Wright Motorsports continued its consistent 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) America campaign with another top-five finish during Round 4 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Dave Musial Jr. and Ryan Yardley brought the No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3 R home fifth in the Pro-Am class after battling changing conditions, traffic and a tightly packed field throughout the three-hour contest.
Meanwhile, Therese Lahlouh and Thomas Merrill showed encouraging pace in the No. 242 Porsche despite contact and a costly penalty. Wright Motorsports also fielded Dave Musial and Jon Manship in the GT America powered by AWS double-header, where both drivers collected points in difficult Atlanta heat.
Musial and Yardley preserve their championship momentum
Musial Jr. and Yardley arrived at Road Atlanta aiming to continue their strong start to the season. The pair qualified fourth in Pro-Am and ninth overall, placing the No. 31 Porsche within reach of the class leaders before the race began.
Musial handled the opening stint and spent much of his time fighting inside the top five. He maintained a consistent pace through the first half of the race and kept the car in contention before handing driving duties to Yardley near the halfway point.
Although fifth place fell short of the crew’s target, Musial recognised the value of another solid points finish.
“P5 was not quite the result we wanted,” admitted Dave Musial Jr. “But we are still second in points in the Pro-Am championship! Now we’ve got a couple of months away to build up to the next one. On to Road America.”
The result marked the fourth consecutive top-five finish for the No. 31 entry. Consequently, Musial and Yardley retained a strong hold on second place in the Pro-Am championship standings.
Yardley battles through traffic after the restart
Yardley quickly returned the Porsche to fourth in class after taking over from Musial. However, a full-course yellow shortly before the final hour erased the gaps and compressed the field. As a result, Yardley faced renewed pressure from the cars behind when racing resumed.
The New Zealander remained involved in a fierce battle for fourth throughout the closing stages. Traffic through the Esses and onto the back straight complicated his efforts and briefly cost him track position.
Nevertheless, Yardley fought back and reclaimed a place before continuing the battle to the chequered flag. He eventually crossed the line fifth in Pro-Am and seventh overall.
“Fifth place for us at the checkered flag, which is still a good collection of points for the championship,” added Ryan Yardley. “Time for a bit of a reset over the summer break, we’ll be ready to put up another good fight in the next round.”
Although the crew missed the podium, its consistency kept the championship challenge firmly on course heading into the summer break.
Early contact compromises the No. 242 Porsche
Lahlouh and Merrill faced a more difficult race in Wright Motorsports’ second Pro-Am entry. During the opening stint, another competitor made contact with Lahlouh on the inside and sent the No. 242 Porsche into the runoff area near the crest leading onto the front straight.
Lahlouh had little room to avoid the incident, which immediately disrupted her race. Officials later issued the other competitor with a drive-through penalty for the contact.
Despite the setback, Lahlouh recovered and completed several overtakes in mixed conditions. She steadily rebuilt her confidence while working her way back through the field. However, a further penalty later damaged the team’s hopes of a representative finish.
Pass-around penalty changes the No. 242 result
Officials assessed the No. 242 crew with a technical infraction for an improper pass-around procedure. The resulting stop-and-hold penalty cost Lahlouh and Merrill significant time and dropped them several laps behind. Therefore, the final classification did not reflect the speed they had demonstrated throughout the weekend.
Even so, Lahlouh viewed the race as an important step forward. She overcame her initial concerns about the demanding circuit and wet weather before producing one of her strongest drives.
“I’m honestly really proud of my performance at Road Atlanta,” Therese Lahlouh shared. “I think that was the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car! I had one of my best drives to date, making so many passes in mixed conditions. I came in really intimidated of the track and more than a little terrified that it was going to rain. Of course it started raining just minutes before the race and I have to admit I panicked for a few minutes. But I have such great people around me in Wright Motorsports, Thomas Merrill, Craig Stanton, and all the incredible friends who came out to support me this weekend. They helped me find the confidence and strength I needed to rise to the challenge. I can’t WAIT for Road America!”
Her performance gave the team encouragement despite the disappointing outcome. Moreover, the experience provided another valuable stage in her development.
Merrill highlights Lahlouh’s progress
Merrill also drew positives from the weekend and praised Lahlouh’s response to the difficult circumstances. The pair showed enough pace to compete further up the Pro-Am order before the incident and penalty disrupted their race.
“The results sheet doesn’t tell the whole story,” echoed Thomas Merrill. “Therese made tremendous strides throughout the weekend and handled the difficult conditions very well. We had the pace to be further up the order, and while it’s frustrating when things don’t go your way, there’s a lot of momentum and confidence we can carry into the second half of the season.”
That progress gave Wright Motorsports another positive to take from a weekend that tested both cars in different ways.
GT America entries collect further points
Wright Motorsports also competed in the GT America powered by AWS double-header at Road Atlanta. Dave Musial drove the No. 72 Porsche 911 GT3 R, while Jon Manship piloted the No. 216 entry. Both drivers faced intense competition and high temperatures during the weekend’s two sprint races.
Musial and Manship each recorded one seventh-place finish and one eighth-place result as the GT America season moved beyond its halfway point. Although neither driver reached the podium, both added points and gained further experience in demanding conditions.
Wright Motorsports looks towards Road America
Wright Motorsports now enters the SRO America summer break with several encouraging championship storylines.
Musial Jr. and Yardley remain second in the Pro-Am standings after extending their top-five streak. Meanwhile, Lahlouh and Merrill leave Road Atlanta with greater confidence despite a result that failed to match their pace.
The team will return to action at Road America from 28–30 August. After using the break to reset and prepare, Wright Motorsports will aim to convert its consistency and improving speed into stronger results during the second half of the season.
