2015 was the twenty-sixth consecutive year for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) Pirelli World Challenge series. There were twelve race weekends – at some of these events, the series shared the venue with IndyCar and the United Sportscar Championship. On the other weekends, the World Challenge championship served as the feature event.

For the first time, the season opened in early March at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). In support of the IndyCar series, the second event of the season was at Saint Petersburg - in previous years, St. Pete marked the start of the championship. Following Saint Petersburg were races at Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Miller Motorsport Park, Sonoma Raceway and the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In 2015, the series introduced two new classes – Grand Touring Sportsman (GTA) and GT Cup (GTC). Drivers and teams were now vying for titles in seven categories.

  • Grand Touring (GT) – This is the series quickest class and is predominantly cars that would compete in the FIA GT3 category. Examples of vehicles racing in this group include: Acura TLX-GT, Aston Martin Vantage V12, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Nissan GT-R GT3, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, McLaren 650S GT3, Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3, Bentley Continental GT3, BMW Z4 GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 and Ferrari 458 Italia GT3.
  • Grand Touring Sportsman (GTA) – This class includes the same vehicles as GT. However, the drivers are not considered professionals. Competitors in this category are evaluated after each event and based on their performance may be elevated to the GT class.
  • GT Cup (GTC) – This is a spec class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
  • Grand Touring Sport (GTS) – The cars in this group are similar to the GT vehicles but have additional preparation restrictions. This class is mainly comprised of Ford (Mustang Boss 302), Chevrolet (Camaro Z28) and Porsche (Cayman) products. In 2015, the GTS category witnessed an influx of new manufacturers: Maserati Gran Turismo, Lotus Evora GT4 and Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
  • Touring Car (TC) – This class is for smaller sedans and sports cars which are allowed some performance modifications. Examples of vehicles competing in this group include: Honda Accord, Mazda MX-5, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan 370Z and Porsche Boxster.
  • Touring Car A (TCA) – Many of the cars competing in this class are the same as those found in Touring Car. What sets them apart is the minimum amount of modifications that can be made – most changes are to improve the safety of the vehicles.
  • Touring Car B (TCB) - The slowest of all the World Challenge categories is based on the Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class. Examples of vehicles competing in TCB include: Chevrolet Sonic, Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Mazda 2 and Mini Cooper.

Rounds four, five and six of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car series were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The event was titled the Remo Ferri Group Canadian Grand Prix presented by Replay XD. Drivers in the Touring category would compete in three forty-minute races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of the weekend’s final race for the Touring Car, Touring Car A and Touring Car B class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The first group to receive the green flag was the Touring Car group. Leading the field into corner one is the class pole-sitter, Corey Fergus, in the No. 00 Porsche Cayman. Behind Fergus are the Mazda Miatas of the second and third place starters, Adam Poland and Ernie Francis, Jr.
Touring Car competitor Ernie Francis, Jr, grabbed the pole and overall victory in the first race of the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Recording the fastest time in round four gave him the top starting spot in the next contest. Francis led briefly, but the No. 98 Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5 fell off the pace and he finished tenth. He started third in the finale; however, a last lap pass gave him second-place.
Canadian Glenn Nixon opened the season with a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place result. In round four, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he teamed up with Mini drivers Mac Korince and Travis Washay to draft past the Touring Car B points leader, Johan Schwartz, for the victory in race one. In the next two contests, Nixon was unable to maintain Schwartz’s pace and captured two second-place finishes.
Eliven Goulart has won four SCCA National titles. Goulart displayed the driving skill that earned him four championships in round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He qualified on the Touring Car A class pole in his first World Challenge start driving the No. 23 Mazda RX-8. Goulart would lead flag-to-flag for the victory. Unfortunately, the next day, he retired after eleven laps and could not participate in the finale.
Corey Fergus qualified second fastest for round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. During the race, he was unable to fend off challenges from Adam Poland and Cody Ellsworth and finish fourth. In the next two contests, Fergus redeemed himself. He gridded fourth in Saturday’s event but captured the victory after moving into the lead on lap-17. On Sunday, Fergus started on the pole and led flag-to-flag.
The 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car podium for round six at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the winner for a second time this weekend and the class point’s leader, Corey Fergus. On the left side of the rostrum is the victor of the weekend’s first contest and the second-place finisher, Ernie Francis, Jr. Rounding the top-three and landing on the podium for a third time at the event is Adam Poland.
Johan Schwartz swept all three Touring Car B class races in the season opener. It appeared that the driver of the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic would do the same at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park weekend after qualifying on the pole for race one. However, a missed shift late in the event which resulted in fourth place. In the next two contests, Schwartz was back on form and posted a pair of victories.
Sunday morning at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Touring Car A competitors enter corner one for the start of round six for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series. The class pole-sitter, Paul Holton, is already clear of the field and being chased by the No. 36 Kia Forte Koup of Jason Wolfe. Behind Wolfe is the Honda Civic of Timothy Mincey, Sr. and the Touring Car class Mazda MX-5 of Austin Snader.
In the opening weekend of the 2015 Touring Car season at Circuit of the Americas, Adam Poland earned a pole and second and third-place finishes. The driver of the No. 33 Mazda MX-5 was still on form when the series arrived at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Poland qualified fourth fastest for round four and finished in the runner-up spot. The next day, he captured another runner-up finish. On Sunday, Poland was third.
Driving the No. 71 Civic was former Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec competitor, Paul Holton. Holton kick-off the season with a second-place finish at COTA. He qualified fourth for race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and collected another runner-up result. On Saturday, Holton went one better and captured the win. In the finale, he made contact with Jason Wolfe and retired with a seventh-place finish.
Three different drivers, Neal DePaz, Philippie Merjech and Juan Carlos Casa Diego, shared the No. 5 Honda Civic at COTA. Casa Diego delivered the best result with a runner-up finish. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Merjech and Casa Diego were on-hand to share the Honda. Casa Diego competed in the weekend’s second race and finished fifth. Merjech started the finale seventh in Touring Car A but finished first.
One of many Canadians making their season debut at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Randy Smith. Smith drove the No. 66 Honda Fit in the Touring Car B category. The newcomer qualified and finished sixth in the weekend’s first contest. With one race ‘under his belt,’ he started round five in seventh but earned the final position on the podium. On Sunday, he battled from sixth to capture another third-place finish.
The Touring Car A podium for round six of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center, from NDP Motorsports, is the first time winner, Felipe Merjech. On the left side of the rostrum is the Canadian competitor and the runner-up finisher, Patrick Seguin. Making her first visit to the podium is the third-place finisher, Emilee Tominovich.
Former Canadian Touring Car competitor, Patrick Seguin, was entered in the No. 49 Honda Civic Si. He put his local track knowledge to good use. In round four, Seguin qualified and finished fifth in Touring Car A. On Saturday, he started third in class and captured the final spot on the podium. In the finale, Seguin was a beneficiary of contact between Paul Holton and Jason Wolfe and grabbed a runner-up result.
The Touring Car class point’s leading heading into round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Cody Ellsworth. Ellsworth scored a pair of victories and a third-place finish in the season opener at Circuit of the Americas. Between Texas and Ontario, his competition found additional speed. Ellsworth left Canada with two thirds and a fourth-place result. And, he no longer led the points battle.
The Touring Car B class enters corner one for the first lap of round six for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Leading the eleven Touring Car B group is Johan Schwartz in the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing prepared Chevrolet Sonic. Trailing Schwartz are the Racing.ca teammates, Wei Lu and Glenn Nixon in the No. 59 and 58 Mini Coopers.
Another Canadian starting his 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Mac Korince. Korince drove the No. 51 Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper. He qualified last in the weekends first contest but battled to the front and joined Glenn Nixon to draft past the race leader, Johan Schwartz, for a runner-up result. In the next two rounds, Korince finished fifth and twelfth in the Touring Car B category.
The second member of the Indian Summer Racing team was Travis Washay in the No. 30 Mini Cooper. Washay was the third driver of a Mini train that drafted by the Touring Car B class leader, Johan Schwartz, for a third-place finish. In Saturday’s contest, he retired after crashing on lap-16 and was classified with an eleventh-place. With repairs made, Washay started the finale fifth in class and finished in fourth.
Results-wise, it wasn’t a great weekend for Touring Car A competitor, Jason Wolfe. However, the absence of Tony Rivera allowed him to leave Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with the points lead. Wolfe’s weekend started well with a third-place finish in the No. 36 Kia Forte Koup. This was followed by a runner-up result. In the finale, he was leading when lap-17 contact with Paul Holton knocked him out of the race.
The local team, Compass360, had two very quick Honda Civic Si entered in the Touring Car A group. The No. 72 Honda was piloted by Emilee Tominovich, who completed with Emich Racing last season. She opened the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a seventh-place finish. In round five, Tominovich earned a sixth. On Sunday, she started third in class and captured the final position on the podium.
The final Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B podium of the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the class points leader and round six winner, Johan Schwartz. Schwartz’s record stood at five victories in six starts. On the left side of the rostrum is the runner-up, in not only the race but also the title chase, Glenn Nixon. Finishing in third place for the second time this weekend is Ontario’s, Randy Smith.

FINISHSTARTCLASSDRIVERTEAM / CARLAPS
11TCErnie Francis JrBreathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-521
24TCAdam PolandEdge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-521
33TCCody EllsworthMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman21
42TCCorey FergusUSLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman21
55TCNathan StacyVolvo C3021
68TCJohn WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman21
79TCAustin SnaderEvert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-521
813TCDinah WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-521
97TCMikey TaylorUnitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI20
1011TCRandy HaleTrans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-519
1112TCAlex WelchHPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI19
1214TCAndrew RainsNational Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf19
1315TCJeff AltenburgHPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI18
1410TCJason CherrySkullcandy Nissan Altima11
156TCCory FriedmanMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman10
1616TCAElivan GoulartTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-821
1719TCAPaul HoltonHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si21
1817TCAJason WolfeWolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup21
1922TCAKris WrightWright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup21
2020TCAPatrick SeguinLet s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si21
2124TCASamantha TanKia Forte Koup21
2223TCAEmilee TominovichHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si21
2326TCATimothy Mincey SrGodspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si21
2425TCAKevin AndersonTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX821
2521TCAFelipe MerjechNDP Motorsports Honda Civic7
2618TCAShea HolbrookHonda Civic Si0
2728TCBGlenn NixonRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper20
2838TCBMac KorinceIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper20
2937TCBTravis WashayIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper20
3027TCBJohan SchwartzChevrolet Sonic19
3129TCBAndrei KiselRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper19
3233TCBPJ GroenkeVerax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper19
3332TCBRandy SmithID Life Honda Fit19
3435TCBMarc SherrinGSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta19
3536TCBTom NobleWest Real Estate Mini Cooper19
3630TCBWei LuRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper19
3734TCBJason FichterSurf Fire & Security Mini Cooper14
3831TCBVan SvensonChevrolet Sonic9

FINISHSTARTCLASSDRIVERTEAM / CARLAPS
14TCCorey FergusUSLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman24
22TCAdam PolandEdge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-524
33TCCody EllsworthMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman24
47TCCory FriedmanMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman24
59TCJason CherrySkullcandy Nissan Altima24
612TCAustin SnaderEvert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-524
78TCJohn WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman24
811TCAlex WelchHPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI24
915TCDinah WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-524
101TCErnie Francis JrBreathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-523
115TCMikey TaylorUnitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI18
1210TCRandy HaleTrans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-514
136TCNathan StacyVolvo C307
1414TCAndrew RainsNational Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf6
1513TCJeff AltenburgHPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI4
1618TCAPaul HoltonHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si24
1717TCAJason WolfeWolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup24
1819TCAPatrick SeguinLet s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si24
1921TCASamantha TanKia Forte Koup24
2026TCAJuan Carlos CasadiegoNDP Motorsports Honda Civic24
2122TCAEmilee TominovichHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si24
2223TCATimothy Mincey SrGodspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si23
2324TCAKevin AndersonTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX823
2416TCAElivan GoulartTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-811
2520TCAKris WrightWright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup0
2625TCAShea HolbrookBUBBA Burger Honda Civic Si0
2728TCBJohan SchwartzChevrolet Sonic22
2830TCBGlenn NixonRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper22
2934TCBRandy SmithID Life Honda Fit21
3035TCBJason FichterSurf Fire & Security Mini Cooper21
3129TCBMac KorinceIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper21
3232TCBWei LuRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper21
3338TCBVan SvensonChevrolet Sonic21
3437TCBMarc SherrinGSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta21
3536TCBTom NobleWest Real Estate Mini Cooper21
3633TCBPJ GroenkeVerax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper21
3727TCBTravis WashayIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper16
3831TCBAndrei KiselRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper5

FINISHSTARTCLASSDRIVERTEAM / CARLAPS
11TCCorey FergusUSLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman24
23TCErnie Francis JrBreathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-524
32TCAdam PolandEdge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-524
47TCCody EllsworthMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman24
58TCJason CherrySkullcandy Nissan Altima24
69TCJohn WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman24
76TCCory FriedmanMac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman24
810TCAustin SnaderEvert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-524
914TCAlex WelchHPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI24
105TCNathan StacyVolvo C3024
1114TCAndrew RainsNational Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf22
125TCMikey TaylorUnitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI22
1315TCDinah WeisbergREDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-522
1410TCRandy HaleTrans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-516
1523TCAFelipe MerjechNDP Motorsports Honda Civic24
1622TCAPatrick SeguinLet s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si24
1719TCAEmilee TominovichHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si24
1825TCAKris WrightWright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup23
1920TCASamantha TanKia Forte Koup23
2021TCATimothy Mincey SrGodspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si23
2117TCAPaul HoltonHonda Performance Development Honda Civic Si21
2218TCAJason WolfeWolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup15
2324TCAKevin AndersonTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX84
2416TCAElivan GoulartTechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-80
2527TCBJohan SchwartzChevrolet Sonic22
2628TCBGlenn NixonRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper22
2733TCBRandy SmithID Life Honda Fit22
2831TCBTravis WashayIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper22
2935TCBJason FichterSurf Fire & Security Mini Cooper22
3029TCBWei LuRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper22
3136TCBMarc SherrinGSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta22
3238TCBVan SvensonChevrolet Sonic22
3337TCBTom NobleWest Real Estate Mini Cooper22
3434TCBPJ GroenkeVerax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper20
3532TCBAndrei KiselRacing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper3
3630TCBMac KorinceIndian Summer Racing Mini Cooper0

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