| Long-Time Stalwart Driver and Team Emerge Victorious in Parity-Filled GS Season October 16, 2024By Tony DiZinnoIMSA Wire Service |
| DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Matt Plumb’s been part of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge fabric in various iterations, through previous series names, tire partners, class structures and vehicle models. In 2024, one of the series’ longest-serving stalwart drivers returned to the top of the mountain. In a year categorized by consistency, Plumb secured an overdue first race win in seven years and his first title in 11 years. The victory at Watkins Glen International in June moved him back into a tie for the most all-time in the Grand Sport (GS) class with 24, while the title came largely as a result of eight top-six finishes from the 10 races. Plumb shared the No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4 with Paul Holton from Sebring onward, and their collective blend of youth and experience paid dividends in a parity-packed, 20-plus-car field. It took until the seventh race of the season before a single GS team won a second time, in the form of Plumb’s season-long championship rivals Trent Hindman and Stevan McAleer in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. Hindman and McAleer had a midseason surge that coincided with a slight dip in results for Plumb and Holton, which sliced Plumb’s championship lead to just 50 points with two races remaining. Then the pendulum swung back the other way. Plumb, Holton and the No. 46 Aston Martin finished with results of fourth and second in the last two races while the No. 28 car ended with results of ninth and sixth. That brought Plumb’s championship margin back to 180 points following Friday’s finale, the Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. “It’s grown into such an amazing championship with so many competitive teams and drivers that to win here, you really have to get your act together,” Plumb said. “We needed about a five- or six-car delta (over the No. 28 at Michelin Raceway) and they needed a win. It may have been more difficult for them to close, but it didn’t take away from our nerves.” |
| Solid execution from the Team TGM crew ensured a triple championship. Beyond Plumb’s overall GS title, the team won the GS team championship and the sister No. 64 car of Plumb’s brother Hugh and team principal Ted Giovanis won the GS Bronze Cup. It’s the team’s first championship since 2018, when Hugh Plumb and Owen Trinkler won the GS title in a Mercedes-AMG GT4. The TGM group has included a lot of sports car veterans not only in the cockpit but also in the pit box and timing stand. “It’s an incredible collection of winners in some fashion,” Matt Plumb said. “It starts from the top. Ted Giovanis is a winner in his own right, and he’s a 76-year-old guy who mixes it up with a bunch of young kids! He sets the standard and it permeates all the way down to us. Being around people of that caliber elevates the game and brings out your best.” McAleer and Hindman were second, perhaps unlucky in the final two races after their momentum propelled them into title contention. |
| “You know this thing will come down to the wire,” Hindman explained before the finale. “And TGM is outstanding at what they do. Their luck could very well turn at the next race, and so could ours. At the end of the day, we’re continuing to have the same race approach, but staying flexible.” Holton was third, courtesy of running alongside Matt Plumb in every race except the Daytona International Speedway opener. He took over from Trinkler, who is approaching 200 IMSA race starts. Trinkler spent the first half of the year recovering from third-degree burns sustained in an incident in testing at Daytona International Speedway in December before returning to competition in another series later in the year. Rory van der Steur, who had a rotation of co-drivers, finished a career-best fourth in his No. 19 van der Steur Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4. The team will continue in Michelin Pilot Challenge and also expand into the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class in 2025. Past GS champion Dillon Machavern and Robert Megennis completed the top five in points in their No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, just 10 points ahead of Riley Dickinson and Michael McCarthy, who bookended the season with wins at Daytona and Michelin Raceway in the No. 91 Kellymoss by Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. In all, eight different teams won in the 10 races this season. That level of parity provided Plumb an opportunity to produce an interesting comparison about how far the series has come since his 2013 GS title. “This one feels even better,” he said. “The GT4 class now is like what the prototype class was in the early years. I’m so excited to share it with these guys. “Consistency is what makes a championship-winning team. They have stepped up their game this year.” |
