2005 Mosport International Raceway - World Challenge

The SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge series debuted in 1990. Sponsored by Escort Radar Detectors, the championship featured two classes – World Challenge for high-performance sports car and Super Production for smaller displacement vehicles. The classes and race formats have evolved over the years as Series Organizers attempt to attract competitors and fans.

In 2005, the World Challenge series entered its sixteenth season. The championship’s successful relationship with Speed Channel was now in its seventh year.

Race weekends included two standing start fifty-minute races – one for the Grand Touring class and another for the Touring Cars.

Grand Touring (GT) – The GT class rules accommodate an extensive range of vehicles from different manufacturers. There is no limit to the engine displacement in this category and cars may use a forced induction system. To stop the cars, alternative materials may be utilized for the brake pads and shoes. Rules also allow the use of four-piston calipers but rotors are limited to 14-inches in diameter. The maximum diameter of the wheels is 18-inches and any changes to the bodywork must be approved. The series uses a spec tire and competitors race on Toyo Proxes RA-1s.
Touring Car (TC) – The Touring Cars are limited to an engine displacement of 2.8-liters. The motors must be naturally aspirated (turbochargers or superchargers are not permitted). The Touring Cars are also allowed four-piston calipers and alternative materials for the brake pads and shoes, but the maximum rotor diameter is 12-inches. Wheels in this group are limited to 17-inches. Cars can be fitted with a spec rear wing and approved aftermarket bodywork. This category also uses a spec tire from Toyo – the Toyo Proxes.

To prevent any driver/car combination from dominating the class and ensuring tight competition, the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. System was implemented. Introduced in 1995, R.E.W.A.R.D.S. is the acronym for ‘Rewarding of Equalizing Weight Assigned to Reduce Driver Sensitivity.' This weight equalization rule adds or removes ballast from a car based on the finishing position of a driver.

There were eleven-race weekends during the 2005 season – the longest in series history. The opening round was in March at Sebring International Raceway, followed by a second event in Florida at Saint Petersburg. The series then moves north to Georgia for a race weekend at Road Atlanta. Rounds four, five and six are conducted in the Northeast with races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport and Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. In July, the championship takes a trip to the West Coast for an event Infineon Raceway. Competitors stay in the West for races at Portland International Raceway. Next, the series makes a stop at Denver, Colorado. The penultimate round is held at Mosport International Raceway and the series finale takes place at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The penultimate round of the 2005 SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge series for the Touring Car division was held at Mosport International Raceway. Drivers would compete on the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The SCCA Pro Racing Speed World Challenge Touring Car grid lines up for the penultimate round at Mosport International Raceway. Starting on the pole is rookie, Brandon Davis driving the No. 44 RealTime Racing Acura TSX. Davis’ performance in qualifying earned him the Air Force Reserve Polesitter award. Sharing the front row with Davis is the Tindol Motorsports Mazda 6 of Charles Espenlaub.

Charles Espenlaub captured his first World Challenge victory at Mosport International Raceway. Last year, Espenlaub finished second in the same event but this season he found the top step of the podium. Espenlaub qualified second but passed the race leader, Brandon Davis, in Moss corner on lap-5. Despite a full-course yellow that bunched up the field, he was able to maintain first place and win by a margin of 1.550-seconds.

Peter Cunningham had not raced an Acura in the Touring Car division since 2002 when he won the title. This season, Cunningham was ‘on track’ to secure another championship as he led the points with one race remaining. Cunningham qualified fourth quickest, but errors by his teammates, Eric Curran and Brandon Davis, allowed him to move into second place. Unable to catch the leader, Charles Espenlaub, he maintained his position.

Earlier in the season, Pierre Kleinubing won three consecutive races and led the standings. In the second half of the year, poor results dropped him to third in the title chase. His string of bad luck continued at Mosport. After qualifying fourth fastest, the team decided to replace the engine in his Acura TSX which meant, Kleinubing would start from the rear of the field – twentieth. Despite this setback, he finished third.

Rookie, Brandon Davis won his first pole-position at Mosport International Raceway and earned the Air Force Reserve Polesitter award. Driving the No. 44 RealTime Racing Acura TSX, he was leading before an error in Moss corner, allowed Charles Espenlaub to grab the top spot. Davis was in second place on lap-17 when the engine in Phil Parlato’ BMW dropped oil. Davis spun into the tire barrier and would finish fourteenth.

Leo Capaldi had competed in the World Challenge series on a part-time basis since 1999 and always in Ford Motor product. In 2004, he replaced his Mercury Cougar with a Ford Focus. This season, Capaldi had three starts prior to Mosport, with his best result being a twenty-third place at Mid-Ohio. Capaldi started twenty-second in round ten and advanced thirteen positions during the race to earn the Sunoco Hard Charger Award.

Realtime Racing entered five Acuras at Mosport International Raceway. Two of the cars were the RSX model driven by Nick Esayian and Eric Curran. Curran drove the No. 45 RSX and was fresh off a victory in the previous round at Denver. He qualified third fastest at Mosport. During the race, Curran moved into first place but hit the inside of the corner one wall on lap-3 and retired. He was classified as the last-place finisher.

Bimmerworld was another multicar team with BMW 325i for Matt Richmond, Seth Thomas and team principal, James Clay. Seth Thomas drove the No. 38 BMW and was thirteenth fastest in the qualifying session. On the opening lap of the race, Thomas passed six competitors. For this performance, he received the B&M Hole Shot Award. At the checkered flag, Thomas was in the sixth position.

The round ten podium for the World Challenge Touring Car class. In the center from Tindol Motorsports is the winner, Charles Espenlaub. After competing in the series for six-years, this was Espenlaub’s first victory. On the left side of the rostrum is the point’s leader and second-place finisher, Peter Cunningham. Completing the podium is the 2000 and 2001 Touring Car class champion, Pierre Kleinubing.

FINISH	START	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	2	Charles Espenlaub	Mazda 6	28	-
2	4	Peter Cunningham	Acura TSX	28	-
3	20	Pierre Kleinubing	Acura TSX	28	-
4	9	James Clay	BMW 325i	28	-
5	5	Randy Pobst	Mazda 6	28	-
6	13	Seth Thomas	BMW 325i	28	-
7	19	Matt Richmond	BMW 325i	28	-
8	14	Nick Esayian	Acura RSX	28	-
9	22	Leo Capaldi	Ford Focus	28	-
10	10	Michael Galati	Mercedes C230	28	-
11	17	Rick Snyder	Dodge SRT-4	28	-
12	8	Chip Herr	Ford Focus	27	-
13	11	Dino Crescentini	Mazda 6	24	Suspension
14	1	Brandon Davis	Acura TSX	24	-
15	6	Jeff Altenburg	Mazda 6	23	Transmission
16	7	Freddy Baker	Audi A4T	22	-
17	15	John Angelone	Audi A4	21	-
18	16	Phil Parlato	BMW 325i	15	Engine
19	21	Peter Lockhart	Mercedes C230	11	Mechanical
20	18	Hugh Stewart	Dodge SRT-4	6	Mechanical
21	12	Seth Neiman	BMW 325Ci	4	Mechanical
22	3	Eric Curran	Acura RSX	3	Wheel

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