2009 Watkins Glen International - Koni Challenge Series

2009 was the final year of the Grand-Am Road Racing’s contract with KONI. The three-year agreement between Grand-Am and KONI saw the company offer the richest purse in the series history - $100,000 per event. The winning Grand Sport team earned $5,000 with the price fund doubling to $10,000 if the car was equipped with KONI shock absorbers. Street Tuner competitors competed for a similar payout - $3,750 to the winner and $7,500 if the vehicle is fitted with KONIs.

The cars in the series are relatively unchanged from their road-going counterparts – modifications are mandated mainly for safety – roll cages, window nets, etc. They also used spec DOT-approved tires produced by Hoosier. Based on performance potential, the cars were divided into one of two groups:

Grand Sport (GS): The quicker of the two classes - the group features the larger displacement engines as well as smaller four-cylinder motors with forced induction systems. The power-plants produce between 350 and 405-horsepower. Minimum weights range between 2,900 – 3,300-pounds, which is dependent on the motor configuration and displacement. This class includes cars such as the BMW M3, Ford Mustang, Porsche 997 and Porsche Carrera.
Street Tuner (ST): The smaller displacement cars compete in this class in which engines typically produce between 170 and 240-horsepower. Popular vehicles found in this group are the Volkswagen GTI, Acura TSX, Mazda RX-8, Mazda MX-5, Honda Civic Si, BMW 330i, Subaru Legacy, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, Subaru Legacy and Mini Cooper S.

The 2009 season consisted of eleven race weekends and started in January at Daytona International Speedway, which was followed by a second event in Florida at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In May, the series would visit Thunderbolt Raceway in New Jersey then move on to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Lime Rock Park. The teams traveled Watkins Glen International in June and after this event, race weekends took place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. In August, teams made the trip to Canada, where the action would take place on the streets of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. The penultimate round was held at Utah’s Miller Motorsports Park, with the finale being held at Virginia International Raceway. The Grand Sport and Street Tuner classes competed separately – the exceptions being Daytona, New Jersey, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen International and Miller Motorsports Park, where they race together.

Race six of eleven for the 2009 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series was held at Watkins Glen International on the same weekend as the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen. Under grey skies and intermittent drizzle, forty-eight teams competed on the eleven-turn 3.337-mile road course.

Twenty-one Grand Sport competitors funnel into Watkins Glen International’s corner one for round six of the KONI Challenges Series. Leading the charge is the pole-sitter, Matt Bell, in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. Immediately behind Bell is the third-fastest qualifier and the point leading Reghan Racing Ford Mustang GT driven by Dean Martin. Trailing Bell and Martin is the Porsche of Spencer Pumpelly.

The Racer’s Group, Andy Lally and John Potter would capture their first KONI Challenge Series victory of the season at Watkins Glen International. Potter qualified the Magnus Racing sponsored Porsche 997 eighth fastest. Lally drove the final stint and moved into the top spot for the last time on lap-55 and led the remaining seven circuits. This was his seventh series win and the first for the rookie, Potter.

The second fastest qualifier in Street Tuner, Mike Sweeney, chased the race leader, Ian Baas until Baas encounter an electrical issue. At that point, Sweeney driving the No. 181 APR Tuning Volkswagen GTI grabbed first in class. After pitting, his co-driver, Dion von Moltke, battled his way to the front of the category. In less than ideal conditions, von Moltke passed the category leader, Randy Pobst and captured the victory.

On Friday afternoon at Watkins Glen International, Matt Bell earned his fourth pole position of the season. Sharing the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 with Bell was a veteran BMW campaigner, Bill Auberlen. Bell led the first four laps of the race before losing the top spot to Dean Martin. After the driver change, Auberlen moved into the lead on lap-51, but four-circuits later, he was passed by the eventual winner, Andy Lally.

Ian Baas paced the Street Tuner qualifying session and recorded the fastest time. The No. 171 APR Tuning sponsored Volkswagen GTI started on the class pole two weeks ago at Lime Rock Park and was also the quickest Street Tuner entry at last year’s Watkin Glen’s round. Co-driving with Baas was Josh Hurley. Unable to maintain the pace, as a result of an electrical issue, they finished in the sixth position.

Round six of the 2009 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series for the Street Tuner category was held at Watkins Glen International. Twenty-seven teams participated in this class. The first car to enter corner one is the pole-winning No. 171 APR Tuning Volkswagen GTI driven by Ian Baas. Behind Baas is the other front row starter and his teammate, Mike Sweeney. Beside Sweeney is the points leader, Christian Miller.

Co-driving the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 was Chris Gleason and Joey Hand. To date, their season included two podium finishes, one of which was a victory in the previous round at Lime Rock Park. Gleason qualified the car and would start in the seventh position. After a solid run, he turned the BMW over to Hand. Hand battled with his teammate, Auberlen, and traded second place several times before finishing third.

Entering round six at Watkins Glen International, the Street Tuner points leader was Christian Miller. Miller was competing in the No. 74 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si with Touring Car veteran, Randy Pobst. Miller qualified the car and would start twenty-second overall and third in class. Pobst chased the race leader, Dion von Moltke, but finished in the runner-up position by a margin of 0.501-seconds.

Ashley McCalmont started the season sharing the No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS with Kirk Spencer. In race four, at Lime Rock Park, McCalmont was paired with the defending Street Tuner champion, Jamie Holtom, who was not racing the full schedule. The drivers delivered their best performance of the year, a third place. At Watkins Glen International, they repeated this result after starting fourteenth.

In 2009, Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante returned for another season with the Subaru Road Racing Team. They shared the No. 111 Subaru Legacy, which Skavnes drove to victory last year at Mid-Ohio with Chuck Hemmingson. At Watkins Glen International, the Subaru was gridded twenty-sixth overall and fifth in the Street Tuner category. At the checkered flag, the duo was fourth in their class.

The No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT was driven by Dean Martin and the points leader, Ken Wilden. Wilden had three podium finishes, one of which was a victory at Laguna Seca. At Watkins Glen International, Martin started third and moved into the lead on lap-5. After the driver change, the team would lose first place and finish sixth. The result was good enough for Wilden to remain at the top of the standings.

Glenn Bocchino and Todd Lamb, drivers of the No. 32 Kinetic Motorsports prepared BMW M3 started 2009 with a poor result. They finished twenty-eighth in round one at Daytona International Speedway. The pair bounced back at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca where, they captured the runner-up spot. At Watkins Glen International, the duo started in the fifth grid position and were fourth at the checkered flag.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	GS	Lally / Potter	The Racer's Group / Porsche 997	61
2	GS	Auberlen / Bell	Turner Motorsport / BMW M3	61
3	GS	Gleason / Hand	Turner Motorsport / BMW M3	61
4	GS	Bocchino / Lamb	Kinetic Motorsports / BMW M3	61
5	GS	Ende / Pumpelly	The Racer's Group / Porsche 997	61
6	GS	Martin / Wilden	Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT	61
7	GS	Bengoa / Ortiz	Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT	61
8	GS	Gue / Seafuse	JBS Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT	61
9	GS	Roush / Johnson	Horsepower Ranch / Ford Mustang	61
10	GS	Hillestad / Waddell	Automatic Racing / BMW M3	61
11	GS	Boden / Jenkins	Fall-Line Motorsports / BMW M3	61
12	ST	von Moltke / Sweeney	APR Motorsport / Volkswagen GTI	61
13	ST	Miller / Pobst	Compass360 Racing / Honda Civic Si	61
14	ST	McCalmont / Holtom	Georgian Bay Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS	61
15	ST	Aquilante / Skavnes	Subaru Road Racing Team / Subaru Legacy	61
16	ST	Burrows / Hopwood	RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S	61
17	ST	Baas / Hurley	APR Motorsport / Volkswagen GTI	61
18	ST	Giovanis / Halpin	Next Generation Motorsports / BMW 330i	61
19	ST	Salama / Turner	Turner Motorsport / BMW 328i	61
20	ST	Arnold / Schultz	V-Pack Motorsport / BMW Z4	61
21	ST	Maynard / Bogart	3D Racing / BMW 330i	60
22	ST	Spaude / Thilenius	Bill Fenton Motorsports / Honda Civic Si	60
22	ST	Nonnamaker / Sahlen	Team Sahlen / Mazda RX-8	60
23	GS	Grigsby Jr / Heath	Cardiosport Racing / Porsche 997	60
24	GS	Ellis / Wellon	Ranger Sports Racing / Porsche 997	60
25	GS	Rossi / Diaz	Ranger Sports Racing / Porsche 997	60
26	ST	Maloof / White	Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5	60
27	ST	Bovenberg / Rashleigh	GS Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS	60
28	ST	Dayton / Battle	RRT Racing / BMW 328i	59
30	ST	Shep / Bosch	Next Generation Motorsports / BMW 330i	59
31	ST	Aschenbach / Iannucci	Georgian Bay Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS	58
32	ST	O'Doski / Carbonell	Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5	58
33	ST	Beede / Cullen	Bill Fenton Motorsports / Honda Civic Si	58
34	GS	Straus / Longhi	CMA Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT	57
35	ST	Buford / Trinkler	RSR Motorsports / Mini Cooper S	57
36	ST	Ferguson / DeMan	DeMan Motorsport / Porsche Boxster	57
37	ST	Danyliw / Schmidt	GS Motorsports / Chevrolet Cobalt SS	52
38	GS	Plumb / Mason	Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT	50
39	GS	Jeannette / Montecalvo	Kinetic Motorsports / BMW M3	50
40	GS	Davis / Smith	Kinetic Motorsports / BMW M3	48
41	ST	Harding / Milarcik	Pirate Motorsports / Mazda RX-8	46
42	ST	Kuitwaard / Walker	Compass360 Racing / Honda Civic Si	43
43	ST	Long / Whitis	Freedom Autosport / Mazda MX-5	42
44	ST	Orr / Lewis	Next Generation Motorsports / BMW 330i	41
45	GS	Ackley / Snyder	CMA Motorsports / Ford Mustang GT	34
46	GS	Mike Harvison	Rehagen Racing / Ford Mustang GT	33
47	ST	Leverone / McHaffie	Flatout Motorsports / Mazda MX-5	9
48	GS	Espenlaub / Putman	Automatic Racing / BMW M3	0

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