Connor Zilisch Rallies Late from 31st to 11th After Cut Tire Foils Podium Bid;
Maurice Hull Makes Steady Forward Progress To Score 22nd-Place Finish
Overview:
Date: Sept. 10, 2022
Event: Franklin Road Apparel Classic (Round 10 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: TA2
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
Layout: 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course
Format: 30 laps or 70 minutes
Weather: Sunny, mid-70s
Race Winner: Connor Mosack of Team SLR
Silver Hare Racing:
● Connor Zilisch – Started 4th, Finished 11th (Running, completed 30/30 laps)
● Maurice Hull – Started 32nd, Finished 22nd (Running, completed 30/30 laps)
Connor Zilisch, driver No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/KHI Management Chevrolet Camaro:
“Another bad stroke of luck. We were running third, passing for second on (Thomas) Merrill in turn six. We were side-by-side and he kind of came down into me. We touched a little bit, but I must’ve hit his exhaust, or something hit my right-rear tire and cut it down just right. I had no damage, the wheel wasn’t damaged, it just cut the tire right on the sidewall. Unfortunate way to lose a podium position right there, but still we were able to come from 31st to 11th on that last restart, so still proud of that. Overall, I think our long-run pace is what really kept us there. We were able to do consistent laps on those long runs throughout the race. I was able to keep up with (race-winner Connor) Mosack and Merrill and I felt like I had plenty to run with them. I went to make a pass and just got unlucky. A tough way to end the day with that kind of a result, but still happy to be able to bring it up to 11th. We’ll move on to VIR and, hopefully, get ourselves a good result there.”
Maurice Hull, owner/driver, No. 57 Waukegan Farms/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
“It was a good race. I came home with all of my fenders in perfect shape. We passed people, we avoided wrecks, we were very fortunate. There was carnage in front of me and around me, people were wrecking in front of me and behind me, there was a lot of torn-up stuff. Meanwhile, I just kind of ran my race. I had good people around me after a while. I had a good race with Doug Winston. I had a good race with Doug Peterson. Raced all those guys clean and they raced me clean, but there were a lot of people who were not so lucky. Both Silver Hare cars were good this weekend. I think we drove solid races. Connor was just unfortunate. He had a podium locked down, for sure, but just had a tire cut down. He made a great run back through the field after that, and I witnessed it. It was really amazing. Good car control.”
Next Up:
The TA2 competitors of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli have another month-long reprieve before the season’s penultimate round Oct. 6-8 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Silver Hare Racing’s home track. The Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour on the 3.27-mile, 18-turn road course begins with an open test session late in the afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 6, and a second open test session on Friday morning, Oct. 7, followed by practice and qualifying Friday afternoon. The weekend culminates with the 30-lap, 75-minute race on Saturday, Oct. 8. Coverage will be livestreamed via SpeedTourTV.com and the SpeedTourTV page on YouTube.
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.
