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 four, five and six of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car series were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The event was titled the Remo Ferri Group Canadian Grand Prix presented by Replay XD. Drivers in the Touring category would compete in three forty-minute races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

The start of the weekend’s final race for the Touring Car, Touring Car A and Touring Car B class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The first group to receive the green flag was the Touring Car group. Leading the field into corner one is the class pole-sitter, Corey Fergus, in the No. 00 Porsche Cayman. Behind Fergus are the Mazda Miatas of the second and third place starters, Adam Poland and Ernie Francis, Jr.

Touring Car competitor Ernie Francis, Jr, grabbed the pole and overall victory in the first race of the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Recording the fastest time in round four gave him the top starting spot in the next contest. Francis led briefly, but the No. 98 Breathless Performance Mazda MX-5 fell off the pace and he finished tenth. He started third in the finale; however, a last lap pass gave him second-place.

Canadian Glenn Nixon opened the season with a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place result. In round four, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he teamed up with Mini drivers Mac Korince and Travis Washay to draft past the Touring Car B points leader, Johan Schwartz, for the victory in race one. In the next two contests, Nixon was unable to maintain Schwartz’s pace and captured two second-place finishes.

Eliven Goulart has won four SCCA National titles. Goulart displayed the driving skill that earned him four championships in round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He qualified on the Touring Car A class pole in his first World Challenge start driving the No. 23 Mazda RX-8. Goulart would lead flag-to-flag for the victory. Unfortunately, the next day, he retired after eleven laps and could not participate in the finale.

Corey Fergus qualified second fastest for round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. During the race, he was unable to fend off challenges from Adam Poland and Cody Ellsworth and finish fourth. In the next two contests, Fergus redeemed himself. He gridded fourth in Saturday’s event but captured the victory after moving into the lead on lap-17. On Sunday, Fergus started on the pole and led flag-to-flag.

The 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car podium for round six at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the winner for a second time this weekend and the class point’s leader, Corey Fergus. On the left side of the rostrum is the victor of the weekend’s first contest and the second-place finisher, Ernie Francis, Jr. Rounding the top-three and landing on the podium for a third time at the event is Adam Poland.

Johan Schwartz swept all three Touring Car B class races in the season opener. It appeared that the driver of the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing Chevrolet Sonic would do the same at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park weekend after qualifying on the pole for race one. However, a missed shift late in the event which resulted in fourth place. In the next two contests, Schwartz was back on form and posted a pair of victories.

Sunday morning at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Touring Car A competitors enter corner one for the start of round six for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series. The class pole-sitter, Paul Holton, is already clear of the field and being chased by the No. 36 Kia Forte Koup of Jason Wolfe. Behind Wolfe is the Honda Civic of Timothy Mincey, Sr. and the Touring Car class Mazda MX-5 of Austin Snader.

In the opening weekend of the 2015 Touring Car season at Circuit of the Americas, Adam Poland earned a pole and second and third-place finishes. The driver of the No. 33 Mazda MX-5 was still on form when the series arrived at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Poland qualified fourth fastest for round four and finished in the runner-up spot. The next day, he captured another runner-up finish. On Sunday, Poland was third.

Driving the No. 71 Civic was former Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec competitor, Paul Holton. Holton kick-off the season with a second-place finish at COTA. He qualified fourth for race one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and collected another runner-up result. On Saturday, Holton went one better and captured the win. In the finale, he made contact with Jason Wolfe and retired with a seventh-place finish.

Three different drivers, Neal DePaz, Philippie Merjech and Juan Carlos Casa Diego, shared the No. 5 Honda Civic at COTA. Casa Diego delivered the best result with a runner-up finish. At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Merjech and Casa Diego were on-hand to share the Honda. Casa Diego competed in the weekend’s second race and finished fifth. Merjech started the finale seventh in Touring Car A but finished first.

One of many Canadians making their season debut at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Randy Smith. Smith drove the No. 66 Honda Fit in the Touring Car B category. The newcomer qualified and finished sixth in the weekend’s first contest. With one race ‘under his belt,’ he started round five in seventh but earned the final position on the podium. On Sunday, he battled from sixth to capture another third-place finish.

The Touring Car A podium for round six of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center, from NDP Motorsports, is the first time winner, Felipe Merjech. On the left side of the rostrum is the Canadian competitor and the runner-up finisher, Patrick Seguin. Making her first visit to the podium is the third-place finisher, Emilee Tominovich.

Former Canadian Touring Car competitor, Patrick Seguin, was entered in the No. 49 Honda Civic Si. He put his local track knowledge to good use. In round four, Seguin qualified and finished fifth in Touring Car A. On Saturday, he started third in class and captured the final spot on the podium. In the finale, Seguin was a beneficiary of contact between Paul Holton and Jason Wolfe and grabbed a runner-up result.

The Touring Car class point’s leading heading into round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Cody Ellsworth. Ellsworth scored a pair of victories and a third-place finish in the season opener at Circuit of the Americas. Between Texas and Ontario, his competition found additional speed. Ellsworth left Canada with two thirds and a fourth-place result. And, he no longer led the points battle.

The Touring Car B class enters corner one for the first lap of round six for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Leading the eleven Touring Car B group is Johan Schwartz in the No. 25 Tech Sport Racing prepared Chevrolet Sonic. Trailing Schwartz are the Racing.ca teammates, Wei Lu and Glenn Nixon in the No. 59 and 58 Mini Coopers.

Another Canadian starting his 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park was Mac Korince. Korince drove the No. 51 Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper. He qualified last in the weekends first contest but battled to the front and joined Glenn Nixon to draft past the race leader, Johan Schwartz, for a runner-up result. In the next two rounds, Korince finished fifth and twelfth in the Touring Car B category.

The second member of the Indian Summer Racing team was Travis Washay in the No. 30 Mini Cooper. Washay was the third driver of a Mini train that drafted by the Touring Car B class leader, Johan Schwartz, for a third-place finish. In Saturday’s contest, he retired after crashing on lap-16 and was classified with an eleventh-place. With repairs made, Washay started the finale fifth in class and finished in fourth.

Results-wise, it wasn’t a great weekend for Touring Car A competitor, Jason Wolfe. However, the absence of Tony Rivera allowed him to leave Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with the points lead. Wolfe’s weekend started well with a third-place finish in the No. 36 Kia Forte Koup. This was followed by a runner-up result. In the finale, he was leading when lap-17 contact with Paul Holton knocked him out of the race.

The local team, Compass360, had two very quick Honda Civic Si entered in the Touring Car A group. The No. 72 Honda was piloted by Emilee Tominovich, who completed with Emich Racing last season. She opened the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with a seventh-place finish. In round five, Tominovich earned a sixth. On Sunday, she started third in class and captured the final position on the podium.

The final Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B podium of the weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. In the center is the class points leader and round six winner, Johan Schwartz. Schwartz’s record stood at five victories in six starts. On the left side of the rostrum is the runner-up, in not only the race but also the title chase, Glenn Nixon. Finishing in third place for the second time this weekend is Ontario’s, Randy Smith.

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	TC	Ernie Francis Jr	Breathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-5	21
2	4	TC	Adam Poland	Edge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-5	21
3	3	TC	Cody Ellsworth	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	21
4	2	TC	Corey Fergus	USLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman	21
5	5	TC	Nathan Stacy	Volvo C30	21
6	8	TC	John Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman	21
7	9	TC	Austin Snader	Evert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-5	21
8	13	TC	Dinah Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-5	21
9	7	TC	Mikey Taylor	Unitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI	20
10	11	TC	Randy Hale	Trans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-5	19
11	12	TC	Alex Welch	HPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI	19
12	14	TC	Andrew Rains	National Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf	19
13	15	TC	Jeff Altenburg	HPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI	18
14	10	TC	Jason Cherry	Skullcandy Nissan Altima	11
15	6	TC	Cory Friedman	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	10
16	16	TCA	Elivan Goulart	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-8	21
17	19	TCA	Paul Holton	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	21
18	17	TCA	Jason Wolfe	Wolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup	21
19	22	TCA	Kris Wright	Wright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup	21
20	20	TCA	Patrick Seguin	Let s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si	21
21	24	TCA	Samantha Tan	Kia Forte Koup	21
22	23	TCA	Emilee Tominovich	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	21
23	26	TCA	Timothy Mincey Sr	Godspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si	21
24	25	TCA	Kevin Anderson	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX8	21
25	21	TCA	Felipe Merjech	NDP Motorsports Honda Civic	7
26	18	TCA	Shea Holbrook	Honda Civic Si	0
27	28	TCB	Glenn Nixon	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	20
28	38	TCB	Mac Korince	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	20
29	37	TCB	Travis Washay	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	20
30	27	TCB	Johan Schwartz	Chevrolet Sonic	19
31	29	TCB	Andrei Kisel	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	19
32	33	TCB	PJ Groenke	Verax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper	19
33	32	TCB	Randy Smith	ID Life Honda Fit	19
34	35	TCB	Marc Sherrin	GSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta	19
35	36	TCB	Tom Noble	West Real Estate Mini Cooper	19
36	30	TCB	Wei Lu	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	19
37	34	TCB	Jason Fichter	Surf Fire & Security Mini Cooper	14
38	31	TCB	Van Svenson	Chevrolet Sonic	9

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	4	TC	Corey Fergus	USLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman	24
2	2	TC	Adam Poland	Edge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-5	24
3	3	TC	Cody Ellsworth	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	24
4	7	TC	Cory Friedman	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	24
5	9	TC	Jason Cherry	Skullcandy Nissan Altima	24
6	12	TC	Austin Snader	Evert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-5	24
7	8	TC	John Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman	24
8	11	TC	Alex Welch	HPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI	24
9	15	TC	Dinah Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-5	24
10	1	TC	Ernie Francis Jr	Breathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-5	23
11	5	TC	Mikey Taylor	Unitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI	18
12	10	TC	Randy Hale	Trans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-5	14
13	6	TC	Nathan Stacy	Volvo C30	7
14	14	TC	Andrew Rains	National Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf	6
15	13	TC	Jeff Altenburg	HPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI	4
16	18	TCA	Paul Holton	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	24
17	17	TCA	Jason Wolfe	Wolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup	24
18	19	TCA	Patrick Seguin	Let s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si	24
19	21	TCA	Samantha Tan	Kia Forte Koup	24
20	26	TCA	Juan Carlos Casadiego	NDP Motorsports Honda Civic	24
21	22	TCA	Emilee Tominovich	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	24
22	23	TCA	Timothy Mincey Sr	Godspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si	23
23	24	TCA	Kevin Anderson	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX8	23
24	16	TCA	Elivan Goulart	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-8	11
25	20	TCA	Kris Wright	Wright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup	0
26	25	TCA	Shea Holbrook	BUBBA Burger Honda Civic Si	0
27	28	TCB	Johan Schwartz	Chevrolet Sonic	22
28	30	TCB	Glenn Nixon	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	22
29	34	TCB	Randy Smith	ID Life Honda Fit	21
30	35	TCB	Jason Fichter	Surf Fire & Security Mini Cooper	21
31	29	TCB	Mac Korince	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	21
32	32	TCB	Wei Lu	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	21
33	38	TCB	Van Svenson	Chevrolet Sonic	21
34	37	TCB	Marc Sherrin	GSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta	21
35	36	TCB	Tom Noble	West Real Estate Mini Cooper	21
36	33	TCB	PJ Groenke	Verax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper	21
37	27	TCB	Travis Washay	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	16
38	31	TCB	Andrei Kisel	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	5

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	TC	Corey Fergus	USLED/AxisRoofing/AERO/RSS Porsche Cayman	24
2	3	TC	Ernie Francis Jr	Breathless Performance/Time4Learning Mazda MX-5	24
3	2	TC	Adam Poland	Edge Addicts/Texas Track Works Mazda MX-5	24
4	7	TC	Cody Ellsworth	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	24
5	8	TC	Jason Cherry	Skullcandy Nissan Altima	24
6	9	TC	John Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Porsche Cayman	24
7	6	TC	Cory Friedman	Mac Papers/Hastings Fiberglass Porsche Cayman	24
8	10	TC	Austin Snader	Evert Fresh Corp/SR Enterprises Mazda MX-5	24
9	14	TC	Alex Welch	HPA Volkswagen Jetta GLI	24
10	5	TC	Nathan Stacy	Volvo C30	24
11	14	TC	Andrew Rains	National Bank of Commerce Volkswagen Golf	22
12	5	TC	Mikey Taylor	Unitronics Volkswagen Jetta GLI	22
13	15	TC	Dinah Weisberg	REDCOM Labs/ColorTrack/Red Line Mazda MX-5	22
14	10	TC	Randy Hale	Trans Aero/Hale Propeller Mazda MX-5	16
15	23	TCA	Felipe Merjech	NDP Motorsports Honda Civic	24
16	22	TCA	Patrick Seguin	Let s Hug It Out Honda Civic Si	24
17	19	TCA	Emilee Tominovich	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	24
18	25	TCA	Kris Wright	Wright Automotive Group Kia Forte Koup	23
19	20	TCA	Samantha Tan	Kia Forte Koup	23
20	21	TCA	Timothy Mincey Sr	Godspeed Project Suspension Honda Civic Si	23
21	17	TCA	Paul Holton	Honda Performance Development Honda Civic Si	21
22	18	TCA	Jason Wolfe	Wolfe Trucking Kia Forte Koup	15
23	24	TCA	Kevin Anderson	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX8	4
24	16	TCA	Elivan Goulart	TechSportRacing.com Mazda RX-8	0
25	27	TCB	Johan Schwartz	Chevrolet Sonic	22
26	28	TCB	Glenn Nixon	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	22
27	33	TCB	Randy Smith	ID Life Honda Fit	22
28	31	TCB	Travis Washay	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	22
29	35	TCB	Jason Fichter	Surf Fire & Security Mini Cooper	22
30	29	TCB	Wei Lu	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	22
31	36	TCB	Marc Sherrin	GSpeed/Steadfast Funding Ford Fiesta	22
32	38	TCB	Van Svenson	Chevrolet Sonic	22
33	37	TCB	Tom Noble	West Real Estate Mini Cooper	22
34	34	TCB	PJ Groenke	Verax.ca/Tundra/Mulligan Gold Mini Cooper	20
35	32	TCB	Andrei Kisel	Racing.ca/LaptopScreen.com Mini Cooper	3
36	30	TCB	Mac Korince	Indian Summer Racing Mini Cooper	0

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