The 2017 Pirelli World Challenge season is the twenty-eighth consecutive year for the championship. There are eleven race weekends. The Grand Touring Sport category title chase kicks-off in March at Saint Petersburg. This event is followed by races at Virginia International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Lime Rock Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio and Utah Motorsport Complex. The penultimate rounds are held a Circuit of the Americas with the finale taking place at Sonoma Raceway in mid-September.

An additional class was added to the Grand Touring Sport category in 2017:

  • Grand Touring Sport (GTS) – The cars in this group are similar to the Grand Touring vehicles but have more preparation restrictions. Drivetrain layouts include all-wheel-drive and front and rear-wheel drive. These cars may be powered by forced induction or normally aspirated motors. In previous years, the Grand Touring Sport class was mainly comprised of Ford, Chevrolet and Porsche products. In 2016, this category witnessed an influx of FIA GT4 vehicles which proved to be very competitive – Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, KTM Xbow GT4, Ginetta G55 GT4 and SIN R1 GT4.
  • Grand Touring Sport Amateur (GTSA) – This class was introduced in 2017 and is created to accommodate drivers that are not considered professionals. However, competitors in this group are evaluated after each event and based on their performance may be elevated to the Grand Touring Sport category.

    At the 2017 Honda 200 weekend, Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring Sport drivers would compete in two fifty-minute races (rounds eleven and twelve) around Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile thirteen-turn road course.

    • The start of round eleven for the GTS category and the second fastest qualifier, Lawson Aschenbach in the Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4 leads the field of seventeen starters. Also marking an excellent start - moving from fourth on the grid to second - is Martin Barkey in the KTM Xbow GT4. Trailing these two drivers in the Ginetta G55 is the pole-sitter, Harry Gottsacker.
    GTS point’s leader, Lawson Aschenbach was yet to win a race in 2017. Consistent finishes allowed him to be at the top of the standings. But that was about to change at Mid-Ohio. For race one, Aschenbach shared the front row with pole-sitter, Harry Gottsacker. He was in first place before the first turn and led flag-to-flag. On Sunday, he jumped into an early lead but finished second.
    GTSA competitor, George Kurtz trailed the category point’s leader, Tony Gaples by three markers heading into the Mid-Ohio rounds. In the weekend’s first race, Kurtz started twelfth overall and fifth in class but at the checkered flag, he was first in GTSA. He followed up Saturday’s victory with another win in round twelve and topped the championship leader board.
    The new Panoz Avezzano GT driven by Ian James was getting quicker and more dependable with each outing. The first successful weekend for the team was the previous rounds at Road America where James won both races. In the weekend’s first race, he qualified eighth and finished second. On Sunday, James was gridded second but passed the race leader, Lawson Aschenbach for the victory.
    It was a difficult weekend for Martin Barkey. The driver of the No. 80 KTM Xbow GT4 was second in the championship and like Lawson Aschenbach could attribute his success to consistently scoring points. In round eleven, he qualified fourth but was seventh at the checkered flag. The following day, Barkey had another seventh place finish and dropped to third in the standings.
    Birthday boy, Harry Gottsacker celebrated his eighteenth birthday by qualifying on the pole for round eleven of the GTS championship. The driver of the Performance Motorsports Group Ginetta G55 had been competing in the British GT Championship. During round eleven he was passed by Lawson Aschenbach and Ian James and finished third. Again, on Sunday, he grabbed the final spot on the rostrum.
    Rodrigo Baptista was guilty of some overly aggressive driving in the weekend’s first race. Baptista qualified ninth but at the start of the race, he hit the Maserati GT4 of Fred Roberts. Baptista knocked Roberts into a concrete wall. Emergency personnel were required to assist Roberts. Baptista was excluded from the race. On Sunday, the Porsche driver started and finished last.
    Also receiving a penalty in Saturday’s event was GTSA point’s leader, Tony Gaples. Gaples driving the Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4 received a thirty-second stop-and-go penalty for an incident with Jeff Courtney and Mark Klenin. He was classified seventh in class. The following day, Gaples redeemed himself and scored a second in GTSA but lost the points lead to George Kurtz.
    The round twelve Pirelli World Challenge GTS podium at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. On the right is third place finisher, Harry Gottsacker. To the right is the point’s leader and runner-up, Lawson Aschenbach. Between these two drivers is the winner for the third time this season driving the new Panoz Avezzano GT4, Ian James.

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPS
    1GTSLawson AschenbachBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT424
    2GTSIan JamesTeam Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT24
    3GTSHarry GottsackerPerformance Motorsports Group / Ginetta G5524
    4GTSAGeorge KurtzGMG Racing / McLaren 570S GT424
    5GTSParker ChasePerformance Motorsports Group / Ginetta G5524
    6GTSNate StacyFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    7GTSMartin BarkeyMantella Autosport / KTM Xbow GT424
    8GTSAJason BellRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT424
    9GTSABob MichaelianRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT424
    10GTSJames PesekPF Racing / Ford Mustang GT424
    11GTSAAdam MerzonCase-it Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    12GTSABill ZieglerANSA Motorsports / KTM Xbow GT423
    13GTSATony GaplesBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT415
    14GTSJeff CourtneyJCR Motorsports / Maserati GT414
    15GTSAMark KleninKPR / McLaren 570S GT414
    NCGTSAFred RobertsJCR Motorsports / Maserati GT40
    DQGTSRodrigo BaptistaFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport0

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPS
    2GTSIan JamesTeam Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT35
    1GTSLawson AschenbachBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT435
    3GTSHarry GottsackerPerformance Motorsports Group / Ginetta G5535
    4GTSErnie Francis, Jr.PF Racing / Ford Mustang GT435
    5GTSParker ChasePerformance Motorsports Group / Ginetta G5535
    6GTSJeff CourtneyJCR Motorsports / Maserati GT435
    7GTSMartin BarkeyMantella Autosport / KTM Xbow GT435
    8GTSNate StacyFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport35
    9GTSAGeorge KurtzGMG Racing / McLaren 570S GT435
    10GTSATony GaplesBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT435
    11GTSABob MichaelianRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT435
    12GTSAJason BellRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT435
    13GTSAMark KleninKPR / McLaren 570S GT435
    14GTSAAdam MerzonCase-it Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport34
    15GTSABill ZieglerANSA Motorsports / KTM Xbow GT434
    16GTSRodrigo BaptistaFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport19

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