| New Team, New Track Record in the Spotlight Saturday Ahead of O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-OhioJune 7, 2025By Tony DiZinnoIMSA Wire Service |
| Qualifying Results LEXINGTON, Ohio – Thomas Merrill (Grand Sport, GS) and Karl Wittmer (Touring Car, TCR) will start from the front of their respective classes for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge headliner race, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Merrill used a late-session flyer in his No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS to secure the top spot in GS, at a 1 minute, 26.331 seconds (94.158 mph) to beat previous pacesetter Paul Holton in his No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO by 0.115 of a second. The Portland-area based AR Motorsports team is new to IMSA – Merrill and co-driver David Hampton debuted in the series at Merrill’s home track of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – and to score a pole in only its second Michelin Pilot Challenge race came as something of a surprise to the IMSA veteran, who’s raced a variety of different cars and classes over his career. “Mostly in clear track we got the lap,” Merrill explained. “We struggled early; we’re pitted all the way at the back of pit lane so we had to get creative on finding some clear track. “But what can I say about this AR Motorsports crew being brand new to IMSA? This is only the second race for this team and it’s an unbelievable result. The boys have been working their tails off to give us a really good race car and I know David’s really excited to get started tomorrow.” Hampton has gained extensive seat time this weekend racing in both the Michelin Pilot Challenge and the pair of IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge 45-minute races in a similar No. 14 Porsche. Merrill would traditionally have Hampton qualify, but the four-hour format Sunday provides the team some strategic options – particularly if it rains as expected. “Me being in qualifying is definitely a new wrinkle,” Merrill laughed. “I normally don’t qualify, so that part was pretty fun. I had to make sure we took advantage of it, right? But we’ll see where we put David in there somewhere in the middle and it looks like rain, so it could get pretty exciting.” Holton will share No. 46 Aston Martin with Matt Plumb, who remains in search of a record-breaking 25th Michelin Pilot Challenge victory that would break a tie with Billy Johnson. The No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Dillon Machavern and Francis Selldorff, which has had strong pace all weekend, starts third. The point-leading No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS of Jan Heylen and Luca Mars will roll off eighth. Wittmer Breaks His Own TCR Track Record With New One |
| In Touring Car (TCR), Karl Wittmer showcased Honda’s pace at a track very important to the manufacturer, one of its home venues. The Canadian set a new lap record in qualifying in TCR in his No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR, 1 minute, 26.747 seconds (93.706 mph), a lap that was quicker than all but five GS class cars. Wittmer will share his car with LP Montour and Dai Yoshihara ahead of Sunday’s race; he broke his own record of 1 minute, 27.103 (93.323 mph) set last year. “It’s Honda’s proving ground, right? So, can’t thank MMG enough, just seeing how the car has delivered,” Wittmer said. “I just sent it into Turn 1 and then my confidence built up, and I just, you know, strung it along and, next thing you know, I had a lap on the on the board I was happy with.” The No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Harry Gottsacker and qualifying driver Mason Filippi was second, 0.306 of a second in arrears, with the similar Hyundai – the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing Team entry of Eric Powell and Tyler Gonzalez – in third. The points-leading No. 76 BHA Hyundai of Preston Brown and Denis Dupont qualified 11th. That pair seeks its third straight four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race win, after also winning at Mid-Ohio last year and Daytona’s BMW M Endurance Challenge this year. Sunday’s race goes green at noon ET on Peacock domestically and globally, ad-free courtesy of Michelin, on the IMSA Official YouTube channel. |
