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SECOND IMSA PODIUM OF 2023 SEASON FOR FILGUEIRAS & MCALEER IN THE STREETS OF DETROIT

Fans clamoring for an IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge standalone weekend got get their wish with the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on the streets of downtown Detroit. If you’re wondering when either of those items happened and thinking it’s been a minute, you’d be right.


The last Michelin Pilot Challenge street race ran at Circuit Trois-Rivieres in 2010. The series in its former name and class iteration ran as part of the Quebec city’s local grand prix weekend with a pair of split two-hour races for the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes on a 10-turn, 1.521-mile track.Cameron Lawrence earned the right to lead the field to green for Saturday’s fourth round of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic in Qualifying. Lawrence lapped the 1.645-mile, nine-turn Detroit Street Course in 1 minute, 16.236 seconds. He set the flyer on his 10th lap turned.


Times tumbled in the final three minutes of the 15-minute session as Grand Sport (GS) class drivers got more heat into their tires and more laps after an early red flag, with the provisional pole time changing hands several times.Lawrence had nearly a one-second gap to the field before CBW Racing's Eric Filgueiras uncorked a lap within 0.150 of a second. That earned Filgueiras second Qualifying position in the No. 28 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS CS he shares with Stevan McAleer. 


The GM Renaissance Center serves as one backdrop of the Detroit Street Course, while the Canadian flag serves as another thanks to nearby Windsor, Ontario. It was the latter backdrop that held true in Saturday’s Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, as Canadian Daniel Morad won in the shadow of his home country in the fourth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season.


Morad and Bryce Ward shared the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4, using a bit of strategy, Morad’s relentless attack on a restart and eventual overtake to secure the victory in the Grand Sport (GS) class-only, 100-minute race. It is both drivers’ first victory in Michelin Pilot Challenge competition.


Ward started 11th and pitted shortly after the 33-minute mark, three minutes after the minimum drive time window of 30 minutes opened. The Winward Racing team swapped in Morad, took rear Michelin tires and resumed on course shortly behind the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 (G82) and No. 28 RS1 Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS CS, which had been the dominant cars in the opening stanza of the race.


The No. 28 car, started by Eric Filgueiras, went for a fuel-only stop and swapped the car to Stevan McAleer. Meanwhile, the No. 95 car, started on pole by Cameron Lawrence, matched the strategy and flipped over to Robert Megennis after leading the opening 28 laps. It was there the complexion – and visuals – of the race changed.


Megennis sought to lap Rory van der Steur in the No. 19 van der Steur Aston Martin Vantage GT4 heading into the primary passing opportunity on the bumpy, 1.645-mile, nine-turn new downtown street course.


It all went awry when Megennis drove into van der Steur, with the momentum carrying his BMW up and over the Aston Martin in a spectacular incident. Megennis’ car hit the top of the tire barriers before he continued onto the pit lane, while van der Steur’s car was significantly impacted on the driver’s side and roof of the car. Both drivers made it back to pit lane.


The resulting full-course caution shuffled the order as a handful of cars, including the points-leading No. 72 Murillo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 of Kenny Murillo and Christian Szymczak, had not yet pitted and subsequently lost track position when it did stop. The race resumed with McAleer cycled to the front ahead of Marc Miller in the debuting No. 78 Thaze Competition by MC Squared Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 and Morad third in the No. 57 Winward Mercedes.


While Morad began to stretch his gap in front, McAleer put on a defensive driving clinic behind him to keep a bevy of cars in his rearview mirror, in the form of Miller, Jeff Westphal (No. 39 CarBahn by Peregrine Racing Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 RS Clubsport), Elliott Skeer (No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche Cayman 718 GT4) and the recovering Szymczak.


Despite multiple attempts, Miller was never able to get past McAleer. The two were former teammates with another program back in the day and know each other’s racing styles well, so a healthy level of respect was present.


McAleer and Filgueiras finished second with Miller and Michael Di Meo completing a dream debut for Birmingham, Michigan-based Thaze Competition, finishing on the podium in both the team’s and Miller’s home race.The 2nd place for the RS1 duo moves them to to 2nd in the championship standings in just three races after beginning the year with a DNF during the opening round at Daytona International Speedway in January.The Michelin Pilot Challenge resumes with both the GS and Touring Car (TCR) classes back in action at Watkins Glen International on Saturday, June 24.

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