101 Pirelli World Challenge entries set for Utah
Some 101 professional entries travel to Utah Motorsports Campus this weekend (Aug. 11-13) to contest the fast and challenging 3.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road circuit in the Security National Mortgage Supercar Grand Prix of Utah, another of Pirelli World Challenge's headliner weekends.
Featuring a variety of racing machines from the lightning quick GT3 sports cars in SprintX to the "Muscle Cars" of the GTS/GT4 category to the closest thing to the street cars in the multi-classes Touring Cars, the doubleheader weekend brings the one of the biggest contingents of road racing vehicles to the popular Utah racing facility. Already in 2017, the Pirelli World Challenge has been represented by 25 auto makes and 44 different models.
Rounds 7 and 8 of the highly-competitive SprintX division have 33 two-driver entries in a pair of 60-minute main events on Saturday (Aug. 12) and Sunday (Aug. 13) with three separate divisions – Pro/Pro, Pro/Am and Am/Am – featuring many of the world's best sports cars such as Acura, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Cadillac, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Nissan and Porsche.
Along with the SprintX action, the Touring Car categories – TC, TCA and TCB – will have a superb field of 50 cars on the Utah Motorsports Campus road course at the same time with dual 40-minute contests on Saturday. The 32-car TC field brings a tremendous group of equipment from Audi, BMW, Honda, Lotus, Mazda, Nissan and Porsche.
The popular GTS division, showcasing a variety of GTS and GT4 cars, will have two 50-minute sprint races on Saturday and Sunday with the high-horsepower engines of the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Aston Martin, Panoz Avezzano GT and Maserati going against the quick, responsive GT4 sports cars represented by the KTM XBow, SIN R1 GT4, Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR and McLaren 570S.
All Pirelli World Challenge races this weekend will be live streamed on www.motortrendondemand.com and www.world-challenge.com, and six feature races (SprintX, GTS and TC) will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network; the SprintX doubleheader will be shown on CBS Sports Network on Aug. 20 at 2:30 p.m. EDT, while GTS will be televised on Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. and TC on Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. EDT.
33 Teams Set to Battle in the Dual 60-Minute, Two-Driver Contests – SprintX Preview
After five rounds, the SprintX GT campaign has produced five different teams (TR3 Racing, CRP Racing, Cadillac Racing, Wright Motorsports and Magnus Racing) in the winner's circle and those squads represent five separate auto manufacturers (Ferrari, Mercedes, Cadillac, Porsche and Audi) as Round 6 and 7 head to the 3.048, 14-turn permanent road circuit.
A strong 33-car SprintX field will compete this weekend with world-class drivers set for Saturday (Aug. 12) at 1:40 p.m. MDT and Sunday (Aug. 13) at 12:30 p.m. MDT in the Pro/Pro, Pro/Am and Am/Am categories.
Sports cars such as Acura, Audi, Aston Martin, Bentley, Cadillac, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Nissan and Porsche will do battle and the competition is expected to be as fierce as in the earlier rounds at VIRginia International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Lime Rock Park.
With the Mid-Ohio GT Sprint races dominated by defending GT champion Alvaro Parente of Portugal in his No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S, the overall GT point title has tightened.
2011 PWC GT champion Patrick Long currently holds a three-point margin over Cadillac's Michael Cooper, 223 to 220, with Parente at 217 in the current overall GT standings. The overall GT championship consists of 19 races in both the GT Sprint and GT SprintX classes.
At Utah this weekend, Long, a three-time winner in 2017, will match up with endurance sports car star Jorg Bergmeister in the SprintX doubleheader with Cooper teaming up with Jordan Taylor in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. Cooper and Taylor captured the CTMP Round 3 SprintX event and the Cadillac pair currently lead the GT SprintX Pro/Pro class points with 107.
Parente, a four-time GT Sprint race winner this year, will pair up with young open-wheel star Ben Barnicoat in the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S this weekend at Utah.
With the three GT overall point leaders leading the 32-car lineup at Utah, other GT SprintX challengers include 2017 SprintX race winners: VIR winners and second in SprintX points, Ryan Dalziel and Daniel Morad in the No. 2 CRP Racing/DeVilbiss Mercedes-AMG GT3, VIR winner Daniel Mancinelli and Niccolo Schiro in the No. 31 TR3 Racing Ferrari 488 GT3; and the Lime Rock winning car, No. 4 Magnus Racing Audi RS 8 LMS of Pierre Kaffer and Spencer Pumpelly.
Another very competitive category at Utah will be the Pro/Am SprintX class and point leaders Jan Heylen and Michael Schein in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R have won three races already in 2017. Heylen and Schein must be favorites Saturday and Sunday but the list of contenders is large and led by VIR winners Jeroen Bleekemolen and Tim Pappas in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3: the CTMP-winning No. 14 Porsche 911 GT3 R of James Sofronas and series newcomer Mathieu Jaminet; local favorite John Potter of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Marco Seefried in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi RS8 LMS and another Utah-based team of Aaron Povoledo of Toronto and David Askew of Salt Lake City in the No. 63 DXDT Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Former GTA class champion Frankie Montecalvo and his driving partner Ricardo Sanchez in the No. 75 Always Evolving/AIM Autosport Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 could be a Pro/Am threat at Utah after winning two poles already in 2017. Other Pro/Am contenders include former GT Cup champion Alec Udell and two-time Utah SprintX winner Preston Calvert in the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics/Euroworld/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 R; former Formula 1 racer Will Stevens and Andrew Kim in No. 78 Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3; and Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Lawrence Degeorge in the No. 07 Dream Racing Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3.
Expected to challenge for the GT Am-Am division honors are class point leader Henrique Cisneros and Jonathon Ziegelman in the No. 30 MOMO/NGT Racing Ferrari 458 GT3; the No. 013 R. Ferri Motorsports Ferrari 458 GT3 entry of Kris Wilson and Drew Regitz, second in the Am/Am standings; and James Dayson and GTSA regular Jason Bell in the No. 23 M1GT Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra.
New GT4 Cars Battle GTS Muscle Cars at Utah – GTS presented by Case-It Preview
The exciting door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper action of GTS competition has made the category fun for Pirelli World Challenge fans and the Utah weekend should supply the same in Rounds 13 and 14 for GTS presented by Case-It.
Leading the GTS division is current point leader Lawson Aschenbach, who won his first GTS race of the 2017 season recently at Mid-Ohio. The two-time GTS champion holds a healthy point lead (87 points) entering the Utah weekend in the No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4R. Aschenbach has been consistent through the first 12 races this year including 11 podium showings.
The leading race winner in GTS this year is the personable Ian James in the popular No. 50 Team Panoz Racing Panoz Avezzano GT after scoring victories at Road America (two wins) and Mid-Ohio. James currently ranks second in the GTS standings.
Former GTS race winner Martin Barkey in the No. 80 MBRP Performance Exhaust KTM Xbow could be a factor in both GTS race at Utah and veteran PWC racer Jeff Courtney brings his popular No. 99 Kenda/RecStuff.com Maserati GT4 this weekend in search of victory lane.
In the GTS Am class, the hottest driver has been entrepreneur George Kurtz with five consecutive victories in his No. 04 CrowdStrike/GMG McLaren 570S sports car and Kurtz has now taken over the class point lead.
VIR winner Jason Bell will be in the hunt with his No. 2 Racers Edge Motorsports SIN R1 GT4 as well as Aschenbach's Blackdog Speed shop teammate, Tony Gaples in the No. 11 Blackdog Speed shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4R.
The local Utah team from Ian Lacy Racing will be fan favorites at Utah Motorsports Campus with Drew Staveley of Salt Lake City, Utah, in the No. 12 Ian Lacy Racing/GT3 Racing Ginetta G55 and Frank Gannett in the No. 13 Ian Lacy Racing/GT3 Racing Ginetta G55.
The GTS presented by Case-It events will be 50-minute sprint contests on Friday and Saturday.
33 Touring Car entries ready for action at Utah – Touring Car Preview
There is little doubt that some of the best racing happens in the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car division and after the first six rounds of competition that trend is expected to continue this weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus.
The new Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport has shown a quick pace, especially with the talented Paul Holton behind the wheel. Holton, the TC Rounds 1 and 3 winner, comes to Utah as the class point leader in the No. 71 C360R Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport. Holton, who has been competing in Touring Cars in Europe recently, holds a 45-point margin over veteran Nick Wittmer in the No. 91 ST Racing/GPI Inc./Laurel BMW BWM M235iR.
In addition to Wittmer's BMW sedan in TC this year, a strong group of BWM M235iR cars are prepared to do battle at Utah led by defending TC class champion, Toby Grahovec in the No. 1 Classic BMW Motorsports BMW M235iR.
Contending with Grahovec will be VIR TC Round 2 winner Greg Liefooghe, in the No. 20 ART Racing/Steve Cameron Racing BMW M235iR as well as Wittmer's teammate, college student Samantha Tan in the No. 38 ST Racing/GPI Inc./Laurel BMW of Westmont, Ill., BWM M235iR.
TC 'Rookie of the Year" Anthony Geraci won a pole position at VIR in the new No. 69 S.A.C. Racing Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport sedan and will be in the hunt at UMC. Young (age 19) Mason Filippi comes to Utah after a TC victory in CTMP in his No. 12 Winding Road Team BMW M235iR.
Another top contender is BERG Racing led by team owner and last year's Utah race winner John Weisberg, who campaigns the No. 5 REDCOM Laboratories/Micro Precision Components/BERG Racing Mazda MX–5. Joining the BERG Racing team at Utah is young Jason Coupal in the No. 009 REDCOM Laboratories/Micro Precision Components/BERG Racing Audi RS3 LMS Club Sport. Coupal currently ranks third in TC points.
Defending TCA series champion Elivan Goulart in the No. 70 S.A.C. Racing/SCDA1.com Mazda MX–5, was dominant in 2016 with five of 12 TCA races and 12 top-five placings. Now, after another strong performance at Lime Rock in May, Goulart takes the TCA point lead into Utah Motorsports Campus by just six over his S.A.C. Racing teammate Matthew Fassnacht in the No. 74 S.A.C. Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup.
Goulart has totaled 140 points to Fassnacht's 134 coming to the TCA doubleheader this weekend. Fassnacht, last year's TCA Rookie of the Year, won twice at VIR for his first two PWC feature wins of his racing career.
Battling Fassnacht and Goulart at Utah will be the 2016 TCB series champion and CTMP TCA winner Tom O'Gorman, who'll drive the all-new No. 94 HPD/Black Armor Helmets/Gridlife Honda Civic Si for Shea Racing.
Joining Fassnacht and Goulart in the S.A.C. Racing team in 2017 will be Daniel Moen in the No. 73 S.A.C. Racing Mazda MX-5.
Eric Powell, in the No. 23 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup, figures to be a contender at Utah is after placing third in last year's TCA points with one win, eight top-fives and ten top-10s. He teams with Breton Williams in the No. 22 Tech Sport Racing Scion.
Making its PWC debut at Utah will the all-new No. 86 DG-Spec Racing/ Toyota TMG 86 Cup machine driven by veteran Craig Stanton.
A wide-open title fight expected in 2017 in TCB – TCB Class Preview
With O'Gorman, the 2016 champion, moving to TCA in 2017, the series championship has proven to be a three-driver battle in 2017.
Touring Car B–Spec or TCB is the most cost-effective class but the competition supplies some of the most popular door–to–door racing and bumper-to-bumper drafting in all of the Pirelli World Challenge series.
Coming off a double TCB win weekend at Lime Rock Park, young Canaan O'Connell, son of four-time PWC GT champion Johnny O'Connell, returns to Utah just a year after his pro debut in the No. 24 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic. O'Connell has moved into third in the TCB standings behind leaders Jake Pipal and Canadian P.J. Groenke. Canaan has three TCB victories in 2017.
Groenke raced O'Gorman right down to the final race before settling for second in the 2016 championship. Groenke scored six podium (top-three) finishes and ten top-five placements in 2016. He'll drive the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic this weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus.
Pipal, the 19-year-old, has enjoyed a good year thus far with his Jake Pipal Racing/Carbotech Brakes Mazda 2 with two wins and consistent runs in the other events.
Event/Circuit:
3.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road circuit
Qualifying: (All times listed are MDT)
Friday, August 11, 2017
8:40 AM – 8:55 AM Pirelli World Challenge TCA-TCB (15 min.)
8:55 AM – 9:10 AM Pirelli World Challenge TC (15 min.)
9:20 AM – 9:40 AM Pirelli World Challenge GTS
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Pirelli World Challenge - Sprint X (GT Am, GT Cup & GTS)
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Pirelli World Challenge - Sprint X (GT Pro)
Races:
Live Internet Telecast (on motortrendondemand.com and www.world-challenge.com):
Saturday, August 12, 2017 (All times listed are MDT)
12:30 PM - 1:10 PM Pirelli World Challenge – Touring Car Race 1 (40 minutes)
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM Pirelli World Challenge – SprintX Race 1 (60 minutes)
3:10 PM - 4:00 PM Pirelli World Challenge – GTS Race 1 (50 minutes)
5:10 PM - 5:40 PM Pirelli World Challenge – Touring Car Race 2 (40 minutes)
Sunday, August 13, 2017 (All times listed are MDT)
10:30 AM - 11:20 PM Pirelli World Challenge – GTS Race 2 (50 minutes)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Pirelli World Challenge – SprintX Race 2 (60 minutes)
Race Lengths:
60 minutes (SprintX)
50 minutes (GTS)
40 minutes (TC/TCA/TCB)
Television (on CBS Sports Network): All times listed re: CBS broadcasts are Eastern.
SprintX: August 20, 2:30 PM
GTS: August 23, 9:00 PM
Touring Car/TCA/TCB: August 23, 8:00 PM
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