PWC: GT, GTA drivers get set for Long Beach

Twenty-four Pirelli World Challenge drivers across the series' GT and GTA classes are set to battle it out April 15-17 on the Streets of Long Beach, part of the Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix weekend. Drivers will race Round 5 of the 2016 season and the Replay XD Grand Prix at Long Beach presented by Cadillac. This weekend marks the 11th straight season PWC will race at the 11-turn 1.968-mile street course.

Michael Cooper, the 2015 GTS champion, holds a slim two-point lead in the driver's championship over his teammate Johnny O'Connell, the four-time and defending 2015 GT champion. Cooper, with 362 championship points heading into the weekend, will pilot the Cadillac Racing No. 8 ATS-V.R GT3, while O'Connell, with 360 points, will drive the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3. O'Connell won in Round 2 at Circuit of The Americas, while Cooper looks for his first career GT win.

You have to go back to 2011 to see another driver listed as the PWC GT champion. Porsche factory driver Patrick Long came out on top that season and he has returned to the series piloting the No. 31 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. Long won Round 1 at Circuit of theamericas, and the Manhattan Beach native comes into what is essentially his home race fifth overall in the championship. Long's teammate – up-and-coming driver Michael Lewis – will drive the No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Lewis, from nearby Laguna Beach, California, comes off a tremendous St. Petersburg weekend where he scored back-to-back wins – his first two career GT victories. Lewis sits third in the championship only 21 points behind Cooper. Long and Lewis will not only look to dethrone O'Connell, but help Porsche repeat as GT Manufacturer's Champion in 2016. Porsche currently leads Cadillac by five points in the championship standings heading into Long Beach.

Nissan Motorsports and Always Evolving return with two GT-R GT3s for James Davison and Bryan Heitkotter. Davison comes into the weekend sixth in Driver's Championship points – he will pilot the No. 33 AE Replay XD Nissan GT Academy Nissan GT-R GT3. Heitkotter will drive the No. 05 Always Evolving/Replay XD/Nissan Nismo GT3 GT-R and comes into the weekend 11th in the championship points standings.

K-PAX Racing returns with three McLaren 650S GT3s for McLaren GT factory driver Alvaro Parente, McLaren GT Academy driver and 2015 PWC GT Cup champion Colin Thompson, and young up-and-comer Austin Cindric. Parente comes into the series with an impressive racing resume, including winning the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship, the 2007 World Series by Renault Championship and the 2015 International GT Open Championship. He will drive the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S. Thompson dominated in GT Cup last year winning 13 of 18 class races and will pilot the No. 13 K-PAX Racing machine. Cindric has raced in a number of series previously including Mazda's Road to Indy's USF2000 series and Global RallyCross  and will pilot the No. 6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S. Parente is fourth in the championship points standings while Thompson sits eighth.

Jon Fogarty enters his second year in PWC and will pilot the No. 99 Gainsco Auto Insurance / Bob Stallings Racing McLaren 650S. Fogarty finished thirrd in Round 2 at COTA and comes into the weekend seventh in the championship.

Absolute Racing will run two Bentley Continental GT3s with Adderly Fong and Andrew Palmer piloting the cars. Fong won the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup and was Vice Champion of the 2015 GT Asia series, while Palmer returns to PWC last competing in the series in 2014 – Palmer was the 2015 Northamerican Endurance Cup (LMPC) Driver's Champion. Fong will drive the No. 88 Bentley Team Absolute Bentley Continental GT3, while Palmer drives the No. 87 machine. Palmer currently sits ninth in the championship.

Kyle Marcelli will drive the No. 2 CRP Racing Audi R8. Marcelli sits 10th in the GT standings coming into the weekend.

Calvert Dynamics Racing enters the No. 78 Phoenix Performance Porsche 911 GT3 R for Andrew Davis.

Seven-time series Driver's Champion Peter Cunningham owns almost every statistical record in the series and will look to add to it behind the wheel of the No. 42 Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing's Acura TLX-GT. Cunningham's teammate Ryan Eversley will run the No. 43 Acura/HPD/Red Line Oil/RealTime Acura TLX-GT and sits 12th overall coming into the weekend. An additional note on the Acura TLX-GT – the platform is now in line with FIA GT3 standards and moves from an all-wheel to a rear-wheel drive platform matching all of the other platforms in the GT class.

Rounding out the 18-car GT field is James Sofronas, piloting the No. 14 GMG/Spyder/Mobil 1/Thermal Club Porsche 911 GT3 R, and Duncan Ende, in the No. 67 Merchant Services LTD/Linospresso USA TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Sofronas won the Long Beach race back in 2009.

The GTA driver classification recognizes gentlemen drivers competing in GT class machinery. At season's end, the GTA driver that accumulates the most points will be awarded the GTA Championship and the Sportsman Cup presented by B.R.M Chronographes. Along with the cup, a B.R.M championship chronograph will go to the champion.

Martin Fuentes has had a great start to the 2016 season, winning all four GTA races. He enters the weekend leading the GTA Driver's Championship with 440 points and will pilot the No. 07 Hublot, Under Armour Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia.

2015 GTA champion Frankie Montecalvo sits second in the championship with 374 points and will drive the No. 66 DIME Racing MercedesamG SLS GT3. Montecalvo put together a dominating second half of 2015 winning seven of the final nine races and will be sure to challenge Fuentes throughout the 2016 season.

The GTA field also includes Jorge De La Torre in the No. 4 De La Torre Racing Motor Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 (De La Torre sits sixth in the GTA championship coming into Long Beach); Bill Sweedler in the No. 11 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia; Brent Holden, in the No. 44 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 and Tim Pappas in the No. 54 Papent.com Black Swan Racing Dodge Viper GT3-R.

Event/Circuit:
Streets of Long Beach: 11-turn 1.968-mile street cours

Saturday, April 16

8:40am – 8:55am Pirelli World Challenge Qualifying Group 1

9:00am – 9:15am Pirelli World Challenge Qualifying Group 2

Race Lengths:
50 minutes (GT/GTA)

Sunday, April 17

GT/GTA Round 5: 10:00am – 10:50am

All times listed above Pacific

Television:
On CBS Sports Network

Sunday, April 17, 2pm Eastern