World Challenge Heads North of the Border
TORONTO, Canada - Now at the midway point of the 12-race season, the GT
season still has some questions entering the Acura Sports Car Challenge,
part of the Honda Indy Toronto. It's the second event and third race north
of the border for the World Challenge Championships, following a Round Three
and Four doubleheader at Mosport.
Kuno Wittmer won the last GT street race, at Long Beach.
The first question is who will win at Toronto? That's a tough question to
answer in this year's GT field. Ron Fellows won the past two races at
Mosport and Watkins Glen in cameo appearances for CRP Racing, but isn't
scheduled to appear to attempt three-in-a-row.
Any discussions of a race favorite have to begin with Randy Pobst, the
current Championship leader. Pobst, driving the No. 6 K-Pax Racing Volvo
S60, won in the only other World Challenge appearance in Toronto.
Is he the only contender? Not likely. Kuno Wittmer, driving the No. 13 Dodge
Motorsports Dodge Viper, has earned a win, a pair of runner-up finished, and
a fourth-place finish in the past four races. The Montreal driver also gets
to race on native soil, adding to his advantage. He also won at Long Beach,
which has similarities to the Toronto circuit.
Three other drivers are looking for wins in Dodge Vipers this weekend.
Wittmer's teammate, Jeff Courtney, will drive the No. 99 Kenda Tire Dodge
Viper, while a two-car effort under the Daskalos Roberts Racing tent is also
on the prowl. Jason Daskalos, in the No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge
Viper, has four top-five finishes this season and sits fourth in the
Drivers' Championship. Toronto-native Fred Roberts currently leads the
GameStreamer GT Rookie-of-the-Year standings behind the wheel of the No. 89
Direct Energy Home Services Dodge Viper.
So is it only a Volvo S60 or a Dodge Viper that could win? If you believe
that, you've forgotten a few teams. Six drivers are behind the wheel of a
Porsche 911 GT3 at Toronto, and while the Porsche hasn't won since St.
Petersburg in Round Two, it's been a contender in nearly every race.
Additionally, Pobst was behind the wheel of a Porsche for his 2007 win, and
obviously the manufacturer knows its way around.
Leading that effort is a trio of Global Motorsports Group machines, with
Dino Crescentini sitting third in the Drivers' Championship and owning the
St. Pete win in the No. 4 Centric Parts/Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3. James
Sofronas, in the No. 14 GMG Porsche 911 GT3, is fifth after a couple of
podium finishes this season, despite missing one of the two Mosport rounds
with a scheduling conflict. Either could claim a win, with Crescentini
already scoring a street circuit victory and Sofronas finishing no lower
than fifth on the streets this season. They'll be joined by Bill Ziegler in
the No. 05 Swisher Racing/GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3.
The Porsche team with the latest podium finish, however, is TruSpeed
Motorsports. Patrick Lindsay ran a strong third in the first Mosport race,
and finished fifth in the last round at The Glen despite spinning while in
third and trying to chase down the leaders. He'll certainly be hungry for
more in the No. 57 Horton/Sloan Securities Porsche 911 GT3 in Toronto.
Father and son duo Charles and Rob Morgan also return for TruSpeed, with the
elder Morgan in the No. 47 Privacy Star/TruSpeed Porsche, and son Rob in the
No. 46 TruSpeed Motorsports/Querencia Porsche 911 GT3.
Let's not forget that Corvette has captured the last two World Challenge
checkered flags. This week, that banner will be flown solely by Tony Gaples
in the No. 29 Kleinschmidt/Blackdog Racing Chevrolet Corvette.
Can anyone else win? The least surprising victor might just be Andy Pilgrim,
who may be having the most frustrating season of any driver in the World
Challenge paddock. A nine-time Series winner in his career, his No. 8 K-Pax
Racing Volvo S60 has been plagued with mechanical difficulties since a pair
of podium finishes to open the season. When that changes, and it will,
Pilgrim will be ready to pounce.
World Challenge Touring Car and GTS -- The Future Is Now
The future is now in the World Challenge Touring Car class, as a very
talented group of young drivers have taken over. At the midway point in the
season, six of the top seven places in the Drivers' Championship are held by
rookies.
Leading the way is 18-year-old Robert Stout, who has won three of the last
four Touring Car races and shows no sign of slowing down. In his debut
season as a professional racer, Stout has placed his No. 18
DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lucas Oil Scion tC no lower than fourth at the end of the
race -- and has only finished outside the top-two that lone time. Fifth in
the championship is his teammate, Dan Gardner, in the No. 36
DG-Spec/Scion/TRD/Lepper & Associates Scion tC. Gardner has split time in
the car this season with Tom Lepper, but earned three top-five finishes in
the first three races of the season as the pair compete in the World
Challenge team championship.
Sitting behind Stout is Eric Meyer, who earned his first career pole
position at Watkins Glen in the No. 32 XOWii Racing/Samaritan's Feet/Delvira
Mazda RX-8. Contact relegated Meyer to seventh, but consistent finishes
throughout the year leaves the driver second in the championship.
Brett Sandberg sits third in the Touring Car Drivers' Championship through
six rounds based on consistent finishes, but would like to earn his first
career podium finish this weekend in Toronto driving the No. 28 Whitehall
Stable Acura TSX.
Volkswagen trails Scion in the Manufacturers' Championship, and this weekend
has four drivers representing the brand and gunning for a win. Go 4 It
Racing has added a pair of Volkswagen Jetta GLI machines to their stable
after running in the GTS class at the early events on the calendar. Michael
Pettiford (No. 41 Go 4 It Racing Schools/Hawk) and Greg Shaffer (No. 40 Go 4
It Racing Schools/Hawk) will drive in TC on the streets of Toronto.
Robb Holland's No. 22 303 Motorsports/Track Pro/Enich VW Volkswagen GTI, and
Don Istook's No. 01 Revo Technik/Stoptech Volkswagen GTI also return to
World Challenge action this weekend.
The Honda Civic Si is represented by two teams in the Toronto field.
RealTime Racing, which currently has Acura leading the Manufacturers'
Championship in GTS and drivers in the top-two of that class's Drivers'
Championship, is racing the No. 93 HPD/HondaRacingline/RealTime Honda Civic
Si with Nick Wittmer behind the wheel. Wittmer raced the same car for the
team at Long Beach, and Kuno's younger brother placed it on pole.
Shea Holbrook will climb behind the wheel of the No. 67 Shea
Racing/Autohaus/MD&F Honda Civic Si for her fourth career World Challenge
start this weekend, her third on a street course.
All-time World Challenge wins leader and current GTS Championship leader
Peter Cunningham is searching for his 36th World Challenge win, his fourth
this season, and his second overall at Toronto. Cunningham, now driving the
No. 43 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX, won the Touring Car class at Toronto
in 2007.
He'll be joined by Nick Esyaian, who has a pair of second, third and
fourth-place finishes this season. His No. 34 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura
TSX trails only his teammate in the GTS Championship.
Ernie Jakubowski will battle the RealTime Acuras for the win at Toronto in
his No. 91 Fuchs/CDOC/Forgeline Porsche Cayman S, after a third-place finish
at Watkins Glen.
-source: scca pro racing
