Back on Track

A long-awaited timetable has been set for getting back on the track. It’s almost time for racing.

In a series of video conferences with stakeholders earlier on Friday, IMSA revealed its plans to return to racing this summer with a revised 2020 calendar for the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.

The Michelin Pilot Challenge will resume at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. on July 17-18. The event weekend will be conducted without fans in attendance, but the two-hour championship race will be televised live on NBCSN.

And the much-anticipated news couldn’t be more welcomed by drivers Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson and the JDC-Miller Motorsports Team.

“Hearing the news that we will be back racing soon means the world to me,” said Johnson. “Not being in the car since Daytona has been rough. I miss it so much. I’m ready and I know the team is ready to go as well. Sebring has been good to us in years past so I know it will be exciting.”

Following the event at Sebring, August will feature two races. Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis will take place on Aug. 1 and VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. is scheduled for Aug. 21-23.

Six more dates throughout September, October and November round out the revamped 2020 Michelin Pilot Challenge schedule.

Officially debuting a brand-new version of the Universal Coating No. 54 Audi RS 3 LMS TCR car, co-drivers Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson and the JDC-Miller Motorsports team opened the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season in successful fashion in late January, racing to a third-place finish at the BMW Endurance Challenge at renowned Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“I am very excited to get back to racing,” Simpson said. “Obviously, the COVID-19 and quarantine situations came upon us suddenly, so it has been an interesting time for us all but we are in the same boat. Michael and I have been going over video and track notes every couple of days for the last two months, making sure we are staying engaged, staying sharp and continuing to prepare for when we go back to racing. I am cxcited to get back in the car for the in about seven week’s time and am looking forward to picking up where we left off at Daytona and continuing to fight for a championship. I am confident in the team, confident in Michael and we go to Sebring with one goal and that’s to win the race.”

2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Revised Schedule