The 2015 edition of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge consisted of ten-events (Daytona, Sebring, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), Lime Rock, Road America, Virginia International Raceway, Circuit of the Americas and Road Atlanta) for showroom stock cars. The races were two-hours, thirty-minutes in length. The cars were relatively unchanged from their road going versions – modifications were mandated primarily for safety – roll cages, window nets, etc. They were also required to use tires provided by series sponsor Continental.

Based on performance potential, the cars were divided into one of two groups – Grand Sport or Street Tuner:

  • Grand Sport (GS): The quicker of the two groups, this class included cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro GS.R, Ford Shelby GT350R-C, Aston Martin Vantage, Nissan 370Z, BMW M3 and Porsche 911. Vehicles competing in the category produced between 400 - 500 horsepower and were capable of speeds over 175-mph.
  • Street Tuner (ST): This class was for smaller sedans and sports car with four or six-cylinder engines. Popular vehicles found in this group were the BMW 328i, Honda Civic Si, Porsche Cayman, Mazda MX-5, Audi S3 and MINI JCW. The cars in this class produce between 220 – 280-horsepower.

Close competitive racing with cars that fans can relate to contributes to the popularity of the series. It also provided an environment for automotive manufacturers to test and showcase their products.

Watkins Glen was race-four of ten-rounds during the 2015 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge series season. Drivers would compete on the eleven-turn 3.40-mile road course for two-hours, thirty-minutes in the Continental Tire 150 at The Glen.

It rained during the race and it intensified as the event wore on. With thirty-minutes remaining the contest was red flagged by the officials. The race went back to yellow flag conditions with less than fourteen-minutes remaining. The cars returned to the track but the competitors did not get a restart.

The start of the 2015 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge series race at Watkins Glen. Leading the field into turn one is the pole-sitter, Scott Maxwell in the new Ford Shelby GT350R-C. Slotting in behind Maxwell is the No. 14 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z which started third. The Rum Bum Porsche which shared the front row with Maxwell is about to enter corner one in third-place.
Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis won the last two rounds – Sebring and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – driving the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. At Watkins Glen, they were the quickest Grand Sport entry after the practice sessions. Davis started the race in sixth place and was second when they changed drivers. Liddell made the pass for the lead on lap-34 and went on the score their third victory.
The CJ Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5 was driven by Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee. The team was still looking for their first victory of the season – their best result to date was a third at Sebring. McCumbee was third quickest in qualifying and started the race. On lap-6, he passed the race leader, Justin Piscitell. McAleer jumped into the car for the final stint and led the remainder of the contest.
After two practice session, the No. 34 Mazda MX-5 was second quickest in their class. In qualifying, Justin Piscitell went one better and was the fastest in Street Tuner – this was his fourth consecutive pole of the season. Sharing the Mazda with Piscitell was Christian Szymczak. Piscitell led the race until lap-6 when he was passed by Chad McCumbee. Unable to maintain the pace of the CJ Wilson team, they finished second.
Using a split start the second wave of thirty Street Tuner competitors head into Watkins Glen’s corner one. Leading the way is the Alara Racing Mazda MX-5 of the class pole-sitter, Justin Piscitell. Behind Piscitell is the third place starter Chad McCumbee in the CJ Wilson Mazda MX-5 and the other front row starter, Chad Gilsinger in the HART Honda Civic Si.
The Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 was gridded eighth in the Grand Sport class for the Continental Tire 150 at the Glen. Sharing the BMW were Trent Hindman and Ashley Freiberg. Freiberg had success last year at Watkins Glen when she won the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup event. The team inherited second late in the race when the Rum Bum Porsche went off-course. They were able to hold the position and finished second.
The No. 14 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z was raced by B.J. Zacharias and Brad Jaeger. After the first two practice sessions, they were the second fastest. Jaeger qualified the Nissan and put the car on the outside of the front row. The Doran team was another beneficiary of Matt Plumb’s error late in the event and grabbed the final spot on the Grand Sport podium – this was their second consecutive third-place finish.
Multimatic Motorsports debut two Ford Shelby GT350R-Cs. The No. 15 entry was shared by Billy Johnson and Scott Maxwell. The team’s speed improved during each practice session and in qualifying, Maxwell was able to put the car on the pole. He started the race and led the first four-laps but had to stop due to a foggy windshield. The extra pit-stop took the team out of contention and they finished seventh.
The second quickest Street Tuner entry was the No. 93 HART Honda Civic Si qualified by Kevin Boehm. Sharing the Honda with Boehm was Chad Gilsinger. The two drivers turned in a solid performance and completed the class podium. The event also marked a couple of firsts - it was the team’s first podium of the 2015 season and Boehm’s first Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge podium.

POS.CLASSDRIVERSCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
1GSAndrew Davis / Robin LiddellChevrolet Camaro Z/28.R45-
2GSTrent Hindman / Ashley FreibergBMW M345-
3GSBJ Zacharias / Brad JaegerNissan 370Z45-
4GSJade Buford / Austin CindricFord Shelby GT350R-C45-
5GSLawson Aschenbach / Matt BellChevrolet Camaro Z/28.R45-
6GSMatt Plumb / Hugh PlumbPorsche 91145-
7GSScott Maxwell / Billy JohnsonFord Shelby GT350R-C45-
8GSAnthony Mantella / Sasha AnisChevrolet Camaro Z/28.R45-
9GSMartin Barkey / Kyle MarcelliChevrolet Camaro Z/28.R45-
10GSBob Michaelian / Nick GalanteFord Mustang Boss 302R45-
11GSCharlie Putman / Charles EspenlaubAston Martin Vantage45-
12STStevan McAleer / Chad McCumbeeMazda MX-545-
13STChristian Szymczak / Justin PiscitellMazda MX-545-
14STChad Gilsinger / Kevin BoehmHonda Civic Si45-
15STAndrew Carbonell / Liam DwyerMazda MX-545-
16STJeff Mosing / Eric FossPorsche Cayman45-
17STAdam Isman / Dillon MurcottPorsche Cayman45-
18STSarah Cattaneo / Owen TrinklerHonda Civic Si45-
19STTerry Borcheller / Mike LaMarraBMW 128i45-
20STEthan Low / Jason RabePorsche Cayman45-
21STConnor Bloum / Greg StrelzoffPorsche Cayman45-
22STJim McGuire / Nico RondetAudi S345-
23STWayne Nonnamaker / Will NonnamakerPorsche Cayman45-
24STJohn Schmitt / Steve EichHonda Civic Si45-
25STAndrie Hartanto / Tyler CookeBMW 328i45-
26STDerek Jones / Mat PomboPorsche Cayman45-
27STPaul Holton / Kyle GimpleAudi S345-
28GSChris Beaufait / James VanceFord Mustang Boss 302R44-
29GSKen D'Arcy / Sam SchultzBMW M344-
30GSNick McMillen / Steven DohertyNissan 370Z44-
31STNate Norenberg / Ramin AbdolvahabiPorsche Cayman44-
32STGreg Liefooghe / Eric ZimmermannPorsche Cayman44-
33STZach Meyer / Stephen SimpsonMINI JCW44-
34STJuan Carlos Leroux / Jorge LerouxHonda Civic Si44-
35STSam Schechter / Aaron NashBMW 128i43-
36STRick DeMan / Phillip BloomPorsche Cayman40Not Running
37STMatthew Dicken / Corey LewisPorsche Cayman39Not Running
38STBrent Mosing / Tim ProbertBMW 328i39Not Running
39STSpencer Pumpelly / Luis Rodriguez Jr.Porsche Cayman36-
40STTed Giovanis / David MurryBMW 328i32-
41GSRob Ecklin Jr. / David RussellAston Martin Vantage31Not Running
42STDan Rogers / Seth ThomasPorsche Cayman31Not Running
43STJoe Sahlen / Jeff SegalPorsche Cayman31Not Running
44STJames Clay / Jason BriedisBMW 328i1Not Running
45STRemo Ruscitti / Cody EllsworthMINI JCW1Not Running
46STAJ Riley / Jameson RileyMazda MX-50Did Not Start


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