Pirelli World Challenge's 2017 "Roar By The Shore" Re-Titled To "A River Runs Through It"

Alvaro Parente, a 32-year-old driver from Porto, Portugal driving his No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S, held off a turn one challenge by local star Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., driving the No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3-R and extended his winning margin at the checkered flag to 2.86 seconds in a wild event that saw flooding between turns eight and nine due to a fire hydrant incident from off track on Ocean Blvd.. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Pirelli World Challenge's 2017 "Roar By The Shore" Re-Titled To "A River Runs Through It" 

The Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) is noted to bring a level of competition in sport car racing that delivers strong yet unexpected results. This third race of the 2017 PWC series season follows two races in Saint Petersburg Florida when the Verizon IndyCar Series also opened its 2017 season ... also by the shore.

But, hey, The Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach is squarely based in the land of fruits and nuts ... and Hollywood productions, so why not just script something memorable into this special sportscar racing mix. After all, this event is the longest continuous running temporary street course on the IndyCar schedule which has become a "Rites Of Spring" hallmark event in American motor culture.

On Lap 10 of the 50 minute timed race, as if on cue to bring in a very unique course hazard, not too dissimilar to golf course sand traps, someone up the hill on Ocean Blvd. ran over and broke a fire hydrant causing a massive amount of water to flow across the back straight between Turn 8 and Turn 9, setting up a potential for additional destruction due to a hydroplaning kind of skim-boarding (aero-sealed racing undercarriages) at well over 100 mph.

How cool ... professional auto racing with the unexpected addition of a water feature.

Water hazard interrupts Round 3 PWC race course. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Alvaro Parente, who got off to a very tight start from his pole qualifying position, was leading the race at the time with Patrick Long, winner of round two at St. Petersburg, in his No. 58 911 GT3-R close in tow.

"That was a little crazy with the water on the track," said the Portuguese born Parente in the post race press conference. "I went into that turn [Turn 8] and all of a sudden there was a river in front of me, so I just went foot off throttle, and prayed that I wouldn’t crash or anything, and just skidded through the puddle. It was last-minute for me; you’re flat out on that straight and suddenly you see a black shadow there, the water from the fire hydrant."

As for longtime factory Porsche competitor and local racer Long running in P2, "It was probably 20 feet of running water and with slick tires at 140 mph, that’s not what you want to see. It’s one of those situations where you sort of just stay calm, sort of relax, and let it end. I’m happy we didn’t have an incident and everyone responded really well, so hats off to the track and World Challenge series for their handling of an unnatural disaster. But, that’s Long Beach and that’s street racing. This series is about sprint racing and everybody’s racing hard."

Jim Jordan, a manufacturer motorsports executive for over 25 years in various roles and currently is a part of the Pirelli World Challenge management posted this on his Facebook timeline:

My good friends know I have always valued collecting experiences more than anything else. This season I have taken on a new responsibility in race control for the Pirelli World Challenges races. Not particularly complicated but I serve as the communications link between Race Control and the TV production crew. Most times this means fairly simple communications.

Today not so much. During the middle of our GT/GTA race at Long Beach there was an accident on Ocean Blvd where a vehicle wiped out a fire hydrant. We did not know this of course, but the corner workers quickly reported a "flood" coming down to the track!

All hands on deck! Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

It was a weird situation, and the team did an amazing job of reacting without over reacting, fixing, communicating, and only losing 1 minute total of racing [Red Flag - 15 minutes]. It was very impressive to see the way the group worked together, from the track crew, to IndyCar [Holmatro Safety Team], to SCCA Cornerworkers, IMS Productions, and the WCVision staff. Very fun to have been a part of, and I imagine it will go down in "racing lore," the Long Beach Flood!

Full Race Results >>>

Naw, this 43 year old Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach venue deserves a water feature hazard incident with the verve of a Hollywood title - "A River Runs Through It."

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Pirelli World Challenge, Long Beach, roar by the shore, a river runs through it, Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach, Alvaro Parente, K-PAX Racing, Patrick Long, Wright Motorsports, Bryan Sellers, Jim Jordan, Holmatro Safety Team, Water, The EDJE

“Roar By The Shore” Shootout Expected This Sunday In Long Beach.

World’s Most Exotic Sports Cars Featured in Premier U.S. Street Race

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 3, 2017) – The annual trek to the streets of Long Beach is always brought with enthusiasm for the Pirelli World Challenge GT and GTA teams and drivers and the 2017 “Roar by the Shore” is no different with the 43^rd edition of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach set for April 7-9 in the PWC Grand Prix of Long Beach presented by Optima Batteries. 

Featuring the fine line of precision driving between the concrete walls and aggressive all-out pursuit to win, the PWC competitors thrill the large contingent of racing fans each year over the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary road circuit around the Long Beach Arena and Convention Center complex with North America’s premier GT Production-based road racing campaign. 

This weekend’s Pirelli World Challenge field is another outstanding list of sports car stars and their exotic machinery from Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Cadillac, Mercedes, Audi, Bentley, Aston Martin and Acura, which features the all-new NSX GT3.    

GT Preview – Superb GT field of drivers and cars should give fans thrills in 50-minute sprint race 

The most important street race in the United States – the 43^rd annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – brings another stellar GT field this weekend with the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix presented by Optima Batteries and some of the world’s finest sports car drivers and their wild machines. 

Leading the list of contenders for Sunday’s 50-minute sprint race will be the defending Long Beach winner and reigning PWC GT champion Alvaro Parente of Porto, Portugal in the No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S.  Parente, a six-race winner in 2016, had never seen the tight Long Beach temporary course before his 2016 appearance but the personable factory McLaren racer left little doubt in qualifying with a track-record pole position speed. 

In the 50-minute event, Parente led early before four-time PWC GT champion Johnny O’Connell took his red No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. to the front on lap 15.  O’Connell took the checkered flag that day but lost the win in post-race tech inspection.  It was Parente taking his first PWC GT victory when all was said and done.  And O’Connell, the four-time Le Mans winner from Flowery Branch, Ga., was penalized to second. 

Both drivers will return for another street fight this weekend along with the 2011 PWC GT champion and local star Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., in his No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Long and Parente won the opening GT races in 2017 in the streets of St. Petersburg last month. 

Joining O’Connell, the 2014 Long Beach GT winner, on the Cadillac Racing team will be young Michael Cooper of Syosset, N.Y., in the blue No. 8 Cadillac ATS-V.R., who finished third in the 2016 GT points and scored two race wins. 

A strong list of veteran contenders will be in the mix at Long Beach including Ryan Dalziel of Scotland and Bryan Sellers of Braselton, Ga., who’ll handle double duty in the PWC and IMSA events. Dalziel will pilot the No. 2 CRP Racing/DeVilbiss Mercedes AMG GT3 in Sunday’s feature, while Sellers will drive the No. 6 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S.   

Joining Dalziel and Sellers in the veteran lineup will be former sports car champion Jon Fogarty of Bend, Ore., in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Stallings Racing “Red Dragon” Porsche 911 GT3 R, Pierre Kaffer of Germany in the No. 4 Magnus Racing Audi RS 8 LMS, Ryan Eversley of Atlanta, Ga., in the No. 43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3, Peter Kox of the Netherlands in the No. 93 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 and Daniel Mancinelli of Italy, St. Pete GT pole winner, in the No. 31 TR3 Racing Ferrari 488 GT3. 

Another Ferrari challenger at Long Beach will be St. Pete Round 2 pole winner Alex Riberas of Spain in the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 488 GT3. Riberas was impressive in his PWC GT debut with third and fourth place finishes at St. Petersburg. 

Young GT star Adderly Fong of Hong Kong brings the popular No. 88 Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3 to Long Beach as Fong attempts to repeat his podium performances from 2016.  Also entered in the Sunday PWC main event is the No. 11 Dime Racing entry with the driver and car to be name this week. 

Alec Udell Moves Up to GT Category for Long Beach Pirelli World Challenge Weekend

Alec Udell, the 21-year-old Clemson University mechanical engineering student, captured the 2016 GT Cup title with 12 wins and moved to the GTA division at St. Petersburg last month.  And The Woodlands, Tex., driver didn’t disappoint with two impressive pole positions and two class victories.  

In fact, Udell recorded the fourth fastest lap time overall in the GT/GTA/GT Cup Round 2 event at St. Pete and ran in the Top 5 for the first half of the 50-minute sprint contest.  Due to that sensational performance, it has been determined by the PWC stewards and PWC race director Dorsey Schroeder that Udell will compete in the GT division at this weekend’s Long Beach GT Round 3.  

Udell drives for the local Southern California-based team of GMG Motorsports and will wheel the No. 17 GMG/Euroworld Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. 

GTA Preview – Solid lineup of veterans and youngsters should have great races in 2017

A great contingent of veterans and youngsters will make up the GTA class this weekend at Long Beach including two-time Long Beach PWC winner James Sofronas of Villa Park, Calif., in the No. 14 GMG Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R.  Sofronas captured PWC honors in the 2009 and 2013 Long Beach contests. 

Michael Schein, a six-time 2016 winner, is expected to battle the GTA at Long Beach with the sister car to Long’s Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R. Schein drove the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche to two second place finishes at St. Petersburg. 

Joining Sofronas and Schein in the veteran GTA listings for Long Beach will be Mike Hedlund of Redwood City, Calif., in the pretty No. 98 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S, Tim Pappas in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 and John Potter in the No. 44 Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS.

Other young drivers entered in the GTA division at Long Beach include personable Jorge de la Torre of McAllen, Texas, in the No. 04 De la Torre Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3, local driver Yufeng Luo of Arcadia, Calif., in the No. 78 Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3 and former Indy Lights racer Pablo Perez Companc of Buenos Aires, Argentina in the No. 69 Champ 1 Mercedes AMG GT3.

Event/Circuit: 
Streets of Long Beach, Calif: 14-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course

  

Practice:  
Friday, April 7 3:30 -- 4:30 p.m., GT-GTA Practice 

Practice:  
Saturday, April 88:45 – 9:00 a.m., GT-GTA Practice 

Qualifying:  
Saturday, April 89:10 – 9:25 a.m., GT-GTA Qualifying (Group 1)

9:30 – 9:45 a.m., GT-GTA Qualifying (Group 2)

Race Length: 
50 minutes (GT/GTA)

  

Sunday, March 12

10:00 – 10:50 a.m. GT-GTA Race 

All times listed above are Pacific Daylight Time

  

Television (on CBS Sports Network, Same-Day Coverage):  

GT/GTA: April 9, 2:30 p.m. (EDT) 11:30 a.m. (PDT)

Story Courtesy: Tom Blattler of PWC.

Great Start Takes Patrick Long to Pirelli World Challenge GT Victory

Young Alec Udell Wins Second GTA Race; 

Preston Calvert Takes GT Cup Again.

Porsche Takes Three GT/GTA/GT Cup Class Titles in Wheel-to-Wheel Action

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 12, 2017) – Veteran Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., took advantage of a wild first turn skirmish Sunday and drove his No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to victory in the GT Round 2 of the Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by Case●It on the harborside 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit. Young Alec Udell of The Woodlands, Tex., captured his second straight GTA title Sunday and Preston Calvert of Potomac, Md., scored a second GT Cup win.

Long, 34, started third in the 24-car lineup and followed Saturday GT winner Alvaro Parente into turn one in the 50-minute sprint race when reigning GT champion Parente went wide on the slippery Albert Whited Airport front straightaway. When Parente’s No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S slid wide at the end of the long straight, Long dove into turn one and grabbed the top position.  From that point, Long never looked back in scoring his ninth career Pirelli World Challenge GT triumph and taking the early GT class point lead.

Long, who raised $81,000 Wednesday evening with co-host and St. Pete IndyCar Series winner Sebastien Bourdais for All Children’s Hospital in the annual “Karts4Kids” charity event, had to hold off the challenge late in the 39-lap GT feature of four-time GT champion Johnny O’Connell of Flowery Branch, Ga., in the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R., pole sitter Alex Riberas of Spain in the No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsports Ferrari 488 GT3 and Parente. Long’s victory margin was 1.475-seconds.

The factory Porsche driver used that initial turn one move on the first lap to gain a five-car length advantage over O’Connell, the 20-time race winner in PWC, and actually extend his lead to 3.4 seconds by lap 30.  A late race caution period caused by Saturday’s runner-up finish, Australian JD Davison of Miami, Fla., closed up the field and put pressure on Long’s margin. On the lap 37 restart, Patrick pulled out a 1.8-second lead before taking the checkered flag. Long currently leads the provisional GT points with 46.

O’Connell finished second, Riberas third, Parente fourth and young Michael Cooper of Syosset, N.Y., in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R bringing up the fifth position.

“I thought that I had a (Porsche) 911 that was capable of winning all weekend,” said Long. “We went back and did our homework after our P3 qualifying position yesterday and we talked about how it was going to be to go out after IndyCar. The jury was out on if the clean race track and a lot of rubber was going to bode well for us. I think we all learned what the answer was going down into turn one. It was slick and it was just a train wreck basically, cars going in all directions. Luckily I was able to learn from my mistake yesterday and keep the car on the line and from there it was just clean air and I was able to reach the potential of what I thought the car had in it all weekend. We were running pretty hard. Johnny (O'Connell) had the capability of reeling me in when he had the pressure from Riberas in the Ferrari so I was actually pushing as hard as I could. I've been with Porsche for close to 15 years, I'm still a factory driver.  The head of Porsche North America asked me what I wanted to do. I said I wanted to win this championship. I wanted to come in rested and hungry like the rest of these guys that I'm up against. We have more competition than ever this year.”

The popular O’Connell dodged the wild first turn mayhem and challenged Long throughout the GT event, while fighting with Riberas and Parente in a spirited battle that saw bumper-to-bumper action.  

“At the start, you always expect guys to get in this Turn One hot and run a little long,” O’Connell said. “Alvaro (Parente) and the Ferrari (Riberas) went way long and that opened up the opportunity for me to fall right into second. In the early couple of laps, I thought I may have had something for Patrick, but, by half distance, my rear tires were just not there. The last 90-degree corner here just does not suit our car. We are great under braking and overall handling, but, that last corner, I just couldn’t match his speed through there this weekend. I couldn’t be more proud of this team to come away with a second and a fourth place finish. A good start to the year for us.”

Riberas, the young sports car star with European racing experience, was impressive in his first Pirelli World Challenge competition including a pole position and third and fourth place finishes in the return of the famed No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsports Ferrari 488 GT3. Alex moved his machine up alongside O’Connell once in turn two in an attempt for the second spot but couldn’t get by the cagey veteran.

"I went on throttle when the green flag went and I already had three cars by my side,” said Riberas. “After that, the car was great. R. Ferri Motorsports guys did a fantastic job, Ferrari Competizione guys did a fantastic job. The car is magnificent. I believe we are strong enough to win this championship. The St. Pete course is hard, especially when you get really close to the walls. It's hard to get the confidence to be on the limit and qualifying was a real challenge to be on top without damaging the car. This is definitely one of the nicest tracks I've driven so far but I think I like all of the U.S. tracks so I'm looking forward to the season.”

Parente came charging back from the first turn slide and pressured Riberas and O’Connell but had to settle for fourth with Cooper fifth. The leading GTA driver, Clemson University mechanical engineering student Udell, in the No. 17 GMG/Euroworld Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R finished sixth overall. It marked Udell’s second GTA class win of the weekend.

Following Udell on the GTA podium Sunday were Michael Schein of Glen Cove, N.Y., in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R and Mike Hedlund of Redwood City, Calif., in the No. 98 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S.  Calvert took his No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to a second consecutive win in the GT Cup category.

“I was able to come out clean in fourth down the straight,” said Udell. “In a situation like that, survival just takes over and you just look for the open space. This year jumping up into the sprint series which is the bread and butter of World Challenge for us to this date there's obviously a lot of very strong guys - Patrick (Long), of course - and getting out there and being able to run with them is quite a good thing for me."

"It's great to be back out there,” said Calvert. “It's fun to drive with drivers that are so able. When you're the slow car in the race because of class difference it's fun to race with these folks and just make sure you don't interfere with their race. It's a short track, there's a lot of cars, and it's very important to keep watching your mirrors."

All Pirelli World Challenge results are provisional until the stewards review and technical inspection are completed.

Sunday’s GT/GTA/GT Cup feature will be highlighted next Saturday (March 18) at 2 p.m. EDT on the CBS Sports Network. The Pirelli World Challenge GT and GTA classes move to another street circuit next month at the legendary Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 7-9 in Southern California for Round 3 in the 2017 tour, North America’s top GT Production-based road racing series. GT Cup competitors next hit the track in the championship-opening SprintX action at VIRginia International Raceway on April 28-30.

Of note, the following awards were issued:

The Optima Batteries Best Start award was issued to Tim Pappas in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 for his move to capture eight positions at the start of the race.

The Cadillac Best Move of the Race was given to race-winner Patrick Long for his jump at the start of the race to take the race-long lead from P3.

VP Racing Fuels Hard Charger Award was given to Daniel Mancinelli of Italy for taking the No. 31 TR3 Racing Italian Shoemaker Ferrari 488 GT3 to a sixth place finish from a P15 start, a gain of nine positions in the race overall.

----------

St. Petersburg, FL – Provisional results from Sunday, Mar 12, 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Championship GT/GTA/GTC Round 2. All results are Provisional until posted Final.

Pos,PIC,Class,Name,Hometown,Car,Laps,Status

1,1, GT,Patrick LONG,Manhattan Beach, CA,Porsche GT3R,39,Running

2,2, GT,Johnny O'CONNELL,Flowery Branch, GA.,Cadillac ATS-V.R,39,Running

3,3, GT,Alex RIBERAS,TBD,Ferrari 488 GT3,39,Running

4,4, GT,Alvaro PARENTE,Porto, Portugal,GT,39,Running

5,5, GT,Michael COOPER,Huntington, NY.,Cadillac ATS-V.R,39,Running

6,6, GT,Daniel MANCINELLI,Italy,Ferrari 488 GT3,39,Running

7,1, GTA,Alec UDELL,The Woodlands,Porsche GT3R,39,Running

8,7, GT,Ryan DALZIEL,Windermere, FL,Mercedes AMG,39,Running

9,8, GT,Ryan EVERSLEY,Atlanta, GA,Acura NSX GT3,39,Running

10,9, GT,Bryan SELLERS,Braselton, GA,GT,39,Running

11,2, GTA,Michael SCHEIN,Glen Cove,Porsche GT3R,39,Running

12,3, GTA,Mike HEDLUND,Redwood City, CA,GTA,39,Running

13,4, GTA,Pablo Perez COMPANC,Buenos Aires,Mercedes AMG GT3,39,Running

14,5, GTA,James SOFRONAS,Villa Park, CA,Porsche GT3R,39,Running

15,10, GT,Pierre KAFFER,German,Audi R8,39,Running

16,6, GTA,Yufeng LUO,CA,Bentley Continental GT3,39,Running

17,7, GTA,Tim PAPPAS,Boston, MA,Mercedes Benz AMG GT3,38,Running

18,8, GTA,John POTTER,Salt Lake City,Audi RS 3 LMS,38,Running

19,9, GTA,Jorge DE LA TORRE,McAllen, TX,Aston Martin Vantage GT3,37,Running

20,1, GT Cup,Preston CALVERT,Potomac, MD,Porsche 911 GT3 Cup,36,Running

21,11, GT,James DAVISON,St Petersburg, FL,Aston Martin Vantage GT3,32,Not Running

22,12, GT,Adderly FONG,Hong Kong,Bentley Continental GT3,4,Not Running

23,13, GT,Jon FOGARTY,Bend Oregon,Porsche GT3R,0,NC

24,14, GT,Peter KOX,Eindhoven, Netherlands,Acura NSX GT3,0,Not Running

25,2, GT Cup,Marko RADISIC,Belgrade, Serbia,Ferrari Challenge Evo,0,NS

(Story courtesy of: Tom Blattler of SCCA)

Patrick Long looks good for this weekend at Mazda Raceway.

GT TITLE POINT CONTENDER PATRICK LONG STRONG FRIDAY IN QUEST OF CHAMPIONSHIP FRIDAY AT MRLS Press Release by Tom Blattler: SALINAS, Calif. – GT championship contender Patrick Long of Manhattan Beach, Calif., established himself Friday afternoon as the one to beat for Sunday’s 50-minute GT season finale by driving his No. 58 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R to the fastest second practice round speed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Pirelli World Challenge Championships present by Nissan. Long, 34, recorded a lap time of one minute, 24.856 seconds for an average speed of 94.947 miles per hour as the air and track temperatures increased in the afternoon practice round. The 201 GT series champion was second in the morning practice at 1:24.130, just behind fastest of the day, Michael Cooper of Syosset, N.Y., with a 1:23.986 clocking in the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS-V.R. “We unloaded the Porsche strong yesterday in testing here and it continued throughout Friday,” said Long, the two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner. “I felt we were going have a strong first two days. And qualifying and the race are different stories from practice here at Laguna Seca. So far we like our chances for the weekend. Qualifying in the cooler conditions will be important Saturday and we run less fuel and better tires than in the race. We have to start Sunday’s race on the tires we qualify with and that can be a key. The race will be in hotter conditions and for 50 minutes, so you want conserve your tires overall. But right I’m pleased with the direction we are going.” “We had a good morning run in the cooler conditions,” said Cooper, a two-time GT winner in 2016. “We were working on qualifying setup as we’ll qualifying in the morning Saturday. We were attempting to get the Cadillac just right. We expected the afternoon to be much hotter for the track surface and that is what happened. Qualifying will be very important for Sunday’s finale. We want to start up front.” Long, a three-time GT winner in 2016, trails current GT point leader Alvaro Parente of Porto, Portugal, by nine points entering Sunday’s season-ending GT event. Parente took his No. 9 K-PAX Racing McLaren 650S to the sixth position Friday afternoon with a 1:25.314. In the GTA division, Michael Schein of Glen Cove, N.Y., Long’s Wright Motorsports teammate in the No. 16 Porsche 911 GT3 R, was the quickest in the afternoon at 1:26.041 over GTA series champion Martin Fuentes of Mexico City in the No. 07 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia at 1:26.119. Rookie Corey Fergus of Columbus, Ohio topped the GT Cup category on Friday afternoon with a 1:29.369 in his No. 00 Byers Imports/Motorsports Promotions Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over Sloan Urry of Salt Lake City, Utah at 1:30.516 in the TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Qualifying for GT/GTA/GT Cup is scheduled for Saturday at 10:25 a.m. with the Sunday’s GT finale set for 1:05 p.m., as a Pirelli World Challenge record 127 entries will compete this weekend. Used by permission of Tom Blattler

Pirelli World Challenge to be decided at Mazda Raceway this weekend.

Pirelli World Challenge SCCA Pro Race at Mazda Raceway. Press Release by Tom Blattler. Over 120 Drivers Set to Compete in 2016 Pirelli World Challenge Championships Finale Weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Veterans Parente, Long Just Nine Points Apart in GT Title Chase SALINAS, Calif. (Oct. 3, 2016) – An incredible GT sports car point title battle between veterans Alvaro Parente and Patrick Long headline the Pirelli World Challenge Championships presented by Nissan this weekend (Oct. 7-9) at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the 2016 season finale. One-hundred and twenty-two Pirelli World Challenge drivers are entered for the 2016 series finale this coming weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Champions across the series’ eight classes will be officially crowned October 7-9 as part of the Pirelli World Challenge Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Grand Prix presented by Nissan. GT and GTA drivers will race Round 20, while GT Cup pilots are set to race in Round 19. SprintX Rounds 5 and 6 will run, while Rounds 18 and 19 are scheduled in GTS. TC, TCA and TCB classes will run Rounds 11 and 12. The weekend marks the 15th time the series will race at the 11-turn 2.238-mile road course. Long Versus Parente for the Championship – GT Preview With over 10 world–renowned manufacturers represented by some of the top drivers in the world, the GT class features some of the best sports car racing on the planet. Sixteen drivers are entered for this weekend’s season finale race. With only one race left in the 2016 GT season and only nine points separating the two main protagonists in the battle for the class driver’s championship, it all comes down to this coming weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. McLaren Factory driver Parente enters the weekend with 1554 points and will look to add to an already impressive trophy mantle that includes the 2005 British Formula 3 Championship, the 2007 World Series by Renault Championship and the 2015 International GT Open Championship – he will drive the No. 9 K–PAX Racing McLaren 650S. Parente leads over Porsche factory driver Long, the former PWC 2011 GT Driver’s Champion, who comes into the weekend second in GT driver’s points with 1545. Long will pilot the No. 58 Porsche 911 GT3 R for Wright Motorsports. Long also looks to help Porsche repeat as GT Manufacturer’s Champions in 2016 – Porsche comes into the weekend only one point behind McLaren 131–130. K–PAX Racing also brings two McLaren 650S GT3s for McLaren GT Academy Driver and 2015 GT Cup Driver’s Champion Colin Thompson, and young up–and–comer Austin Cindric. Thompson dominated in GT Cup last year winning 13 of 18 class races and will pilot the No. 13 K–PAX Racing machine. Cindric has raced in a number of series previously including Mazda’s Road to Indy’s USF2000 series and the Global Rally Cross Championship and will pilot the No. 6 K–PAX Racing McLaren 650S. Cindric scored his first career PWC pole earlier this season at Mid-Ohio, and scored two more poles at Sonoma. In addition, Cindric recently captured the ARCA stock car race at Kentucky Speedway. If Parente and Long falter, Cadillac teammates Johnny O’Connell and Michael Cooper will be ready to pounce. Four–time and defending 2015 GT Driver’s Champion O’Connell sits only 104 points behind Parente. The Cadillac Factory driver comes into the weekend on a roll after winning both races at Sonoma and he will need to match that performance if he hopes to win his fifth series championship. He will pilot the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac ATS–V.R GT3. O’Connell’s teammate Cooper also has a shot at the championship – the 2015 GTS Driver’s Champion, comes into the weekend tied with O’Connell with 1451 points. Cooper will drive the Cadillac Racing No. 8 ATS–V.R GT3. Nissan Motorsports and Always Evolving enter two GT–R GT3s for JD Davison and Bryan Heitkotter. Heitkotter will drive the No. 05 Always Evolving/Replay XD/Nissan Nismo GT3 GT–R and comes into the weekend 5th in the championship points standings. Heitkotter won back to back races earlier this season at Utah. Davison comes into the weekend 10th in Driver’s Championship points – he will pilot the No. 33 AE Replay XD Nissan GT Academy Nissan GT–R GT3. RealTime Racing comes into the weekend with two cars entered. Seven-time series Driver’s Champion Peter Cunningham owns almost every statistical record in PWC, but he moved out of his seat earlier this season to allow another accomplished sportscar veteran to race his Acura/HPD/RealTime Racing’s Acura TLX-GT. Spencer Pumpelly will pilot the No. 34 car. Teammate Ryan Eversley has been on a late season charge winning both races at Road America, and finishing second in Round 15 at Mid-Ohio. He sits 6th in the championship standings and will pilot the No. 43 Acura/HPD/Red Line Oil/RealTime Acura TLX–GT. Up–and–coming sportscar racer Kyle Marcelli has been in the mix all season long and comes into the weekend 8th in the championship with 1179 points. He will drive the No. 2 CRP Racing Audi R8. Sports car veteran Jon Fogarty is in his second year in PWC and will pilot the No. 99 Gainsco Auto Insurance /Bob Stallings Racing McLaren 650S. Fogarty’s impressive racing resume includes 16 career Rolex Series victories, while being the 2007 and 2009 Grand–Am Rolex Sports Car Series Co–Champion. Fogarty’s best finish of the season so far was a 3rd in Round 2 at COTA – he comes into the weekend 12th in the championship standings. Calvert Dynamics Racing enters the No. 98 Calvert Dynamics/CurbAgajanian/Phoenix Performance/Brett King Designs/Boys Republic Porsche 911 GT3 R for Michael Lewis. Lewis joined the Calvert Dynamics team after his previous team, EFFORT Racing, announced a hiatus from competition in 2016. Lewis won back-to-back races earlier this year at St. Petersburg and sits 11th in the driver’s championship. Absolute Racing enters a Bentley Continental GT3 with 21-year-old Fabian Hamprecht piloting the No. 88 machine. Hamprecht’s resume includes races in the 2016 ADAC GT Masters series and the 2016 GT Asia series. He is set to make his first career PWC start this weekend. Alex Job Racing recently joined the series and will field the No. 97 Porsche 911 GT3 R for accomplished sportscar racer Gunnar Jeannette. In 2011, Jeannette won the LMPC Championship in ALMS. He has a long history at LeMans after becoming the youngest finisher on record in 2000 at the age of 18. Rounding out the 16-car GT field is Jonathan Summerton in the No. 66 DIME Racing Mercedes AMG SLS GT3. Summerton makes his first career PWC start. Summerton is a former winner of the 12hr race at Sebring. Champion Fuentes Looks to Add to an Impressive 2016 Campaign – GTA Class Preview At Sonoma, Martin Fuentes scored his seventh second place finish of the season to secure the GTA Driver’s Championship and the Sportsman Cup presented by B.R.M Chronographes. Along with the cup, Fuentes will collect a B.R.M championship chronograph at the awards banquet following the finale weekend at Laguna Seca. Fuentes will look to add to an impressive season having already scored nine wins. He will pilot the No. 07 Hublot/Under Armour/Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia. Michael Schein, in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, has spent the second half of the season on a charge closing the gap on Fuentes winning eight of the last 12 races. Schein has locked up a second place finish in the GTA Driver’s Championship and will look to close out the season with a strong result. Jorge De La Torre returns to the series after injuries sustained in an incident in a warm-up session at Lime Rock put him on the sidelines. De La Torre will pilot the No. 4 Delgac LLC/De La Torre Racing Motor Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3. Rounding out the 10–car GTA field is Brent Holden in the No. 14 GMG/Spyder/Mobil 1/Thermal Club GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, Drew Regitz in the No. 19 iRACERCOACHING.com Stephen Cameron Racing Audi R8 LM GT3, Andy Wilzoch, in the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche GT3R, Tim Pappas in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3R Papent.com/Fine Art Enterprises/Boston Athletic Club, Andrew Kim in the No. 78 Bentley Team Absolute Bentley Continental GT3, 79 Cooper MacNeil Hinsdale, IL WeatherTech/Alex Job Racing Porsche 991 GT3R, 82 Michael McCann North Canton, OH McCann Racing Dodge Viper GT3 Yeti GT3R/McCann Racing/Dodge Viper. Bragging Rights All That’s Left in GT Cup – GT Cup Preview GT Cup is a spec class with drivers piloting the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – the 2016 season has featured a tremendous battle between two young, up–and–coming sportscar talents. Alec Udell posted an impressive 12 wins this season behind the wheel of his No. 17 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and mathematically clinched the class championship at Sonoma. He moves over this weekend to compete in SprintX. Sloan Urry has put together another tremendous campaign in Pirelli World Challenge GT Cup competition and will, for the second year in a row, finish second overall in the championship. He will pilot the No. 20 Security National Mortgage/Avasis TruSpeed Autosport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup this weekend and looks to try to notch his sixth win of the season. Corey Fergus, the 2015 TC Driver’s Champion, will pilot the No. 00 Byers Porsche/US LED/Motul/ Motorsports Promotions machine. Fergus had an impressive 2015 campaign scoring three TC wins and 13 top 5 finishes. He sits 3rd in class driver’s championship points with 1486. Rounding out the four-car GT Cup field is Alex Welch, in the No. 08 GMG/Red Beard Racing/Morgan Adams Foundation/Torque Branding Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and Chris Thompson, in the No. 17 GMG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Mills and Riddle Lead Championships Heading into MRLS – SprintX Preview The SprintX class featuring GT/GTA, GT Cup and GTS teams debuted earlier this season at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The final two SprintX races, Rounds 5 and 6 are set for this upcoming weekend. Races are 60 minutes in length and feature mandatory driver and tire changes. Driver pairings are based on FIA driver criteria. For example, FIA listed Bronze drivers can drive with other bronze drivers as well as Silver, Gold and Platinum, while Silver drivers can be matched with Bronze, Silver and Gold drivers. Gold drivers can pair with Bronze and Silver drivers, while Platinum drivers can only be paired with Bronze level drivers. In SprintX GT, Michael Mills and John Edwards are set to share duties on the No. 46 Mills Racing/Airtech Vacuum BMW Z4 GT3. Mills is the former 2014 PWC GTA Driver’s champion, while Edwards has been competing in sportscar racing for the last number of years and won the 2008 Star Mazda Championship. Mills comes into the weekend leading the GT Sportsman Driver’s Championship with 396 points. The Mills Racing team also leads in the Team Championship with 786 points. David Ostella and Dion Von Moltke team up on the No. 23 M1 GT Racing Audi R8 LMS Ultra. Ostella is a former Indy Lights driver and was the 2013 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Champion, while Von Moltke has 12 wins, 28 Podiums, and 94 top 10 finishes out of 109 sports car races in the years spanning 2008 to 2015. Ostella trails Mills by 34 points in the battle for the Championship. M1 GT Racing trails Mills Racing by 38 points in the battle for the Team Championship. Global Motorsports Group has entered the No. 14 Spyder/ Mobil 1/ Thermal Club Porsche 911 GT3 R for the 2016 GT Cup Champion Alec Udell and Sportsman Driver Championship contender Brent Holden. Udell makes his first career GT SprintX start while Holden comes into the weekend third with 356 points. Rounding out GT SprintX field are Lars Viljoen and Caesar Bacarella in the No. 24 Delgac LLC/De La Torre Racing Motor Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3, Andy Wilzoch and Darren Law in the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche GT3 R, Tim Pappas and PWC veteran Andy Pilgrim in the No. 54 Black Swan Racing Porsche GT3R, Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette in the No. 79 WeatherTech/Alex Job Racing Porsche 991 GT3R, Michael McCann and Jim McCann in the No. 82 Yeti GT3R/McCann Racing/Dodge Viper McCann Racing Dodge Viper GT3, and Preston Calvert and Michael Lewis in the No. 98 Phoenix Performance/Brett King Designs/Boys Republic Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3R. In the GTS SprintX category, the No. 07 Adobe Road Winery/LaSalle Solutions/TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 will be driven by Max Riddle and Kris Wilson. Riddle leads the GTS SprintX Championship with 440 points. TRG-AMR also has the No. 09 BRM Chronographes/Rebounderz/Rohnert Park/Racing for Cancer/Pirata Della Strada/Simon Ward TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4 entered for Derek DeBoer and Jason Alexandridis. DeBoer sits second overall with 416 points while Alexandridis sits 3rd overall with 392 points. TRG-AMR also leads the team championship with 880 points coming into the weekend. TRG-AMR also has the 04 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 entered for George Kurtz and Kenton Koch and the No. 77 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Greg Milzcik and former PWC GT Driver’s Championship Brandon Davis. Performance Motorsports Group will enter a team with Parker Chase and Harry Gottsacker piloting the No. 29 Ginetta GT4. Rounding out the GTS SprintX field are Aristotle Balogh and Greg Liefooghe in the No. 5 ART Racing/ Stephen Cameron Racing LLC Aston Martin Vantage GT4, the No. 54 X Border Foods and Wines Racers Edge Motorsports SIN R1 GT4 to be piloted by Scott Heckert and Chris Beaufait, and Jeff Courtney and Greg Palmer in the No. 66 JCR Motorsports Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo. In SprintX GT Cup, Jeff Burton and Enrique Bernoldi will pilot the No. 10 DXDT Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, Ludovico Manifredi and Jonathan Summerton will drive the No. 27 ANSA Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, while David Askew and James Burke will pilot the No. 63 USALCO, LLC/DXDT Racing Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. Sandberg Leads Aschenbach, Chase and Stacy in Title Battle – GTS Class Overview The GTS class has featured some of the best wheel–to–wheel competition seen in racing in recent years. And 2016 has been no different with nine different drivers piloting machinery from five different manufacturers scoring GTS race wins thus far this season. Brett Sandberg comes into the weekend leading the GTS Driver’s Championship with 1473 points after winning his third race of the season in Round 17 at Sonoma. He will pilot the No. 13 ANSA Motorsports X-Bow GT4. Teaming up with Sandberg is two-time TCA Driver’s Champion Jason Wolfe in the No. 12 ANSA Motorsports X-Bow GT4, and Bill Ziegler who will drive the No. 9 ANSA Motorsports X–Bow GT4. Wolfe will make his first career GTS series start this weekend. Leading the charge for Chevrolet is four-time series and two-time GTS champion Lawson Aschenbach piloting the No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Z28. Since 2013, a Blackdog Chevy has claimed the GTS Championship – Aschenbach did so in 2013 and 2014, with Cooper winning in 2015. Aschenbach started off the season with a win at COTA in Round 1, and has since been victorious three more times including in Round 13 at Mid-Ohio. He comes into the weekend 111 points behind Sandberg with 1362. He will team with series veteran Tony Gaples who will pilot the No. 11 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Z28 – Gaples sits 8th in the class championship with 865 points. Fifteen–year–old Rookie Parker Chase sits third in the GTS driver’s championship and will pilot the No. 19 Performance Motorsports Group Ginetta GT4. He’s had an impressive rookie season and sits third overall in the championship with 1327 points. Parker’s best PWC finish of the season has been a second – a result he achieved in Round 6 at Barber, Round 8 at CTMP and Round 16 at Sonoma. He will look to score his first PWC career series win this coming weekend. Parker will team with Harry Gottsacker, in the No. 29 Performance Motorsports Group Ginetta GT4. Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 60 ROUSH Road Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302, and 16-year-old phenom Nate Stacy in the No. 14 Rehagen Racing/Stacy Racing machine team up to lead the Ford charge. Stacy won his first career GTS win at Sonoma in Round 16 and sits fourth in the battle for the championship. Roush won back–to–back races at St. Petersburg and comes into the weekend 10th in the standings with 801 points. Roush Jr. and Stacy are also looking for good results this weekend to help Ford win the class manufacturer’s championship – Ford leads Chevrolet 105 to 97. Scott Dollahite, piloting the No. 46 SDR Motorsports Lotus Evora, comes into the weekend 6th with 980 points. Dollahite has been a model of consistency this season recording eight top 5 finishes in 13 starts. Scott Heckert, who won Round 15 at Utah, will pilot the No. 54 SIN Cars/Racers Edge Motorsports SIN R1 GT4. Teaming with Heckert is Jade Buford who has won three races in six starts this season in the No. 45 SIN Cars SIN R1 GT4. Heckert sits 5th in the championship, while Buford sits 13th. Canadian team Mantella Autosport Inc. brings a two–car effort to Laguna Seca with Anthony Mantella in the No. 8 Gulf X–Bow GT4, and teammate Martin Barkey in the No. 80 MBRP Sportlab/Sawmill Creative car. Mantella secured his first career PWC win earlier this year at Utah in Round 14 and he finished second in Round 17 at Sonoma. He comes into the weekend in 9th with 825 points while teammate Barkey is in 11th with 800 points. TRG–AMR brings three Aston Martin Vantage GT4s to Laguna Seca. Max Riddle, will pilot the No. 07 Adobe Road Winery, LaSalle Solutions machine – he won Round 8 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. George Kurtz, will drive the No. 04 Crowd Strike TRG-AMR Aston Martin Vantage GT4, while Greg Milzcik will race the No. 77 TRG-AMR North America Aston Martin Vantage GT4. The 24-car GTS field includes PWC veteran James Sofronas in the No. 4 GMG Racing Porsche Clubsport GT4, Aristotle Balogh in the No. 5 ART Racing/Stephen Cameron Racing LLC Aston Martin Vantage GT4, Kevin Marshall, in the No. 44 VSA Motorsports Lotus GT4; Mark Klenin, in the No. 62 Schomp/Premiere Copy Klenin Performance Racing Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4; Jeff Courtney in the No. 99 RecStuff.com/Kenda/JCR Motorsports Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo; Ron Ballard in the No. 93 AK&J Sealants/RT Motorsports, LLC Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo and Andrew Aquilante in the No. 37 Calvert Dynamics/Phoenix Performance Ford Mustang Boss 302. Grahovec Leads Wittmer in Race for Championship – Touring Car Preview Toby Grahovec, in the No. 26 Classic BMW Motorsports BMW M235iR comes into the weekend first in the TC driver’s championship with 960 points. Grahovec has two wins this season – in Round 2 at COTA, and Round 4 at CTMP and has yet to finish outside of the top 5 in 10 races this year. Grahovec is also helping BMW in the battle for the Manufacturer’s Chamiponship with 78 points, only one behind Mazda coming into the weekend. Montreal’s Nick Wittmer will drive the No. 91 Honda Ste–Rose Racing Honda Accord. He brings an impressive resume having previously won a number of sports car racing championships including back–to–back Canadian Touring Car Championships in 2009 and 2010. Wittmer won Round 3 at CTMP and Round 5 at Lime Rock Park and sits second in the driver’s championship with 765 points. Patrick Gallagher comes into the weekend 3rd with 673 points and will drive the No. 54 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda MX–5. Shea Holbrook will pilot the No. 67 Shea Racing Honda Accord V–6 Coupe – she sits fourth in class with 617 points. In 2014, Holbrook won five races in TCA and finished second overall in class. Teammate Jason Fichter in the No. 7 Shea Racing Honda Accord V–6 Coupe comes into the weekend 8th in the championship. Anthony Geraci, in the No. 69 S.A.C. Racing/European Granite & Marble Group, Inc. Mazda MX–5 recorded his first career Pirelli World Challenge win at Lime Rock in Round 6 and sits 5th with 600 points. Gallagher and Geraci are helping Mazda to challenge BMW for the Manufacturer’s Championship – Mazda currently sits first with 79 points. The 23-car field also features Tony Rivera, in the No. 97 Brass Monkey Racing/Tiburon Motorsports Nissan 370Z, Vesko Kozarov, in the No. 3 Nissan/Nismo/Stance CA Sport Nissan 370Z, a to-be-named driver in the No. 34 Nissan/Nismo/Stance CA Sport Nissan 370Z, Daniel Moen, in the No. 73 S.A.C. Racing Mazda MX–5; Dinah Weisberg in the No. 50 REDCOM Laboratories/Red Line Oil/Power Brake BERG Racing Mazda MX–5; Gino Carini, in the No. 27 Palermos Screaming Sicilian Pizza/Marenzo Construction Group/Classic BMW Motorsports BMW M235iR; John Weisberg, in the No. 5 Power Brake/REDCOM/Red Line Oil/Powerflex/Mann's/Miller/MCS BERG Racing Mazda MX–5; Steve Burns, in the No. 43 VP Racing Fuels/Works Garage/Ian Lacy Racing Ford Mustang; Kevin Krauss, in the No. 88 Alyses Light.com Outlier/Scion Group Porsche Cayman; Paul Street, in the No. 93 Honda/HPD/Megan Racing/RV6 Performance/Gargae 56 Performance/SPEC Clutch/PR2/MOMO Team HMA Honda Accord V-6 Coupe; Brian Lift, in the No. 99 Call One Outlier/Scion Group Porsche Cayman; Max Fedler, in the No. 05 PLENCO Molecule/Summit of Everest Motorsports BMW M235iR; Adam Poland, in the No. 33 Edge Addicts Doghouse Performance Mazda MX-5; Henry Schmitt in the No. 87 BMW of San Francisco/MINI of San Francisco/Clear Guard Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M235R; Aristotle Balogh in the No. 19 ART racing Stephen Cameron Racing LLC BMW M235iR, and Randy Hale in the No. 17 TransAero, Inc Hale Motorsports Mazda MX-5. Goulart Looks to Close out TCA Championship at Laguna Seca – TCA Class Preview Elivan Goulart, in the No. 70 S.A.C. Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup, has had a dominating 2016 season thus far winning five of 10 TCA races, and he’s finished in the top 5 in each of the other five races. He leads the TCA Driver’s Championship heading into the weekend with 1039 points. Goulart’s performance has also helping Mazda clinch the class Manufacturer’s Championship. Joey Bickers, in the No. 49 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda MX–5 Cup, comes into the weekend sitting 2nd with 791 points. He won back-to-back races earlier this year at Road America. Eric Powell, in the No. 23 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup, enters the weekend 3rd in the driver’s championship with 711 points with his best results coming at Lime Rock (two 2nds). Powell teams with Warren Dexter, in the No. 22 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup, and Perry Richardson in the No. 21 Tech Sport Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup. Matthew Fassnacht will pilot the No. 74 S.A.C. Racing/Equity Residence Mazda MX–5 Cup sits 4th with 665 points. Others to watch in the 13–car TCA field include Jay Salinsky, in the No. 16 Fuse Lenses/Regenexx Cayman/Red Line Oil/Redcom/BERG Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup; Daniel Williams, in the No. 36 S.A.C Racing Mazda MX–5 Cup; Samantha Tan, in the No. 38 GPI Global Samantha Tan Racing Honda Civic SI; Mason Filippi, in the No. 48 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda MX–5; Paul Whiting in the No. 51 PWR & LDL Speed Shop Honda Civic SI; Daryl Harr, in the No. 71 Mobil 1 WestWorld Motorsports Inc. Toyota FR-S and Forrest Landy, Atlanta Motorsports Group/Excitations.com, in the No. 9 Mazda MX-5 Cup. Groenke, Morse and O’Gorman Vie for Championship – TCB Class Preview Touring Car B–Spec or TCB is the most cost-effective class category of the series and features some of the most entertaining door–to–door racing on the planet. Canadian P.J. Groenke in the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic enters the weekend leading in the championship with 858 points. As the most experienced competitor in class – Groenke finished 6th overall in the TCB championship last year and is set to make his 59th and 60th PWC career starts in California. While he hasn’t yet recorded a race win in the series, he has come very close in the last nine races finishing each of them in the top 5 to score valuable championship points. Teaming with Groenke is Michael Johnson, in the No. 24 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic. Rookie Henry Morse, age 15, in the No. 14 Hale Motorsports MorseGPS powered by CalAmp/MazdaSpeed/FreeM USA/Corksport Performance/Rolling Hills Prep Mazda2 recorded his first career series win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Round 3. He comes into the weekend trailing Groenke by only 13 points. Tom O'Gorman, in the No. 94 TNIA/Black Armor Helmets Honda Fit, vaulted up into third in the Championship standings with back-to-back wins at Road America and Utah. He comes into the weekend with 796 points. Ted Hough in the No. 68 Breathless Racing Mazda 2 scored a win earlier in the season at Circuit of the Americas and comes into the weekend 4th in the TCB Driver’s Championship with 644 points, while Jasper Drengler, in the No. 01 Drengler Racing/Chimney Mechanix Honda Fit comes into the weekend 5th in the standings with 636. Rounding out the 10-car TCB field are James Wilson, in the No. 55 Black Armor Helmets/Mazdaspeed Motorsports Mazda 2 and Patrick Wilmot, in the No. 18 MyBamaHome.com/Track9 The Precision Motorsports Group Honda Fit, Nic Lougee in the No. 29 4R Motorsports MINI Cooper and Will Rodgers in the No. 65 Solvang Brewing Co/Kelly Benefit Strategies/Foundation Fighting Blindness Hale Motorsports Mazda 2. Event/Circuit: 11-turn 2.238-mile road course Qualifying: Friday, October 7, 2016 12:30 PM - 12:45 PM TCA-TCB Qualifying 12:50 PM - 1:05 PM TC Qualifying 3:35 PM - 4:05 PM Pirelli World Challenge - Sprint X Qualifying Saturday October 8, 2016 9:00 AM - 9:25 AM Pirelli World Challenge - GTS Qualifying 10:25 AM - 10:45 AM Pirelli World Challenge - GTA-GT Cup Qualifying - Group 1 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM Pirelli World Challenge - GT Qualifying - Group 2 Race Lengths: 60 minutes (SprintX) 50 minutes (GT/GTA/GT Cup, GTS) 40 minutes (TC/TCA/TCB) Live Internet Telecast (on motortrendondemand.com): Saturday October 8, 2016 11:45 AM – 12:35 PM Race # 1 TC-TCA-TCB 1:55 PM – 2:55 PM Race # 1 GTS 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Race # 1 SprintX Sunday, October 9, 2016 8:45 AM – 9:25 AM Race # 2 TC-TCA-TCB 10:50 AM – 11:50 AM Race # 2 GTS 1:05 PM – 2:05 PM GT-GTA-GT Cup Race 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM Race # 2 SprintX All times listed above are Pacific Television (on CBS Sports Network): GT: Oct. 16, 3 PM TC: Oct. 23, 3 PM GTS: Oct. 23, 4 PM SprintX: Oct. 23, 5 PM All times listed re: CBS broadcasts are Eastern. Press Release used by Permission of Tom Blattler.