By alley - Oct 9, 2016, 3:37 PM ET

PWC: Heckert takes GTS Race 2 win

Scott Heckert survived constant pressure from Andrew Aquilante to win the final Pirelli World Challenge GTS race of the year in his Racer's Edge Motorsports SIN R1 GT4 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Heckert led from pole on Saturday but was sidelined with a mechanical problem. There were no issues to report on Sunday as he streaked away from pole and led every lap on the way to victory.

"It was such a great car; I have nothing more to say," who finished 1.1 seconds ahead of Aquilante's Ford Mustang Boss 302. "It was a really tense race."

Behind Aquilante, Nate Stacy completed the podium and made it a 2-3 for the Ford Mustang Boss 302.

New and former GTS champions faced adversity in the last race of 2016. Brett Sandberg, who clinched the title on Saturday, spun on his own into the gravel trap at Turn 5, which brought out a caution and required help from the safety crew to extract his KTM X-Bow from the gravel trap. Sandberg was credited with 16th in the 20-car field.

Black Dog Race Shop's Lawson Aschenbach, whose Chevy Camaro has been a perennial championship contender, was forced to stop on the front straight and call for safety workers to bring a fire extinguisher to put out a small blaze within the cockpit. That also triggered a caution. Aschenbach was unhurt, but his car was towed away and he was credited with 19th.

With the championship already decided, the GTS finale was simply about racing for the win, and with the class having expanded with unique cars like the SIN R1 and the KTM X-Bow, PWC has a great formula to build from as it prepares for the 2017 season.