Porsche customers scored three class victories and five podium finishes in Pirelli World Challenge SprintX competition at the Victoria Day Speedfest in Bowmanville, Ontario Canada May 20 and 21. The tally at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) included wins in the GT-X class, Pro-Am division, for first-year “works” driver Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) and veteran customer driver and GMG team owner James Sofronas (Villa Park, California) driving the No. 14 Porsche 911 GT3 R on Saturday. The No. 90 Autometrics Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup shared by Joe Toussaint (Houston, Texas) and Cory Friedman (Charleston, South Carolina) added a GTC-X class victory while the No. 017 Case-It Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR of Adam Merzon (Greenwich, Connecticut) and Trent Hindman (Long Beach, New Jersey) gave Porsche Motorsport-built entries a third win in Round 3 of the SprintX Championship.
The Patrick Long-Jörg Bergmeister driver combination finished in second-place overall as well as in the Pro-Pro class driving the No. 58 Porsche Consulting Wright Motorsports 911 GT3 R on Saturday. The podium helped maintain Long’s position as the season-long points’ leader in the combined Sprint (50-minute, single-driver format) and SprintX (60-minute, two-driver format) championship. PWC is North America’s premier “sprint” format GT style championship.
Porsche currently leads the manufacturer points’ standings in all GT classes.
The No. 16 Wright Motorsports 911 GT3 R, shared by “Am” driver Michael Schein (Glen Cove, New York) and “Pro” Jan Heylen (Tampa, Florida) added to their points’ lead in the GT-X Pro-Am class with a second-place finish. The duo won in Round 1 at VIRginia International Raceway in April.
The No. 58 had set the fastest race lap in Saturday’s Round 3 assuring the longtime driver pairing the pole position for Sunday’s Round 4. However, they would not have a chance to improve their race results to the top step of the podium. Sunday’s race at CTMP was cancelled due to the heavy rain and standing water on the track. PWC officials determined that the combination of deep water at portions of the track and a continuous storm front would not allow the Round 4 of the championship to be contested safely. The race will be rescheduled for later in the PWC season, details will be announced when finalized.
Rounds 5 and 6 will be held on May 26 and 27, respectively, at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.
PWC at Lime Rock Park.
Pirelli World Challenge will be the highlight of one of North American motorsports’ great traditions: Memorial Day at Lime Rock Park. The continent’s premier sprint series for GT and sports cars will hold the SprintX Championship’s Rounds 5 and 6 on the 1.5-mile, seven-turn road course. Porsche will be well represented in the twin, 60-minute races as well as in Rounds 7 and 8 of the GTS Championship. However, because of one of Germany’s great motorsport traditions, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, several regular driver pairings will be changed for the race in the Northeast.
Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California) will be teamed with 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and 24 Hours of Le Mans victor Marc Lieb (Germany) in the No. 58 Porsche Consulting Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Long’s regular SprintX co-driver, Jörg Bergmeister (Germany) will be at the Nürburgring campaigning a 911 GT3 R. Also racing in Germany will be Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor. The Belgian has temporarily handed over his “Pro” seat in the Pro-Am class No. 14 GMG GT3 R to Matthew Halliday (New Zealand) who will co-drive with Villa Park, California’s James Sofronas.
GT-X Pro-Am championship leaders Michael Schein (Glen Cove, New York) and Jan Heylen (Tampa, Florida) will not be split giving the team an excellent opportunity to extend their championship lead in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Also continuing their pairing is Porsche Young Driver Academy graduate Alec Udell (The Woodlands, Texas) and two-time SprintX class winner Preston Calvert (Potomac, Maryland) in the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars are entered in the GTC-X class for Lime Rock. The No. 90 Autometrics Motorsports entry is fresh off its Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) Am-Am class win with drivers Joe Toussaint (Houston, Texas) and Cory Friedman (Charleston, South Carolina). Joining them in the category reserved for “one make championship” entries is the No. 95 Tool Racing 911 GT3 Cup car of Andy Lee (Colorado Springs, Colorado) and Erich Joiner (Manhattan Beach, California).
Lime Rock Park will see the mid-engined Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR fight for more PWC victories in four races: two SprintX features in the GTS-X class (Rounds 5 and 6) and two in the stand-alone GTS class for the Sprint Championship (Rounds 7 and 8). Three of the GT4-specification machines are entered for the two 60-minute races while five are scheduled to race in the 50-minute GTS races. In SprintX, the No. 017 Case-It Racing machine of Adam Merzon (Greenwich, Connecticut) and Trent Hindman (Long Beach, New Jersey) look to carry the momentum of the GTS-X Pro-Am victory in Canada to Lime Rock but will face opposition from the No. 47 NOLAsport car of Jason Hart (Flower Mound, Texas)/ Matt Travis (The Woodlands, Texas) and the No. 018 Case-It team car of Cameron Cassels (Canada) and Philip Bloom (New York, New York).
In the GTS-only races, the familiar Flying Lizard Motorsports No. 3 of Rodrigo Baptista (Spain) and No. 14 of Nate Stacy (Tulsa, Oklahoma) will face the No. 017 Case-It machine with Merzon and the No. 018 of Cassels. TRG will have their second race in the GTS class with a Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR driven by Newport Beach, California’s Craig Lyons in the No. 03.
Upcoming Events.
Pirelli World Challenge – SprintX and GTS
Event: Pirelli World Challenge at Lime Rock, Lime Rock Park
Dateline: Lakeville, Connecticut
Date: Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27
Track Length: 1.5-miles, 7-turn
Race Duration: SprintX. Two, 60-minute races
Sprint, GTS. Two, 50-minute races
Class: GT-X (Porsche 911 GT3 R) GTA-X (Porsche 911 GT3 R) GTS-X (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR) GTS (Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR)
Round: SprintX. Rounds 5 and 6 of 10 GTS. Rounds 7 and 8 of 18
Next Round: PWC at Road America, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, June 23-25, 2017
Wolf Pack. GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Adds Henzler to SprintX Line-Up.
GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing announced Porsche factory driver Wolf Henzler (Germany) will co-pilot the No. 99 Red Dragon with GAINSCO veteran Jon Fogarty (Bend, Oregon) at the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) SprintX events at Utah Motorsports Campus and Circuit of The Americas later this summer.
The two-time championship-winning sports car team opted to compete only in the GT Sprint category in 2017, offering team owner Bob Stallings the opportunity to evaluate the new SprintX Category and also the ability to continue the development of the No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R.
A Porsche “Works Driver” since 2008, Henzler’s storied career includes victories in motorsports’ most prestigious sports car races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Rolex 24 At Daytona, as well as the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and Petit Le Mans. Henzler has either won or podiumed driving a Porsche every year since 2003. Entering the GT “Pro-Pro” category with Fogarty, it will be Henzler’s first time competing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series in more than a decade.
Bob Stallings, owner, No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“We chose not to participate in 2017 SprintX primarily so we could focus on a robust testing schedule with our new race car. Wolf has been helping us with our testing of the new Red Dragon this year and we have decided to enter two SprintX races later this year in anticipation of running a full schedule in PWC in 2018. Wolf is a seasoned pro with a vast knowledge of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Jon Fogarty and our engineer John Ward have had great experiences with Wolf previously and he has fit in seamlessly with our team this year. These two races will give us an excellent opportunity to test the SprintX format.”
Wolf Henzler, Driver, No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.
“It is great to be back in Pirelli World Challenge, for the first time in 12 years! The new SprintX format of a 1-hour race with a driver change halfway into it is something new to me and I am not sure what to expect, but I am sure the timing of the pit stop is very important and will be the key for a good result. I am looking forward to driving the Red Dragon Porsche 911 GT3 R at Salt Lake City and Austin this year together with Jon Fogarty. It will be an honor to represent such an iconic racing brand at their home track. The last time I raced with Jon was when we won the Thunderhill 25-hour race together in 2011 in the Porsche 911 Cup car. This could be a good sign for our two World Challenge races!”
Porsche Entries at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Pirelli World Challenge SprintX Championship.
Total Car Count: Fourteen (14) Porsche entries will be competing in the four rounds of the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge at Lime Rock Park. Nine (9) cars will run in Rounds 6 and 7 of the SprintX Championship. Five entries will run in the Sprint Championships GTS class Rounds 7 and 8. Two GTS cars will do all four races eligible to them at Lime Rock Park.
SprintX Championship.
GT-X Class – Pro/Pro – One (1) Porsche 911 GT3 R.
No. 58 Wright Motorsports
Mark Lieb (Germany)/ Patrick Long (Manhattan Beach, California)
GT-X Class – Pro/Am – Three (3) Porsche 911 GT3 R.
No. 14 GMG Racing
Matthew Halliday (New Zealand)/ James Sofronas (Villa Park, California)
No. 16 Wright Motorsports
Michael Schein (Glen Cove, New York)/ Jan Heylen (Tampa, Florida)
No. 77 Calvert Dynamics
Preston Calvert (Potomac, Maryland)/ Alec Udell (The Woodlands, Texas)
GTC-X Class – Two (2) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
No. 90 Autometrics Motorsports
Joe Toussaint (Houston, Texas)/ Cory Friedman (Charleston, South Carolina)
No. 95 Tool Racing
Andy Lee (Colorado Springs, Colorado)/ Erich Joiner (Manhattan Beach, California)
GTS-X Class – Pro/Am – One (1) Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR.
No. 017 Case-It Racing
Adam Merzon (Greenwich, Connecticut)/ Trent Hindman (Long Beach, New Jersey)
GTS-X Class – Am/Am – Two (2) Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR.
No. 018 Case-It Racing
Cameron Cassels (Canada)/ Philip Bloom (New York, New York)
No. 47 NOLAsport
Jason Hart (Flower Mound, Texas)/ Matt Travis (The Woodlands, Texas)
Sprint Championship.
GTS Class – Five (5) Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR.
No. 3 Flying Lizard Motorsports
Rodrigo Baptista (Spain)
No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports
Nate Stacy (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
No. 03 TRG
Craig Lyons (Newport Beach, California)
No. 017 Case-It Racing
Adam Merzon (Greenwich, Connecticut)
No. 018 Case-It Racing
Cameron Cassels (Canada)
Source. Porsche
