• Yoshihara, Wittmer, and the Montreal Motorsport Group have shined in the second half of the season, scoring two podiums and one win in the last three contests.
• Yoshihara added to the team’s tally of accolades at Indy, qualifying the #93 Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCR on pole position for Saturday’s race.
• Victory at Indianapolis was in sight until a mechanical issue forced the #93 Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCR into the pits for repair.
• The team looks to bounce back strong for the last race of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season in Atlanta as the series’ lead Honda Racing championship contender.

Solid. That’s exactly how you’d chalk up Montreal Motorsport Group (MMG) and Pit+Paddock’s performance during the second half of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season. Under the skilled hands of Dai Yoshihara and Karl Wittmer, the collective drove to two podiums and one win in the last three contests. It’s progress that the racing series was keen to highlight; the team’s accolades made the IMSA “Who’s Hot?” list ahead of the weekend.

That momentum was sustained once the team arrived in Indianapolis. Yoshihara and Wittmer put the #93 Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCR through its paces during both practice sessions while MMG tweaked the setup for the challenge ahead. Once Yoshihara crossed the finish line for the first time in qualifying, it was clear that we’d, once again, be contenders for top honors. Yoshihara claimed pole position by the session’s end—his second and fifth for the Honda Racing-powered team in the 2024 season.

AS IT HAPPENED

As the TCR field approached the start-finish line, Yoshihara’s position was immediately challenged by the championship leader, the #17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Its eagerness would be later deemed foul—essentially a jump start—and penalized. Still, that wasn’t the only drama on lap one; Daniel Wu in the #73 Racers Edge Motorsports Honda FK7 Civic Type R was left stricken by a mechanical issue and brought out the first full course caution before the cars crossed the brickyard again.

Once the field went green at 1:53, Yoshihara held P1 ahead of two Audis—the #61 and #55—before the latter made contact with an Aston Martin in GS. The scuffles were previews of on-track drama to come. The #61 Audi hit the #76 Hyundai hard after failing to slow down for the critical Turn 1 right-hander, which brought out another full course caution at 1:49. By this point, Yoshihara had mysteriously fallen down the order—from P1 to P8—and dove into the pits at 1:40. The team discovered that a turbo clamp had sheared itself off from the heat, so MMG, with IMSA scrutineers over its shoulder, valiantly got to work to repair the issue and get the car back on track.

The issue left the #93 Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCR a couple of laps down, which certainly dampened spirits, but didn’t compromise our resolve. Indeed, the team’s resilience is irrefutable; every problem Montreal Motorsport Group has faced has been quickly conquered. Consistent with its professionalism and experience, MMG carried on business as usual to capture valuable data with Yoshihara piloting the car ahead of the season closer.

The drama would continue; the #71 Aston Martin GS runner couldn’t slow into the tricky Turn 1 corner and careened into the #99, who was leading TCR at the time. The incident brought out another full course caution and a viable excuse for the GS field to dive in for pit stops. Wittmer resumed race duty with 46 minutes to go and drove the car to the finish clean and clear of any more incidents.

FROM THE DRIVERS

Wittmer summed up the heartbreak well, “Dagger to the heart in Indy. We had a really good shot at a very strong result, but sometimes the racing gods aren’t with us. We ran into a mechanical issue early in the race, putting us 2 laps down in the end. P8 finish. I’m very proud of our team and the effort we showcased to compete every lap. The crew did a stellar job all weekend. Let’s bounce back in Atlanta.”

Yoshihara was down but understood that motorsport can be sour as often as it can be sweet. “After such great results with the team, it hurt to finish down the order,” Yoshihara confessed. “But I know that the team, Karl, and I have a lot to offer. It’s been a dream to learn so much so quickly and be a part of such a great squad.” Indeed, despite the result, there were plenty of positives to extract from the weekend that the collective can take to Atlanta to finish the season strong.

FROM THE TEAM

The team understood that the issue was an anomaly to an otherwise promising weekend. “We didn’t make it at Indy for this round. But the car was very quick and if we hadn’t had the issue, the outcome would have been fantastic. But that’s racing, on to the next one,” Sabrina D’Amico, MMG’s co-owner and Logistics Manager.

The next one is the season’s last contest at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The Fox Factory 120 goes green on Friday, October 11. Yoshihara, Wittmer, and the team will be ready to put on a good show and represent Honda Racing well for the final round in this year’s Michelin Pilot Challenge championship. Game on.

Thank you to ARP, ENEOS, Turn 14 Distribution, Mishimoto, Whiteline, and DBA for supporting Pit+Paddock’s inaugural IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge campaign with Montreal Motorsport Group.

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