- Mat Pombo, LA Honda World score record-tying fifth consecutive pole of 2023
- LA Honda World #73 finishes sixth
- More than half of two-hour race runs under the caution flag
It was a challenging and incident-marred race in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series today at Watkins Glen International Raceway, which saw William Tally and Mike LaMarra lead the way for Honda with a sixth-place finish in their debut race aboard their new #73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR FL5.
The duo started 12th, moved to the front on strategy, led laps, and rebounded from a slow pit stop to advance through the field to the sixth position.
The highlight of the weekend for Honda was a record-tying fifth consecutive TCR pole for #37 LA Honda World driver Mat Pombo. Pombo has qualified on the pole at all four Michelin Pilot races in 2023, and his streak stretches back to the final race of 2022. Unfortunately, Pombo's teammate Ryan Eversley would be taken out of the race, with just over 20 minutes remaining, when he was knocked into the barriers after contact from another competitor.
The #99 VGRT team of Victor Gonzalez and Karl Wittmer were caught out by yellow flags. Despite running as high as second, their race strategy gamble would backfire and the duo would end up P8 at the checkers.
The HART #89 Honda Civic Type R TCR suffered from a mechanical issue with just over 10 minutes left to run and subsequently Chad Gilsinger and Steve Eich were forced to retire from the race following contact from another car while running in the top five.
Sahlen's 120 at the Glen Honda Race Results
- 6th TCR - #73 William Tally+Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR
- 8th TCR - #99 Victor Gonzalez+Karl Wittmer, VGRT Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
- 11th TCR - #37 Ryan Eversley+Mat Pombo, LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR
- Retired - #89 Chad Gilsinger+Steve Eich , HART Honda Civic Type R TCR
Next
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge next heads north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, outside Toronto, for the CTMP 120 on Saturday, July 8. The race can be streamed live on NBC Peacock.
HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring
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