Podium Finish for Tabor in American Rally Association Southern Ohio Forest Rally

Shift Up Now Athlete Madelyn Tabor and co-driver Sophia McKee earned a third-place podium finish in the National L4WD class, competing for Tabor Racing Team in the American Rally Association (ARA) Southern Ohio Forest Rally on June 11-13, 2026.

Driving the No. 209 Madelyn Tabor Racing / Matrix Motorsports Ford Fiesta Rally 3, Tabor is competing as a third-generation rally driver, and is the first Shift Up Now rally athlete. She is also supported by WIMNA and Steven Redd Racing.

Southern Ohio Forest Rally is based across Chillicothe, West Portsmouth and McArthur, Ohio, with Thursday’s Yoctangee Street Stage, Friday’s Shawnee Forest stages, and Saturday’s Zaleski Forest stages.

The race weekend began with the pre-event test and recce under warm summer conditions. During recce, the driver and co-driver complete the stages in a street car at about 30 mph to make notes about the road before competing on them at speed.

The test day on the flowing forest roads gave Tabor time to settle in with her Ford Fiesta Rally 3, which she nicknamed “Jellybean.”

The race began in the evening on Thursday and ran through the night into Friday. Tabor started 20th under the lights at the Yoctangee Street Stage in Chillicothe before the rally moved into Friday’s Shawnee Forest stages near West Portsmouth. Friday’s route included two passes each of Diagon Alley, Disco Inferno Short, Top Gun North Short and Pound The Alarm South.

During the first half of the rally, a deer appeared on stage. After jokingly saying, “Oh deer” in the car, Tabor stayed focused and calm while keeping rally pace.

The biggest moment of the day came on Friday’s final stage. Coming off a fast straight into a right three onto pavement, the brakes locked and Jellybean went straight into the bushes instead of neatly making the corner.

Tabor and McKee got the car gathered up quickly, returned to the road, and were immediately back at race speed with the brakes working as intended. There was no major service drama afterward, but the team still had a full re-prep ahead.

After the Friday night stages, the No. 209 car was provisionally in P10 overall and P5 in National L4WD after SS10. The crew worked into the early morning hours to get Jellybean ready to keep rolling the following day.

Saturday’s stages were a strong finish to the weekend. Tabor found more pace on the second loop as confidence continued building in her car. On the first pass of Irish Ridge, the team had some communication trouble that became a distraction in the car, but Tabor and McKee resolved it and kept moving forward.

Once again in true rally fashion, the day also included a turtle crossing the road.

After starting the weekend P20 on the road, Tabor and McKee brought home an unofficial total time of 2:08:51.9, finishing on the National L4WD podium.

“I’m really proud to bring home a National L4WD podium for Tabor Racing Team, Matrix Motorsports, Shift Up Now, WIMNA, and Steven Redd Racing,” said Tabor. “Huge thank you to Sophia, our crew, and everyone who kept Jellybean ready all weekend. This was a big learning rally for us, and finishing P3 in class feels like a strong step forward.”

Next up, Tabor heads to Rangely, Colorado for the ARA Rally Colorado for 121 competition miles in and around Rio Blanco County on July 18-19, 2026.

Unser and Freiberg Narrowly Miss Podium in Best GT4 America Finish Yet at Road Atlanta

Shift Up Now Athletes Loni Unser and Ashley Freiberg earned a fourth-place finish in the Silver class (and top-ten finish overall) for Kellymoss, in round seven of the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America Championship at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on June 13, 2026.

Fellow Shift Up Now Athletes Erika Hoffmann and Laura Hayes also competed in the double-header weekend on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn natural-terrain road course, with Hoffmann in the No. 73 Kellymoss entry with teammate Paul Bocuse, and Hayes in the No. 37 Dome Motorsport entry with teammate Ed Killeen.

Freiberg and Unser—both supported by PenFed Credit Union, Acumatica, Mobil1, Speedway Motors, Radius, and Pagid—piloted the No. 24 “Be Your Own Hero” Porsche Cayman GT4.

The weekend began on Thursday with one promoter test and two official practice sessions in hot and uncomfortably humid conditions that would continue throughout the weekend, creating slick track conditions.

The practice sessions were strong for both the Kellymoss Porsches, with Hoffmann and Bocuse running in the top ten overall in the first, and Freiberg and Unser fifth in class for the second.

Qualifying took place on Friday at 11:25am EDT. The session was split into two 15-minute halves, with the first driver setting the grid position for race one, and the second for race two. Hoffmann, Hayes, and Unser were behind the wheel first.

Hoffmann had her strongest qualifying performance of the season, putting the car in 15th overall for the first race. Hayes also had a strong performance in her first GT4 America qualifying session since the season opener at Sonoma. She and teammate Ed Killeen would start 16th overall (second in the AM class). Unser qualified just outside the top 20 and would start on the outside of row 11. Freiberg, who was the second driver for the qualifying session, set the car in 16th on the starting grid for the second race of the weekend.

At 3:50pm on Friday, the 32-car GT4 field lined up for round six, the first one-hour race of the weekend. When the green flag flew, a majority of the field was running side-by-side into turn one. Hayes advanced one position as the field made it cleanly through the first turn and then spaced out to run single-file.

When the leaders began to pull away, a large mid-field pack from 7th through 15th developed. Hoffmann got shuffled back slightly during the opening laps and settled into 18th overall.

During the pit stop cycle, Dome Motorsport elected to keep Hayes out as long as possible, cycling her to the overall race lead before handing the car to Killeen. For awhile, it looked as though this strategy might pay off with a podium finish, but Killeen was passed for third in class just before a full-course caution flew with 17 minutes remaining.

After the cleanup, race one ended with a 10-minute sprint to the finish. Bocuse in the No. 73 and Freiberg in the No. 24 each advanced one additional position to finish 6th and 7th, respectively, in the Silver class (15th and 16th overall). Hayes and Killeen finished 7th in the AM class.

On Saturday, the round-seven race began at 12:25pm EDT. Freiberg, Bocuse and Killeen were each behind the wheel first for the one-hour competition. Once again, the field ran side-by- side into turn one and completed another clean start before running single-file into the famous Road Atlanta esses.

Within the first five laps, Freiberg made two passes to advance into the top 15 overall. When the pit-stop cycles began, Kellymoss elected to leave both her and Bocuse on track longer into the window, trying to leapfrog several of the cars who pitted earlier. After the sequence of pit stops was complete throughout the field, this cycled Unser, now behind the wheel of the No. 24 up to 14th overall, with Hoffmann in 15th, just before the full-course caution flew.

The green flag flew again for a 17-minute sprint to the end of the race, with Unser advancing to 12th overall on the restart, and Hayes taking advantage of the packed-up field to move up from 25th to 20th position.

With only 10 minutes remaining, Unser made a pass to take over the 11th-place spot. As the race neared the finish, side-by-side action on the front straight made the last five minutes of the competition look similar to the way it started.

When the white flag flew, Unser was in 12th overall, with Hoffmann in 15th, and Hayes in 17th. However, a busy final lap saw Unser advance to 11th, Hayes to 13th at the checkered flag.  When a post-race penalty was assessed for a competitor that had finished ahead of them, all three racers moved up one position, putting Unser in the top ten overall, with Hayes in 12th, and Hoffmann in 14th. Coupled with the previous day’s result, Hoffmann’s finish allowed her to continue her top-15 streak.

“I am so excited that the No. 24 crew and I achieved our highest finish to date,” said Unser. “It shows that the hard work is paying off, and I’m so grateful to be part of such a dedicated crew of people. I am thankful for all of our sponsors—PenFed, Speedway Motors, Acumatica, Mobil1, Pagid, Shift Up Now, and Sabelt.”

Freiberg echoed that statement, saying, “I’m very grateful to have this result this weekend. We’ve been working so hard all year, and I know we will take this motivation to keep moving further up the field. A big thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting us this season. We wouldn’t be here without you!”

Next up, Hoffmann, Unser, Freiberg, and Hayes head to Wisconsin for rounds eight and nine of the Pirelli GT4 America championship, at Road America on August 28-30, 2026.

Dominant Victory for AE Victory Racing in World Racing League at Daytona

Shift Up Now Athletes Laura Hayes, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned their second victory of the season piloting the No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the World Racing League (WRL) 14 Hours of Daytona event at Daytona International Speedway on June 4-6, 20206.

The Daytona weekend was only AEVR’s third event fielding a two-car effort, which also showcased the continued success of its driver development program.

During Thursday’s Max Track Time event and Friday test and practice, both AEVR entries  appeared at the top of the timing charts. With a competitive field in class, the team focused on maximizing track time for all drivers while refining race strategy and pit stop execution. Lap times across both entries remained remarkably consistent from driver to driver.

The performance gave team leadership the confidence to place current Development Driver Brenna Schubert in the No. 119 and program graduate Alana Carter in the No. 120 for both qualifying rounds and the opening stints of the race.

The No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 went on to qualify on the front row with Carter behind the wheel. She would lead the team into the green flag before handing over to teammates Sally Mott, Hayes, and Abbate as the race unfolded.

The No. 120 immediately established itself as the car to beat, taking the lead early and steadily extending its advantage throughout the opening hours. Nearly two hours into the race, the Supra was still running approximately half a second per lap faster than its nearest competitor and had built a gap approaching ten seconds. From there, the team never looked back.

Guided by race engineer Kevin Tong, the No. 120 squad executed a flawless strategy over the full fourteen hours. Quick driver changes, efficient pit stops, perfectly timed service under changing course cautions, and longer fuel stints than the second-place Singler Racing BMW allowed the team to control the race from start to finish.

After fourteen hours of competition, the No. 120 crossed the finish line in first place with Hayes completing a dominant performance that highlighted the strength of both the driver lineup and the crew behind the wall.

While the No. 120 celebrated in victory lane, the No. 119 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 showed equally impressive pace before misfortune struck.

Current AE Victory Racing Development Driver Schubert qualified and started the No. 119 entry, quickly moving into contention at the front of the field. Just over an hour into the race, she advanced into the class lead before contact while navigating lapped traffic sent the car off course. The incident caused significant damage to the left-front suspension and forced the team into the garage for extensive repairs.

Despite the setback, the crew worked tirelessly throughout the day to return the car to the track. Ashley Freiberg eventually took over driving duties and completed a systems check lap before the team elected to retire the entry.

Although the result did not reflect the pace of the No. 119, the performance reinforced the progress of AE Victory Racing's development program, with Schubert demonstrating race-winning speed before the incident.

Beyond the results, the weekend represented a significant milestone for the organization. One year ago at Daytona, AE Victory Racing spent 13 of 14 hours in podium contention with Hayes in the car before an  on-track incident sidelined the team and ended its chances for a breakthrough result. At the time, the organization was still in the early stages of developing its Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 program and had yet to record a podium finish.

“This was redemption at Daytona after last year,” said Hayes. “The drivers and crew executed a flawless race from start to finish, making for an incredibly rewarding weekend. It was a true pleasure to share the car with Alana, Sally, and Michele, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to do it again. Thank you to Erin and the entire team for their support, hard work and for making this opportunity possible.”

Abbate echoed Hayes’ excitement, saying, “We did it! An iconic track with an iconic story. I am so proud of the entire AE Victory Racing Team. My teammates and I drove a flawless fourteen-hour race and it was everything I could’ve ever dreamed of personally for my debut at Daytona. I cannot express how grateful I am to be a part of this team and how proud I am of how our efforts are proving through our results. On to Road Atlanta!”

Next up, the six Shift Up Now Athletes on the AEVR team will head to Georgia for the next round of the 2026 WRL Championship, taking place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 24-26, 2026.

Fourth-Place Finish for Carter in Radical Cup Canada

Shift Up Now Athlete Alana Carter launched her 2026 Emzone Radical Cup Canada Championship campaign in strong form this past weekend, delivering a determined drive to secure a sixth-place finish in race one and an impressive fourth-place result in race two with FEL Motorsports.

Lining up seventh in a highly competitive 20-car field, Carter faced an early setback in race one, dropping back to ninth position on the opening laps. Showing resilience and racecraft, she methodically worked her way back through the field with decisive overtakes, ultimately crossing the line in sixth place overall and in class.

Building on that momentum, Carter returned in Race 2 with increased confidence and pace, battling at the front of the grid and narrowly missing out on a podium with a strong fourth-place finish — a clear indication of the team’s upward trajectory heading into the season.

Competing as part of the all-female Radical Academy team, Carter emphasized the progress made over the offseason and the strength of the program as a whole. With continued development and momentum on their side, the team is positioning itself as a serious contender for the 2026 championship.

“This weekend definitely showed us that we have the pace to be at the front and I'm so proud of this team,” said Carter. “I'm also very proud of my teammate, Sydney Cassels, who had a great debut in the series. Massive thanks to all my partners including Emzone, Vibrant Performance, Shift Up Now, ReactForge, Sim Hub Race Lounge, and Antara Marketing for all their support. I'm incredibly grateful for their help getting me out there this year and making my dreams a reality.”

With a strong start to the season and clear front-running pace, Carter and the Radical Academy eam now look ahead to the next round with confidence and determination.

Twelfth-Place Finish for Mann and Teammates at 24H Nurburgring

Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann and teammates Martin Rich, Josh Hislop, and Karim Sekkat brought home a 12th-place finish for Breakell Racing in the the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring in Germany on May 14-17, 2026.

This year’s event marked Mann’s sixth time competing at “The Ring” for the 24 hour race, and her second outing with Breakell Racing, a leading British racing team that competes in GT championships across the UK and Europe.  The British driver is supported by Bell Techlogix, Soft Kill, Cotton Sox, Koicar Racing and Drive Toward a Cure.

Nicknamed “The Green Hell” by Jackie Stewart, the 15.5-mile Nordschleife track features more than 150 turns. It’s infamous for being narrow, with high speeds, and dangerous, unpredictable Eifel weather, which lived up to its reputation for the 2026 competition.

Piloting the No. 967 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 on Michelin tires, in a competitive Cup 3 class of 20 cars, Mann and teammates began the weekend on Thursday afternoon with the first qualifications/practice session in cold but clear weather. Qualifying rules stipulated that the fastest time from any session by any driver set the grid, and each driver was required to complete a minimum of two laps before the race. Mann was the third driver in the two-hour session and despite several long code 60 sections on the rae track, completed her two laps.

Later that evening, the second qualifying/practice began at 8:00pm on a nearly-dry track. Sekkat—the team’s newest driver to the Nordschleife—was behind the wheel first. When Hislop, the next driver, took over, heavy rain made the track incredibly treacherous, and the team opted to pause running for the remainder of the day.

The third and final session took place on Friday. Hislop, a Porsche talent pool driver, was tasked with bedding the brakes, and trying to find a lap free of code 60s and slow zones to improve the team’s starting position. Unfortunately, as soon as the brakes were bedded, a long code 60 zone on the Nordscliefe, followed by heavy rain, thwarted the team’s plan.

When it came time to race, at least 10 of the 161 entries—including one in the Cup 3 class—were unable to start due to practice and qualifying incidents. The race start featured three groups, and the No. 967 was in the second group with the GT4 cars, with Rich behind the wheel.

The intermittent rain held off for the start, giving Rich a dry track. He had a strong start and started advancing forward in the overall order, and the Cup 3 field. Each driver and stint continued his progress until the team was running eighth in class.

When Mann took the wheel, the skies opened up and the team elected to run wet tires on the car. Her out lap quickly indicated that might not have been the best choice, however  with the radr showing heavy rain imminent the team opted to keep the tires on the car for another lap. This back and forth surrounding tires continued for the entirity of Mann's stint, which ended up being run entirely on wet tires on a dry race track.

Her next team mate in the car did change onto slick tires, and as he lect the pit box, the predicted rain finally arrived. Rich elected to stay on the slick tires, which most of the field was also running, and was setting a good pace for the conditions.

However at the end of his stint, he was tagged into a spin by a faster car in Fox Hole, one of the narrowest and fastest sections of the track. Once the Cayman started spinning, it was no longer on the minimal dry line and his slicks lost all grip, sending the car ricocheting into the armco barriers on both sides of the track.

Rich was unscathed, but the No. 967 sustained damage from it's encounters with the barriers. After assessing the Cayman, the Breakell Racing team was determined to get back on track. While they would be multiple laps down and out of contention for a result, they knew taking the checkered flag would classify them as “finishers.”

After lengthy repairs, Mann and her teammates re-entered the race, and the car ran flawlessly to the checkered flag.

Mann drove from the middle of the night into the sunrise, with her first full laps at speed—without long slow zones and on slick tires—in the pitch black. Nonetheless, she matched her teammates’ night time pace, and started to get faster as the sun started to rise.

However the weather wasn't finished yet. In Mann's second stint of Sunday morning, rain continuously sprinkled throughout her eight laps. This time she was on slicks, and found the conditions much more manageable than the oprevious day on wet tires. She was able to match her best times of the race so far despite the changing conditions.

After several other cars also ran into issues, the No. 967 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 was eventually classified as earning a 12th-place finish.

“This year the Green Hell decided to give us Hell,”said Mann. “While we all know the "Eifel Wetter" this region is infamous for often factors into races here, this year she was determined to be a star player. The changing conditions made it incredibly difficult for everyone racing this weekend, and while we were involved in one of the incidents, the Breakell Racing team was all heart and determination as they fought to get us back on track so we could race to the finish.

“I want to thank Bell Techlogix, Soft Kill, Cotton Sox, Koicar Racing and Drive Toward a Cure for their support at this year’s event. While we might not have had the result that we wanted this year, there’s a saying: it’s the hard that makes it great. This place is so incredibly difficult to conquer—and have good results at—and it’s the challenge that keeps myself, and the other racers who take part, coming back time and time again. I’m very much hoping to be back at the event in 2027, for another shot at this race."

Best Finish to Date for “The Hannahs” in IMPC at Laguna Seca

Shift Up Now Athletes Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham earned a seventh-place finish in the GS class driving for Heart of Racing in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) series at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca on May 1-3, 2026.

Competing in the third race of their first season with the series, The Hannahs piloted the Heart of Racing No. 26 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo. While Grisham had previously raced on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn permanent road course several years ago in Spec Miata, this was Greenemeier’s first competition on the Monterey, CA track.

Two practice sessions took place on Friday. The No. 26 team ran in the top 20 for the first, and bested their time for the second, running 11th. When it came time to qualify on Saturday, they put the car in 17th on the starting grid among the field of 45 cars, with 30 in their GS class and the remaining 15 in the TCR class.

Sunday’s two-hour race began under overcast skies at 12:40pm PST. Greenemeier was behind the wheel for the start, which ran cleanly for the first two laps.

At the start of the third lap, a massive incident ended with a car upside down in the gravel on the outside of turn two, bringing out an early full-course caution. This gave Greenemeier and her competitors the opportunity to start saving fuel to try and make it a one-stop race.

When the green flag flew again, it was short-lived. After only 10 minutes, another full-course caution flew, followed by another significant cleanup.

One hour and 25 minutes remained once the race resumed. Greenemeier kept the car clean under green-flag conditions, quietly moving the Heart of Racing Aston Martin up through the field and into the top ten.

When a third full-course caution flew for debris on the track, there was just over one hour on the competition clock, creating a potentially-awkward pit strategy for teams all the way down pit lane. Commentators noted that any drivers that pitted under this caution would very likely still have to stop again for a splash to reach the end.

When pit lane opened—and despite the awkward timing—most teams chose to pit and swap drivers. The No. 26 duo was no exception, and Grisham took the wheel, running in the top 15 with 55 minutes to go, after giving the Aston Martin a fuel tank of fuel.

During the last 30 minutes of the race, the various pit-stop strategies began to play out, and Grisham moved into the top ten. She and the other nine cars had all pitted mid-race, with the hopes of having enough fuel to make it to the end.

With 5 minutes to go, one of the cars right behind Hannah, and one ahead of her in the top ten both had to pit for splashes of fuel to get them to the end of the race, but Hannah and the Heart of Racing team got their strategy just right, and she was able to make to the checkered flag without a splash, putting them P7 - their best result in IMPC so far.

“Overall an excellent race from the entire team,” said Greenemeier. “We had a few technical issues in practice, but the guys did a great job getting that resolved before qualifying, and the strategy in the race was on point. Hannah [Grisham] did an amazing job saving fuel in her stint so we didn’t have to stop for a splash before the end, bringing us home the result. It was a true team effort this weekend, and we’re looking forward to our next race in Mid Ohio in a month’s time.”

Next up, The Hannahs head to Lexington, Ohio for the fourth event of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) series, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 5-7, 2026.

Pippa Mann to Return to ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring with Breakell Racing

Breakell Racing announced today that Shift Up Now Athlete Pippa Mann will return to compete with the team at  the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring in Germany on May 14-17, 2026.

Nicknamed “The Green Hell” by Jackie Stewart, the 15.5-mile Nordschleife track features more than 150 turns. It’s infamous for being narrow, with high speeds, and dangerous, unpredictable Eifel weather. The 2026 event is garnering extra attention after Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen announced his plans to compete in the GT3 class, selling out class entries months before the race.

The 2026 event will mark Mann’s sixth time competing at “The Ring”  for the 24 hour race, and her second outing with Breakell Racing, a leading British racing team that competes in GT championships across the UK and Europe.

Mann's return to this year's race is supported by long-time partner Bell Techlogix, Soft Kill, Koicar Racing, Cotton Sox and Drive Toward A Cure.

In 2025, she and her teammates ran in podium position for most of the race until an incident on Sunday morning took them out of contention just hours before the end of the competition.

This year, Mann and her teammates, have their sights set on the podium, and potentially the top of it. They will pilot the No. 967 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4  on Michelin tires, in the Cup 3 class. With a strong entry list, and tight class rules, the Cup 3 class is known to be one of the most competitive at the historic event.

“I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to return to Breakell Racing for my second 24 hour race at the Ring with their Cayman GT4,” said Mann.

"It's also incredibly cool to bring Bell Techlogix to another world-famous motorsport event as my partner, and to add the support of my friends from Soft Kill, Koicar Racing, Cotton Sox and Drive Toward a Cure this season.

“The challenge of this race—and this race track—has quickly made it may favorite event of the year. And after a strong run in the first half of the race last year we’re coming back, and our goal is to put this team on the podium. I'm excited to see what we can do!"

The green flag for the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring flies at 4pm Central European Time, and race fans can stream the race on YouTube. For more updates and behind-the-scenes info, Mann’s fans can follow her Instagram @PippaMann.

Second-Place Finish for Lahlouh in GT World Challenge America at COTA

Shift Up Now Athlete Therese Lahlouh earned a second-place finish in the Pro-Am Class—third overall—with teammate Thomas Merrill, for the second event of the 2026 GT World Challenge America presented by AWS series at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on Sunday, April 26, 2026.

Driving the No. 242 Porsche GT3 R car for Wright Motorsports, and sponsored by Byers Auto Group, Mobil1, and PMNA, Lahlouh prepared for a full weekend of track activity, starting with three practice sessions over Friday and Saturday.

Lahlouh had previously competed at COTA in Porsche Sprint Challenge, however this competition would mark Lahlouh’s first time on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn permanent road course in a GT3 car. Despite this, she was able to find more speed with each practice session, and felt confident going into the team’s qualifying effort.

On Sunday morning, Lahlouh set a personal-best time in qualifying. However, an untimely red flag during Merrill’s run stymied their effort and put them on the outside of row eight on the starting grid.

Just a few hours later, the three-hour race began at 12:30pm CST. Lahlouh was behind the wheel as cars ran two-by-two to the green flag. After the start, the field fanned out to three- wide heading into the first turn. They made it through cleanly and then settled into a single-file line. Lahlouh held her starting position in 16th, but after an early full-course caution for a stopped car, she began advancing through the field and into 11th place.

Just 15 minutes into the competition, the Wright Motorsports team elected to go off strategy and take one of their three mandatory fuel stops early. It paid off as a full-course caution flew when Lahlouh was in pit lane, allowing her to catch the back of the pack under yellow.

After the restart, she settled into the top ten overall—sixth in the Pro-Am class. At approximately the one-hour mark, other cars that had not yet pitted began pulling off. This moved Lahlouh up to third overall, which she would hold onto as she bested her qualifying lap time by setting a new personal-best 2:08.2.

Continuing the strategy of back-timing until the end of the race and making moves early, the No. 242 team pitted to swap drivers. Merrill would continue where Lahlouh left off, running fast lap times under green throughout the rest of the competition, and holding onto the third-place overall spot through the checkered flag.

In addition to finishing on the podium, the duo was also awarded the SuperFuel Hard Charger award.

“I am so proud of our results at COTA,” said Lahlouh. “It was a true team effort that took incredible strategy calls, world-class engineering, great driving, and a strong team environment. I’m really happy with my pace and progression, and to stand on a GT3 podium— both overall and in class—in my debut season is a testament to the development that we’ve done over the last three years. I can’t wait for Sebring!”

Next up, Lahlouh and Merrill head to California for round three of GT World Challenge America presented by AWS, at Sebring International Raceway on May 8-10, 2026.

Shift Up Now Foundation Awards $300,000 in Grants to Female Racers for 2026 Season

Indianapolis, IN - March 18, 2026 - The Shift Up Now Foundation is proud to announce that it is celebrating Women’s History Month by awarding just over $300,000 in grants this season to more than 15 talented female drivers who are making history across 10 different racing series.

Several of the highlighted grant recipients include:

In addition, the Shift Up Now Foundation collectively decided to add both a winner and runner up for the Loni Unser Karting Scholarship. This will be the foundation’s first time awarding funds to kart racers, with Ashlyn Taylor chosen as the winner, and Maddie Grace in the runner-up spot.

The Shift Up Now Foundation was launched in December 2022 and lives alongside the Shift Up Now for-profit business. The foundation continues to strive for gender equality for female athletes in motorsport, and contributes to furthering the mission by accepting tax-deducible gifts, donations and grants.

This year marks the foundation’s fourth round of grants, and the funds distributed for 2026 will take the total number to more than $750,000 since the Shift Up Now Foundation was launched.

“Women’s History Month is a powerful reminder that progress for women in sport happens when opportunity meets investment,” said Ariel Ream, CEO of the Shift Up Now Foundation. “With this year’s grants, the Shift Up Now Foundation will have distributed more than three-quarters of a million dollars since our launch in 2022—an important milestone that reflects our deep commitment to opening doors for talented female drivers. We’re proud to support athletes competing across an expanding range of racing disciplines, from sports cars to rally and drag racing, and to continue building a stronger, more equitable future for women in motorsport.”

The 2026 racing season is already underway. Fans and supporters can follow along by checking out the Shift Up Now racing calendar to find out when the various Athletes will be on track. 

Want to join the movement and help the foundation continue providing opportunities to talented female racers? Donations can be made to the Shift Up Now Foundation at ShiftUpNow.org.