Riley Motorsports Mercedes-AMG took the season-opener win at the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Endurance Race Friday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway. The team featuring Dylan Murry, Jim Cox, and Jeroen Bleekemolen led the last twenty-one laps crossing the finish line to win the GS Class in the No. 35 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4. Philip Ellis and Bryce Ward in the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 for Winward Racing took second place.
The event also featured the debut of rising NASCAR star Hailie Deegan, who piloted the No. 22 Multimatic Motorsports, Inc. Ford GT4 along with current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Chase Briscoe.
Unfortunately for the duo, the car experienced mechanical issues three hours into the race and ended up finishing 43rd out of fifty-one teams running eighty-six laps. Other notable drivers in this race were current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric, who finished 45th in the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Inc. Ford Mustang GT4 and IndyCar Gabby Chaves finished in 28th in the No. 33 Hyundai Veloster N TCR.
The race finished under caution with fifteen minutes left of the race when Scott Maxwell’s No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4 slid across the grass in the bus stop and hit the tire barrier rear end first. The car flipped upside down after the incident, but Maxwell was not injured.
Over to the TCR Class, Jon Morley, and Gavin Ernstone in the No. 61 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for Road Shagger Racing won the TCR Class racing one hundred and seven laps. Mikey Taylor and William Tally in the No. 32 Audi RS3 LMS TCR for Speed Syndicate Motorsports finished in second place. For the full results of the BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway, visit here.
The next race for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will take place on the weekend of March 18-21 from Sebring International Raceway for the two-hour Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 on Thursday, March 19, at 3:50 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Gold TrackPass.
