2020 Circuit of the Americas - World Challenge

2020 was the thirty-first consecutive year for the World Challenge series. One of the more popular categories is Pirelli GT4 America.

Cars competing in the Pirelli GT4 America category are similar to those of the Blancpain GT World Challenge America class but have more preparation restrictions and are governed by FIA GT4 rules. The vehicles can be powered by forced induction or normally aspirated motors. Examples of cars competing in this category include the Chevrolet Camaro GT4, McLaren 570S GT4, Porsche Cayman CS-MR, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, Audi R8 LMS GT4, Ginetta G55 GT4, BMW M4 GT4 Mercedes-AMG GT4 and SIN R1 GT4.

Pirelli GT4 America teams have a choice of participating in a Sprint or SprintX format. Sprint contests are fifty-minutes in length for a single driver. In the SprintX division, two competitors’ race in a sixty-minute event. SprintX drivers are also classified as professional (Pro), Silver or amateur (Am) based on their racing experience and success.

As a result, there are two different event schedules:

Sprint Schedule – The calendar starts with both groups sharing a weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Next for the Sprint division are contests at St. Petersburg, Florida. This group then travels north of the border to compete at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. For the remainder of the championship, both groups will participate at the same venues. First up is Virginia International Raceway in early June. After this event, teams will head to California for races at Sonoma Raceway. The championship returns to the East Coast and makes stops at Road America, Watkins Glen for the penultimate rounds and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the finale.
SprintX Schedule – The SprintX season starts at Circuit of the Americas and shares the weekend with the Sprint group. Following the opening round, teams travel to California for a race at Long Beach. Then the championship returns to the East Coast to compete at Lime Rock Park. Starting at Virginia International Raceway, the SprintX group is joined by the Sprint division for the remainder of the year. Virginia is followed by stops at Sonoma Raceway and Road America. The final two weekends for the championship take place at Watkins Glen International and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The opening rounds for the 2020 Pirelli GT4 America Sprint championship took place at the Circuit of the Americas’ twenty-turn 3.4-mile road course. Seventeen drivers were entered in the two fifty-minute races.

Seventeen GT4 Sprint drivers head for corner one at Circuit of the Americas in the first round of the 2020 championship. Leading the field is the pole-sitter, Drew Staveley, in the Ian Lacy Racing prepared Ford Mustang GT4. Behind Staveley is the other front row starter, Michael Cooper driving a McLaren 570S GT4 for the Blackdog Speed Shop. Next to Cooper is the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Spencer Pumpelly.

Drew Staveley was the 2019 GT4 Sprint Am champion but, in the off-season, he switched to the Pro category. Staveley opened 2020 by putting the No. 12 Ford Mustang GT4 on the pole. During round one, he was chased by last year’s title contenders, Michael Cooper and Spencer Pumpelly. Staveley was able to hold them off and capture the victory. The following day, he started first and earned the final spot on the podium.

Michael Dinan was one of many drivers that changed manufacturers - moving from Porsche to a new Aston Martin Vantage GT4. The choice ‘paid off’ for Dinan. In qualifying, he was fifth fastest and started second in the Amateur class. On the penultimate lap of race one, Dinan grabbed the lead and scored his first victory. In Sunday’s contest, he maintained his position and finished seventh overall and second in GT4 Am.

The three-time series champion, Michael Cooper, joined the Blackdog Speed Shop for his third consecutive year. Cooper drove the No. 10 McLaren 570S GT4. He started the season’s first race third on the grid. Cooper challenged the eventual winner, Drew Staveley, but finished second. On Sunday, he passed the pole-sitter, Staveley, on lap-11 and won by a margin of 1.743-seconds.

Spencer Pumpelly was in ‘the hunt’ all weekend. During qualifying, Pumpelly was second fastest driving The Racer’s Group prepared Porsche 718 Cayman GT4. His quickest time was disallowed for exceeding the track limits. On the first lap of Saturday’s race, he lost second place to Michael Cooper and finished third. In round two, Pumpelly was unable to hold-off Cooper and Jarrett Andretti and finished fourth.

The GT4 Sprint Am podium at Circuit of the Americas for round one of the 2020 season. Standing on the top step and capturing his first series victory is the driver of the Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin, Michael Dinan. On the left side of the rostrum from Reardon Racing is the runner-up, Paul Terry, also driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Finishing in the final podium position is the series veteran, Tony Gaples.

Another driver changing categories was Reardon Racing’s, Paul Terry. Terry enjoyed some success in the Touring Car category scoring a victory at Watkins Glen International. This year, he was competing in the GT4 Sprint Am class driving the No. 59 Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Terry qualified on the Am pole for round one but finished second. The following day, he redeemed himself with a victory.

Jarrett Andretti was one of many drivers ‘pulling double duty’ – competing in both the GT4 Sprint and SprintX divisions. In the GT4 Sprint category, Andretti raced the No. 18 Andretti Autosport McLaren 570S GT4. He was gridded in sixth for the weekend’s first event but finished a distant eighth. The following day, Andretti battled with Spencer Pumpelly and Drew Staveley before succeeding in capturing a runner-up finish.

Series veteran, Tony Gaples was back for another season driving the No. 11 Blackdog Speed Shop McLaren 570S GT4. Gaples qualified eleventh overall and seventh in the GT4 Am division. He made progress during race one and captured the final position on the Amateur podium. On Sunday, Gaples delivered the same performance and was rewarded with another third in class.

The GT4 Sprint Pro podium for race number two at Circuit of the Americas. The winner and class points leader, Michael Cooper, stands on the top step. To Cooper’s right is Jarrett Andretti, whose spectacular drive earned him a runner-up finish. The final spot on the rostrum is occupied by the winner of Saturday’s contest, Drew Stavely.

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	Pro	Drew Staveley	Ian Lacy Racing / Ford Mustang GT4	22
2	2	Pro	Spencer Pumpelly	TRG - The Racers Group / Porsche 718 Cayman GT4	22
3	3	Pro	Michael Cooper	Blackdog Speed Shop / McLaren 570S GT4	22
4	5	Am	Michael Dinan	Flying Lizard Motorsports / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	22
5	4	Am	Paul Terry	Rearden Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	22
6	6	Pro	Jarett Andretti	Andretti Autosport / McLaren 570S GT4	22
7	11	Am	Tony Gaples	Blackdog Speed Shop / McLaren 570S GT4	22
8	10	Am	Jeff Burton	Rearden Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	22
9	17	Pro	Toby Grahovec	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	22
10	7	Am	Jason Bell	GMG Racing / Porsche 718 Cayman GT4	22
11	15	Am	Tim Pappas	Black Swan Racing / Porsche 718 Cayman CS MR	22
12	8	Am	Jeff Courtney	RecStuff Racing / Mercedes-AMG GT4	22
13	12	Am	Frank Gannett	Ian Lacy Racing / Ford Mustang GT4	22
14	14	Am	Fred Roberts	RecStuff Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	22
NC	16	Am	Mark Klenin	KPR / SIN R1 GT4	5
NC	9	Am	Sean Quinlan	Stephen Cameron Racing / BMW M4 GT4	4
NC	13	Am	Marko Radisic	Precision Driving Tech / BMW M4 GT4	1

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	2	Pro	Michael Cooper	Blackdog Speed Shop / McLaren 570S GT4	20
2	6	Pro	Jarett Andretti	Andretti Autosport / McLaren 570S GT4	20
3	1	Pro	Drew Staveley	Ian Lacy Racing / Ford Mustang GT4	20
4	3	Pro	Spencer Pumpelly	TRG - The Racers Group / Porsche 718 Cayman GT4	20
5	7	Pro	Toby Grahovec	Classic BMW / BMW M4 GT4	20
6	4	Am	Paul Terry	Rearden Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	20
7	5	Am	Michael Dinan	Flying Lizard Motorsports / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	20
8	13	Am	Tony Gaples	Blackdog Speed Shop / McLaren 570S GT4	20
9	10	Am	Jeff Burton	Rearden Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	20
10	11	Am	Sean Quinlan	Stephen Cameron Racing / BMW M4 GT4	20
11	8	Am	Jason Bell	GMG Racing / Porsche 718 Cayman GT4	20
12	14	Am	Jeff Courtney	RecStuff Racing / Mercedes-AMG GT4	20
13	12	Am	Fred Roberts	RecStuff Racing / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	20
14	17	Am	Marko Radisic	Precision Driving Tech / BMW M4 GT4	20
NC	16	Am	Frank Gannett	Ian Lacy Racing / Ford Mustang GT4	13
NC	15	Am	Mark Klenin	KPR / SIN R1 GT4	9

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