Cory Fergus: Hard start, perfect finish in PWC

Hi everyone. I'm Corey Fergus, racing the No. 00 Porsche Cayman for Motorsports Promotions in the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car class. I'm also a Porsche Brand Specialist at Byers Imports in Columbus, Ohio. I get to race what I sell. As you can probably imagine, I love my job.

The season finale was held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Sept.11-13. Entering the weekend I was in the championship lead by 47 points over Ernie Francis Jr., driving a Mazda MX-5. And there were still three rounds to be held! A win was worth 140 points so a lot could happen.

We struggled a bit this season with a balance of performance in the Cayman. Thankfully we got a little help from the series before the races, taking 50 pounds off the car. And we needed it.

Going into qualifying I wanted the pole more than anything. It's worth even points and the last thing I wanted was for Ernie to get the pole and to lose any bit of my points lead. I went out and layed down a heck of a lap. It was only good enough for third, with Ernie gaining those valued points.

I knew we probably wouldn't quite have the pace of the Mazda and the Nissan of Vesko Kosarov, so I was just hoping to escape with good points in Race 1. Maybe I could get lucky if others made mistakes. I was running a clean race back in third when I got the call on the radio that both cars in front of me were receiving drive-thru penalties. That was the break I needed. The Nissan pitted but Ernie stayed out right as a full-course caution came out. Over the radio I was told that I would be getting the white flag and that I was going to win the race.

As we entered Turn 9 the decision was changed to go green. I took the start in second but entered the first turn in third and then disaster struck. All three leaders crashed, leaving me to finish 11th. My championship flashed before my eyes and I thought for sure I had just lost it. The weekend went from such a high to a massive low.

The crew worked 16 hours with 2.5 hours of sleep to get the car fixed for Race 2. After a couple of penalties were handed out I was to start second. I knew I had to try to get to the lead if possible. Not only is there an extra championship point rewarded, but it's very hard to pass at Laguna, so I might have a shot at holding the lead.

I got passed at the start but went from third to first in the first turn. It was a little hairy but I made it stick. I was able to pull out a three-second lead after a few laps. Once Ernie got by the Nissan for second, he closed on me rapidly. From there we put on a heck of a show. It was said to be the best race of the PWC season. Side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper action. I don't know how I did it but I managed to keep a faster car behind me and get the much-needed win. I now had a 74-point lead in the championship headed into the final round.

If Ernie won Race 3, all I needed to do was to finish fifth or better to win the championship. I started second again and moved to the lead on the first lap. I then fell back to fourth about halfway through the race.

I started to get nervous, but I was also playing it safe because I could afford to. Sure enough, the second- and third-place drivers got into each other and I inherited second. At this point all I had to do was hold on and I did, bringing home the championship.

It was the closest championship margin in any of the seven PWC classes - 33 points. What an amazing weekend for me and the whole team. It was my first professional championship and I'll never forget that.

We had a great first season in PWC. We decided to make the switch from IMSA to World Challenge this year and run our own team. I thought it would be a place where I could shine better in the spotlight, with the single driver format and sprint races. It's on you, as a driver. In endurance racing it's easier to get lost in it all, with all the strategy and luck involved. I wanted to better control my destiny and boy did that pay off.

To all of my partners, SCCA officials, crew members, family and friends, and fans, thank you for believing in me. I'm not sure what 2016 has in store for me, but in whatever racing series I'm in next year I can only hope to be just as fortunate and successful.