The 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Thread

It's that time again, boys! This season is primed to be one of the biggest and the best for PWC that I've seen in a long time, in fact a record number of teams and drivers are registered for this year. The racing begins this weekend but teams are already showing up for the season opener at COTA for final testing and shakesdowns.



Here's a reminder of the schedule and the stops we'll visit in this thread:

PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE

* March 6-8 ; COTA, Austin, TX (All Classes)

* March 27-29 ; St. Petersburg, FL (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)

* April 17-19 ; Long Beach, CA (GT/GTA/GT Cup)

* April 24-26 ; Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)

** May 15-17 ; Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario, Canada (All Classes)

* May 29-31 ; Detroit Grand Prix, Detroit, MI (GT/GTA)

** June 26-28 & Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (All Classes)

* July 31-Aug. 2; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)

* Aug. 14 -16 ; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH (TC/TCA/TCB)

** Aug. 21-23 & Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, UT (All Classes)

* Aug. 28-30 & Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)

** Sept. 11-13 & Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA (All Classes)

(* Coincides with Verizon INDYCar Series)

(**Pirelli WC Headline Events )





www.RACER.com put out a good season preview yesterday:



Pirelli World Challenge season preview

Date: Tuesday, 03 March 2015 By Beck Duggleby/ Graham Goodwin/DailySportsCar.com



There’s little doubt that the Pirelli World Challenge has the potential for an exciting future. The 25th anniversary season of the North American series was rung in by record car counts and increased participation from international drivers, marques and teams alike. What’s more, the World Challenge is set for further expansion in 2015.



The entry list across the GT and Touring Car classes for the opening round is well into three figures with 113 cars listed at present for the opening round.



Classes: More Entries and GT Cup



The top-echelon GT and GT-A categories are set to return with increase for the number and variety of cars on the entry list from 2014.



Open to a wide range of GT3 machinery, several teams have made the jump from other series, notably the Tudor Championship, to contest in the Pirelli World Challenge’s premier class.



Due to the influx of cars onto the GT/GT-A grids, GTS cars will compete in separate races this year. GTS is also expected to grow, with 20 cars already confirmed to compete in the class, some with backgrounds in IMSA-sanctioned series.



The rest is here: http://ift.tt/1B1qmoE







Now, let's take a look at the the first stop of the season, Austin Texas and the Circuit of the Americas:

Date: Friday, March 06 - Sunday, March 08

Location: Austin, TX

Round: GT/GTA/GT Cup: Rounds 1 & 2; GTS: Rounds 1 & 2; TC/TCA/TCB: Rounds 1, 2 & 3

TV Broadcast Info: Saturday, March 14, 11 AM: GT/GTA, GT Cup presented by MOMO / Wednesday, March 18, 8 PM: TC, TCA, TCB. All times listed Eastern. Times and dates subject to change



Stop 1 COTA Daily Schedule:

Friday:

8:00am Practice - TC/TCA/TCB

9:40am Practice - GTS

10:35am Practice - GT/GTA/GT Cup

12:25pm Practice - TC/TCA/TCB

2:05pm Practice- GTS

3:00pm Practice - GT/GTA/GT Cup



Saturday:

8:00am - Qualifying GTS

9:30am - Qualifying GT/GTA/GT Cup

10:30am - Qualifying/RAce - TC/TCA/TCB

12:20pm - Race - GTS

2:45pm - Race - GT/GTA/GT Cup

4:15pm - Race - TC/TCA/TCB



Sunday:

8:45am - Warm UP - GTS

9:15am - Warm UP - GTGTA/GT Cup

10:20am - Race - GTS

1:25pm - Race - GT/GTA/GT Cup

3:10pm - Race - TC/TCA/TCB



Live Timing and scoring will be here: http://ift.tt/1zJH5b1



Live Streaming will be here: http://ift.tt/108Taq0



TV Broadcast will be here: CBS Sports Network: Saturday, March 14, 11 AM: GT/GTA, GT Cup presented by MOMO / Wednesday, March 18, 8 PM: TC, TCA, TCB. All times listed Eastern. Times and dates subject to change.



This Cadillac ATS VR will be debuting





And of course our favorite Turner Motorsports with their 2 car program and debuting the special Borla livery an on Bret Curtis's #32 Z4 GT3







we'll also see a couple Nissan GT-R GT3





NISSAN ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ALWAYS EVOLVING TO CAMPAIGN TWO NISSAN GT-R GT3 CARS FOR 2015 PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE



- 2011 Nissan GT Academy Champion Bryan Heitkotter to pilot #05 GT-R GT3

- IndyCar, Prototype and GT racer James Davison to Campaign #33 GT-R GT3

- First U.S. Appearance of Nissan GT-R Built to FIA GT3 Specifications

- Debuts in Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas March 6-8



FULL WEEKEND OF RACING PLANNED FOR PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE SEASON-OPENER

There are only a few weeks left before the thrilling 2015 season-opener of the Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of The Americas.



More than 100 race-prepped, production-based road cars are entered for the races, which will take place March 6 through 8. The weekend will feature practice sessions on Friday, with qualifying and races on both Saturday and Sunday.



The series features multiple classes of racing from manufacturers such as Cadillac (pictured), Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche and Audi, just to name a few. In addition to the on-track action, an open paddock will give fans a chance to look around the cars and talk to the drivers.



Tickets and more information can be found at circuitoftheamericas.com and at http://ift.tt/1piISRS.





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Here's some rules to remember



Purpose: The purpose of the Pirelli World Challenge® Championships is to provide teams, manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers a competitive production-based race series in which to prove their products.



Race Length: There is a 50-minute maximum time limit for every race, with the number of laps and total distance being determined by track configuration, lap times and race conditions.



Homologation of Vehicles: In addition to the general series rules that apply to all homologated vehicles, each vehicle model that is homologated into the Pirelli World Challenge Series has a set of specifications assigned to it on a Vehicle Technical Specification sheet (VTS) in order to give equivalent overall performance capabilities to a wide range of vehicles. Adjustments to a vehicle’s VTS sheet will be made until a competitive package is developed. Vehicles may be submitted for homologation up to a year before it goes on general sale to the public, and until that particular body style goes out of production throughout the world.



Eligibility: Cars that have been homologated for competition in the Pirelli World Challenge Series are eligible for a full-year of competition from the time it is homologated, until that particular body style has been out of production throughout the world for four (4) years. After a body style has been out of production for four (4) years, it may continue to compete in no more than five (5) races total with a single driver, for an additional three (3) years.



Competition Adjustments: In order to keep the competition close within the Pirelli World Challenge series, competition adjustments will be made to a vehicle model when deemed necessary. Competition adjustments will primarily be done through adjustments to the base weight, the engine speed limit and/or the required restrictor size.



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Check out how the track looked yesterday and the famous tower!