Eric Foss and the No. 56 Murillo Mercedes-AMG Are the Defending Winners but Co-Driver Jeff Mosing’s Status Is Uncertain
By Mark Robinson
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Finally, Eric Foss felt, the disjointed sensation of the past two IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge seasons had subsided so that he and co-driver Jeff Mosing could make a run toward the top of the Grand Sport (GS) standings starting this week at Road America, where Foss and the No. 56 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 are defending race winners.
That plan was derailed when Mosing was injured Friday in an accident during the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America race at the same Wisconsin track, leaving his status in the air for this Saturday’s Road America 120 until he’s re-evaluated. It’s unfortunately been a recurring theme for both drivers. Mosing missed time in 2021 with a broken foot and more than half of last season with a rib injury. Foss, the two-time series champion, was forced to drive through pain last year from injuries sustained as a driver coach when a brake failure resulted in one of his students crashing with Foss in the passenger seat.
Foss’ pain was such at Road America that he had to get out of the car and let co-driver Kenton Koch race back to victory in the final stint of the four-hour race in 2022. This year’s Road America 120 is the traditional two hours and Koch will be part of the Random Vandals Racing lineup in the No. 92 BMW M4 GT4 (G82).
“I thought realistically we were maybe a P5 car and Kenton put on a hell of a charge to get to the lead,” Foss recalled. “I’m going to definitely have to channel some of my inner Kenton (this year). He’s going to be a competitor to us this year, so look forward to racing him there. If Jeff can’t make it, we’ll have to quickly evaluate who’s available to get in the car.”
The saga of Foss, Mosing and the No. 56 Mercedes seems appropriate for a topsy-turvy GS season. In the past three races, no team has reached the podium more than once. And through the first six races, 12 different car/driver combinations have finished in the top three at a race, none more than twice.
Foss and Mosing’s teammates, Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak in the No. 72 Murillo Mercedes, have built a 170-point lead over the field because they’ve had only one finish lower than seventh place. But with GS fields of 20-plus expected at the remaining events – including 24 this week at Road America – a single subpar result could quickly tighten the standings.
Foss and Mosing are currently sixth in GS, 320 points behind their class-leading teammates. But they’re only 150 points from second place.
“The (No.) 72 is the only one that’s really kept it clean all year so they have a pretty sizable lead,” Foss said. “Realistically, we are in contention for second in the championship. Mathematically, we can still win, but second is really still an objective at this point. It has been a crazy season and we’re only one race past halfway, so there’s still a lot that could happen.”
The Touring Car (TCR) standings finds a tight battle between the top two cars, both from the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian camp. Mark Wilkins, Mason Filippi and the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR are 10 points better than Harry Gottsacker, Robert Wickens and the No. 33 Elantra. Chris Miller, Mikey Taylor and the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR are 110 points from the lead, with 14 TCR entries slated for Road America.
It’s a compressed two-day Michelin Pilot Challenge schedule this weekend, with two practices and qualifying on Saturday. The two-hour race concludes the weekend’s activities, starting at 3:55 p.m. ET Sunday and streaming live on Peacock.