MC Racing Starts the Season on the Podium

April 14, 2024 (Willows, CA) – Michael McColligan, driving the #36 MC Racing Mazda RX8 survived the

rain to finish third in round 1 of the Hankook United States Touring Car Championship at Thunderhill

Raceway.

MC Racing had hoped to debut its new car but some setbacks had the team use their reliable Mazda RX8

for the first round of 2024. The teams were greeted with a late winter storm as they arrived to setup.

The MC Racing team decided to sit out the opening practice sessions as the conditions were so wet and

cold, and focused on converting the RX8 to a wet setup in preparation for qualifying. Conditions

improved a bit but were still challenging as the cars headed out to set their fast laps. “I took it fairly

conservative so I was surprised to put the car in P3. The car felt good and the Hankook rain tires inspire

confidence”, mentioned team driver Michael McColligan. McColligan nailed the start at the drop of

the green flag for the feature race challenging the cars ahead but had to settle back into P3 as they

protected the inside into turn 2. He settled into his race pace and drove a solid race bringing the car

home in P3. “I am super happy to start the season on the podium. Special thanks to the team and our

partners who keep us running at the front. Hopefully the new car will be ready for Round 2!”, summed

up McColligan.

MC Racing competes in the Hankook Tires United States Touring Car Championship aboard a Mazda RX8

with support from Idemitsu, Raybestos, Mazda USA, Mazdatrix, Racing Beat, Konig Wheels, Orafol,

Eibach Springs, and Napier Outdoors. For more information, visit www.mcspeedracer.com.

USTCC is a professional road racing series comprised of late model sport compact sedans such as BMW 3

series, Mazdaspeed 3, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, Audi R8, Ford Mustang,

Honda Civic and others. The cars use slightly modified engines and highly modified suspensions with

aerodynamic ground effects and sticky Hankook slick race tires. The races can be seen exclusively on

Final Drive TV available on NBC Sports on Xfinity cable, Dish Network, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse. For

more information on USTCC, visit www.ustcc.com.