Second IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Round of 2026 is Already Pivotal in GS
By Tony DiZinno
Entry List (Click Here)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Only one race into the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the Grand Sport (GS) class has been shaken up heading to Sebring International Raceway’s Alan Jay Automotive Network 120.
Last year’s GS champions, RS1, aren’t in the field. Last year’s GS runners-up, CarBahn by Peregrine Racing, will have to dig out of a Race 1 hole with a 30th place finish and just 10 points scored, already 340 points back of the lead. Aston Martin went 1-2 with Rebel Rock Racing’s Frank DePew, Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis winning in their No. 71 Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4 Evo. Circle H Racing’s No. 14 entry scored a surprise but welcome runner-up finish in its first race with a new operational partner (Archangel Motorsports) and manufacturer (Aston Martin), following a strong drive from the trio of David Hampton, Thomas Merrill and Martin Sarukanyhan.
The rest of those that finished quietly but successfully in the top 10 are well-positioned to strike at Sebring, because consistency figures to mold this year’s champion.
Winward Racing’s Bryce Ward and Daan Arrow, the latter in his Daytona debut, took the last podium spot in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4. The pair of past GS champions now sharing Turner Motorsport’s No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO, Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars, had a solid fourth place with fellow BMW runners Auto Technic Racing maintaining their form from the second half of 2025 in fifth, with Austin Krainz, Stevan McAleer and Roland Krainz aboard their No. 27 BMW. Turner’s second BMW with past champions, Vin Barletta and Robby Foley, ended 10th in the No. 96 car.
Ford got a pair of top-10s with the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mustang GT4 coming home sixth from pole and the No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing Mustang in eighth. VPX posted an impressive seventh on its series debut, matching the car number for Matheus Leist and Danny Dyszelski’s No. 7 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. Fellow Porsche runner CSM also got a top-10, with newcomer Madeline Stewart sharing the No. 2 entry alongside team veterans Gordon Scully and Morgan Burkhard.
Stewart shifts to CSM’s new second car this week, the No. 3 Porsche, alongside former junior open-wheel driver Jonathan Browne. One other change occurs with Trenton Estep and Allen Patten moving from Thunder Bunny Racing to van der Steur Racing, where they’ll share the No. 66 Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4 Evo.
The list of those that didn’t get the result they wanted at Daytona is long and voluminous and with another 30-plus-car GS entry at Sebring (34 cars), it could feature a heavily shaken up finishing order once more which could upend the title battle before Round 3 out west at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey.
BMW has won more often than not at Sebring, with wins for either its M4 GT4 or GT4 EVO variants in 2020, 2023 and 2025. Porsche (2016), Ford (2022) and Aston Martin (2024) also have GS wins at the track, leaving McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Toyota in search of their first GS triumphs.
TCR has a 16-car grid at Sebring. Once again, Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian opened its account at Daytona strong with a 1-3 for two of its Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars. The Denis Dupont and Preston Brown-driven No. 76 Elantra maintained its form in four-hour races by taking the victory. Bryson Morris and Mason Filippi finished third in the No. 33 Elantra they shared with Joshua Buchan; HART split the middle with the trio of Chad Gilsinger, Tyler Chambers and Cameron Lawrence finishing second in their No. 89 Honda Civic FL5 TCR.
There hasn’t been any one dominant brand in TCR at Sebring with Honda (2022), Alfa Romeo (2023), Audi (2024) and Hyundai (2025) winning the last four years. Cupra, the fourth active TCR manufacturer, impressed with its pace at Daytona but didn’t bank the desired results after separate incidents and issues throughout its race.
Filippi and Harry Gottsacker won at Sebring last year after a post-race penalty was assessed to Morris and Mark Wilkins. All four are back this year as part of Herta’s rejiggered quartet; Gottsacker now shares the No. 18 with Lance Bergstein and Wilkins races the flagship No. 98 alongside Maddie Aust.
Fast Facts
Alan Jay Automotive Network 120
Sebring International Raceway – Sebring, Fla.
March 18-20, 2026
Race Day/Time: Friday, March 20, 2:00 p.m. ET
Live Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 1:55 p.m. ET, Peacock in the U.S., internationally on IMSA.TV and IMSA YouTube ad-free courtesy of Michelin
Circuit Type: 3.74-mile, 17-turn road course
Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)
Race Length: Two hours
Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records
- GS: Jesse Lazare, McLaren Artura GT4, 2:09.915 / 103.636mph, March 2024
- TCR: Mat Pombo, Honda Civic FK7 TCR, 2:11.796 / 102.158 mph, March 2023
2025 Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Race Winners
- GS: Jeff Westphal/Sean McAlister, No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO
- TCR: Harry Gottsacker/Mason Filippi, No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Storylines
- GS Jumble: As noted, with some heavy hitters and preseason championship favorites struggling at Daytona, Round 2 at Sebring already may be a pivotal race for those in GS needing to make up ground for the rest of the season.
- TCR Parity: With four different brands having won the last four years at Sebring in TCR, there’s no clear favorite. And after the pace shown at Daytona, Cupra could be poised to be the fifth different brand in as many years to win at Sebring.
Who’s Hot?
- Aston Martin: A 1-2 finish in GS with Rebel Rock Racing and Circle H Racing started the year strong for the Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT4 Evo. Other teams running the car such as Heart of Racing Team and van der Steur Racing will look to join the success at Sebring.
- Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai: A double podium for BHA and Hyundai started the year strong once more, with the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR winning at Daytona with the sister No. 33 car in third.
Who’s Good Here?
- Liddell and DePew: The Daytona winners have had their best form at Sebring, where Robin Liddell is a four-time winner (twice with Stevenson Motorsports, twice with Rebel Rock Racing) and Frank DePew a two-time winner with Rebel Rock.
- Foley and Turner: Robby Foley and Turner Motorsport have a pair of GS wins apiece with BMW M4s GT4s. Their 2023 win helped propel them forward to GS title contention, which they secured.
- Harry Gottsacker: Hyundai’s ace and a two-time TCR champion has two poles and wins apiece at Sebring.