16-Year-Old’s Second-Place Run Includes Fastest Overall Race Lap; Maurice Hull Comes Home 32nd in Eventful Trans Am TA2 Finale
Overview:
Date: Nov. 6, 2022
Event: Mission Foods Austin SpeedTour (Round 12 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: TA2
Location: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas
Layout: 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course
Format: 30 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Sunny, high-70s
Race Winner: Thomas Merrill of Mike Cope Racing
Silver Hare Racing:
● Connor Zilisch – Started 2nd, Finished 2nd (Running, completed 26/26 laps)
● Maurice Hull – Started 41st, Finished 32nd (Running, completed 26/26 laps)
Maurice Hull, owner/driver, No. 57 Waukegan Quarter Horses/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
“I’m super proud of our team and Connor. Great cars, Connor had the fastest lap of the race, the cars drove well, and mine held together even when it was banged up. It was an interesting race because it was definitely a race of attrition, but Connor was up front the whole time – he stayed in second from the first lap to the last – so he didn’t need the help of the attrition. Most of the attrition was occurring in front of me and around me. It was really intense, close racing. There was a lot of contact and a lot of frustrated people today. I was tickled with how we ended up, brought it home, passed a bunch of people today, had a great time, a great race. I’m proud of Trans Am for putting this together. It’s definitely a traveling show. I think we learned a lot this year about a lot of things, including the old saying, ‘To finish first, first you must finish,’ and it’s true. I think we came a long way this year, and Connor’s been extremely helpful to me. We’ve had a good growing year. We got a lot of the right parts and super people in the right places. We’ve added some folks over the course of the year who really tremendously strengthened not only the performance of the team, but the overall performance strategy that we want to work toward. So it’s been a very fruitful year, and now we have a great step to jump off of for next year.”
Connor Zilisch, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/KHI Management Chevrolet Camaro:
“After the year we’ve had, it’s hard to be upset with a second-place finish. We’ve had bad luck all year, we’ve had some bad races the last three races, so to come out here in the last race of the year and to get up on the podium with a fighting chance at the win is something I’m really proud of. And I’m really proud of the whole Silver Hare team for sticking with me and keeping me motivated, and everyone else staying motivated, that means a lot. I want to thank Laura and Maurice Hull (co-owners) for trusting me with their car and giving me this opportunity this year. Just to be able to finish off the year like this is super special and I’m super excited for next year. Aggression was kind of my enemy the last three races, so I just wanted to be patient and finish a race, and I knew what he (Thomas Merrill, race winner and TA2 champion) was fighting for, and I didn’t want to be that guy to go out there and really not only make him upset but make a lot of this paddock upset. Congrats to Thomas for an awesome race. He was incredible all year, a great mentor to me and all the other young kids out here. Just super thankful to be competing in this series and being able to race against these guys.”
Next Up:
The 2023 season for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli kicks off Feb. 23-26 at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, the first of 12 events on the TA2 schedule that includes new events at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana (March 9-12), the streets of downtown Detroit (June 2-3), and World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis (Sept. 22-24).
About Silver Hare Racing:
Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 Masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please visit SilverHareRacing.com.
