The 2017 Pirelli World Challenge season is the twenty-eighth consecutive year for the championship. There are eleven race weekends. The Grand Touring Sport category title chase kicks-off in March at Saint Petersburg. This event is followed by races at Virginia International Raceway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Lime Rock Park, Road America, Mid-Ohio and Utah Motorsport Complex. The penultimate rounds are held a Circuit of the Americas with the finale taking place at Sonoma Raceway in mid-September.

An additional class was added to the Grand Touring Sport category in 2017:

  • Grand Touring Sport (GTS) – The cars in this group are similar to the Grand Touring vehicles but have more preparation restrictions. Drivetrain layouts include all-wheel-drive and front and rear-wheel drive. These cars may be powered by forced induction or normally aspirated motors. In previous years, the Grand Touring Sport class was mainly comprised of Ford, Chevrolet and Porsche products. In 2016, this category witnessed an influx of FIA GT4 vehicles which proved to be very competitive – Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, KTM Xbow GT4, Ginetta G55 GT4 and SIN R1 GT4.
  • Grand Touring Sport Amateur (GTSA) – This class was introduced in 2017 and is created to accommodate drivers that are not considered professionals. However, competitors in this group are evaluated after each event and based on their performance may be elevated to the Grand Touring Sport category.

    Rounds thirteen and fourteen of the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring Sport (GTS) season took place at the Utah Motorsports Campus. The Grand Prix of Utah was presented by Security National Mortgage. Seventeen Grand Touring Sport drivers competed in the two fifty-minute races around the fifteen-turn 3.048-mile ‘Outer Course’.

    • The first lap of round thirteen of the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge series for the Grand Touring Sport category. Leading the field of seventeen cars through ‘The Attitudes’ on the first lap is the pole-sitter, Rodrigo Baptista. Following Baptista is the Ginetta G55 of the second-fastest qualifier, Drew Staveley. Immediately behind Staveley are Martin Barky in a KTM Xbow GT4 and the Porsche Cayman GT4 of Nate Stacy.
    The Panoz Avezzano GT was beginning to ‘hit its stride’ after suffering through a series of problems earlier in the season. Ian James scored two victories at Road America and earned another in the previous round at Mid-Ohio. James started the weekend at Utah with a third place after starting seventh. On Sunday, he was gridded third and moved into the lead for the final time on lap-7. James was able to hold off a hard-charging Drew Staveley for the win.
    Rodrigo Baptista driving the Flying Lizard Motorsports prepared Porsche Cayman GT4 was the quickest in the final practice session and qualifying. Starting from the pole on Saturday, Baptista led all twenty-two laps to win by a margin of 1.03-seconds – this was his third victory of the season. The following day Baptista started fourth and was battling with Jeff Courtney when the two drivers made contact. He finished fourteenth.
    A Balance of Performance adjustment implemented for Utah left the point’s leader, Lawson Aschenbach uncompetitive. In qualifying, Aschenbach driving the No.10 Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R recorded the tenth quickest time. In the race, he did not fare much better – a flat tire relegated him to a ninth-place finish. On Sunday, an incident between Rodrigo Baptista and Jeff Courtney allowed Aschenbach to grab fifth.
    Qualifying fifth in the weekend’s first event and capturing a runner-up finish was Jeff Courtney. Courtney’s lap time in round thirteen earned him the pole for Sunday’s race. Driving the JCR Motorsports Maserati, he found himself contesting fifth place with Rodrigo Baptista when contact took the two drivers out of contention. Courtney finished four laps behind the winner in twelfth place.
    The McLaren 570S GT4 of George Kurtz continues to dominate the Grand Touring Sport Amateur category. Kurtz did not score any points in rounds three and four at Virginia International Raceway but victories at CTMP, Road America and Mid-Ohio gave him the championship lead. At the Utah Motorsports Campus, he added to his tally by winning on Saturday and Sunday. Kurtz now leads the championship by thirty-eight points.
    The No. 14 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 driven by Nate Stacy was gridded fourth for the weekend’s first event. Before the end of the first lap, Stacy had moved into second behind his teammate, Rodrigo Baptista. Unfortunately for him, the car fell off the pace and he was seventh at the checkered flag. On Sunday, Stacy started sixth but an incident between Baptista and Courtney and a last lap pass on Kurtz netted him a third-place.
    Topping the time sheet in the opening session was Drew Staveley. Driving an Ian Lacy prepared Ginetta G55 Staveley shared the front row with the pole-sitter, Rodrigo Baptista. During round thirteen, he was passed by Jeff Courtney, Ian James and Martin Barky which resulted in a fifth-place finish. In the weekend’s second contest, Staveley was gridded fifth but moved through the field and finished second just 0.588-seconds behind the winner.
    The round fourteen Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring Sport podium at the Utah Motorsports Campus. On the left is the third-place finisher, Nate Stacy. To the right is local racer and runner-up, Drew Staveley. Between these two drivers is the winner for the fourth time this season driving the new Panoz Avezzano GT4, Ian James.

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPS
    1GTSRodrigo BaptistaFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport22
    2GTSJeff CourtneyJCR Motorsports / Maserati GT422
    3GTSIan JamesTeam Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT22
    4GTSMartin BarkeyMantella Autosport / KTM Xbow GT422
    5GTSDrew StavelyIan Lacy Racing / Ginetta G5522
    6GTSAGeorge KurtzGMG Racing / McLaren 570S GT422
    7GTSNate StacyFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport22
    8GTSAFrank GannettIan Lacy Racing / Ginetta G5522
    9GTSLawson AschenbachBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT422
    10GTSAMark KleninKPR / McLaren 570S GT422
    11GTSATony GaplesBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT422
    12GTSAAdam MerzonCase-it Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport22
    13GTSACarter YeungGMG Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport21
    14GTSAChris BeaufaitRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT421
    15GTSAKeith JensenNOLAsport / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport14
    16GTSAJason BellRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT414
    17GTSAJason AlexandridisLasalle Solutions / Aston Martin Vantage GT413

    FINISHCLASSDRIVERSPONSOR / CARLAPS
    1GTSIan JamesTeam Panoz Racing / Panoz Avezzano GT24
    2GTSDrew StavelyIan Lacy Racing / Ginetta G5524
    3GTSNate StacyFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    4GTSAGeorge KurtzGMG Racing / McLaren 570S GT424
    5GTSLawson AschenbachBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT424
    6GTSAFrank GannettIan Lacy Racing / Ginetta G5524
    7GTSAAdam MerzonCase-it Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    8GTSAChris BeaufaitRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT424
    9GTSACarter YeungGMG Racing / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    10GTSAKeith JensenNOLAsport / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport24
    11GTSMartin BarkeyMantella Autosport / KTM Xbow GT424
    12GTSJeff CourtneyJCR Motorsports / Maserati GT420
    13GTSAMark KleninKPR / McLaren 570S GT420
    14GTSRodrigo BaptistaFlying Lizard Motorsports / Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport19
    NCGTSATony GaplesBlackdog Speed Shop / Chevrolet Camaro GT41
    NCGTSAJason BellRacers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT40

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