ending their three-race winning streak to start the 2024 season.

Miller and Taylor remain on top of the standings, while Brown and Dupont moved up to second, 170 points behind.

The fifth round of the series will be the 2 hours of Watkins Glen on 28/29 June.

Mid-Ohio – Race

1. P. Brown/D. Dupont (Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N), 152 laps
2. T. Lewis/W. Tally (KMW Motorsports, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce), 4.197
3. C. Miller/M. Taylor (JDC-Miller MotorSports, Audi RS 3 LMS II), 6.850

Championship points

1. C. Miller/M. Taylor, 1350 pts; 2. D. Dupont/P. Brown, 1180; 3. R. Wickens/H. Gottsacker, 1070

Picture: IMSA/LAT Images