2015 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - World Challenge

2015 was the twenty-sixth consecutive year for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) Pirelli World Challenge series. There were twelve race weekends – at some of these events, the series shared the venue with IndyCar and the United Sportscar Championship. On the other weekends, the World Challenge championship served as the feature event.

For the first time, the season opened in early March at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). In support of the IndyCar series, the second event of the season was at Saint Petersburg - in previous years, St. Pete marked the start of the championship. Following Saint Petersburg were races at Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Detroit, Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Miller Motorsport Park, Sonoma Raceway and the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

In 2015, the series introduced two new classes – Grand Touring Sportsman (GTA) and GT Cup (GTC). Drivers and teams were now vying for titles in seven categories.

Grand Touring (GT) – This is the series quickest class and is predominantly cars that would compete in the FIA GT3 category. Examples of vehicles racing in this group include: Acura TLX-GT, Aston Martin Vantage V12, Porsche 911 GT3 R, Nissan GT-R GT3, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, McLaren 650S GT3, Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3, Bentley Continental GT3, BMW Z4 GT3, Audi R8 LMS, Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 FL2 and Ferrari 458 Italia GT3.
Grand Touring Sportsman (GTA) – This class includes the same vehicles as GT. However, the drivers are not considered professionals. Competitors in this category are evaluated after each event and based on their performance may be elevated to the GT class.
GT Cup (GTC) – This is a spec class for Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.
Grand Touring Sport (GTS) – The cars in this group are similar to the GT vehicles but have additional preparation restrictions. This class is mainly comprised of Ford (Mustang Boss 302), Chevrolet (Camaro Z28) and Porsche (Cayman) products. In 2015, the GTS category witnessed an influx of new manufacturers: Maserati Gran Turismo, Lotus Evora GT4 and Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Touring Car (TC) – This class is for smaller sedans and sports cars which are allowed some performance modifications. Examples of vehicles competing in this group include: Honda Accord, Mazda MX-5, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Jetta, Nissan 370Z and Porsche Boxster.
Touring Car A (TCA) – Many of the cars competing in this class are the same as those found in Touring Car. What sets them apart is the minimum amount of modifications that can be made – most changes are to improve the safety of the vehicles.
Touring Car B (TCB) - The slowest of all the World Challenge categories is based on the Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class. Examples of vehicles competing in TCB include: Chevrolet Sonic, Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Mazda 2 and Mini Cooper.

Rounds eight and nine for the Grand Touring division of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Drivers in the Grand Touring, Grand Touring A and Grand Touring Cup classes would compete in two fifty-minute contests around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of Sunday’s race, round nine of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Leading the field into corner one is the defending Grand Touring champion and pole-sitter, Johnny O’Connell, driving the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-VR GT3. Behind O’Connell is the second place starter, Kevin Estre driving No. 9 McLaren 650S GT3 and the Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia of Olivier Beretta.

After seven rounds, the reigning Grand Touring champion, Johnny O’Connell, had only one podium finish to his credit. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, his luck would change. O’Connell set a new qualifying record to put the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 on the pole. Despite pressure, he led the weekend’s first race flag-to-flag. On Sunday, O’Connell started first and never lost the top spot - winning by a margin of 0.539-seconds.

Like Johnny O’Connell, Brian Heitkotter swept his category (Grand Touring A) at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Unlike O’Connell, Heitkotter had a victory, which he scored in the previous round at Barber Motorsports Park. In race one of the weekend, he chased the class leader, Frankie Montecalvo. Montecalvo made an error and Heitkotter slipped by for the lead and win. In the finale, he went flag-to-flag for the victory.

After seven Grand Touring Cup rounds, Colin Thompson had six class victories and a comfortable lead in the standings. The driver of the No. 11 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup continued his winning ways in race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. On lap-22 of Sunday’s contest, Thompson had contact with Sloan Urry. He was eventually passed by Lorenzo Trefethen and Phil Fogg, Jr but still managed to finish in the runner-up position.

Kevin Estre entered round eight at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with victories at Circuit of the Americas and Barber Motorsports Park. In the qualifying session for race one, he was fourth fastest. When the second-place starter, Olivier Beretta, went wide on the first lap, Estre slipped into his spot and held the position to the checker. Contact on lap-7 of round nine took Estre out of contention; he finished sixth.

The Grand Touring podium for round nine of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the defending class champion, Johnny O’Connell, who won his first race of the season. Standing on the rostrum’s left side is the runner-up, Butch Leitzinger, who recorded his best result of the year. The final position on the podium is occupied by the third-place finisher, Chris Dyson.

Two Bentley Continental GT3 were entered in the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series. The No. 16 car was driven by Chris Dyson. To date, the highlight of his season was a runner-up finish at Long Beach. During qualifying for round eight, Dyson recorded the fifth-fastest time. After battling with Olivier Beretta and Robert Thorne, he finished fourth. In the finale, Dyson benefitted from contact between the leaders to finish third.

On Sunday, Lorenzo Trefethen was able to capitalize on his competitor’s errors and earn his first Grand Touring Cup victory. Contact between the leaders, Colin Thompson and Sloan Urry, took the two drivers out of contention. Then the race leader, Phil Fogg, Jr spun in turn eight on the final lap, handing first place to Trefethen. The previous day, he qualified and finished third in the No. 13 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

The No. 66 Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3 was driven by Grand Touring A competitor Frank Montecalvo. Montecalvo had a class victory in round four at St. Petersburg. He qualified on the class pole for Saturday’s contest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and led until a mistake in corner three dropped him to a runner-up finish. In the finale, Montecalvo could not maintain the pace set by Brian Heitkotter and finished second.

Sunday’s Grand Touring A podium for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the driver of the Nissan GT Academy Nissan GT-R GT3, Brian Heitkotter, who won both of the weekend’s races. On the left side of the rostrum is the runner-up, Frank Montecalvo, who earned a pair of runner-up finishes. Completing the podium is the third-place finisher, Henrique Cisneros.

Butch Leitzinger drove the No. 20 Bentley Continental GT3. In the qualifying for Saturday’s contest, Leitzinger was the third fastest. During the race, he chased Johnny O’Connell and Kevin Estre to the final spot on the podium. Leitzinger started Sunday’s event in the fifth position. Contact between Kevin Estre, Olivier Beretta and James Davidson on lap-7 allowed Leitzinger to move into second and capture a runner-up finish.

The No. 61 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia was piloted by Olivier Beretta. The sports car veteran made his Pirelli World Challenge debut in 2015 and kicked off the season with a victory at Circuit of the Americas. Beretta started the weekend’s first race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on the outside of the front row but finished seventh. An incident in on lap-7 of the finale resulted in an eighth-place finish.

It was a difficult weekend for the 2005 Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring champion, Andy Pilgrim. Pilgrim’s Cadillac ATS-VR GT3 stopped at Moss Corner on Friday. Despite the crew’s best efforts, the car had to be towed back to the paddock. Problems plagued the No. 8 Cadillac all weekend. He retired on lap-1 of round eight with a mechanical issue. On Sunday, the car completed eighteen circuits before exiting the contest.

The 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series Grand Touring Cup podium for round nine at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. In the center is the winner, Lorenzo Trefethen, who was the beneficiary of fellow competitors’ mistakes. On the left side of the rostrum is the points leader and runner-up, Colin Thompson. The final spot on the podium belongs to the third-place finisher, Phil Fogg, Jr.

FINISH	CLASS	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	GT	Johnny OConnell	Cadillac Racing/Cadillac ATS-VR GT3	25
2	4	GT	Kevin Estre	K-PAX/McLaren 650S GT3	25
3	3	GT	Butch Leitzinger	Bentley/Breitling/Mobil 1/Bentley Continental GT3	25
4	5	GT	Chris Dyson	Bentley/Breitling/Mobil 1/Bentley Continental GT3	25
5	10	GT	Mike Skeen	DeVilbiss/Hawk Performance/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	25
6	6	GT	Robert Thorne	K-PAX/McLaren 650S GT3	25
7	2	GT	Olivier Beretta	FerrariOntario/Toronto/Alberta/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	25
8	9	GTA	Michael Lewis	EFFORT Racing/Curb-Agajanian/Porsche 911 GT3R	25
9	11	GT	JD Davison	AE/ReplayXD/Nissan Nismo/Nissan GT-R GT3	25
10	12	GTA	Bryan Heitkotter	Nissan GT Academy GT-R/Nissan GT-R GT3	25
11	14	GT	Peter Cunningham	RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD/Acura TLX-GT	25
12	7	GT	Frank Montecalvo	Bayshore Racing/Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	25
13	13	GT	Ryan Dalziel	EFFORT Racing/World PMO/Porsche 911 GT3R	25
14	15	GTA	Henrique Cisneros	MOMO/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	25
15	17	GT	Ryan Eversley	RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD/Acura TLX-GT	25
16	16	GT	Duncan Ende	MerchantSrvLTD/Linospresso USA/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	25
17	18	GTA	Martin Fuentes	Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	25
18	19	GTA	Eric Lux	Rembrandt Charms/Monticello MC/Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	25
19	20	GTA	Christina Nielsen	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	25
20	22	GTA	Dan Knox	ACS MFG/Lone Star Racing/Dodge Viper GT3-R	25
21	28	GTA	Drew Regitz	WWW.IRACERCOACHING.COM/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	25
22	24	GTA	Bret Curtis	Spectra/United Steel Supply/BMW E89 Z4 GT3	25
23	27	GTA	Bill Ziegler	Swisher Racing/BMW E89 Z4 GT3	25
24	23	GTA	Henrik Hedman	DragonSpeed/MercedesBenzAMG SLS GT3	25
25	8	GT	Andy Pilgrim	Cadillac Racing/Cadillac ATS-VR GT3	13
26	21	GTA	Timothy Pappas	Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	0
27	25	GT	Marc Muzzo	FerrariOntario/Toronto/Alberta/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	0
28	26	GTA	Jeff Courtney	Kenda/RecStuff.com/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	0
29	29	GT	Mike Hedlund	Scuderia Corsa/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	0
30	30	GTC	Colin Thompson	Porsche of Bucks County/PenVal/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	25
31	31	GTC	Sloan Urry	Engel & Volkers/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	25
32	32	GTC	Lorenzo Trefethen	Trefethen Family Vineyards/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	25
33	36	GTC	Phil Fogg Jr/	Zoro/TruSpeed/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	25
34	34	GTC	Mitch Landry	Deep South/VersaCrane/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	24
35	33	GTC	Eduardo Cisneros	MOMO/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	24
36	37	GTC	Victor Gomez	Porsche San Juan/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	24
37	35	GTC	Preston Calvert	Calvert Dynamics/PhoenixPerf/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	17

FINISH	CLASS	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	GT	Johnny OConnell	Cadillac Racing/Cadillac ATS-VR GT3	36
2	5	GT	Butch Leitzinger	Bentley/Breitling/Mobil 1/Bentley Continental GT3	36
3	4	GT	Chris Dyson	Bentley/Breitling/Mobil 1/Bentley Continental GT3	36
4	8	GT	Mike Skeen	DeVilbiss/Hawk Performance/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	36
5	9	GTA	Bryan Heitkotter	Nissan GT Academy GT-R/Nissan GT-R GT3	36
6	2	GT	Kevin Estre	K-PAX/McLaren 650S GT3	36
7	11	GT	Frank Montecalvo	Bayshore Racing/Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	36
8	3	GT	Olivier Beretta	FerrariOntario/Toronto/Alberta/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	36
9	13	GT	Ryan Dalziel	EFFORT Racing/World PMO/Porsche 911 GT3R	36
10	16	GT	Ryan Eversley	RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD/Acura TLX-GT	36
11	10	GT	Peter Cunningham	RealTime/Acura Motorsports/HPD/Acura TLX-GT	36
12	12	GTA	Michael Lewis	EFFORT Racing/Curb-Agajanian/Porsche 911 GT3R	36
13	15	GT	Duncan Ende	MerchantSrvLTD/Linospresso USA/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	36
14	17	GTA	Henrique Cisneros	MOMO/Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	36
15	19	GTA	Eric Lux	Rembrandt Charms/Monticello MC/Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	36
16	14	GTA	Martin Fuentes	Ferrari 458 GT3 Italia	36
17	18	GTA	Christina Nielsen	Aston Martin Vantage GT3	36
18	20	GTA	Henrik Hedman	DragonSpeed/MercedesBenzAMG SLS GT3	36
19	22	GTA	Dan Knox	ACS MFG/Lone Star Racing/Dodge Viper GT3-R	36
20	6	GT	JD Davison	AE/ReplayXD/Nissan Nismo/Nissan GT-R GT3	36
21	24	GTA	Bret Curtis	Spectra/United Steel Supply/BMW E89 Z4 GT3	35
22	28	GTA	Jeff Courtney	Kenda/RecStuff.com/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	35
23	21	GTA	Drew Regitz	WWW.IRACERCOACHING.COM/Audi R8 LMS Ultra	35
24	26	GTA	Timothy Pappas	Mercedes Benz AMG SLS GT3	33
25	7	GT	Robert Thorne	K-PAX/McLaren 650S GT3	25
26	25	GT	Andy Pilgrim	Cadillac Racing/Cadillac ATS-VR GT3	18
27	23	GTA	Bill Ziegler	Swisher Racing/BMW E89 Z4 GT3	0
28	33	GTC	Lorenzo Trefethen	Trefethen Family Vineyards/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	35
29	30	GTC	Colin Thompson	Porsche of Bucks County/PenVal/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	35
30	32	GTC	Phil Fogg Jr/	Zoro/TruSpeed/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	34
31	31	GTC	Sloan Urry	Engel & Volkers/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	34
32	34	GTC	Mitch Landry	Deep South/VersaCrane/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	34
33	37	GTC	Victor Gomez	Porsche San Juan/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	34
34	35	GTC	Preston Calvert	Calvert Dynamics/PhoenixPerf/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	33
35	36	GTC	Eduardo Cisneros	MOMO/Porsche 911 GT3 CUP	30

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