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World Challenge kicks off 2015 season at the Circuit of The Americas

The series' 26th season kicks off this weekend, over 100 cars are entered for the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas.

#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel

#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel

David Yowe

#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
The new Cadillac ATS-V R GT3 Spec Race Car
#08 Dyson Racing Team Bentley Bentley V8 T: Butch Leitzinger
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra: Mike Skeen
#08 Dyson Racing Team Bentley Bentley V8 T: Butch Leitzinger
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
Second place Johnny O'Connell
Robert Thorne from K-PAX Racing
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
Podium: third place Andy Pilgrim
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
#31 EFFORT Racing Porsche GT3 R: Ryan Dalziel
#08 Dyson Racing Team Bentley Bentley V8 T: Butch Leitzinger
#08 Dyson Racing Team Bentley Bentley V8 T: Butch Leitzinger
Butch Leitzinger, Bentley Bentley V8 T
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
Peter Cunningham, Acura TLX
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
GT Winners Podium: Ryan Dalziel (second, left), Mike Skeen (first, center), Butch Leitzinger (third,
#08 Dyson Racing Team Bentley Bentley V8 T: Butch Leitzinger
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
Peter Cunningham, Acura TLX
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
Robert Thorne, McLaren 12C GT3
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
#3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V Coupe: Johnny O'Connell
Johnny O'Connell, Cadillac CTS-V.R
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
Andy Pilgrim
Johnny O'Connell
#8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V: Andy Pilgrim
#42 RealTime R&L Acura TLX-GT: Peter Cunningham
Mike Skeen from CRP Racing
#6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 12C GT3: Robert Thorne
#2 CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra: Mike Skeen
Butch Leitzinger from Dyson Racing Team Bentley

Austin, TX – The Circuit of the Americas is the site of the 2015 season opener for the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. The series' 26th season kicks off at the 20-turn, 3.4 mile permanent road course, with action across all seven series divisions. Over 100 cars are entered for the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas.

A host of familiar names are joined by a wealth of talented newcomers, either in the form of new drivers, teams, manufacturers or cars. The continued integration of FIA GT3-spec cars in GT has provided continued manufacturer and team growth for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season.

Additionally, the GT Cup division makes its first appearance. New for 2015, the division is a spec class featuring the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup platform that will run as part of the overall GT Class races, with a separate victory circle presentation alongside that of the GT/GTA class winners.

The series last visited COTA in 2013 running the modified 2.3-mile National Circuit course and the track proved to be the perfect site for some exciting races and this year's rounds should be no different with the move to the full track. The GT, and TCA class champions of 2014 are in the field, and they begin their title defense this weekend, while drivers in GTA, GTS, GT Cup, TC, and TCB look to get off to a good start in their pursuit of their respective class championships.

Pirelli World Challenge GT

O'Connell leads a deep, talented field

Johnny O'Connell repeated as the Pirelli World Challenge 2014 GT champion after a dramatic victory weekend in last year's season finale at Miller Motorsports Park. He'll begin the quest for his fourth title in a row at a track where he won the Round 1 race to open up the 2013 season. A wrinkle for O'Connell, of Flowery Branch, GA., is that he returns to defend his championship in the new No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R.

Teammate Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, FL., returns in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. Pilgrim finished fourth overall in the 2014 GT Drivers' Championship, helping Cadillac to its third straight Manufacturers' Championship.

Mike Skeen, of Charlotte, NC, will lead CRP Racing's effort in the No. 2 Hawk Performance Audi R8 ultra. Skeen pushed O'Connell hard in the battle for the GT Championship last year ultimately finishing second overall with three wins on the season (Rounds 7 and 8 at Road America, and Round 13 at Sonoma).

Bentley Team Dyson Racing returns with veteran sportscar racer Butch Leitzinger, of Rebersburg, PA and teammate Chris Dyson, of Pleasant Valley, NY, piloting two Bentley Continental GT3s. Leitzinger, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Bentley/Breitling/Mobil1 Bentley Continental GT3 closed out 2014 with four top five finishes including standing on the podium twice with two thirds. Dyson will pilot the No. 16 Bentley/Breitling/Mobil1 Bentley Continental GT3. After their initial season that was essentially a development year, the team looks to challenge for wins and championships in 2015.

EFFORT Racing returns to challenge for the GT title with standout racer Ryan Dalziel of Windermere, FL., piloting the No. 31 Porsche 911 GT3R. Dalziel won back-to-back Round 11 and 12 races at Mid-Ohio last year after joining the team at the mid-point of the 2014 season.

K-PAX Racing returns with two McLaren 650S GT3s with Kevin Estre, of Locmau, Austria in the No. 9 machine and Robert Thorne, of Littleton, CO, in the No. 6 car. The team debuted the McLaren 12C GT3 in the series in 2014 and after a hard luck season Thorne won the final race at Miller. Now partnered with Flying Lizard Motorsports the team looks to continue that momentum into 2015.

R. Ferri Motorsport returns with the No. 61 Ferrari of Ontario/Toronto/Alberta Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia, driven by former F1 pilot and GT sportscar veteran Olivier Beretta of Monte Carlo.

The most successful driver in series history, seven-time Drivers' Champion Peter Cunningham, returns in the Acura TLX-GT prepared by his RealTime Racing operation. The Milwaukee native, who will drive the No. 42 RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD Acura TLX-GT, started three races in 2014 to develop the all new and only all-wheel drive platform in the series. Cunningham owns almost every statistical record in the series and looks to add to it in 2015. Ryan Eversley, of Atlanta, GA, joins the team to run the second Acura TLX-GT and will pilot the No. 43 RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD car.

One of the biggest pieces of off-season news came from Nissan Motorsports and the announcement of its partnership with Always Evolving (AE) to campaign two GT Academy-NISMO Nissan GT-R GT3 racing cars in Pirelli World Challenge. Australian open wheel and GT star James Davison will pilot the No. 33 AE/ReplayXD/NISSAN NISMO GT-R GT3.

Prototype and GT racing veteran Guy Cosmo, of Palm Beach Garden, FL, makes his first start in Pirelli World Challenge. He will pilot the No. 23 Tampa Bay Jaw Surgery Centers M1 Racing LLC Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Nicky Catsburg, of Voorthuizen, Gelderland, makes his first Pirelli World Challenge start in the No. 25 Blancpain Racing Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2. The 26-year-old Dutch driver has signed on for the full season of Pirelli World Challenge.

Scuderia Corsa brings two Ferrari 458 GT3 Italias with Mike Hedlund, and Duncan Ende piloting the cars. Hedlund, of Woodside, CA, will pilot the No. 65 machine, while Ende, of Los Angeles, CA, will pilot the No. 64 Merchant Services LTD/Linospresso USA car.

Series veteran GMG Racing's James Sofronas, of Pound Ridge, NY, returns in the No. 14 GMG Racing/Spyder/Mobil 1 Audi R8 LMS ultra. Sofronas has over 170 Pirelli World Challenge starts and won the Round 2 race at COTA back in 2013. Sofronas' teammate Madison Snow, of Provo, UT, will pilot the No. 21 Audi R8 LMS Ultra Audi R8 ultra.

Rounding out the GT field is three-time World Challenge Drivers' Champion Lou Gigliotti, of Plano, TX, in the No. 28 LG Motorsports Aston Martin GT3 V12.

Pirelli World Challenge GTA

Stacked deck of 23 entries to start the class' sophomore season

The GTA classification is designed for talented gentlemen drivers who do not make their primary living from racing cars, but as sportsmen, love the sport and have a passion for driving.

DragonSpeed's Henrik Hedman, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, returns to the series piloting the No. 10 Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3 and looks to build on his runner-up finish in last year's GTA drivers' championship. Hedman had five top 3 finishes last year in GTA including a second at Toronto and a second at Road America. Dragonspeed will field two additional Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3 for series newcomers Frank Montecalvo of Highlands, NJ and Eric Lux, of Buffalo, NY. Montecalvo will pilot the No. 66 Bayshore Racing Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3, while Lux, will drive the No. 08 Rembrandt Charms/Monticello Motor Club Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3.

Marcelo Hahn, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, returns to GTA in the No. 0 Blau Blancpain Racing Lamborghini Gallardo R_EX. Hahn recorded four wins in 2014 (Barber, Detroit, Road America, Toronto) and finished fourth overall in the Drivers' Championship for the class. Teammate Maximilian Voelker, of Witten, Germany will drive the No. 37 Blancpain Racing Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2.

Dan Knox, of Pilot Point, TX, had a successful GTA rookie season in the series last year finishing second in the Drivers' Championship. He will pilot the No. 80 ACS Manufacturing/Lone Star Racing Dodge Viper GT3R. Last season Knox recorded a win in Round 5 at Detroit and he followed that up with a third in Round 6 at Detroit, and a second in Round 10 at Toronto.

Also adding his name to the 'vying for the championship in class list' will be Tim Pappas, of Boston, MA, in the No. 54 Black River Caviar Black Swan Racing Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3. Pappas won GTA races last year at Road America and Miller Motorsports Park.

A number of former GTS class racers are moving up the ladder to compete in GTA in 2015. 2014 GTS Rookie-of-the-Year Jorge De La Torre, of Mexico City, Mexico will pilot the No. 4 De La Torre Racing Motor LLC Aston Martin Vantage V12. Stephen Cameron Racing fields the No. 19 www.iracercoaching.com Audi R8 LMS ultra with Drew Regitz, of Denver, CO, behind the wheel.

The 2011 Nissan GT Academy North America winner Bryan Heitkotter, of Fresno, CA, returns to the series driving a Nissan, moving into the seat of the No. 05 Nissan GT Academy GT-R Nissan GT-R-GT3. Heitkotter made six starts in TC in 2014.

Sofronas' GMG team has one car entered in GTA, with Alex Welch of Englewood, CO piloting the No. 76 Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Turner Motorsport will field two BMW E89 Z4 GT3 in GTA at COTA. Bret Curtis, of Austin, TX, will be in the No. 32 Spectra Resources/United Steel Supply Turner Motorsport BMW E89 Z4 GT3. Curtis made seven starts in 2014. Bill Ziegler of Ponte Verda, FL will drive the No. 95 Swisher Racing machine. Ziegler's best finish in 2014 was a second at Road America.

TRG-AMR fields two Aston Martin Vantage GT3 for the opening rounds of GTA at COTA. The No. 7 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 will be piloted by Christina Nielsen of Aarhus, Denmark – Nielsen started both races at Sonoma last year and recorded a third in Round 14. Mark McKenzie of Austin, TX, makes his debut in the series in the No. 09 Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

Series veteran Jeff Courtney will bring another Audi to the GTA mix. Courtney, of Milwaukee, WI., returns to drive the No. 99 JCR Motorsports Kenda/RecStuff.com Audi R8 Ultra. Courtney started 12 GTA races and recorded a third in Round 8 at Road America.

Seven other drivers will be making their series debuts at COTA: Joseph Toussaint, of Houston, TX, will drive the No. 90 Prisms.org/The National Ability Center Autometrics Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R; Michael Lewis, of Laguna Beach, CA, will drive the No. 41 EFFORT Racing Porsche 911 GT3R; Martin Fuentes, of Mexico City, MX, will pilot the No. 07 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458; Ricardo Perez of Mexico City, Mexico will pilot the No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia; and Henrique Cisneros, of Miami, FL will drive the No. 30 NGT Motorsport Ferrari 458.

Pirelli World Challenge GT Cup presented by MOMO

Ten drivers vie to make series history as the first winners in class

New for the 2015 season is the GT Cup class presented by MOMO that will feature drivers piloting the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Ten drivers are entered in class and all are looking to put their names in the history book as the first winners in the newly formed class.

One driver to watch is up-and-coming hot shoe Alec Udell of The Woodlands, TX. Udell will pilot the No. 17 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Udell moves up from the GTS class where he finished 9th overall last year and has shown steady growth over the last five years with 48 starts in the series.

Also moving up from GTS is Mitch Landry of Lake Charles, LA in the No. 97 Deep South/VersaCrane Landry Racing Porsche 991 GT3 Cup. Landry finished 12th overall in GTS last season.

Santiago Creel, of Mexico City, MX will make his third career series start at COTA in the No. 60 UNIFIN EZCORP MEXICO Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

A number of drivers make their first starts in Pirelli World Challenge. Colin Thompson of Doylestown, PA, will drive the No. 11 Porsche of Bucks County/Penn Valley Constructors/Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes/Austin Hatcher Foundation Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup; Lorenzo Trefethen, of Napa, CA will pilot the No. 13 ANSA Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup; Phill Fogg, Jr. of Portland, OR pilots the No. 13 Zoro TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup; Eduardo Cisneros, of Miami, FL will drive the No. 29 MOMO NGT Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup; Phoenix American Motorsports enters the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for Preston Calvert of Potomac, MD; Victor Gomez, of San Juan, Puerto Rico will drive the No. 81 Porsche San Juan DragonSpeed Porsche 911 GT3 Cup; and Sloan Urry, of Salt Lake City, UT, debuts in the 02 Engel & Volkers TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Pirelli World Challenge GTS

Familiar 2014 protagonists return to lead 20-car field

Competition in the GTS class the last couple of seasons has been fierce with any of six or seven different drivers and manufacturers having a shot to win a GTS race. With a list of highly talented drivers in the class expect that number to stay that high, if not grow, in 2015. With defending and three-time Drivers' Champion Lawson Aschenbach not returning to the series, the two drivers Aschenbach narrowly beat out in 2013 and 2014, Jack Baldwin and Mark Wilkins, are back and eager to vie for top spot.

Baldwin, of Marietta, GA, will again race one of GTSport Racing's Porsche Cayman Ss – alongside teammate Buz McCall. Baldwin will pilot the No. 73 RESET-MD GTSport Racing Porsche Cayman, while McCall, of Boca Raton, FL, drives the No. 72 RESET-MD GTSport Racing Porsche Cayman. Baldwin won three races last year (Barber, Sonoma and Miller) and finished second overall in class.

Wilkins, of Toronto, ON, will again race the No. 38 Kinetic Motorsports Kia Optima. Wilkins won at Barber, and Toronto and finished third overall in the GTS Drivers' Championship. Wilkins' new teammate for 2015 is Ben Clucas, of Northhampton London. He will pilot the No. 36 Kinetic Motorsports / Kia Racing Kia Optima. Wilkins and Clucas will look to put Kia back on top as the GTS Manufacturers' Champion after claiming the award in 2014 – the first series manufacturers' championship for the brand.

Dean Martin, of Westland, MI, leads a group of more than a half dozen Mustangs running in GTS. Martin finished fourth overall in the Drivers' Championship last year with wins at Detroit and Toronto and will pilot the No. 50 Rehagen Racing/Picture Cars East Ford Boss 302. Jack Roush Jr. of Livonia, MI will pilot the No. 60 ROUSH Performance Ford Boss302. Roush finished 5th overall in class last year. Capaldi Racing also enters a car for series veteran Nick Esayian, of San Diego, CA, who will pilot the No. 34 Travel Clean/Ford Motorsports/Derma 3/Special Operations Warrior Foundation/3D Carbon Capaldi Racing Boss 302. Esayian captured his second career win in Round 15 at Miller. Dan Martinson of Medina, MN is set to run the No. 33 Gear Tie/Nite Ize Capaldi Racing Ford Boss302 this coming weekend.

Another Mustang pilot to watch is Andrew Aquilante, of Chester Springs, PA who rejoins the series after last starting races in TC in 2009, piloting the No. 32 Calvert Dynamics Phoenix American Motorsports Boss 302. Phoenix American Motorsports will also campaign the No. 35 Calvert Dynamics Phoenix American Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss302 with Preston Calvert behind the wheel and Kurt Rezzetano, of Phoenixville, PA in the No. 37 Calvert Dynamics Phoenix American Motorsports Ford Mustang.

With no less that 134 starts in the Pirelli World Challenge Tony Gaples in his Blackdog Speedshop Chevrolet Camaro returns to the GTS category for 2015. Teaming up with Gaples is 2012 Touring Car Drivers' Champion Michael Cooper in the No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Z28. Last year, Cooper started both Miller Rounds 15 and 16 finishing fourth in Round 16.

Also campaigning the iconic Chevrolet Camaro in the series is Best IT Racing. Talented driver Andy Lee, of Colorado Springs, CO, in the No. 20 Chevrolet Camaro returns along with teammate Geoff Reeves, of Cleveland, OH in the No. 40 Shadow Works BestIT Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

TRG-AMR brings two Aston Martin Vantage GT4's to the GTS battle with Derek DeBoer and Kris Wilson behind the wheels. Deboer, of Ashland, OR, will pilot the No. 09 BlackRiderRacing/Lex Tempus/BRM Chronographes car, while Wilson, of Monument, CO will pilot the 07 car.

Mark Klenin, of Lone Tree, CO, returns to GTS with his own team. Klenin will pilot the No. 62 Schomp Auto/Invisible Glass/Premier Copier Klenin Performance Racing Aston Martin GT4.

Rounding out the GTS field are Vesko Kozarov and Lou Gigliotti. Kozarov, of Salt Lake City, UT will pilot the No. 23 Skullcandy Team Nissan Nissan 370Z and Gigliotti, doing the double competing in both GT and GTS. In GTS he'll be behind the wheel of the No. 28 LG Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car

Young upstarts set to battle with a former class champion

Fifteen-year-old Nathan Stacy from Owesso, OK moves up to TC from TCB where he finished second overall in class in 2014. Stacy will be piloting a proven platform in the series – the Volvo C30. The No. 14 3R Racing/Stacy Racing Volvo C30 is a series winner from a couple of seasons ago, and will be supported by 3R Racing – a team with a number of series championships. Sure to challenge Stacy is Andrew Aquilante, of Chester Springs, PA, (doing double duty in GTS and TC) in the No. 32 Calvert Dynamics Phoenix American Motorsports Ford Mustang V6 and Adam Poland, of Mount Vernon, Texas, in the No. 33 Edge Addicts/Texas Track Works Eastex Motorsports Mazda MX-5. Aquilante returns to the series after a number of years of sports car racing in another North American series. Poland won races at Road America and Miller in 2014 and finished third overall in the TC class championship.

Another driver sure to make some noise this coming weekend is Ernie Francis Jr. of Davie, FL. Francis Jr. who moves up to TC in the No. 98 Breathless Performance/Time4Learning Breathless Racing Mazda MX5 after competing in TCA in 2014. Francis Jr. has had huge success at COTA winning the 2013 TCB Rounds 1, 2 and 3 in dramatic fashion going three-for-three in his first career starts in the series.

Jeff Altenburg, the former series TC Drivers' Champion from 2007, returns to run full-time in the series. Altenburg, of Ellicott City, MD, will run the No. 15 HPA Motorsports VW Jetta GL1. HPA will also campaign the No. 16 HPA Motorsports VW Jetta GL1 for Alex Welch who will do double duty in both GTA and TC.

Up-and-coming driver Jason Cherry, from Gambrills, MD moves to TC after competing in TCA in 2014. He'll be driving the No. 13 Skullcandy Team Nissan Nissan Altima.

The Webster, NY husband and wife team behind Berg Racing will be campaigning a pair of cars, with John Weisberg driving the No. 40 REDCOM Laboratories/Color Track/Red Line Berg Racing Porsche Cayman, and Dinah Weisberg in the No. 50 REDCOM Laboratories/Color Track/Red Line BERG Racing Mazda MX5.

Completing the COTA 18-car TC field are Michael Pettiford, of Louisville, CO, in the No. 41 GO 4 IT Racing Pontiac Solstice GXP; Steve Burns, of San Antonio, Texas, in the No. 43 VP Racing Fuels Ian Lacy Racing Ford Mustang V6; Austin Snader, of Sealy, TX, in the No. 64 Evert Fresh/SR Enterprises/Mazdaspeed Snader Racing Mazda MX-5; Paul Street, of Anniston, AL, in the No. 93 Honda/HPD/Megan/RV6 Performance/MOMO/Spec Clutch Honda Motorsports Alabama (HMA) Honda Accord; Randy Hale of Haddam, CT, in the No. 17 TransAero/Hale Propeller Hale Motorsports Mazda Mx5; Corey Fergus, of Columbus, OH, in the No. 00 USLED/Axis Roofing/AERO/RSS/Motul Motorsports Promotions Porsche Cayman; Cory Friedman, of Charleston, SC, in the No. 03 Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Autometrics Motorsports Porsche Cayman and Michael Johnson, of Austin, TX, in the No. 05 MX3 Homes/Bubba Burger/Philantropic Properties GRID 1 Motorsports Mazda MX5.

Pirelli World Challenge TCA

Returning champion Wolfe looks to hold off challengers

Defending Class champion Jason Wolfe of Mount Vernon, OH, returns in the No. 36 Wolfe Trucking Kinetic Motorsports Kia Forte Koup. Wolfe had an impressive 2014 recording five wins enroute to the championship. His efforts secured Kia the 2014 TCA Manufacturers' Championship. Teaming with Wolfe is Canadian Samantha Tan, of Gormley, ON in the No. 38 Kinetic Motorsports Kia Forte Koup. Tan makes her series debut in 2015.

Looking to challenge Wolfe is Kevin Anderson, of Huntington, Station, NY, in the No. 22 Techsportracing.com Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX8. Anderson started four races in TC in 2014 and recorded two 2nds at New Jersey.

Series stalwarts and TC Champions Compass360Racing bring two Honda Civic Si to the battle at COTA with Paul Holton, of Tallahassee, FL, in the No. 71 Children's Tumor Foundation/Honda Performance Development/Racing4Research.org Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si, Emilee Tominovich, of Clarksville, MD, in the No. 72 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si.

Also competing in TCA at COTA are Felipe Merjech, of Bejota, Columbia and Juan Carlos Casadiego of Bogata, Columbia, in the No. 5 NDP Motorsports Honda Civic; Robby Foley, of Randolph, NJ, in the No. 23 Techsportracing.com Tech Sport Racing Mazda RX8; Kris Wright, of Pittsburgh, PA, in the No. 34 Kinetic Motorsports Kia Forte Koup; Patrick Seguin, of Ottawa, ON, in the No. 49 Let's Hug It Out Branden Peterson Racing Honda Civic Si; former GT driver Tony Rivera, of Vista, CA, in the No. 86 Brass Monkey Racing Scion FR-S; and Mike Dillard, of Austin, TX, in the No. 08 MX3 Homes/Bubba Burger/Philantropic Properties GRID 1 Motorsports Mazda RX8.

Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec

16 Drivers vie for wins at COTA

Touring Car B-Spec, for up-and-coming drivers, is the most cost-effective class category of the series. A dynamic championship battle came down to the final race of 2014 and 2015 should be no different.

Johan Schwartz, of Huntersville, NC returns to TCB this time piloting the No. 25 ZEROcancer/CASgroup/CustomDieCasts Chevy Sonic. Schwartz won three TCB races last season: back-to-back at Brainerd and at Miller.

Jason Fichter, of Jupiter, FL, finished fifth in the 2014 TCB Drivers' Championship. He will pilot the No. 7 Surf Fire & Security Breathless Racing MINI Cooper. P.J. Groenke, of Toronto, ON, returns to TCB and will pilot the No. 8 Verax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold/Clairhaven Ltd/Martinrea International Inc/Pelto Agri Investments/Warp Speed Computers Inc. P.J. Groenke Racing MINI Cooper. Groenke finished just behind Fichter at sixth overall in the TCB Drivers' Championship last year.

Racing.ca campaigns three cars in TCB with Glenn Nixon, of Mission, BC, piloting the No. 58 Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com/Nixon Prosport Racing.ca MINI Cooper along with teammates Andrei Kisel in the No. 57 Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Racing.ca MINI Cooper and newcomer Wei Lu, of Richmond, BC, in the No. 59 Racing.ca/Nixon Prosports/LaptopScreen.com/Miniusa.com Racing.ca MINI Cooper.

The 16-car field includes Van Svenson, of Hyde Park, NY, in the No. 2 Hack Racing Chevrolet Sonic; Timothy Mincey Sr., of Port St Lucie, FL in the No. 4 Dietrich's Native Stay/Slyon Studios/P2R Power Rev Racing/OHL/Community Asphalt Mincy Racing Honda Fit; Chris Holter, of Rochester, MN in the No. 9 Fuel Clothing/Spy Optics/Go Puck Breathless Performance Mazda; Marc Sherrin, of Lucas, TX, in the No. 27 GSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta; Tom Noble, of Medina, MN, in the No. 48 West Real Estate Shea Racing MINI Cooper; James Wilson, of Kyle, TX, in the No. 55 Black Armor Helmets Black Armor Helmets Mazda Mazda2; Jeremy Rohan, of Sugar Land, TX, in the No. 63 GSpeed Ford Fiesta, and Steve Taake, of Houston, TX, in the No. 95 Black Armor Helmets/MAZDASPEED Mazda2.

Event/Circuit: Circuit of the Americas, 20-turn, 3.4 mile permanent road course

Qualifying (Friday, March 6, 2015): 12:25 PM - 1:05 PM - TC - TCA - TCB Qualifying

Qualifying (Saturday, March 7, 2015):

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM PWC - GTS Qualifying
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM PWC - GT - GTA - GT Cup Qualifying

Race Lengths:
50 minutes (GT/GTA/GT Cup and GTS)
40 minutes (TC/TCA/TCB)

Pirelli World Challenge

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