As the penultimate round of the 2023 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge came to an end on the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it was a seventh-place result for the Gonzalez duo. Paired with Victor Gonzalez in the #99 Victor Gonzalez Racing entry, Tyler Gonzalez was able to help the team improve once again throughout the weekend and score another top-ten result.
The two-day race weekend saw Tyler Gonzalez competing in the TCR class in car #99 as he and Victor took on one of the longest races in the season. Racing in the four-hour event, the longer duration race put man and machine to the test as the Michelin Pilot Challenge season hits the home stretch.
Friday started out with a last-minute schedule change moving the three practices drivers originally anticipated to two. Practice one commenced in the morning just before noon meanwhile, practice two was set near 7:00pm local time to give drivers a taste of the action that was to come on Saturday.
The morning of Saturday kicked off with setting the grid in qualifying where the #99 entry clocked the 11th quickest lap time and secured an inside row six starting position for the main event, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 240, coming up that afternoon and was scheduled to run into the evening hours.
At 4:30pm the green flag waved to kick off the intense four-hour long racing event. With the occasional yellow flag flying, the race eventually started to dwindle down as the sun set at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. As the checkered flag waved, Tyler Gonzalez and Victor Gonzalez crossed the finish line seventh in the TCR class.
“I am proud of all the hard work Victor and myself did during the four-hour race. With the timing of the yellows, it really came down to a strong strategy,” Tyler Gonzalez explained. “In the end, it was a four-position gain for us as we were able to battle well inside the top-ten all race long. A huge thank you to Victor and VGR for having me as part of their program.”
With only the final race over the Petit Le Mans weekend at Road Atlanta remaining on the calendar for the 2023 season, the last few races of the season are swiftly coming to an end for the team and drivers at Victor Gonzalez Racing.
Tyler Gonzalez is eager to pair up again with Victor on October 11-13 to compete in the 2023 Fire Fox 120 on the Road Atlanta circuit.
For more information on Tyler Gonzalez, please search for him via his social media pages at ‘Tyler Gonzalez Racing’.
Photo Credit: IMSA