Braselton, Ga. (11 October 2019) – TeamTGM closed out the 2019 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) season on high note, taking a podium result with a third place finish in Friday’s Fox Factory 120.
Owen Trinkler took the green flag in the No. 46 Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation (JKTG) / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG GT4 and capitalized on the start, picking up one position to move up to second.
Key strategy calls made by Joe Varde – who was celebrated by the team as everyone wore “In Joe We Trust” shirts – was the ticket to the podium for Trinkler and teammate Hugh Plumb. Upon a Lap 21 pit stop Trinkler remained in the car and leapfrogged the leading Mustang to take the overall lead.
Maneuvering the Mercedes through the corners saw Trinkler rocket away from the rest of the field on the first restart, immediately putting a one-second gap between him and the competition. Trinkler led 16 laps before handing the car over to teammate Plumb with just 46 minutes remaining.
Working all the tools of the Mercedes-AMG, Plumb stayed in contention holding in the top-five for the final 20 laps. A dash to the checkered flag brought home the second podium of the season for the TeamTGM duo with a third-place finish.
The No. 4 JKTG Foundation / Camp Boggy Creek Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Ted Giovanis and Guy Cosmo took the checkered flag eighth – matching the best finish of the year for the driving duo.
Giovanis started the race working his way up through the field until the first caution which called for the first pit cycle. Following his TeamTGM teammate, Giovanis handed over the No. 4 Mercedes to Cosmo.
Fighting tooth and nail for each position gained Cosmo broke into the top ten with 50-minutes remaining. A dicey scene of pack racing through the checkered flag saw bumper to bumper action with Cosmo gracefully sliding by the competition to secure eighth.
The 2019 season saw Trinkler and Plumb take the greatest number of pole positions of the GS class with three poles at the Sebring International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and Lime Rock Park events. Additionally they finished the season with three top-five finishes including a win of the Lime Rock Park 120.
Team Quotes:
Hugh Plumb:
“We would like to win every race but while it is hard to do, TeamTGM is completely capable of that. We take the wins as a team and the losses as a team. We secured the Manufacturer’s championship for Mercedes-AMG and had a hard-fought battle for a third-place finish. A big thank you to the entire TeamTGM.”
Owen Trinkler:
“I have a great co-driver in Hugh (Plumb). We missed out on a few opportunities this year, but we will be back and stronger in 2020. Once we got out front today, I knew we would set sail. We worked on long runs all week and the car was very strong in the lead. A big thank you to Joe Varde, Ted Giovanis and the rest of the team. We fought very hard to keep this car in a straight line and Mercedes made this a fantastic car. To end the year with a podium finish and the Manufacturer’s championship for Mercedes-AMG is very special.”
Ted Giovanis:
“It was a complicated stint for me but when I got clear of the TCR cars, I got into a rhythm. I am very happy to take home a podium with the No. 46 and (Guy) Cosmo had a fantastic finish as well. It was an overall good day for TeamTGM.”
Guy Cosmo:
“There are few times in my entire career that I have had to work harder than that. Mercedes has been a phenomenal car all year long. Having to race in a car that has straight-line speed deficit is one of the hardest things I have had to do. I am glad we had a solid finish and it was a miracle that the pack I was racing with managed to keep it on track because it was some intense racing. The season has been challenging but a lot of fun with some of the best people in racing.”