Taylor and Miller drive the JDC-Miller Audi to win in Virginia

Mikey Taylor and Chris Miller claimed the victory in the TCR class of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Virginia International Raceway, but Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker maintained their grip on the championship.

Taylor held on through a one-lap shootout to win in the #17 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS 3 LMS he co-drives with Miller. Wickens inherited second in the #33 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N he shares with Gottsacker, when Tim Lewis who was trying to chase down the leader, went off in the esses from second place, telling his crew over the radio that something had broken in #5 KMW Motorsports Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce. That resulted in a full-course caution with eight minutes remaining in the two-hour race, letting the field gather closer to Taylor.

The ensuing restart was a one-lap run to the finish. Taylor brought it home seven seconds ahead of Wilkins, who finished half-a-second ahead of BHA teammate Mason Filippi in the #98 Hyundai he co-drives with Mark Wilkins.

Before the late caution, Taylor was leading comfortably but risked to run out of fuel.

While Taylor and Miller closed on Wickens and Gottsacker in the championship standings, the #33 duo remains 50 points ahead with only two races remaining. Filippi, and Wilkins are 110 points from the leaders.

The series’ penultimate round will be a four-hour race on September 16 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

Virginia Int. Raceway – Race

1. M. Taylor/C. Miller (JDC Miller MotorSports, Audi RS 3 LMS II), 54 laps

2. R. Wickens/H. Gottsacker (Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N), 6.974

3. M. Filippi/M. Wilkins (Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N), 7.524

Championship points

1. R. Wickens/H. Gottsacker, 2410 pts; 2. C. Miller/M. Taylor, 2360; 3. M. Wilkins/M. Filippi, 2300

Picture: IMSA/LAT Images