Ismaeel Ellahi Will Race One of the Team’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO in the GS Class; his Full-Season Teammate will be Announced in the Coming Weeks
INDIANAPOLIS – Czabok-Simpson Motorsport (CSM) today announced that Ismaeel Ellahi will join the team for a full-season campaign in the 2027 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. Ellahi will drive one of CSM’s Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo entries in the GS class. His full-season teammate will be announced in the next couple of weeks.
The commitment builds on Ellahi’s 2026 season with CSM, which began in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and expanded into the Michelin Pilot Challenge. Ellahi stepped into CSM’s Michelin Pilot Challenge GS program for the closing rounds of the 2026 season alongside Ayrton Houk, gaining experience in the Aston Martin and in the championship, he will contest throughout 2027.
Ellahi’s rise has been unusually fast. From Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, the American driver of Pakistani heritage began in sim racing and moved into race cars in 2025 after attending Skip Barber’s Formula 4 school. His early GT4 experience has included competition in Europe and the United States, including the GT4 European Series and Porsche Sprint Challenge Deutschland.
In his 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge debut at Daytona, Ellahi finished second. Further podium results followed before he claimed his first IMSA victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 12 in CSM’s No. 25 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo. The result marked a milestone in his transition from a simulator to professional sports car racing.
A full season in Michelin Pilot Challenge
The 2027 program gives Ellahi the opportunity to develop across an entire Michelin Pilot Challenge season with CSM. He will continue in the Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO, the platform CSM introduced to its GS operation during the final rounds of 2026.
The Michelin Pilot Challenge’s GS class will provide a sustained test of Ellahi’s pace, race craft and consistency. CSM will name the driver who will share his Aston Martin for the full season in the next couple of weeks.
Ellahi’s path from sim racing to IMSA victory
Ellahi began sim racing with an entry-level wheel and, within roughly two years, progressed to professional competition. After moving into car racing in 2025, he built experience in GT4 machinery on both sides of the Atlantic before joining CSM’s 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge program.
His second-place finish at Daytona, additional podiums and victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park established Ellahi as a contender in his first IMSA season. He then advanced to the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS field for the closing rounds of 2026, giving him a foundation for his first full championship campaign in 2027.
Ellahi is proud of his Pakistani heritage and hopes his progress will encourage aspiring drivers who may not see an established route into professional motorsport. His journey from sim racing to an IMSA win has made that ambition a central part of his story.
Building toward 2027
CSM’s full-season commitment to Ellahi follows the team’s move to Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo machinery in 2026. The closing rounds of that season provide an opportunity for Ellahi and the team to strengthen their working relationship and gather experience with the car before the 2027 championship begins.
2027 CSM Michelin Pilot Challenge program
- Driver: Ismaeel Ellahi
- Championship: IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, GS class
- Car: Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo
- Full-season teammate: To be announced in the next couple of weeks