A SEASON OF GRIT, GROWTH, AND CHAMPIONSHIP SPIRIT FOR TEAM TGM

After a 2024 season that yielded IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class Drivers’, Teams’, and Bronze Cup Championship success, Team TGM launched another two-car assault with Ted Giovanis and Hugh Plumb teaming up in the No. 64 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo and stablemates Paul Holton and Matt Plumb in the sister No. 46 Vantage.

With TGM aiming to defend their Teams’ Championship title in 2025, Giovanis and Hugh Plumb carried their Bronze Cup title into this season with Matt Plumb competing as the reigning and now two-time GS class Drivers’ Champion.

Despite a difficult opening round of the season at an attrition-filled BMW M Endurance Challenge at Daytona International Speedway, Giovanis and Hugh Plumb still managed a third-place finish in the Bronze Cup, setting the stage to build team momentum heading into the GS class’ historic 250th race at Sebring International Raceway in March.

Paul Holton set the stage for a successful weekend in the Sunshine State by securing TGM’s first pole position of the season in the No. 46 Aston Martin. In a significant rebound from Daytona, Holton and Matt Plumb secured a sixth-place finish, despite a tire issue which caused Holton to lose ground early after leading from pole. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb improved on their Daytona result with a heroic charge up the order, with the pair climbing 13 positions from last on the grid to secure their first Bronze Cup win of the season over the course of the two-hour contest in Sebring to head to the season’s third round with the Bronze points lead.

Giovanis and Hugh Plumb would finish third in Bronze Cup for the second race thus far at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to maintain their advantage in the points standings, while their sister No. 46 Aston Martin took home its second straight overall top-ten GS class finish with Matt Plumb and Paul Holton surviving a chaotic race which saw four full-course cautions.

Paul Holton set the stage for a successful weekend in the Sunshine State by securing TGM’s first pole position of the season in the No. 46 Aston Martin. In a significant rebound from Daytona, Holton and Matt Plumb secured a sixth-place finish, despite a tire issue which caused Holton to lose ground early after leading from pole. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb improved on their Daytona result with a heroic charge up the order, with the pair climbing 13 positions from last on the grid to secure their first Bronze Cup win of the season over the course of the two-hour contest in Sebring to head to the season’s third round with the Bronze points lead.

Giovanis and Hugh Plumb would finish third in Bronze Cup for the second race thus far at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to maintain their advantage in the points standings, while their sister No. 46 Aston Martin took home its second straight overall top-ten GS class finish with Matt Plumb and Paul Holton surviving a chaotic race which saw four full-course cautions.

The fourth round of the Pilot Challenge season saw a return to endurance racing, as the championship took center stage as the headliner at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the second of two four-hour contests in 2025. After driving in the No. 64 car at Daytona, Kris Wilson once again joined the Bronze Cup points leaders. A strong qualifying effort from Paul Holton saw him start the race on the front row of the grid in second overall. While he and Matt Plumb narrowly missed out on another top-ten drive after a solid effort across a chaotic four hours, they battled inside the top five for most of the race. With the potential threat of weather in the area, the team elected to split its tire strategy, with the No. 46 taking the start on slicks, while the No. 64 elected to start on their wet-weather Michelins. While the rain never came, Giovanis and Hugh Plumb still translated a fourth-place starting position in the Bronze Cup to a second place finish in the Bronze Cup alongside Wilson to maintain their points advantage as the season neared its halfway point.

Round five saw TGM head to the iconic Watkins Glen International for the third two-hour race of the season in what proved to be a highlight weekend for the team. Holton’s consistency in qualifying was on display again with a third front-row start of the season and his second in as many races. An overall top-five finish for Holton and Matt Plumb would see the pair climb two positions and move into the top ten in the GS class Drivers Standings in a true team effort where a strong opening stint from Holton paved the way for Matt Plumb to secure the No. 46 machine’s best finish of the season to date after multiple tense late battles fighting for the overall lead were set up by cautions. Giovanis also appeared to have the 2.45-mile New York road course dialed in as he secured the Bronze Cup pole position for the first time in 2025, and impressively qualified inside the top 20 overall. His and Hugh Plumb’s grip on the Bronze Cup points lead held firm with another runners-up finish secured after Plumb fended off late pressure from Bronze Cup title rival Jim Jonsin in the race which ended under caution.

A trip north of the United States border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park kicked off the second half of the 2025 season and TGM came out swinging with both cars lighting up the timing sheets in first practice. Holton and Matt Plumb went fastest overall in the No. 46, while Giovanis and Hugh Plumb set the pace in the Bronze Cup early on in the No. 64 Aston Martin. The No. 46 crew would gain further accolades pre-race when VP Racing Fuels awarded them the Mid-Season Front-Runners Award for leading the most GS class laps in the first half of the season.

‘Resilience’ was the motto of the day in a battle of mettle for Team TGM in Canada, with Matt Plumb recovering to a top-ten finish after a spin as a result of contact from another GS competitor late in the race despite fighting for a potential podium in the No. 46 Vantage. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb somehow managed yet another Bronze Cup podium despite having to start the race from pit lane after crew members worked to fasten down the car’s rear deck before being handed a drive-through penalty to make matters worse. Nevertheless, Giovanis and Hugh Plumb maximized the day with a runner-up finish in the Bronze Cup. Though a subclass winning weekend from RW Racing with van der Steur Racing’s Christine Sloss would see her inherit the Bronze Cup points lead to set up a fight to the finish in the last four rounds of the season.

Round seven of the championship took TGM to America’s National Park of Speed and proved to be a shot in the arm for both cars. Despite an early adjustment from the team in the early stages of the race after a start infraction penalty erased a solid fourth-place qualifying effort from Holton, the No. 46 crew worked diligently to get Holton and Matt Plumb back in the fight, utilizing excellent strategy and the race’s high number of cautions to bring Plumb across the line in eighth, jumping the No. 46 duo up a pair of positions in the Drivers Standings into ninth. Matt Plumb and Holton’s comeback drive was even more impressive given that the race only featured 42 laps of green flag running as a result of five full-course cautions. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb also maximized their weekend with a strong qualifying effort from the former paving the way for solid strategy and excellent pace from Plumb in the second half of the race to not only secure the No. 64 car’s best finish of the season to date (11th overall), but also to take the pairing’s second Bronze Cup win in the process to swing the championship back in their favor by some 40 points.

VIRginia International Raceway would provide similar momentum with a pre-race penalty for another GS competitor promoted the No. 46 up one qualifying position allowing Holton and Matt Plumb to climb further up the GS class points standings into eighth after taking home a sixth-place overall finish in the No. 46 machine. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb drove to another Bronze Cup victory in Virginia after making up ground during the race in yet another finish inside the overall top-20. Crucially, the No. 64 crew’s third Bronze Cup win also extended Giovanis and Plumb’s points lead to 90 heading into the season’s penultimate round at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Round seven of the championship took TGM to America’s National Park of Speed and proved to be a shot in the arm for both cars. Despite an early adjustment from the team in the early stages of the race after a start infraction penalty erased a solid fourth-place qualifying effort from Holton, the No. 46 crew worked diligently to get Holton and Matt Plumb back in the fight, utilizing excellent strategy and the race’s high number of cautions to bring Plumb across the line in eighth, jumping the No. 46 duo up a pair of positions in the Drivers Standings into ninth. Matt Plumb and Holton’s comeback drive was even more impressive given that the race only featured 42 laps of green flag running as a result of five full-course cautions. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb also maximized their weekend with a strong qualifying effort from the former paving the way for solid strategy and excellent pace from Plumb in the second half of the race to not only secure the No. 64 car’s best finish of the season to date (11th overall), but also to take the pairing’s second Bronze Cup win in the process to swing the championship back in their favor by some 40 points.

VIRginia International Raceway would provide similar momentum with a pre-race penalty for another GS competitor promoted the No. 46 up one qualifying position allowing Holton and Matt Plumb to climb further up the GS class points standings into eighth after taking home a sixth-place overall finish in the No. 46 machine. Giovanis and Hugh Plumb drove to another Bronze Cup victory in Virginia after making up ground during the race in yet another finish inside the overall top-20. Crucially, the No. 64 crew’s third Bronze Cup win also extended Giovanis and Plumb’s points lead to 90 heading into the season’s penultimate round at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

While an eighth-place finish in the GS class Drivers’ standings may not have been the pre-season goal, by the end of the season, Holton and Matt Plumb's pace and consistency alongside the No. 46 crew’s adaptability allowed them to maximize multiple weekends that otherwise may have ended in disaster. A season-high fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen and Holton’s Sebring pole position served as the tangible season highlights for the No. 46 entry, though multiple successful and hard-fought comeback drives also serve to show why the pair won the GS class title in 2024 and why they will immediately be in the conversation for the class title in 2026.

Giovanis and Hugh Plumb’s masterful Bronze Cup season never saw them finish lower than third in the subclass and finish in victory lane in half of the ten total racing rounds in 2025. While back-to-back Bronze Cup Championship success may have been enough for some, Giovanis and Plumb also continued to improve their overall finishing positions throughout the year, finishing inside the top-20 on a regular basis in the second half of the season. Furthermore, Giovanis’ successes extend beyond the racetrack, with his tireless work through the Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy pushing the bounds of cancer research using every bit of conviction, passion and drive he showcased every weekend on track.

The team used their Driving Research initiative to highlight a different cancer researcher at the foundation at each of the ten Pilot Challenge rounds this season to highlight their invaluable and selfless work in what truly is a team effort both on and off the track.