NEWTON, N.H. (January 8, 2026) – Turner Motorsport will return to IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge for the 2026 season with a quartet of GS champions to pilot a pair of BMW M4 GT4 EVOs. 2017 GS champ Dillon Machavern will be joined by reigning GS champion Luca Mars in the No. 95 while 2023 championship-winning duo of Vin Barletta and Robby Foley will drive the No. 96. The sister GT4 cars will complete the team’s IMSA program, complementing the No. 96 BMW M4 GT3 EVO competing in GTD in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Machavern is no stranger to Michelin Pilot Challenge or Turner Motorsport. The Vermont native joined Turner in 2018 as the endurance driver for the team’s GTD entry and transitioned to driving GS full-time in 2021. The 30-year-old returns to the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO for a third consecutive season. Machavern will look to add to his GS resumé that already includes the 2017 title, seven wins, and 15 podium finishes.
Joining Machavern will be 2025 GS champion, Luca Mars. Mars comes to Turner with impressive experience for a 19-year-old, including race starts in all three levels of IMSA’s multi-class racing series (WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Pilot Challenge and VP Racing SportsCar Challenge) in addition to MX-5 Cup. Since making his professional racing debut in 2021 at the age of 15, the Pittsburgh native has also won the 2024 VP Racing SportsCar Challenge GSX championship. Mars spent the past four seasons racing full-time in a GT4 in Michelin Pilot Challenge and has three wins and seven podium finishes. Mars will join the list of more than 80 drivers to race under the Turner Motorsport banner.
Barletta will return to the No. 96 BMW M4 GT4 EVO full-time after splitting the season for half the races in 2025. He enters his seventh season with Turner Motorsport with 50 starts in Michelin Pilot Challenge and an additional 28 in VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.
Completing the line-up in the No. 96 will be BMW works driver Robby Foley. Foley will enter his eighth full-time season with Turner with over 170 race starts – second-most of any Turner driver behind only Bill Auberlen. The 29-year-old first drove with Barletta in 2019, and together they won the 2023 GS title.
Turner Motorsport will look to continue its success in GS as the winningest team in the class in IMSA history. The team has won three championships (2006, 2011, 2023) and its most recent win was its historic 30th GS victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Machavern and Francis Selldorff in June 2025.
Turner Motorsport will begin the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season January 16-18 with the ROAR Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway.
Dillon Machavern, Driver of the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO:
Heading into the 2026 season, I’m very optimistic about the season ahead. This is my eight season competing with Turner Motorsport. Will always puts together an awesome line-up, and this season is no different. I’m excited to have Luca join the team. He knows what it takes to win, and is a welcomed addition.
We have all the right pieces in place. We understand the car better than ever, and Luca and I have a world-class team behind us who always set us up for success. The goal, as always, is to win the championship, and I think we have a great chance to get it done in ’26!
Luca Mars, Driver of the No. 95 BMW M4 GT4 EVO:
I’m really looking forward to joining Turner Motorsport. They’ve been around for a while and have had success with the BMW so I’m looking forward to getting in the car at Daytona. I’ve raced against Dillon many times, and he’s a good competitor so I’m excited to be racing with him. The goal is obviously to win another championship, but also just being with the team and learning the car.
Robby Foley, Driver of the No. 96 BMW M4 GT4 EVO:
I’m really excited to be back racing in GS with Vin. I’m really passionate about this series, and we’ve had a lot of success in the past, so I’m hoping to pick up where we left off in 2023.
Will Turner, Team Owner:
I’m excited to bring four GS champions together. It’s a strong line up and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in 2026. My crew is the best and we have the talent behind the wheel so I’m hoping the two can get the job done. Daddy needs some al pastor!
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