autoracing journal
Ohio Technical College

Racing Merchandise

Racing Merchandise is a SEMA Member


About‌ Us
Contact‌ Us
Advertise‌ On‌ Our‌ Site!
Syndicate‌ this‌ site‌ (XML)

Archives


Search


Media


Categories


Do‌ you‌ have‌ a‌ Motorsports-related‌ press‌ release‌ or‌ news‌ that‌ you‌ would‌ like‌ us‌ to‌ post?

Free‌ Submission‌

auto-racing-gt-prototype-endurance


IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Tire Challenge At Laguna Seca

The IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge cars as they come out of Turn 10 and set up along the short chute to enter Turn 11 on to the front straight at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Tire Challenge At Laguna Seca
Words By: Brandon J. O'Brien
Images By: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images unless otherwise specified

The IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge is always a highly competitive race. The event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was not decided until the finals turns of the final lap.

With 10-minutes of the two-hour race to go the top four Grand Sport (GS) cars were running within two seconds of each other.  The leading No. 28 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 MR was being driven by Dillon Machavern and had lead the field for most of the final hour. He was followed closely by the No. 57 Winward Racing / HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Christian Hohenadel.

The No. 28 RS1 Porsche Cayman GT4 MR lead the race until running out of fuel on the last lap.Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The No. 57 Winward Racing / HTP Mercedes-AMG GT4 had second place secured until it also ran out of fuel on the final lap. Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

In third place was the No. 46 Team TGM Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Hugh Plumb and in fourth was the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 driven by Scott Maxwell.

On the final lap, both the first and second place cars began to fail due to fuel starvation. As the No. 28 Porsche Cayman and the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG slowed they were quickly passed by the No. 46 Mercedes-AMG GT4 and the No. 15 Mustang GT4 with only two turns to go to the checkered flag. Being on a later pit strategy and in fuel conservation mode they both had enough fuel to make it to the end.

The Race Winning No. 46 Team TGM Mercedes-AMG GT4 driven by Hugh Plumb seen here last the top of the Cork-Screw at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The second place No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 driven by Scott Maxwell seen here exiting Turn 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The Touring Car (TCR) class was an exclusive Audi RS3 LMS TCR event.  The top three finishers were the No. 77 Compass Racing Audi co-driven by Britt Casey Jr. and Tom Long.  Followed in second place by the No. 54 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi driven by Michael Johnson and Stephen Simpson.  Third place went to the No. 12 eEuroparts.com Racing Audi co-driven by Kenton Koch and Tom O'Gorman.

Touring Class (TCR) winning No. 77 Compass Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR driven by Britt Casey Jr. and Tom Long seen exiting Turn 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The second place Touring Car (TCR) No 54 JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR  exiting Turn 11 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The No. 12 eEuroparts.com Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR exiting the Cork-Screw on it's way to a class third place finish driven by Kenton Koch and Tom O'Gorman. Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

The Street Turner (ST) class was headed by the No.81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i co-driven by Nick Galante and Devin jones.  Second place went to the No. 73 MINI JWC Team Mini JCW co-driven by Mike LaMarrta and Max Pombo with third place going to the No. 21 Bodymotion Racing Porsche Cayman driven by Max Faulkner and Jason Rabe.

The Street Tuner (TC) class was won by the No. 81 BimmerWorld BMW 328i driven by Nick Galante and Devin JonesImage Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Second place Street Tuner (TC) went to the No. 73 MINI JWC co-driven by Mike LaMarra and Mat PomboImage Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Third place in the Street Tuner (ST) class went to the No. 21 Bodymotion Porsche Cayman driven by Max Faulkner and Jason Rabe  Image Credit: Brandon O'Brien / Motor Driven Images (2018)

Continental Tire will exit IMSA competition at the end of 2018, including title sponsorship of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, with IMSA electing not to extend its long-standing partnership, the tire manufacturer.

In addition to confirming Michelin as the new entitlement partner and official tire, the challenge series will introduce the same leader-light technology used by the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2018. All series races will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBCSN as part of IMSA’s new, six-year television partnership with NBC Sports.

The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will feature leader-light technology and a reduction to two classes, but the series’ familiar slate of 10 races and outstanding on-track competition remain for 2019.

The two-class format includes the lead Grand Sport (GS) class, which this year began using race cars built to international GT4 technical regulations exclusively and the TCR class, which debuted this year with front-wheel drive, turbocharged race cars governed by international TCR technical regulations. The Street Tuner (ST) class has been discontinued for 2019 as previously planned.




TAGS: Brandon O'Brien, Continental Monterey Grand Prix, IMSA, IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, Motor Driven Images, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Comments

Submit a comment


 

 


Motorsports Employment Find Racing Schools Racing Merchandise School of Automotive Machinists