2016 Pirelli World Challenge Races 1 & 2: Circuit of the Americas

Mechanic Z · 19 Feb 2016, 05:34 (Ref:3615899)

In just about two weeks, Pirelli World Challenge will be back in action for first weekend of the 2016 season at Circuit of the Americas!

Sportscar365 expects additional entries for GT, GTA & GT Cup to be announced prior to the event, but the entry in the GT class is already stellar.

2015 driver champion Johnny O'Connell has a new teammate at Cadillac Racing with Michael Cooper joining the team.

2015 team champions EFFORT Racing return with two brand new 911 GT3-Rs, Michael Lewis now joined by the legendary Patrick Long, replacing Ryan Dalziel in the #31.

K-Pax Racing/Flying Lizard has expanded to three McLaren 650s GT3s with an all new driver lineup: Alvaro Parente, Colin Thompson and Austin Cindric.

Always Evolving will have the same lineup, James Davison and Bryan Heitkotter, in their Nissan GT-R GT3s.

RealTime Racing's driver lineup is also unchanged, though Cunningham and Eversley will now be driving RWD Acuras instead of 2015's AWD.

Andrew Palmer makes his series return with Bentley Team Absolute's new US effort alongside series newcomer Adderly Fong.

GMG will field a new Porsche for James Sofronas.

Gainsco Racing will debut their McLaren 650s with longtime driver Jon Fogarty behind the wheel.

Calvert Dynamics also moves up to GT with Andrew Davis driving their new Porsche GT3-R.

CRP Racing and DIME Racing are also on the Preliminary Entry List with an Audi R8 GT3 and two Mercedes AMG GT3s, respectively. Neither team has announced drivers.

Highlights in other classes include new and returning cars and teams in GTA, the full season return of Lawson Aschenbach with Blackdog, new cars and teams in GTS and a huge field for the TC classes.

Schedule

Entry List

Live Stream (World ChallengeTV)

Live Stream (motortrendondemand.com)
This stream will likely have a paywall.

Live Timing and Scoring

Track Maps

Weather (racecastweather.com)

Weather (National Weather Service)

Series Twitter Account

Really looking forward to the PWC season starting.

nasportscar · 19 Feb 2016, 13:09 (Ref:3615980)

If you'll be at COTA we've partnered w/ PWC and VP Racing Fuels to host another Caffeine and Octane cars and coffee event.

We'll have it Saturday starting at 11:00am.

So far we'll have Lawson Aschenbach, Pat Long, Michael Lewis, PD Cunningham and other drivers coming over to hang out. I'll post more details later.

seanyb505 · 19 Feb 2016, 13:49 (Ref:3615999)

I was never planning on heading to COTA for this race anyway, but that cars and octane/coffee event sounds like fun!
I think that's one of the greatest marketing strategies a series can employ - getting cars and drivers to actually go to where people are. A few years ago ALMS would shut down main street here in Greenville a few weeks before Petit Le Mans. It was sponsored by Michelin and such so the cost was spread out, but average Saturday car gatherings like octane/coffee events popping up all over are a huge opportunity.

Coach Ep · 19 Feb 2016, 13:58 (Ref:3616002)

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanyb505

I was never planning on heading to COTA for this race anyway, but that cars and octane/coffee event sounds like fun!
I think that's one of the greatest marketing strategies a series can employ - getting cars and drivers to actually go to where people are. A few years ago ALMS would shut down main street here in Greenville a few weeks before Petit Le Mans. It was sponsored by Michelin and such so the cost was spread out, but average Saturday car gatherings like octane/coffee events popping up all over are a huge opportunity.

Yes, seeing them attending local "cars & cappuccino" events (let's see those show car out there!) will absolutely boost fan following and will increase attendance at race meetings. Letting kids sit in racing cars will make fans for life!

If only manufacturers realize this too and start making appearances thru local dealership and/or local team representatives for instance and start promoting this (and other racing) series they're involved with, it could go quite some ways, all for low costs. There's some hands-on marketing for you!

fieldodreams79 · 19 Feb 2016, 14:33 (Ref:3616018)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

Really looking forward to the PWC season starting.

I couldn't tell!

Excellent post 1, MZ

I'll try to watch this event cause it's the first one of the season but really don't care for COTA, even as an F1 track. Are they running the full "GP" course?

nasportscar · 19 Feb 2016, 15:18 (Ref:3616028)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I couldn't tell!

Excellent post 1, MZ

I'll try to watch this event cause it's the first one of the season but really don't care for COTA, even as an F1 track. Are they running the full "GP" course?

Full 20 turns. It's kind of a weird track to attend, but it puts on great racing, so it's ideal for watching at home

fieldodreams79 · 19 Feb 2016, 15:41 (Ref:3616038)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasportscar

Full 20 turns. It's kind of a weird track to attend, but it puts on great racing, so it's ideal for watching at home

Thanks!

I've heard it's great to visit, even though you are 9,000 miles away from the racing surface, but I've not really enjoyed the TV viewing of it.

To each their own!

Mechanic Z · 19 Feb 2016, 18:45 (Ref:3616090)

Quote:

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

I couldn't tell!

Excellent post 1, MZ

LOL. Thanks!

rich07 · 20 Feb 2016, 02:13 (Ref:3616180)

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasportscar

If you'll be at COTA we've partnered w/ PWC and VP Racing Fuels to host another Caffeine and Octane cars and coffee event.

We'll have it Saturday starting at 11:00am.

So far we'll have Lawson Aschenbach, Pat Long, Michael Lewis, PD Cunningham and other drivers coming over to hang out. I'll post more details later.

That's a great idea. I wish I could be there.

Hope everyone enjoys themselves.

Mechanic Z · 20 Feb 2016, 03:51 (Ref:3616187)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

Somehow omitted the photography credit on these test photos. They were on the PWC Facebook page, I think the photographer on the first is John Loftis, not sure about the second one.

Mechanic Z · 20 Feb 2016, 03:55 (Ref:3616188)

Via Racecast weather on Twitter:

Quote:

Racecast Weather ‏@RacecastWx .@NOAA climate outlook has above normal rain chances for both @circuitamericas & @sebringraceway March 3-6.

kevin993 · 20 Feb 2016, 16:18 (Ref:3616280)

Anybody know what's happened with the Weistec AMG GT3 plans? They announced a 2016 PWC effort last September, but haven't seen anything more from them and they're not on the preliminary entry list. Wondering if they just ended up lower on the delivery list and don't have cars yet.

http://racing.weistec.com/

merak1974 · 20 Feb 2016, 20:04 (Ref:3616332)

Great to see three Maserati GTs on the entry list!

nasportscar · 21 Feb 2016, 01:57 (Ref:3616399)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin993

Anybody know what's happened with the Weistec AMG GT3 plans? They announced a 2016 PWC effort last September, but haven't seen anything more from them and they're not on the preliminary entry list. Wondering if they just ended up lower on the delivery list and don't have cars yet.

http://racing.weistec.com/

not 100% sure, but I believe they are connected w/ DIME Racing - Dime R&D is in Irvine, Weistec in Anaheim, so it would make sense

Mark0994 · 22 Feb 2016, 11:25 (Ref:3616700)

Watching the TC entry list i think that will be nice idea to introduce TCR class.

Mechanic Z · 22 Feb 2016, 18:42 (Ref:3616805)

Looks like the entry list has changed a bit. Patrick Byrne is now listed to drive the Racer's Edge SIN R1, and last year's dominant TCB champion Johan Schwartz is back, now in a TCA Honda.

Additionally, the DIME Racing Mercedes now list two TBAs on each car. Maybe they'll be running Sprint-X too?

http://files.world-challenge.com/eve...-EntryList.pdf

Mechanic Z · 23 Feb 2016, 00:38 (Ref:3616897)

Entry list got updated again today. DIME Racing has added Frank Montecalvo's #66 Mercedes SLS GT3 in addition to their two AMG GT3s.

http://files.world-challenge.com/eve...-EntryList.pdf

Mechanic Z · 24 Feb 2016, 01:40 (Ref:3617202)

Kyle Marcelli and Jan Seyffarth are the DIME Mercedes drivers!

Other updates to the entry list is Tim Pappas' Black Swan Viper in GTA and Dore Chaponick Jr. in the #12 ANSA XBow in GTS

http://files.world-challenge.com/eve...-EntryList.pdf

Mechanic Z · 24 Feb 2016, 18:27 (Ref:3617428)

Looks like streaming will be on the World Challenge main site this year, instead of the World Challenge TV site from previous years.

http://world-challenge.com/video/pwc...reaming-promo/

TRspitfirefan · 25 Feb 2016, 02:35 (Ref:3617545)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

Kyle Marcelli and Jan Seyffarth are the DIME Mercedes drivers!

Other updates to the entry list is Tim Pappas' Black Swan Viper in GTA and Dore Chaponick Jr. in the #12 ANSA XBow in GTS

http://files.world-challenge.com/eve...-EntryList.pdf

It looks like the old Autometrics 997 GT3R has also been added, meaning the total number of entries has so far reached 100!
Intriguing drivers for the Dime Mercedes team. It will be cool to see Kyle Marcelli in the series.

Coach Ep · 25 Feb 2016, 02:47 (Ref:3617548)

Last year we saw a total of 50 (!) cars entered in the combined GT/GTA/GT Cup classes (with 117 in total).

Interesting to see that the GT and GT Cup classes are rather similar in size to last year but GTA is lacking more than 10 entries (8 vs 21) compared to a year ago.

just for reference, the 2015 entry list is here.

Coach Ep · 25 Feb 2016, 14:49 (Ref:3617700)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechanic Z

Kyle Marcelli and Jan Seyffarth are the DIME Mercedes drivers!

Looks like Marcelli is more a back up at this stage than a designated driver...

And we might only see 1 DIME car at CotA:

http://sportscar365.com/gt/world-cha...es-pwc-effort/

Also potential for them to show up in IMSA at some point.

pederb · 25 Feb 2016, 17:49 (Ref:3617728)

No Lambos ?

Mechanic Z · 25 Feb 2016, 18:54 (Ref:3617753)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

Looks like Marcelli is more a back up at this stage than a designated driver...
http://sportscar365.com/gt/world-cha...es-pwc-effort/

Doesn't sound like they're sure about Seyffarth, either. Kinda odd.

Looks like GMG has received their Porsche:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCMmN2iS...n-by=gmgracing

TRspitfirefan · 25 Feb 2016, 22:00 (Ref:3617805)

From EFFORT Racings Twitter.

Quote:

EFFORT Racing ‏@EFFORTRacing

Look what just arrived at the shop! Time to get to work and prep these babies for @WCRacing at @circuitamericas!

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