2015 Watkins Glen International - Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge

The 2015 edition of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge consisted of ten-events (Daytona, Sebring, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), Lime Rock, Road America, Virginia International Raceway, Circuit of the Americas and Road Atlanta) for showroom stock cars. The races were two-hours, thirty-minutes in length. The cars were relatively unchanged from their road going versions – modifications were mandated primarily for safety – roll cages, window nets, etc. They were also required to use tires provided by series sponsor Continental.

Based on performance potential, the cars were divided into one of two groups – Grand Sport or Street Tuner:

Grand Sport (GS): The quicker of the two groups, this class included cars such as the Chevrolet Camaro GS.R, Ford Shelby GT350R-C, Aston Martin Vantage, Nissan 370Z, BMW M3 and Porsche 911. Vehicles competing in the category produced between 400 - 500 horsepower and were capable of speeds over 175-mph.
Street Tuner (ST): This class was for smaller sedans and sports car with four or six-cylinder engines. Popular vehicles found in this group were the BMW 328i, Honda Civic Si, Porsche Cayman, Mazda MX-5, Audi S3 and MINI JCW. The cars in this class produce between 220 – 280-horsepower.

Close competitive racing with cars that fans can relate to contributes to the popularity of the series. It also provided an environment for automotive manufacturers to test and showcase their products.

Watkins Glen was race-four of ten-rounds during the 2015 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge series season. Drivers would compete on the eleven-turn 3.40-mile road course for two-hours, thirty-minutes in the Continental Tire 150 at The Glen.

It rained during the race and it intensified as the event wore on. With thirty-minutes remaining the contest was red flagged by the officials. The race went back to yellow flag conditions with less than fourteen-minutes remaining. The cars returned to the track but the competitors did not get a restart.

The start of the 2015 Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge series race at Watkins Glen. Leading the field into turn one is the pole-sitter, Scott Maxwell in the new Ford Shelby GT350R-C. Slotting in behind Maxwell is the No. 14 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z which started third. The Rum Bum Porsche which shared the front row with Maxwell is about to enter corner one in third-place.

Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis won the last two rounds – Sebring and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – driving the No. 6 Stevenson Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R. At Watkins Glen, they were the quickest Grand Sport entry after the practice sessions. Davis started the race in sixth place and was second when they changed drivers. Liddell made the pass for the lead on lap-34 and went on the score their third victory.

The CJ Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5 was driven by Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee. The team was still looking for their first victory of the season – their best result to date was a third at Sebring. McCumbee was third quickest in qualifying and started the race. On lap-6, he passed the race leader, Justin Piscitell. McAleer jumped into the car for the final stint and led the remainder of the contest.

After two practice session, the No. 34 Mazda MX-5 was second quickest in their class. In qualifying, Justin Piscitell went one better and was the fastest in Street Tuner – this was his fourth consecutive pole of the season. Sharing the Mazda with Piscitell was Christian Szymczak. Piscitell led the race until lap-6 when he was passed by Chad McCumbee. Unable to maintain the pace of the CJ Wilson team, they finished second.

Using a split start the second wave of thirty Street Tuner competitors head into Watkins Glen’s corner one. Leading the way is the Alara Racing Mazda MX-5 of the class pole-sitter, Justin Piscitell. Behind Piscitell is the third place starter Chad McCumbee in the CJ Wilson Mazda MX-5 and the other front row starter, Chad Gilsinger in the HART Honda Civic Si.

The Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 was gridded eighth in the Grand Sport class for the Continental Tire 150 at the Glen. Sharing the BMW were Trent Hindman and Ashley Freiberg. Freiberg had success last year at Watkins Glen when she won the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup event. The team inherited second late in the race when the Rum Bum Porsche went off-course. They were able to hold the position and finished second.

The No. 14 Doran Racing Nissan 370Z was raced by B.J. Zacharias and Brad Jaeger. After the first two practice sessions, they were the second fastest. Jaeger qualified the Nissan and put the car on the outside of the front row. The Doran team was another beneficiary of Matt Plumb’s error late in the event and grabbed the final spot on the Grand Sport podium – this was their second consecutive third-place finish.

Multimatic Motorsports debut two Ford Shelby GT350R-Cs. The No. 15 entry was shared by Billy Johnson and Scott Maxwell. The team’s speed improved during each practice session and in qualifying, Maxwell was able to put the car on the pole. He started the race and led the first four-laps but had to stop due to a foggy windshield. The extra pit-stop took the team out of contention and they finished seventh.

The second quickest Street Tuner entry was the No. 93 HART Honda Civic Si qualified by Kevin Boehm. Sharing the Honda with Boehm was Chad Gilsinger. The two drivers turned in a solid performance and completed the class podium. The event also marked a couple of firsts - it was the team’s first podium of the 2015 season and Boehm’s first Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge podium.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GS	Andrew Davis / Robin Liddell	Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R	45	-
2	GS	Trent Hindman / Ashley Freiberg	BMW M3	45	-
3	GS	BJ Zacharias / Brad Jaeger	Nissan 370Z	45	-
4	GS	Jade Buford / Austin Cindric	Ford Shelby GT350R-C	45	-
5	GS	Lawson Aschenbach / Matt Bell	Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R	45	-
6	GS	Matt Plumb / Hugh Plumb	Porsche 911	45	-
7	GS	Scott Maxwell / Billy Johnson	Ford Shelby GT350R-C	45	-
8	GS	Anthony Mantella / Sasha Anis	Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R	45	-
9	GS	Martin Barkey / Kyle Marcelli	Chevrolet Camaro Z/28.R	45	-
10	GS	Bob Michaelian / Nick Galante	Ford Mustang Boss 302R	45	-
11	GS	Charlie Putman / Charles Espenlaub	Aston Martin Vantage	45	-
12	ST	Stevan McAleer / Chad McCumbee	Mazda MX-5	45	-
13	ST	Christian Szymczak / Justin Piscitell	Mazda MX-5	45	-
14	ST	Chad Gilsinger / Kevin Boehm	Honda Civic Si	45	-
15	ST	Andrew Carbonell / Liam Dwyer	Mazda MX-5	45	-
16	ST	Jeff Mosing / Eric Foss	Porsche Cayman	45	-
17	ST	Adam Isman / Dillon Murcott	Porsche Cayman	45	-
18	ST	Sarah Cattaneo / Owen Trinkler	Honda Civic Si	45	-
19	ST	Terry Borcheller / Mike LaMarra	BMW 128i	45	-
20	ST	Ethan Low / Jason Rabe	Porsche Cayman	45	-
21	ST	Connor Bloum / Greg Strelzoff	Porsche Cayman	45	-
22	ST	Jim McGuire / Nico Rondet	Audi S3	45	-
23	ST	Wayne Nonnamaker / Will Nonnamaker	Porsche Cayman	45	-
24	ST	John Schmitt / Steve Eich	Honda Civic Si	45	-
25	ST	Andrie Hartanto / Tyler Cooke	BMW 328i	45	-
26	ST	Derek Jones / Mat Pombo	Porsche Cayman	45	-
27	ST	Paul Holton / Kyle Gimple	Audi S3	45	-
28	GS	Chris Beaufait / James Vance	Ford Mustang Boss 302R	44	-
29	GS	Ken D'Arcy / Sam Schultz	BMW M3	44	-
30	GS	Nick McMillen / Steven Doherty	Nissan 370Z	44	-
31	ST	Nate Norenberg / Ramin Abdolvahabi	Porsche Cayman	44	-
32	ST	Greg Liefooghe / Eric Zimmermann	Porsche Cayman	44	-
33	ST	Zach Meyer / Stephen Simpson	MINI JCW	44	-
34	ST	Juan Carlos Leroux / Jorge Leroux	Honda Civic Si	44	-
35	ST	Sam Schechter / Aaron Nash	BMW 128i	43	-
36	ST	Rick DeMan / Phillip Bloom	Porsche Cayman	40	Not Running
37	ST	Matthew Dicken / Corey Lewis	Porsche Cayman	39	Not Running
38	ST	Brent Mosing / Tim Probert	BMW 328i	39	Not Running
39	ST	Spencer Pumpelly / Luis Rodriguez Jr.	Porsche Cayman	36	-
40	ST	Ted Giovanis / David Murry	BMW 328i	32	-
41	GS	Rob Ecklin Jr. / David Russell	Aston Martin Vantage	31	Not Running
42	ST	Dan Rogers / Seth Thomas	Porsche Cayman	31	Not Running
43	ST	Joe Sahlen / Jeff Segal	Porsche Cayman	31	Not Running
44	ST	James Clay / Jason Briedis	BMW 328i	1	Not Running
45	ST	Remo Ruscitti / Cody Ellsworth	MINI JCW	1	Not Running
46	ST	AJ Riley / Jameson Riley	Mazda MX-5	0	Did Not Start

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