2018 Pirelli World Challenge Round 5: Long Beach

[Mechanic Z]

Next up for the Pirelli World Challenge is the Grand Prix of Long Beach, a return to the standard Sprint format with a single race for GT/GTA competitors, this year joined by a handful of GTS cars in a non-points invitational class.

Scott Hargrove holds the lead in the GT standings, followed by Toni Vilander and Daniel Morad.

Alvaro Parente won the last two years at Long Beach in the McLaren. He and KPAX will be going for three in a row with the #9 Bentley.

No Callaway, but TR3 and Mancinelli are back on the entry list. GMG will again run a Porsche for Alec Udell. Black Swan will bring a brace of Porsches for Tim Pappas and David Calvert-Jones.

GTS features six cars from four manufacturers. Black Swan and TRG have each entered a Porsche, with Jeff Ward and Spencer Pumpelly driving, respectively.
Racer's Edge has two SINs entered with Harry Gottsacker and Bob Michaelian set to drive.
George Kurtz will be piloting his GMG Audi R8 GT4 in it's distinctive red and white, while McLaren factory driver Paul Holton will be behind the wheel of Compass Racing's McLaren 570s.

Schedule

Entry List

Live Stream (PWC Website)

Live Stream (PWC YouTube Channel)

Live Timing and Scoring

Track Map

Weather (racecastweather.com)

Weather (National Weather Service)

Tickets

@WCRacing on Twitter

[cbbrit]

An addition to GTSA is the Competition Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR entry for driver Mike Sullivan. So now the car count is at 20! I was also told at CoTA that there might be a second TruSpeed Audi R8 LMS entry, but so far there is no confirmation, at least on the entry list!

[Mechanic Z]

Originally Posted by cbbrit

An addition to GTSA is the Competition Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS-MR entry for driver Mike Sullivan. So now the car count is at 20! I was also told at CoTA that there might be a second TruSpeed Audi R8 LMS entry, but so far there is no confirmation, at least on the entry list!

You called it, entry list now has 21 cars with the #71 TruSpeed Audi & Rocky Moran joining the field.

[TRspitfirefan]

http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...or-long-beach/
Pretty cool article.

“We literally just rolled our car out of the container from Bathurst last week,” Calvert-Jones said. “All we’ve done to it is change the oil, fit sprint brake pads on, give the car a wash and we’re ready for the next adventure.

[fieldodreams79]

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

GTS features six cars from four manufacturers. Black Swan and TRG have each entered a Porsche, with Jeff Ward and Spencer Pumpelly driving, respectively.

Was checking out the entry and great to see Jeff Ward entered! Pretty sure I've watched him in person in every discipline he's competed in, outside of Super Moto. With Black Swan backing him, I hope he does well!

Decent article on THE man:
http://world-challenge.com/latest/se...wc-long-beach/

[jjvincent]

I worked with Jeff and he was a great guy. Had lots of talent but was subject to the Brazilian money that raised the price of racing overnight. Within 2 years the open wheel racing rental prices doubled just because scam that the rich 1% in Brazil and Petrobras had going on. Pretty much similar to all of those Venezuelan drivers that we all loved for a while. Jeff became the poster child for that. Great talent, great to work with and had some money. It wasn't enough this he just got priced out of the market.

[Mechanic Z]

The Ice Break Porsche w/ PWC number plates etc:

John Dagys‏ @johndagys 5h5 hours ago




Very cool to see @racingcj Porsche here, still in full @Bathurst12hour livery! @WCRacing #TGPLB

[Mechanic Z]

PWC First Practice is starting now: http://lt-us.tsl-timing.com/181506

Also, per the PWC website, qualifying tomorrow will be streamed.

[cbbrit]

Practice 1 report...the only car which didn't appear is the second TruSpeed Audi R8 LMS entry for Rocky Moran Jr.

http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...at-long-beach/

And results:

http://lt-us.tsl-timing.com/181506

[broadrun96]

From S365 article:

Tadevic said was initially set to go to Tomy Drissi.
Drissi’s entry, however, was not accepted by PWC stewards and management due to his two most recent racing suspensions, according to WC Vision President and CEO Greg Gill.
Tadevic said he was “really frustrated” by the series’ decision, based on Drissi’s previous actions in Trans-Am, a series which he has since been reinstated to compete in


When did PWC grow a pair and admit he's not sane enough to drive in their series? And on a street course when anger is confined and walls punch back.

Sadly though he is given a chance to destroy one of 3 1970 Chapparal Camaros in historic TransAm this weekend, and the only one remaining.

[cbbrit]

Practice 2 results:

http://tsl-timing.com/file/?f=PWC/2018/181506fp2pwg.pdf


Qualifying report:

http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...ng-beach-pole/

And results:

http://tsl-timing.com/file/?f=PWC/2018/181506qu1pwg.pdf

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

From S365 article:

Tadevic said was initially set to go to Tomy Drissi.
Drissi’s entry, however, was not accepted by PWC stewards and management due to his two most recent racing suspensions, according to WC Vision President and CEO Greg Gill.
Tadevic said he was “really frustrated” by the series’ decision, based on Drissi’s previous actions in Trans-Am, a series which he has since been reinstated to compete in


When did PWC grow a pair and admit he's not sane enough to drive in their series? And on a street course when anger is confined and walls punch back.

Sadly though he is given a chance to destroy one of 3 1970 Chapparal Camaros in historic TransAm this weekend, and the only one remaining.

Well done PWC!

I'm actually quite impressed that they would turn away a potential entry, even though the GT3 grid could really use some additional cars. Given Drisi's recent history, I think that this is the right decision.

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by cbbrit

Practice 2 results:

http://tsl-timing.com/file/?f=PWC/2018/181506fp2pwg.pdf


Qualifying report:

http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...ng-beach-pole/

And results:

http://tsl-timing.com/file/?f=PWC/2018/181506qu1pwg.pdf

K-Pax is really struggling to come to terms with the big Bentleys it seems.
Nearly a second back in Qually.
One of the best teams in the business, so I'm sure better times are ahead.

[TRspitfirefan]

That was quite a race! Lot's of action throughout the field, which the TV crew did a good job of capturing. A bit of a video game style pass for the lead from Mancinelli, it will be interesting to hear Vilanders perspective on that one. Wild finish in the GTA class after a fantastic drive by Yuki Harata. The GTS race was also fun to watch.
Overall a highly entertaining race.

[Mechanic Z]

Agreed, super entertaining race. Plenty of excitement and only one yellow.
It's a shame Morad had that electrical issue, the Mercedes looked like it had the speed to take the fight to the Ferraris. Solid drive from Parente, getting a podium out of that Bentley at Long Beach is phenomenal.
Good race by Yuki Harata, that last lap fight between the #55 and #07 was crazy.

[cbbrit]

Race report:

http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...ong-beach-win/

Race results:

http://tsl-timing.com/file/?f=PWC/2018/181506rc1pwg.pdf

I wonder if Mancinelli is now regretting withdrawing from the first two rounds at St. Pete and all those lost points? "To finish first, first you have to finish!"(in his case "first you have to start!")

[TRspitfirefan]

Originally Posted by TRspitfirefan

......A bit of a video game style pass for the lead from Mancinelli, it will be interesting to hear Vilanders perspective on that one.

Originally Posted by Toni Vilander via SC365

Daniel Mancinelli’s Ferrari was a lot stronger braking into T1 and T10 before the hairpin, and I could see that he was prepared to take more risks than me. Fair play to him, he got a run on me and although we touched a little bit – there was a little scratch on our car, he deserved the victory.

http://sportscar365.com/features/com...in-long-beach/

[cbbrit]

What a great performance from Yuki Harata on Sunday! I really didn't expect the Lamborghini to be so competitive at Long Beach, compared with the two Audis, two Porsches, one Bentley and one Ferrari in the Am class, incidents during the race notwithstanding! Way To Go Yuki-san!