Committed to reduced costs and an increase in actual racing for 2010, SCCA Pro Racing and WC Vision have announced that the Touring Car and Touring Car 2 categories will merge, with performance standards set to TC2 levels. The class will maintain the Touring Car name and share the same point system and purse amounts as the GT and GTS classes.

“We had numerous discussions with our Touring Car teams in the offseason before determining this to be the best course of action,” World Challenge Competition Director Neil Hannemann said. “The return to a more showroom stock-type preparation brings the class back to its roots and what it was designed to be. The feedback from competitors thus far has been positive.”

The World Challenge Touring Car class is designed for four-seat coupes, sedans, wagons and hatchbacks. Adoption of the TC2 rules for 2010 will put tighter limits on engine, drivetrain and aerodynamic modifications. Cars will still be afforded substantial handling upgrades, including aftermarket racing shocks, sway bars and springs.

Along similar lines of cost containment, the GT class will use a new performance baseline in 2010, for example, one similar to the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. Existing cars, such as the Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang, Volvo S60, 2009 Porsche GT3 Cup and Aston Martin DB9, will be adjusted to the new baseline by means of weight and air restriction to achieve parity.

“There’s no way to ignore the changing economic climate and the need for racing to be more affordable,” WC Vision Co-Chair Bob Woodhouse said. “In 2010, World Challenge will be one of the best deals in racing, as we have reduced the travel by 20 percent, with eight weekends, while increasing the number of races by 20 percent, to 12.”

Additionally, the series will add the Grand Touring Sport class. Eligible cars, including (but not limited to) the BMW M3 GT4, Ford Mustang GT, Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro and Ferrari F430 will be permitted with fewer modifications than their GT counterparts. SCCA Club Racing Touring 1 cars are a strong fit for the class as are cars previously classified in the World Challenge Touring Car category that do not convert to the class’ 2010 standards.

“The FIA GT3 and GT4 regulations are a good basis for GT and GTS,” explained Hannemann. “While we will not follow those rule sets explicitly, they serve as a solid platform moving into the future.

Current teams and prospective entrants are being assisted through the transition by the SCCA Pro Racing Technical Staff. Additional inquiries can be made by contacting the SCCA Pro Racing offices at 785-357-7223. Full specifications will be published in the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Rulebook which will be available before the close of 2009.

“This transition provides what the competitors have asked for and therefore is the best direction for World Challenge,” SCCA Pro Racing President & CEO Robert Wildberger said. “Neil Hannemann, Ken Tripkos and the entire SCCA Pro Racing technical staff are prepared to help teams through this process step by step. We’ve consulted numerous teams regarding the plans for 2010 and we’ll be at the Performance Racing Industry show for further meetings. We want to make this transition as smooth as possible for everyone.”

Seven of the planned eight race weekends for the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships have already been announced. The 2010 season starts in St. Petersburg, Fla., March 26 – 28. For more information visit www.world-challenge.com, or follow the series on Facebook and Twitter @SPEEDWC.

Original post:
World Challenge Announces Revised Competition Classifications

Almost as soon as the start lights flickered off to begin the 2009 World Challenge GT Finale, the yellow flags came out and the pace car was deployed, so that workers could remove Dino Crescentini’s No. 4 StopTech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 from the sand in Turn Three. On the ensuing lap five restart, second-starting Sofronas was sandwiched between the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/SunMicro Ford Mustang GT of Davis and the No. 3 Applied Computer Solutions Ford Mustang Cobra of Boris Said. Sofornas was not keen on spending any more time between the teammates, and made his move to the inside of Davis in Turn Two to take the lead on lap six. The pass earned Sofronas the AutoWeek Move of the Race Award.

“On the start, I just wanted to get away from the line and establish my position,” Sofronas said. “Brandon [Davis] had a good start and I got into Two and just kept it clean not wanting to affect the Championship at all.

“It was pretty clear that Brandon didn’t want to get in the way or become a part of any mistakes. It was a calculated move on his part. He just left it open for me and I had to take it there. He knew he had to win a Championship and he showed that he had the maturity to get it done.”

Sofronas never looked back, taking his third-career win by 4.297 seconds, averaging 82.342 mph. The Californian set the Débaufré Fastest Lap of the Race in the process, a 1:30.919 (88.615 mph).

“The car was hooked up and once I was in the lead,” Sofronas recalled. “I just put my head down and Todd [Ketchum] would give me some splits and then, all of a sudden, I looked in my mirror and no one was there! It kind of got boring. I want to win a race fighting for it; it’s a lot more exciting. But, don’t get me wrong, the way we did it today, I’ll take it all day long.

“I kept saying ‘what’s going on behind me. Entertain me because there’s not much going on up here,’ and it sounds like it was a bloodbath back there. I can’t wait to see it on TV.

“The GMG guys worked very hard. It’s very gratifying to win here. We ran five cars in two different series this weekend. They worked so hard and they were up late and I was with them here early in the morning as well. This is a great way to send them off into the offseason to get ready for next year. We love World Challenge. We’ve been doing this for a long time and look forward to doing it for years to come.”

By winning the 28-lap, 62.664-mile race, Sofronas sealed the World Challenge GT Manufacturers’ Championship for Porsche. It is the German marque’s eighth Title, which it claimed by 14 points over Ford (67 to 53). Volvo was third, with 48 points, followed by Chevrolet (45) and Viper (18).

“Winning the Manufacturers’ Championship for Porsche was a big one because of my business being focused on Porsche tuning,” Sofronas added. “That was big to help them clinch that for the second year in-a-row.”

After a great start from sixth in the No. 1 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60, Pobst found himself knocking on the door of the top five throughout the first half of the race.

“It’s been a development year with the K-PAX Volvo,” Pobst said. “One of the challenges for the team has been how to get the car to get off the line. It’s got a small engine with a big turbo. It’s got a lot of traction and it’s tough to get it going. Guess what? They figured out a system that works and it was nice to have a car that moved when I let out the clutch.”

When Said’s Mustang was turned around on lap 19 in Turn Two, Pobst finally moved into fifth. The Defending Champion picked up another spot on that lap when Curran got loose through Turn 10, allowing Pobst to slip by and into fourth. Three laps later, Pobst was around Davis for third and had his sights set on the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 of Tony Rivera, Davis’ only Championship threat.

“I was really surprised with the track conditions,” Pobst said. “I just didn’t feel much grip out there. I was a little surprised at the times we were running, where a 1:32 was a good lap toward the end. I really had some good battles with Eric [Curran] and Tony Rivera. Down toward the end of the race, in the last couple laps, it was me and Tony running second and third. Especially on the last lap, I think the Volvo and the all-wheel-drive was helping me out because my car was not falling off as bad as his and I started getting a nose on him everywhere.”

After hounding Rivera for five laps, Pobst made his move on the final tour of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile course. While the move in Turn Four gave Pobst the spot, it sent River spinning into the gravel, where his race would end.

“I just timed it wrong and I turned him around in Turn Four,” confessed Pobst. “Man, I just hate that because I’m always the one preaching not to do that to other people! It’s funny because that happened to me two years ago. And being back here at Laguna brought it all back for me and I’m still angry about that and then there I go and do it to somebody else. I’m gonna have to sleep on that and try to figure out what it all means. Anyhow, I apologize to Tony Rivera for my mistake in turning him around.”

Pobst was later fined 20 points for the incident.

Curran was far enough back in the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette to avoid the incident and finish third.

“I had a terrible start,” recalled Curran. “I got too much wheelspin taking off. I fell back a number of spots. On the restart, I went in the outside lane going into Two and I must have passed six or seven cars on the outside. Everybody stacked up on the inside and I just went all the way down on the outside and passed a number of cars.

“I started charging toward the front. I ran with Rivera, and then Boris [Said] and then Brandon [Davis]. There was obviously a Championship on the line for Brandon and Rivera, and I didn’t want to get involved in any of that, so I kind of stayed behind Rivera. He had a very strong car anyway. I stayed there until Rivera made a dive-bomb move [on Said] into Two. He kind of loosened them both up and then I got into the back of Boris and spun him out by mistake. I’m sure he’s not too happy about that.

“After that, I kept charging forward and got up to Brandon. I had a little bit stronger car at the end of the race, but I didn’t want to interfere with his Championship. The Whelen guys worked really hard all year and I think we finally got some reliability, which is good. We had a pretty fast racecar today. Overall, it’s been a pretty good year.”

Bringing his Mustang home in fourth, Davis secured his very first World Challenge GT Drivers’ Championship, taking the title by 81 points over Sofronas (1012 to 931). Rivera fell to third, sitting in the gravel, and finished with 910 points, followed by Andy Pilgrim (851) and Curran (811).

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Davis said. “Right now, it’s just a feeling of relief. Coming into this weekend, there was so much talk about where we needed to finish to with the Championship if this or that happened. There is so much that can go wrong. We experienced that last year where a small part can just end your weekend. We knew that we needed to finish eighth coming in to clinch the Championship, but we also knew that we could break something in the drivetrain and give the Championship away on the last race. Right now, it’s more of a feeling of relief. But I will take this over anything. It feels amazing!

“Having Boris [Said] there helped a lot. We had some tire issues in practice and I think I was a little off in the setup because my car was unbelievably loose in some corners and I was trying to deal with that.

“It was unfortunate to see that Tony couldn’t finish the race after his incident with Randy, but it feels great to come away with the Championship.”

Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., completed the top five in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60.

Gunter Schaldach (Porsche 911 GT3) was sixth followed by the No. 47 TruSpeed Motorsports/NADA Porsche 911 GT3 of Rob Morgan, from Costa Mesa, Calif. Morgan was named the Sunoco Hard Charger for advancing seven positions in the race.

Charlie Putman (Dodge Viper), Sonny Whelen (Chevrolet Corvette) and Tony Gaples (Chevrolet Corvette) completed the top 10.

The Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championships Presented by Bondurant will air on SPEED, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. (EST).

Read more here:
Sofronas Wins SPEED GT Finale; Davis is Champion

Making just his second appearance in World Challenge competition this year in the No. 3 Applied Computer Solutions Ford Mustang Cobra, Said went out late in the 20-minute qualifying session on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit and turned just one lap, a 1:29.580 (89.939 mph), which put him to the top of the charts. It was his second-career World Challenge pole in 58 starts.

“The car felt really good,” Said commented. “I didn’t think we had enough for the pole. We’d been struggling all weekend but we found out that we had three-year old tires on the car. Once we fixed that [with fresh tires], we had a really good car.”

Said’s role this weekend is one of supporter for teammate Davis, who leads the Championship in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang GT. Said’s pole-winning time not only put him at the top of the grid, but it knocked Davis’ chief title rival Tony Rivera back to second, taking three valuable points away.

“I’m really here in support of Brandon [Davis],” Said added. “I raced with his dad [Mike] for a lot of years and he’s a great guy, one of the greatest guys I’ve ever raced for. It’s fun to come back here and race these cars and hopefully help pay him back for all the wins that he’s given me. I’m going to feel proud watching Brandon win the Championship this weekend.

“When I met Brandon, he was 14 years-old. I never thought he was going to become the racecar driver he is. I’m pleasantly surprised with how good he is. He’s a good, young, up-and-coming driver. I hope that winning this Championship can help him further his career.

“I’m going to race the other guys as hard as I’ve ever raced before. This track favors the Porsche. With the rear engine, it’s kind of a Porsche track. I don’t know how long we can run that pace. It was a pretty crazy, wide-open, sliding lap. I’m not here for points. I’m here for fun and to try to help Brandon. I’m going to have a blast whether I win or wreck. I’m just gonna have fun this weekend.”

Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, put his No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 to the top of the charts on his first lap, with a 1:29.611 (89.908 mph). Looking good to secure his first-ever series pole, Rivera immediately reported to the pits and waited to see if anyone could mount a challenge. Said, who left the pits just after Rivera completed his lap, bettered Rivera’s time by just 0.031-second.

Dino Crescentini, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was third fastest in his No. 4 Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 with a best lap time of 1:29.773 (89.746 mph).

While the pole held drama for its championship implications, James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif., had drama of his own in qualifying. Not satisfied with his initial lap in the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 that placed him fourth at the time, Sofronas went back to the paddock to add fuel for another run, forfeiting his times up to that point. With approximately five minutes remaining, he returned to the track. On his initial lap, he caught a slower car, but on his second lap, he was able to turn a 1:29.891 (89.628 mph)—good enough for fourth and faster than his previous best.

Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., turned the fifth fastest time, with a 1:30.081 (89.439 mph), just 0.025-second faster than sixth place Randy Pobst. The fifth place effort put him in a position to start first, if Said were to lose the coin toss, inverting the top five.

Said called tails, and the coin came up heads.

“I absolutely wanted to lose the coin toss today,” Said recalled. “The team all decided what I’d pick. Normally, I’d have picked ‘heads,’ but they said ‘tails always loses’ and I picked tails and it actually worked.”

“The two times that I lost the coin toss, I called tails,” Davis said. “This is big for us to be able to start first. We know we need to basically not make any mistakes to win this Championship. I think that if we can get a good start and lead a lap, it’ll give us five bonus points, and help us. I don’t know that we have the pace to stay up there, but we’ll try the best we can. The Championship is the ultimate goal, though.”

The coin toss put Davis and Sofronas on row one for Sunday’s standing start. Crescentini and Rivera make up the second row, with Said and Pobst’s Volvo S60 in row three.

San Jose resident Kip Olson (Acura NSX) qualified seventh in his series debut, followed by Eric Curran (Chevrolet Corvette), Sonny Whelen (Chevrolet Corvette) and Jeff Courtney (Dodge Viper).

Rivera closed Davis’ 62-point lead down to 53 points. At just 23 years-old, Davis can clinch his first professional Championship Sunday by finishing in the top eight, regardless of Rivera’s performance. Rivera needs to get to the front and hope for Daivs to encounter bad luck to win his first title.

Said’s pole also gave Ford one point toward the Manufacturers’ Championship presented by RACER Magazine. Ford now trails Porsche by eight points entering the finale. Porsche can clinch the Championship by having at least one of its cars finish in the top six positions.

Sunday’s Applied Computer Solutions Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Bondurant race, the season finale for the SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Presented by Toyo Tires, will make its standing start at 2:45 p.m. (PDT). Live timing and scoring, lap notes and streaming audio are available at www.world-challenge.com.

Sunday’s race will be broadcast Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific on SPEED.

Follow World Challenge on Twitter @SPEEDWC.

MONTEREY, Calif. – Starting lineup for Sunday’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Presented by Toyo Tires season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with position, car number in parentheses, driver,
hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour. Note – Top five inversion reflected after post-qualifying coin toss.
1, (10), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang GT, 1:30.081, 89.439.
2, (14), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:29.891, 89.628.
3, (4), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:29.773, 89.746.
4, (97), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 1:29.611, 89.908.
5, (3), Boris Said, Carlsbad, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 1:29.580, 89.939.
6, (1), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 1:30.106, 89.414.
7, (49), Kip Olson(R), Sacramento, Calif., Acura NSX, 1:30.211, 89.310.
8, (30), Eric Curran, Easthampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:30.320, 89.202.
9, (31), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:30.460, 89.064.
10, (99), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 1:30.490, 89.035.
11, (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, 1:30.492, 89.033.
12, (9), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:30.521, 89.004.
13, (13), Charles Putman, Mills, Wyo., Dodge Viper, 1:30.991, 88.545.
14, (47), Rob Morgan, Costa Mesa, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:31.201, 88.341.
15, (34), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 1:31.284, 88.260.
16, (11), Mike Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 1:32.082, 87.496.
17, (05), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 1:32.537, 87.065.
18, (46), Charles Morgan, Dallas, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 1:32.593, 87.013.
19, (64), Chad Raynal(R), San Jose, Calif., Cadillac CTS-V, 1:32.593, 87.013.
20, (20), Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, Calif., Dodge Viper, 1:32.756, 86.860.
21, (96), Paul Brown, Covina, Calif., Mustang GT, 1:33.095, 86.543.

Image: Boris Said in his Ford Mustang at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Credit: Mark Weber/SCCA Pro Racing

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Here is the original:
Said Wins SPEED GT Pole in Monterey, Teammate Davis Will Start First

The new Nationwide Series car will be raced for the first time next year at Daytona, NASCAR officials announced Friday.

The new car will be raced in four championship races during the 2010 season beginning with the second race of the year at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, followed by another outing on August 14 at Michigan International Speedway.

The car will then run on September 10 at Richmond International Raceway and later at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on October 15, which means that it will be evaluated at a superspeedway, two intermediate tracks and a short one.

During the 2011 season, the car is expected to run the whole schedule.

“There was a lot of good dialogue shared with the teams during that meeting,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition.

“We’ve taken the time to review the information that was shared in the meeting and develop a schedule that we believe will provide the teams with the best possible opportunity to prepare for the roll-out of the new car.

“This four-race schedule gives the teams experience on a wide variety of ovals, in addition to a superspeedway.”

The new Nationwide Series car is similar to the current Sprint Cup Series car, although it doesn’t use a rear wing and runs a conventional front suspension instead of the bump-stops.

Ford is set to run the Mustang as the new model of car in the second-tier series, while Dodge should run the Challenger. Toyota is expected to run the Camry, while Chevy will race the Impala.

Starting third in the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, Rivera was the primary beneficiary when the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 of polesitter James Sofronas remained motionless on the standing start. Skirting his way around the disabled Porsche, Rivera charged into Turn One side-by-side with the No. 13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper of Canadian Kuno Wittmer, who started second.

“I didn’t expect James not to move,” Rivera said. “I almost got into the back of him because I was so focused on the lights. They went out, I looked up and was like ‘oh no!’ I got alongside Kuno and I don’t think he knew that I was there. He was trying to protect the right side and I nearly had my right tires in the grass all the way up to Turn One. I decided to give [the position] to him.”

Wittmer exited Turn One with the lead, but a mirror-full of Rivera. After taking several looks, Rivera made the move for the lead in Turn 12. From there, Rivera sped away to his second World Challenge win of the season, winning by 7.268 seconds and averaging a record 104.824 mph in the 19-lap, 76.911-mile race, which ran caution-free.

“I realized later that lap that [Kuno] was just flat holding me up,” Rivera said. “I knew he wasn’t going to interfere in our Championship, so I looked inside again down in Turn 12 and he let me have it.

“At that point, I looked in my mirror, maybe two or three times. Any good driving instructor will tell you that where you’re looking is where you’re going to go. It always happens to me—I look in the mirror and then I’m racing with the guys in my mirror.

“I made a conscious effort to look forward the entire race and focus on running hard the whole time while keeping the tires under me.”

En route to victory at the 14-turn, four-mile course, Rivera set the Débaufré Fastest Lap of the Race, a 2:17.565 (105.934 mph).

“I didn’t think this was going to happen,” Rivera added. “This is not a Porsche track, although it looked that way this weekend! It just goes to show you what focus, a good team and getting the car set up well will do.”

The win was especially poignant for Rivera, who lost a close friend and fellow racer at Road America back in June.

“I thought about Tom every single lap,” Rivera said. “A friend of mine, Tom Thrash, died here a couple of months back. This was the race I wanted to win. I wanted to win if for Tom.”

Starting fifth, Curran briefly lost a position on the opening lap, before commencing a charge to the runner-up spot. By lap five, the driver of the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette was pressuring Brandon Davis for third.

“The start was pretty wild with Sofronas just sitting still,” Curran recalled. “I was behind Tony and he almost got James and I almost got into the back of him as well. I had to check up and Dino got around me on the start.

“We had a good car today. It was a long weekend and I’m glad to finish it up on the podium. I got up to Brandon and put the pressure on him. Brandon’s a close friend of mine and it’s fun to get in his mirrors and push him a little bit. He raced me clean. It would have been nice to see Kuno have a good run but he had a problem. He really slowed up and held Brandon and me up quite a bit and that allowed Tony to get away and really gap us.”

Shortly after Wittmer dropped out of the race from second with a broken knuckle bearing on the right-rear wheel, Curran was around Davis in Turn Five and into second place. With Rivera out of sight, Curran would cruise to his fourth runner-up finish of the season.

“The car was strong all race long,” Curran said. “Dino was coming toward the end but we tried to be consistent and finish up where we were. I didn’t really have anything for Tony because he was so far away. Congrats to my teammate Sonny [Whelen] as well for having such a great race.”

Though he was disappointed to see his teammate Sofronas stationary on the grid, Crescentini was happy to finish third in the No. 4 StopTech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3.

“As much as I was concentrating on going forward, my heart sank because James’ car just sat stationary,” Crescentini said. “Obviously, he had a huge opportunity this weekend to move up his position in the point standings. I’m so far back in the standings that I’m basically now in full support of what he does and his objectives. I felt bad, that was the first thing.

“The next thing on my mind was ‘how do I get to the front?’ It was a great day. It was good, clean racing. We had some troubles with practice and qualifying. But the StopTech/GMG team did a great job preparing the car for the race. I was trying to chase down Eric [Curran] at the end but just didn’t have enough for him.”

Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., held onto his point lead with a fourth-place finish in his No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra. Davis now leads Rivera by 52 points (824 to 772). Sofronas, who went on to finish 15th after his team replaced a broken axle from the start, dropped to third in the standings with 716 points.

Jason Daskalos, of Albuquerque, N.M., had a fantastic drive in the No. 5 Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper. Starting 11th, the Mosport race winner picked up four positions on the opening lap alone en route to a fifth-place finish.

Defending Champion Randy Pobst overcame the team’s stubborn gearbox issues and brought his K-PAX Volvo home in sixth.

Finishing seventh in the No. 23 Lala Motorsports Dodge Viper, Mike Borkowski, of Miami Beach, Fla., was awarded the AutoWeek Move of the Race for his pass on Ritch Marziale in the Kink. Marziale finished eighth.

Sonny Whelen, who finished ninth, took home the Sunoco Hard Charger award for advancing eight positions in the race at the wheel of his No. 31 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette.

Tony Gaples completed the top 10 in a Chevrolet Corvette.

With Rivera’s win, Porsche extended its lead in the World Challenge GT Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by RACER to 11 over Ford (55 to 44). Chevrolet (33) passed Volvo (31) for third. Viper is fifth with 18 points.

The Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech will air on SPEED, Friday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m. (EDT).

The series next heads to Road Atlanta for the Petit Le Mans weekend, Sept. 23 – 25.

For more results, photos and news, visit www.world-challenge.com.

The series can also be followed on Twitter @ SPEEDWC.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Results from Sunday’s 19-lap, 76.911-mile SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Round Eight race, part of the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out (if any).
1. (3), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 19.
2. (5), Eric Curran, Easthampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 19, -7.268.
3. (6), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 19, -8.583.
4. (4), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 19, -24.432.
5. (11), Jason Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Dodge Viper, 19, -38.555.
6. (7), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 19, -54.381.
7. (9), Mike Borkowski, Miami Beach, Fla., Dodge Viper, 19, -56.559.
8. (15), Ritch Marziale, Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper, 19, -1:08.301.
9. (17), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 19, -1:08.737.
10. (16), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 19, -1:08.988.
11. (13), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 19, -1:09.686.
12. (14), Brian Kubinski, Shorewood, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 19, -1:34.401.
13. (12), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 19, -1:49.969.
14. (2), Kuno Wittmer, Montreal, Quebec, Dodge Viper, 7, Mech.
15. (1), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 7, -12 laps.
16. (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, 6, Mech.
17. (10), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Posche 911 GT3, 6, Crash.
18. (18), Galen Bieker(R)(G), Burbank, Calif., Porsche GT3 Cup, 0, DNS.

Time of race: 44 minutes, 01.411 seconds.
Average speed: 104.824 mph
Margin of victory: 7.268 Seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-19, #97 Tony Rivera
Cautions: None
Débaufré Fastest Lap of the Race : #97 Tony Rivera, 2:17.565 (105.934 mph)
Fastest qualifier: #14 James Sofronas, 2:15.860 (107.263 mph)
AutoWeek Move of the Race: #23 Borkowski passes #56 Marziale in the Kink
Sunoco Hard Charger: #31 Sonny Whelen advances eight position in the race

SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Drivers’ Championship
After Eight of 10 Rounds
Pos., Driver, Car, Points (wins)
1, Brandon Davis, Ford Mustang Cobra, 824
2, Tony Rivera, Porsche 911 GT3, 772
3, James Sofronas, Porsche 911 GT3, 716
4, Randy Pobst, Volvo S60, 644
5, Andy Pilgrim, Volvo S60, 639
6, Eric Curran, Chevrolet Corvette, 613
7, Dino Crescentini, Porsche 911 GT3, 476
8, Sonny Whelen, Chevrolet Corvette, 469
9, William Ziegler(R), Porsche 911 GT3, 461
10, Tony Gaples, Chevrolet Corvette, 440

SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by RACER Magazine
After Eight of 10 Rounds
Pos., Manufacturer, Points (wins)
1, Porsche, 55 (4)
2, Ford, 44 (1)
3, Chevrolet, 33
4, Volvo, 31 (2)
5, Viper, 18 (1)

Attached image: Tony Rivera leads the field into Turn Five at Road America.
Credit: ©SCCA/Mark Weber

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Rivera All The Way in World Challenge GT at Road America

Leading the field onto the 14-turn, four-mile course for a 20-minute qualifying session, Sofronas could quickly tell that he had a pole-worthy car underneath him.

“I was up front, so it was nice and peaceful,” Sofronas said. “I just led the parade out and did my own pace. I tried to keep the tires really cool, because they can heat up quick over this long track. Then, I started getting heat in them in the Carousel and I thought ‘wow, this car is really sticking,’ so the confidence started to build.

“I nailed the last corner and realized I was shifting a lot earlier than I was yesterday and I thought ‘this is it.’ Then I noticed Tony Rivera shut the gap on me by about five car lengths and I got a little discouraged for a second. Going into Turn Five, I broke at the three marker, which is the first time I’ve done that all weekend. I could tell the StopTech brakes were going to be there and they just stuck. From there, I totally pulled away from Tony. In the Kink, I tracked out totally to the outside edge and again I was thinking, ‘wow, we’re on a good lap here.’”

In the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3, Sofronas stopped the clock with a 2:15.860 (107.263 mph) to earn his second pole of the season.

“When I came through, I wasn’t expecting that time,” Sofronas said. “It’s amazing how important the corners are here for getting a good run onto the straights. The Porsches have good traction, so that definitely helped. It was a perfect lap, so I just parked it, because I’d never be able to do that lap again”

In the post-qualifying coin toss, Sofronas correctly called heads to prevent the top five on the grid from inverting. The Long Beach race winner is relying on a strong start and consistent laps to collect his second win of 2009 in Sunday morning’s 50-minute race.

“The Porsche launches pretty good,” Sofronas said. “If I can get a good start and establish a position, hopefully the Viper [of second-starting Kuno Wittmer] will be really wide behind me. If he’s faster than me, we’ll let it play out during the race. Kuno [Wittmer] is a great driver. He’s proven himself in the Touring Car ranks and now he’s proving himself in GT. It’ll take a hell of a launch and me pulling some perfect laps to establish a performance level in the race and get a nice rhythm. You can’t make any mistakes at Road America in the Porsche. If you lose any momentum, you’re a dead duck on the straighaway, so that’ll be the key here.”

Making his World Challenge GT debut this weekend, Touring Car ace Wittmer qualified the No. 13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper second with a lap of 2:16.051 (107.112 mph).

Piloting the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, turned an identical time to Wittmer in qualifying. Per the SCCA Pro Racing rules, Wittmer was awarded the second spot for having a quicker second-fastest lap. Rivera will start third.

Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, Calif., will start fourth in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra. The current point leader entered a qualifying time of 2:16.378 (106.856 mph).

Eric Curran, of Easthampton, Mass., completed the top five. Curran turned a 2:17.070 (106.316 mph) in the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette.

Dino Crescentini (Porsche 911 GT3) qualified sixth followed by the Volvo S60s of Randy Pobst and Andy Pilgrim.

Mike Borkowski (Dodge Viper) and Gunter Schaldach (Porsche 911 GT3) completed the top 10.

The GT portion of the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech will launch from a standing start, Sunday, Aug. 16, at 9:35 a.m. (CDT). Live timing, lap notes and streaming audio are available at www.world-challenge.com.

The series is also on Twitter @ SPEEDWC.

Continued here:
Sofronas Wins World Challenge GT Pole at Road America

Driving the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, Rivera uncorked a lap of 2:16.671 (106.626 mph) his second time around the 14-turn, four-mile circuit. His lap was more than a second faster than anyone else on the day.

“That was the first time we put [sticker] tires on the car,” Rivera said. “I had been running on tires from the last race. We’ve been trying to dial the car in and everyone keeps telling me ‘you need to put tires on,’ and I kept saying ‘no.’ Well guess what? We needed to put tires on. It was a simulated qualifying run, which I knew a lot of guys did in the first session, and now I feel good. If the car works in the afternoon heat today, it’ll work even better in the cooler temperatures in the morning.

“There’s a little bit more fine tuning that needs to be done. That, by no means, was a perfect lap. Obviously, it was a pretty decent lap, but there’s more room.”

Point leader Davis, who led Rivera to the checkered flag last weekend at Mid-Ohio for his first win of the season, ran in the bottom half of the top 10 for the first part of the session. Davis also put new tires on late in the session and ran his fastest lap of the day, a 2:17.705 (105.826 mph) in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra.

Curran, who skipped the early session in his No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette, was third fastest with a 2:18.457 (105.251 mph).

Dino Crescentini, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was fourth in his No. 4 StopTech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 with a fast lap of 2:18.520 (105.203 mph), just 0.006-second faster than teammate James Sofronas’ No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3, which ran a 2:18.526 (105.199 mph).

Kuno Wittmer (Dodge Viper), Brian Kubinski (Chevrolet Corvette), Jason Daskalos (Dodge Viper), Gunter Schaldach (Porsche 911 GT3) and Mike Borkowski (Dodge Viper) completed the top 10.

Most drivers ran their simulated qualifying runs in the earlier session and stood on those times for the best of the day. Rivera’s evening time was the exception, placing him first overall. Wittmer was second on the day in the No. 13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper, followed by Sofronas, Crescentini and Randy Pobst’s Volvo S60, which opted to sit out the evening session.

Qualifying for Sunday’s World Challenge GT Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech is set for Saturday morning at 9:55 a.m. (CDT). Sunday’s race will run at a similar time, with a 9:35 a.m. (CDT) standing start. Follow all the session times, notes and live streaming audio at World-Challenge.com.

Follow World Challenge on Twitter @SPEEDWC.

Attached: Tony Rivera’s Brass Monkey Racing Porsche at Road America
Credit: Mark Weber/SCCA Pro Racing

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Results from the second, and final, practice session for Sunday’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Round Eight race, the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, with position, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, (97), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 2:16.671, 106.626.
2, (10), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 2:17.705, 105.826.
3, (30), Eric Curran, Easthampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:18.457, 105.251.
4, (4), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:18.520, 105.203.
5, (14), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:18.526, 105.199.
6, (13), Kuno Wittmer, Montreal, Quebec, Dodge Viper, 2:18.719, 105.052.
7, (12), Brian Kubinski, Shorewood, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:18.868, 104.940.
8, (5), Jason Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Dodge Viper, 2:19.144, 104.731.
9, (9), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Posche 911 GT3, 2:19.478, 104.481.
10, (23), Mike Borkowski, Miami Beach, Fla., Dodge Viper, 2:19.754, 104.274.
11, (56), Ritch Marziale, Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper, 2:20.527, 103.701.
12, (34), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:20.584, 103.659.
13, (31), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:20.821, 103.484.
14, (05), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:21.103, 103.277.
15, (99), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 2:22.140, 102.524.
16, (69), Galen Bieker(R)(G), Burbank, Calif., Porsche GT3 Cup, 2:22.289, 102.417.
17, (1), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, no time.
18, (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, no time.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Combined practice times for Sunday’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship Round Eight race, the Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, with position, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastest lap time, and speed in miles per hour.
1, (97), Tony Rivera, Missouri City, Texas, Porsche 911 GT3, 2:16.671, 106.626.
2, (13), Kuno Wittmer, Montreal, Quebec, Dodge Viper, 2:17.041, 106.339.
3, (14), James Sofronas, Newport Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:17.512, 105.974.
4, (4), Dino Crescentini, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:17.596, 105.910.
5, (1), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Volvo S60, 2:17.699, 105.830.
6, (10), Brandon Davis, Huntington Beach, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 2:17.705, 105.826.
7, (8), Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, Fla., Volvo S60, 2:18.165, 105.473.
8, (30), Eric Curran, Easthampton, Mass., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:18.457, 105.251.
9, (12), Brian Kubinski, Shorewood, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:18.868, 104.940.
10, (5), Jason Daskalos, Albuquerque, N.M., Dodge Viper, 2:19.144, 104.731.
11, (05), William Ziegler(R), Jacksonville, Fla., Porsche 911 GT3, 2:19.460, 104.494.
12, (9), Gunter Schaldach, Aspen, Colo., Posche 911 GT3, 2:19.478, 104.481.
13, (23), Mike Borkowski, Miami Beach, Fla., Dodge Viper, 2:19.754, 104.274.
14, (99), Jeff Courtney, Slinger, Wis., Dodge Viper, 2:20.326, 103.849.
15, (56), Ritch Marziale, Tempe, Ariz., Dodge Viper, 2:20.343, 103.837.
16, (34), Tony Gaples, Libertyville, Ill., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:20.584, 103.659.
17, (31), Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, Conn., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:20.821, 103.484.
18, (69), Galen Bieker(R)(G), Burbank, Calif., Porsche GT3 Cup, 2:22.289, 102.417.

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Rivera Fastest in World Challenge GT Final Practice at Road America

Starting from pole in the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra, Davis powered away from the grid on the standing start, maintaining his lead into Turn One over second-starting Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, Fla., in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. Pilgrim stuck with Davis for the opening laps, but, determined to get his first win of 2009, the current point leader put the pedal to the medal around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course, opening up a lead of more than a second by lap 10.

“From the start, I knew the conditions would be a challenge with the heat,” Davis said. “On the start, I cranked the launch control up as much as I could so I wouldn’t spin the tires too much. I focused on not slipping much coming out of the corners and being real smooth an real consistent.”

On lap 17, Davis’ gap to second tripled, as Pilgrim pulled into pitlane with a broken transmission output shaft. Rivera inherited third with a dozen laps remaining and was able to close the gap to Davis, who had gone into conservation mode after Pilgrim’s exit. Without a single yellow flag in the 29-lap, 65.481 mile-race, Rivera was unable to make a proper bid for the lead, and Davis cruised to his fourth-career win by 1.396 seconds, averaging 91.677 mph.

“I think Andy [Pilgrim] would have been tough, had he stayed around. Getting out front, I was able to breathe a little bit and just run laps. When I saw that Andy dropped out, I was able to conserve tires a little bit and judge the gap back to Tony [Rivera]. I lost communication to the crew actually, so I didn’t know where anybody was.

“The car was pretty good at the end. Obviously, it went away, but not as bad as it has in the past, which is good. It’s unfortunate that sometimes we have to drive like that. It would be nice to go 10-tenths every lap, but sometimes that’s the way you have to go to have a good race pace.”

Davis did have one hair-raising moment toward the end of the race, when the No. 53 Dezigns Construction Dodge Viper of Michael Hartley, from Williamstown, N.J., re-entered the course after a quick off. Evasive action on Davis’ part prevented Rivera from gaining too much ground.

“When [Hartley] went off, I backed off a little to see where he was going to go. Sure enough, he popped back onto the track and I was able to get around him at the bottom of ‘Madness’ on the outside. It was a little bit of a moment and one of those situations that we were glad we had a lead. Otherwise, it would have been pretty hairy.

“After being so close for so long, it feels great to finally win this year. We’ve been on the pole but in the races, we just didn’t have the pace to win. So it feels pretty good.”

Starting fourth, Rivera got a run on third-staring Sofronas on the opening lap as the pair exited the Keyhole. Rivera took a look going into the Esses and Sofronas took a defensive line, resulting in the two going side-by-side through the Esses. After some side-by-side contact, Rivera was by in his No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 at the top of the hill.

“I had the run down the back straight,” Rivera said. “I went to the inside. Like anybody would, he defended and I decided to try the outside and we got along side-by-side. The more I think about it, I didn’t expect us to hit. I had left tires almost in the grass. I had just enough room and at the last second I kind of got a lurch forward and we touched. I hate to get by people that way. It was unfortunate.”

After inheriting second from Pilgrim, Rivera went on a charge, closing the gap to Davis to as little as 0.997-second in the closing laps. Wary of Rivera’s orange Porsche in his mirrors, Davis cranked it up at the end, pulling away and erasing Rivera’s chances for a second race win in 2009. The Sebring race winner did not come away empty handed, however, earning a Débaufré Swiss watch for setting the Débaufré Fastest Lap of the Race.

“I tried to focus on what was in front of me and not behind me,” Rivera said of his late-race charge. “I started to see Brandon get a little loose and while he was getting loose, I was starting to lose the front tires a little bit and began to push. There was really nothing I could do. If we had another 10 laps, James [Sofronas] would have probably caught and passed us both!”

Eric Curran was able to follow Rivera around Sofronas in the Esses, but on the following lap, the No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette suffered a suspension failure. Running inches off of Curran’s bumper at the time, Sofronas made contact with the Corvette and fell all the way to ninth.

“Coming out of the hairpin, I didn’t get the best launch and I saw Tony right up my rear and figured I’d better be somewhat defensive,” Sofronas said. “He made a move on the outside. It was a good pass. I wanted to run him through and make enough room for us to race. Apparently, it wasn’t enough and we had a little contact. The worst thing about it was that Eric Curran got by me as well. That’s what eventually cost me a chance to run up front. The next lap around he had a problem as I was about an inch off his bumper coming out of the Keyhole and I just plowed into the back of his car and smashed up the front of mine.

“So, I fell back to ninth and I was frustrated. I need to have a clean, 100 percent error-free race and these weren’t really my fault. But, that’s racing. I just sucked it up and put my head down, started cranking off some great laps. I was holding out for a yellow to get it all back, but it never came.

Sofronas was able to climb back to fourth in his No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3, and was promoted to third with Pilgrim’s retirement.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Sofronas concluded. “They did an unbelievable job on the car. We ran a little bit heavier this weekend than normal and the car was still pretty good. At the end, it got a little squirrelly and [Crew Chief] Todd [Ketcham] said ‘don’t throw it off the track if you can’t catch these guys,’ but I didn’t give up until the last lap. The last lap was pretty hairy and I almost threw it off. These guys ran a great race. I wish I could have joined them.”

Defending Champion Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., made a stunning drive through the field. Transmission trouble on the No. 1 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 prevented Pobst from turning a single lap in qualifying, regulating him to the final spot on the grid. By lap 10, Pobst was up to seventh and continued to slice his way through the field, finishing fourth. The drive earned Pobst the Sunoco Hard Charger of the Race Award, as well as the AutoWeek Move of the Race Award for his pass on Jeff Courtney’s No. 99 Kenda/JTM/Coins of America Dodge Viper in Turn 11 for sixth.

Dino Crescentini, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., may have started and finished fifth in his No. 4 StopTech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3, but his race was anything but uneventful. The Watkins Glen race winner dropped to sixth on the opening lap, but bounced back up to fourth following Sofronas’ run-in with Curran. Sofronas would eventually re-pass his teammate before Pobst sent Crescentini back to his starting spot on lap 21.

Though Pobst’s AutoWeek Move of the Race demoted Courtney to seventh, Pilgrim’s retirement moved him back up to sixth, a season-high finish for the Milwaukee, Wis.-driver. His teammate for the weekend, former World Challenge Touring Car pilot Charlie Putman (Dodge Viper) followed Courtney across the line, finishing seventh in his first World Challenge GT race.

Tony Gaples (Dodge Viper), Gunter Schaldach (Dodge Viper) and Sonny Whelen (Chevrolet Corvette) completed the top 10.

With the win, Davis strengthened his lead over Sofronas in the Drivers’ Championship with 733 points to Sofronas’ 656. Rivera is third with 643, followed by Pilgrim (596) and teammate Pobst (568).

Porsche continues to lead the SPEED World Challenge GT Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by RACER Magazine with 45 points. Ford is second with 41, followed by Volvo (30), Chevrolet (26) and Viper (16).

The Toyo Tires World Challenge GT Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Presented by Dish Network will air on SPEED, Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 2 p.m. (EDT).

Round Eight of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship next heads to Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the World Challenge Road America Grand Prix Presented by StopTech, Aug. 14 – 16.

Originally posted here: 
Davis Dominate for World Challenge GT Win at Mid-Ohio

Driving the No. 10 Applied Computer Solutions/Sun Microsystems Ford Mustang Cobra, Davis turned a fastest time of 1:26.497 (93.977 mph) around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile circuit. It is Davis’ sixth-career pole and his third of 2009, after Mosport International Raceway and Watkins Glen International.

“We ran three hot laps,” Davis said. “The first one was quick, but the second one was faster and then on the third one, the car started to go away, so we pulled in and let it cool off. I don’t think we could have gone faster, but we were prepared to defend, just in case.
“The car was awesome. I think, when it starts to get slippery, our car gets quick, so the cloud cover helped us out a lot and didn’t put as much wear on the tires. But we’ll see during the race, because we’ve had a lot of issues with tire wear, especially compared to some of the lighter cars and the all-wheel drive cars. It should be an interesting race. For example, at Watkins Glen, we thought we’d be fastest in the race and then we were the fourth or fifth quickest car. Hopefully, the pace will translate into the race and we can come away with a win.”
While Davis has been the fastest qualifier at two previous events, he was relegated to the fifth starting position on the grid, after losing the post-qualifying coin-toss, which then inverted the five fastest qualifiers. For the third time, the coin came up heads, but this time, the 23-year old called it correctly, keeping the first starting spot.

“I finally got that monkey off my back!” Davis added. “It’s been tough, qualifying on the pole and not being able to start there, so it feels good to be able to qualify in front and actually start in front.”

Now the point leader by 49 points, Davis still seeks his first win of the season, looking to become the seventh different winner in as many races.

Like Davis, Pilgrim registered a fast lap on his second time around the track in the No. 8 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60 to put him second on the time charts and the only other car under a 1:27. After taking a five minute break mid-session, Pilgrim went out for one last attempt and improved to a 1:26.601 (93.865 mph), just 0.104-second off the pole.

“I don’t think we could have gone any faster,” Davis said of Pilgrim’s second run. “He really had us covered. It’s frightening actually, that our car was good for the first two laps and then fell off, and Andy went out past that and he was only a tenth off. He could very well be quicker than us in the race.”

Polesitter at Autobahn Country Club two weeks ago, James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif., put the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 third on the grid, with a 1:27.042 (93.389 mph) to lead a Porsche trio that completed the top five.

Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, Texas, was fourth quickest in his No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, with a 1:27.113 (93.313 mph). Dino Crescentini, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., was fifth in the No. 4 Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 with a lap of 1:27.409 (92.997 mph).

After changing an engine and missing all of practice, 2007 Mid-Ohio winner Eric Curran qualified sixth in his No. 30 Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Corvette. Ritch Marziale (Dodge Viper), Charles Putman (Dodge Viper), Bill Ziegler (Porsche 911 GT3) and Jeff Courtney (Dodge Viper) completed the top 10.

Two-time defending series Champion, and the series’ most recent winner in Joliet, Ill. two weeks ago, Randy Pobst failed to turn a time in his Volvo after a persistent gearbox problem ended his session on its first lap.

The series takes Saturday off before the lights go out on the standing start Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (EDT). To follow live lap notes, timing and streaming audio, visit www.world-challenge.com. Sunday’s race will be broadcast on Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. (EDT) on SPEED.

Follow World Challenge on Twitter @SPEEDWC.

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Davis Scores Third World Challenge GT Pole at Mid-Ohio

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NASCAR Mustang breaks cover