Yoshihara Sweeps With Wins at TC America TCX Indy 2023 Season Finale
In the final race of his inaugural TC America campaign, ENEOS ambassador Dai Yoshihara saved his best performance for last. Following a great Sebring race, he came to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway prepared to up the ante in the Pit+Paddock Civic Type R TCX.
The weather was much cooler than the punishing heat of previous rounds, giving drivers and cars a refreshing breather. But Dai was on fire during practice, and finished the session only 0.222sec behind Jackson Lee. Most teams opted out of the afternoon session due to rain, knowing additional data wouldn’t be indicative of race conditions.
During qualifying, Dai’s ability to adapt quickly proved invaluable, and despite only running five laps, he earned pole position, besting Colin Garrett and his BMW M2 CS Cup by exactly one second.
Dai’s Saturday starting position was fortuitous, and although Garrett beat him off the line, Dai was able to expertly navigate the nose-to-tail combat and reclaim the lead position quickly. From there, he built a commanding lead and was able to avoid the drama that ensued behind. By the checkered flag, Dai had built a comfortable 1.499sec gap over Garrett, giving him pole position for Sunday’s final contest.
The first handful of laps in Sunday’s race were up for grabs as Dai continued to extract the most from the Civic Type R TCX, seizing the lead once again. By the midpoint he’d clocked a six-second lead over his nearest competitor.
Along his way to victory, Dai set another impressive fastest lap, more than one second ahead of Garrett, placing the proverbial cherry on top of a fairy tale ending for his first TC America season.
“It was the perfect way to end the year,” Yoshihara confessed. “I want to thank all my sponsors for believing in me from start to finish. It was nice to deliver an incredible weekend to them, especially at the legendary Indy Motor Speedway!”
INDY RACE 1 RESULTS – TCX
1 | Dai Yoshihara | VGRT Honda Civic Type R TCX | 1:35.538 |
2 | Colin Garrett | Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS | 1:35.577 |
3 | Adam Gleason | Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS | 1:36.309 |
INDY RACE 2 RESULTS – TCX
1 | Dai Yoshihara | VGRT Honda Civic Type R TCX | 1:34.969 |
2 | Colin Garrett | Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS | 1:35.980 |
3 | Kenny Schmied | AOA Racing BMW M2 CS | 1:36.173 |
2023 OVERALL STANDINGS – TCX
1 | Colin Garrett | 249 |
2 | Lucas Catania | 188 |
3 | Maddie Aust | 130 |
4 | Joseph Catania | 103 |
5 | Kenny Schmied | 95 |
5 | Dai Yoshihara | 95 |