ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern made racing in the rain look easy. Even if it was anything but.
Auberlen tiptoed through the final laps with a nearly dry fuel tank to reach the finish line 15.750 seconds ahead of Alec Udell and claim the Road America 120, the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race Saturday at Road America.
“I’m very curious about how much gas is going to come out of that gas tank,” Auberlen joked afterward.
It was the second victory in the last three races for the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 and the 18th of Auberlen’s career in the series, extending the team’s lead in the series standings.
“We’re sitting in a great spot right now,” Machavern said. “We gained a ton of points. … We couldn’t ask for a better situation. The season is winding down, we’re in a great spot, and everybody is hitting their marks. That’s what it takes in this series – consistency and staying clean.”
While Auberlen and Machavern were claiming victory in the Grand Sport (GS) class, Tim Lewis and Roy Block pushed Alfa Romeo to its first victory in the Touring Car (TCR) class. The postrace celebration stirred emotions for the drivers and crew of the No. 5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR.
“I got out of the car and the first person I saw was Brian (Carroll), our No. 1 mechanic,” Lewis said. “He was excited. Then I saw Louis Milone, the team owner, running down pit lane with his hands up and tears in his eyes. He was just elated.
“It was a really good feeling to bring that win home for the team. Those guys have worked day in and day out, year after year, to try to make this happen.”
The celebration for the Turner Motorsport team also was emotional but uncertain. Auberlen light-footed the BMW’s throttle during the rainy final laps, preserving the overall lead he and Machavern had accumulated during the first 90 minutes of the two-hour race.
“The conditions were terrible, but it was an absolute pleasure to drive, which was crazy,” Auberlen said. “I didn’t know how it was going to be. It was our first time in the wet here with that car. It was getting better and better, but then the call came in: ‘You’ve got to save a ton of fuel. You’re not going to make it.’”
Everyone chasing the No. 95 car was on a similar fuel-saving strategy. As Auberlen’s lap times got bigger, so did those of his competitors.
“For sure, I was going so slow that everybody would’ve caught me,” he said. “But they were on the same schedule. Everybody started saving fuel. All of a sudden, I could start hitting a (mileage) number. We just kept going and going.”
The gamble worked for Auberlen and Machavern but not for others. Five drivers were stranded on the track during the cool-down lap, their cars out of fuel.
Udell finished second behind Auberlen in the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 he shared with Bryce Ward. Indy Dontje and Russell Ward teamed to finish third in the team’s sister car, the No. 4 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4.
Turner Motorsport now owns the top two spots in the GS standings – Auberlen and Machavern lead No. 96 BMW drivers Robby Foley and Vin Barletta, who placed fourth Saturday, by 120 points.
In TCR, Lewis crossed the line ahead of Denis Dupont, who teamed with Rory van der Steur to finish second in class in the No. 19 van der Steur Racing Hyundai Veloster N TCR. Parker Chase and Ryan Norman were third in the No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
Lewis and Block moved into a second-place tie with Chase in the TCR standings, 190 points behind No. 77 BHA Hyundai Veloster drivers Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis.
Bill Auberlen and Dillon Machavern in victory lane at Road America.