Lexington, OH

  • #93 MMG Honda of Karl Wittmer, LP Montour, and Dai Yoshihara claims third
  • Challenges arise for #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda and #89 HART entries

The fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season saw a return to the podium for Honda, as the #93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR of Karl Wittmer, LP Montour, and Dai Yoshihara secured a third-place finish in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio.

Wittmer put the #93 machine on the front row for the start of the race, claiming pole position the day prior—and re-setting the Mid-Ohio TCR lap record in the process. As he took the green flag, he had a strong start and retained the lead, but the battle for first intensified further in the opening laps.

Traffic from the GS class created chaos early on, as Wittmer had to take evasive action to avoid a slow-moving competitor, sending him for a trip in the grass in the process. He was able to return on track quickly, but the excursion dropped him down the running order.

After coming into pit lane, the team adjusted their strategy and utilized the full course cautions to recover ground. As Dai Yoshihara and LP Montour took over for their stints, they gradually regained positions, making the alternative pit stop sequence work to their advantage.

Wittmer got back behind the wheel to complete the final stint, crossing the finish line in third place to complete MMG's comeback drive.

The remaining Honda-powered entries, the #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda and the #89 HART, faced setbacks. Contact on track and mechanical issues brought their races to an early end and resulted in a twelfth and fifteenth place finish, respectively.

O'Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio Honda Race Results

  • Finished 3rd - #93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR, Karl Wittmer, LP Montour, Dai Yoshihara
  • Finished 12th (Not Running) - #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic Type R TCR, William Tally, Tim Lewis
  • Finished 15th (Not Running) - #89 HART Honda Civic Type R TCR, Cameron Lawrence, Tyler Chambers, Chad Gilsinger

Quotes

Dai Yoshihara (#93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR) Finished 3rd: "The race was great, we got third place! My stint was pretty strong, it was a little hard because I had a bit of contact here and there, but the car was still great. I'm super happy about it. This was my last scheduled IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race for now, so I'm glad I was able to contribute some points for the team. Hoping that LP and Karl will be able to finish the season strong. That would be great."

Next

Honda will return for the fifth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the two-hour LP Building Solutions 120 at Watkins Glen International, on Saturday, June 21st at 11:45 AM ET.

 

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