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year, three additional top-ve nishes, and completing
every lap of competition in all 10 races.
“I think the Mercedes-AMG GT4 is really good on
the bumps at Sebring,” said Trinkler. “I feel con-
dent that we will go back with a year under our belt
and we have good package that we have a strong
handle on now. We are learning every day about the
Michelin tire and we will continue to learn during Sebring.
I’m excited to get back to a true road course
and it’s one of my favorite tracks. I won there in
2016 and got a second-place nish in 2017, so it’s a
track that I have a good history on, which makes it even
more exciting to head back to.”
A pair of drivers from new TCR team FAST MD Racing,
Nick Galante and Dr. Jared Salinsky, have been a part
of winning ST lineups the last two years. Galante won
in 2017, while Salinsky took the nal ST class victory at
Sebring in 2018. The ST class was phased out of competition
with the conclusion of the 2018 season. The
team nished on the podium at Daytona in its rst Pilot
Challenge race and is looking to keep turning heads at
Sebring.
Additionally, KohR Motorsports returns to Sebring eager
to keep its two-year winning streak alive at the 3.74-mile
circuit. Kyle Marcelli and Nate Stacy will attempt to repeat
their 2018 GS win in the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4
after KohR Motorsports took the top honors in 2017 at
the hands of Jade Buford and Scott Maxwell.
If past results are any indication of how Friday’s race will
shake out, fans at Sebring will be in for a treat. Three races
have been decided by less than a second, with two of
those being less than half a second. Only once has the
polesitting car gone on to win the race – KohR Motorsports
in 2017 – but that car usually performs well in the
race, averaging a sixth-place nish.
Additionally, seven different marques have claimed the
top step of the podium in the ve years that the Pilot
Challenge has raced at Sebring. Porsche is the winningest
marque at Sebring with three victories, while Chevrolet
and Ford are tied in second place with two apiece.
“Sebring is one of the most technical tracks we go to, in
my opinion, which is why it’s one of my favorites,” said
driver Britt Casey, Jr., the 2018 Pilot Challenge TCR
Champion “There are so many things to think about over
the course of the lap due to the wide variety of corners.
The track surface of Sebring is notoriously bumpy which
makes it more fun to drive, but also torture tests the race
cars.”
The series gets on track for the rst time this weekend
on Thursday with three practice sessions – at 8:30 a.m.,
11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. – before qualifying for the MOTUL
Pole Award which begins for both classes at 5:55 p.m.
The two-hour Alan Jay Automotive 120 is set to go green
on Friday at noon ET, which fans not onsite can watch on
IMSA.tv with IMSA Radio commentary. The NBCSN television
broadcast of the race will air on Thursday, March
28 at 3 p.m. ET.
Throughout the weekend and for the remainder of the
season, be sure to keep up with news and updates from
the MICHELIN Pilot Challenge using the hashtag #IMPC
on social media and by visiting IMSA.com.
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