What: The season opener for the Pirelli World Challenge and debut race for Jim Taggart in the new No. 7 GT-A class Porsche 911 GT3 R
Where: The streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for a double race weekend and the same track where Jim Taggart made his pro debut – a year ago.
Rookie of the Year: Taggart earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, racing a Lotus Exige in the GTS class in Pirelli World Challenge. His best finish to date in the series is sixth place (Detroit), and his strongest showings for 2013 seemed to come on tricky and tight street tracks.
Offseason: Since acquiring the Porsche, Taggart Autosport has been busy preparing the car for St. Petersburg, including a few quick test sessions at the newly paved VIRginia International Raceway.
The Car: The two-door Porsche ha s a 4.0-liter V6 boxer engine good for around 400 horsepower, and the pre-season base weight is listed by the Pirelli World Challenge competition department at 1,200kg.
Arming Up: Since last season the Pirelli World Challenge has not only welcomed Taggart’s upgraded entry in a GT3-spec Porsche, but new cars include McLarens, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other exotic makes for a highly anticipated 16-round 2014 season.
Weekend Schedule:
Friday March 28
9:20 am – Practice 1
4:20 pm – Practice 2
Saturday March 29
8:00 am – Qualifying 1
3:25 pm – Race 1
Sunday March 30
11:25 am – Race 2
About: Taggart Autosport competes in the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge Championships with a GT-A Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Jim Taggart. In addition, Taggart races in the SCCA and completed the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Porsche. Jim is a successful pharmaceutical entrepreneur turned race car driver, earning the National SCCA Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and Pirelli World Challenge GTS Rookie of the Year in 2013. The team is supported by Porsche, Virginia International Raceway, SmartCharms.com, The Jumbo Company, Local Motors and Corbeau Seats.
Social Media: Fans can keep up with the Porsche team on www.taggartautosport.com, on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/taggartauto, on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/TaggartAutosport and onboard footage is posted regularly towww.youtube.com/taggartautosport.
Source: Taggart Autosport
