Megan Tomlinson achieved an encouraging seventh-place finish on her IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut at Daytona, showcasing solid pace in the race with a good recovery drive in the #37 Precision Racing LA Audi RS 3 LMS.
Megan Tomlinson completed her first race in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with a seventh-place finish in the TCR class, following a solid run in the four-hour season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
Megan, who shared the #37 Precision Racing LA Audi RS 3 LMS with her father, Ron Tomlinson, recovered from an early drive-through penalty to climb back into the top ten. She managed her second stint well, setting competitive lap times and, by keeping it clean, Megan handed over the car to her father in seventh place, where they eventually finished.
The young Canadian driver has been racing TCR machinery since 2023, competing in the Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin. Last year, she became the first female driver to score points in TCR World Tour history and later represented Canada at the FIA Motorsport Games in the Touring Car discipline in Valencia, Spain.
Now ready for another challenge, Megan takes on the highly competitive IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in 2025, in a family-run effort. She gained valuable experience during the ROAR Before the 24 collective test, learning the circuit and building confidence ahead of race week, in conjunction with the 24 Hours of Daytona.
The Tomlinsons were just outside the top ten in the official practice, with Ron setting a 2:01.629 lap. They then ran P15 in the second practice session, improving to a 2:00.498, as Megan prepared for qualifying and the first part of the race.
Megan Tomlinson took the wheel of the #37 Audi for the 15-minute qualifying session, setting the 14th-fastest time midway through. When the checkered flag fell, she secured P14 in her first IMSA qualifying with an encouraging 2:00.395.
“I was happy to get my fastest lap yet during qualifying and am looking forward to the race tomorrow", she commented. "There are definitely some areas on the track I still need to improve, and I’m excited to keep progressing. You never know what’s going to happen in an endurance race, so I’m just focused on going out there and being super consistent.”
As the cars rolled off for the 2025 season opener—the four-hour BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona, one of the flagship events of the series that supports North America's premier sports car championship—all qualifying drivers took the start, with Megan behind the wheel from 14th in the TCR class.
Tomlinson had a good start and moved up to P12. Despite losing a position to Eric Powell in the following lap, she settled into 13th in the opening stages.
On Lap 4, she came under pressure from Bergstein’s #18 VGR Hyundai and dropped back, but kept her cool and started logging solid lap times.
A collision between William Tally’s Honda and Ted Giovanis brought out the first safety car of the race. The Honda caught fire, but Tally was able to exit safely, though the car suffered heavy damage. Under caution, Megan was back in 13th. No teams opted to pit during the caution, and the race resumed.
A contact for the #39 CarBahn BMW M4 GT4 of McAlister with the #46 Team TGM Aston Martin of Holton scattered debris on the track, triggering another safety car.
At this point, Megan was running 12th and continuing to keep it clean, eyeing further progress toward the top ten.
When the pits opened for the TCR class, some teams opted to stop while others stayed out. Megan pitted for the first time and remained behind the wheel. After the first round of pit stops, she retained 12th place.
As the race resumed, however, drama struck as Megan was handed a drive-through penalty for a pass under yellow, costing her two positions. After serving the penalty, she dropped to 14th.
Nevertheless, she kept her head down and continued making up ground, gaining positions from attrition ahead. In the second part of her stint, she ran strong laps and climbed back to 11th. As her stint neared its end, she had to face some tyre degradation but still maintained a competitive 2:01 pace.
Megan then pitted again and remained in the car, rejoining in 12th while staying on the lead lap. Shortly after, the #71 Rebel Rock Aston Martin of Andrew Davis lost a wheel, triggering another full-course yellow.
Once again, some teams chose to pit while others stayed out: Tomlinson stayed out, moving into the top ten. However, another restart was disrupted by an accident involving Alex Garcia in the #31 Audi, the Gou Racing Cupra Leon, and Riley Pegram in the #72 Pegram Racing Hyundai.
Megan retained tenth place but had then fallen a lap down to the leaders. Nevertheless, once the race settled, she resumed running competitive lap times and broke the two-minute barrier.
Up front, race leader Eric Powell in the #99 Hyundai slowed down with a mechanical issue.
Megan, who had driven a smart, consistent race, climbed further up the order and secured seventh place.
She pitted for a fourth stop on Lap 68 while running in P7, setting strong laps just before the stop. Her father, Ron, then took over, rejoining in eighth place.
Shortly after, Tyler Gonzalez’s VGR Hyundai hit trouble and retired with an hour to go. Ron gained another position, bringing the #37 Audi back up to seventh.
With the final round of pit stops approaching, the race settled into a good rhythm, with the Tomlinsons holding steady in seventh. A caution period followed when the #43 MDK Motorsports Porsche of Stewart crashed into the barriers at pit exit, triggering a full-course yellow with just over 30 minutes remaining. Tomlinson pitted under caution for the final time.
When the green flag waved with 22 minutes to go, the race was back on; the Precision Racing LA Audi of Tomlinson held a one-lap deficit to the #18 Victor Gonzalez Racing Hyundai but was safely one lap clear of the #98 BHA Hyundai of Gottsacker, with the Tomlinson duo not under immediate threat.
Ron Tomlinson eventually took the checkered flag in P7, securing a strong top-ten finish in the four-hour season opener.
It was a promising result for the father-daughter duo, as Megan ran solid laps and executed a strong recovery, securing a top-ten finish on her IMSA debut.
"What an amazing time running with Ron Tomlinson and finishing P7 overall at Daytona during the Rolex 24 hour weekend", she wrote. "Can’t wait to see what the season with Precision Racing LA brings!"
The second round of the season is scheduled for March 12-14 at Sebring International Raceway.
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