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IMSA: Hyundai Announces 2023 U.S. Racing Program led by Herta team

Posted by AR1 staff

Hyundai Motor North America is set to field five Hyundai elantrantcr entries in the 2023 imsa michelin pilot challenge (IMPC) season in pursuit of a fourth-consecutive manufacturers championship title. Hyundai will be represented by reigning IMPC champions Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) and Deily Motorsports. Hyundai will also compete in the TC America Series Powered by Skip Barber #racing School championship in the SRO Motorsports America series.

The Lineup

  • Reigning IMPC champions Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis will return in the #1 Elantra N TCR
  • The No. 33 HyundaiElantra entry will be driven by BHA drivers Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker—a new pairing for the 2023 season
  • Mason Filippi and Mark Wilkins will pilot the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra N TCR
  • Deily Motorsports will field Jacob Deily and Tyler Maxson in the No. 70 Hyundai Elantra N TCR
  • Cabot Bigham and Matt Jaskol will drive the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N TCR
  • Ricca Autosport will field two Hyundai entries in TC America—Jeff Ricca in the No. 78 LIQUI MOLY GenRacer Hyundai Elantra N TC and Sally McNulty driving the No. 780 Borla Exhaust LIQUI MOLY Hyundai Veloster N TC
#1: Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb Agajanian, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, TCR: Michael Lewis, Taylor Hagler, #33: Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian, Hyundai Elantra N TCR, TCR: Mark Wilkins, Robert Wickens

Bryan Herta Autosport will field the returning back-to-back series champions, Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis, behind the wheel of the No. 1 Hyundai Elantra. The history-making duo have their sights set on a third-straight championship.

“We are all excited for the start of the 2023 Michelin Pilot Challenge season in Daytona, for this season we have familiar faces behind the wheel but the driving combinations will look a little different,” said Bryan Herta, president, Bryan Herta Autosport. “We continue to evolve and push our program as the level of competition from Honda, Audi, and Alfa Romeo grows each season. I can’t wait to see how our new driver pairings and the proven Elantra car stack up against this season’s competition.”

The No. 33 Hyundai Elantra entry will be driven by BHA drivers Robert Wickens and Harry Gottsacker—a new pairing for the 2023 season. Gottsacker first joined BHA in 2019 and has finished in the top five in the championship every season since. After a career-altering IndyCar accident in 2018, Robert Wickens made his motorsports comeback with BHA in 2022, winning back-to-back races and tallying an additional podium. The No. 33 Hyundai Elantra is custom fitted with a hand-controls system developed by BHA that allows Wickens to operate the Elantra through the steering wheel. Once Gottsacker takes over the Elantra in the pits, the car controls will be switched back to the foot pedals.

The third BHA pairing of 2023 is composed of Mason Filippi and Mark Wilkins, who will pilot the No. 98 Hyundai Elantra. Filippi, a two-time polesitter in 2022, returns to BHA with a championship mindset alongside Canadian-native Wilkins, who earned two IMPC victories in 2022.

Completing the impressive Elantra lineup on the IMPC grid for 2023, Deily Motorsports will field Jacob Deily and Tyler Maxson, also a two-time polesitter last year, in the No. 70 Hyundai Elantra. Cabot Bigham and Matt Jaskol will drive the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra. The Deily Motorsports entries from Edmond, Oklahoma will contest the full IMPC schedule.

Hyundai Motor North America will compete in the TC America Series Powered by Skip Barber Racing School championship within the SRO America series that is an all-new platform with the Elantra N TC to debut in Sonoma. Ricca Autosport will field two Hyundai entries in TC America—Jeff Ricca in the No. 78 LIQUI MOLY GenRacer Hyundai Elantra N TC and Sally McNulty driving the No. 780 Borla Exhaust LIQUI MOLY Hyundai Veloster N TC. Ricca looks to continue momentum from a third-place finish in the 2022 TC America championship while McNulty will make her debut in the TC class.

The 2023 season for IMPC kicks off with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on Jan. 20-22, 2023, at Daytona International Speedway followed by the first round of the schedule with the BMW M Endurance Challenge at DAYTONA on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. The TC America schedule will begin at Sonoma Raceway on March 30, 2023.