The Audi of Morley/Ernstone wins IMSA opener at Daytona

Jonathan Morley and Gavin Ernstone took the #61 Road Shagger Racing Audi RS 3 LMS for one last memorable ride, winning the TCR class at Daytona in the opening round of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. 

The victory didn’t come easy, however. Morley, on the wheel for the last half of the four-hour race, had a gripping, 45-minute, bumper-to-bumper battle with the #73 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R FK7 driven by Mike La Marra. Morley wrestled the lead from LaMarra with just 12 minutes left and held him off over the final eight laps, winning by four tenths of a second. 

"We had a pit stop, took new tyres, then there was a full course yellow which wiped out a big lead of 13 seconds,” Morley said. “From there, it was a battle, and I couldn’t get rid of him. Once I got by him, I still thought I was going to drop him because the car was good early on. I could not get him out of my mirrors.”

It was the fifth career win in the series for both drivers, after going winless in 2022. It also appears to be the last race for the car they used before switching to a newer generation Audi. 

With La Marra and William Tally finishing second in their Honda, the podium was completed by the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N shared by Mark Wilkins and Mason Filippi.

The series will resume at Sebring on March 18.

Daytona – Race

1. J. Morley-G. Ernstone (Road Shagger Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 106 laps

2. M. La Marra/W. Tally (LA Honda World Racing, Honda Civic Type R FK7), 0.427

3. M. Wilkins/M. Filippi (Bryan Herta Autosport, Hyundai Elantra N), 5.535

Championship points

1. J. Morley-G. Ernstone, 350 pts; 2. M. La Marra/W. Tally, 320; 3. M. Wilkins/M. Filippi 300

Picture: IMSA/LAT Images