SCCA SPEED WC Media Advisory - Utah
MEDIA ADVISORY
SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships
SPEED GT Round Six
SPEED Touring Car Round Five
Larry H. Miller Dealers Utah Grand Prix
Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
July 13-15, 2006
Contact: Eric Prill, Director of Marketing Communications, (785)
250-7920, eprill@scca.com
On site: Adam Horn, (660) 864-8927, ahorn@sccapro.com
Event/Circuit: Miller Motorsports Park
4.5-mile, 24-turn permanent road course
Qualifying: SPEED Touring Car: Friday, July 14, 12:15 p.m.
(MDT)
SPEED GT: Friday, July 14, 12:50 p.m. (MDT)
Green Light: SPEED Touring Car: Saturday, July 15, 3:45 p.m. (MDT)
(standing start) SPEED GT: Saturday, July 15, 11:45 p.m. (MDT)
Race Length: To Be Determined. 50 minutes maximum from start to
checkered flag.
Television: SPEED Touring Car: Saturday, July 22, 1 p.m. (MDT)
(3 p.m. Eastern)
SPEED GT: Saturday, July 22, 2 p.m. (MDT) (4
p.m. Eastern)
Media Notes: Results are available on the AP SportsWire, via
e-mail and on the Internet (www.world-challenge.com
<http://www.world-challenge.com/> ).
Timing/Scoring: Live Timing & Scoring Presented by SRT is available for
all sessions through www.world-challenge.com
<http://www.world-challenge.com/> .
Track Records: First appearance at Miller Motorsports Park for SPEED
World Challenge
Point Leaders:
SCCA Pro Racing SPEED GT Drivers' Championship Standings
After Five of 10 races
Ps., Driver, Car, Points (Wins)
1, Lawson Aschenbach(R), Porsche 911 GT3, 122 (1)
2, Lou Gigliotti, Chevrolet Corvette C6, 118 (1)
3, Andy Pilgrim, Cadillac CTS-V, 117
4, Mike McCann, Dodge Viper, 103 (1)
5, Ricardo Imery(R), Porsche 911 GT3, 100 (1)
6, Bob Woodhouse, Dodge Viper, 96
7, James Sofronas, Porsche 911 GT3, 84
8, Tommy Archer, Dodge Viper, 83
9, Rob Foster(R), Dodge Viper, 75
10, Claudio Burtin, Chevrolet Corvette C6, 69
SCCA Pro Racing SPEED GT Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER
Magazine
Ps., Manufacturer, Points (Wins)
1, Porsche, 31 (2)
2, Cadillac, 30 (1)
3, Dodge, 29 (1)
4, Chevrolet, 19 (1)
SCCA Pro Racing SPEED Touring Car Drivers' Championship Standings
After Four of 10 Rounds
Pos., Driver, Car, Points (wins)
1, Pierre Kleinubing, Acura TSX, 127 (1)
2, Randy Pobst, Mazda 6, 115 (1)
3, Peter Cunningham, Acura TSX, 106
4, Chip Herr, Audi A4, 89 (1)
5, Jeff Altenburg, Mazda 6, 74
6, Brandon Davis, Acura TSX, 74
7, Nick Esayian, Acura RSX, 69
8, Jeff Courtney(R), Audi A4, 64
9, Eric Curran Acura RSX, 54
10, Seth Thomas, BMW 325i, 43
SCCA Pro Racing SPEED Touring Car Manufacturers' Championship Presented
by RACER Magazine
After Five of 10 Rounds
Pos., Manufacturer, Points (Wins)
1, Acura, 30 (1)
2, Mazda, 27 (1)
3, BMW, 11 (1)
Audi, 11 (1)
Storylines
THE MOST RELEVANT ROAD RACING IN THE WORLD
Entering its 17th consecutive year, SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World
Challenge has built its legacy around providing fans the most
competitive road racing in the world, and the series has earned
well-deserved praise the past few years from publications such as Car &
Driver and RACER Magazine for doing just that. But what really sets
SPEED World Challenge GT and Touring Car apart from all other series is
the "everyday" element it brings each event. World-class drivers
piloting production-based cars that come from more than 18 auto
manufacturers - it's a formula that has and will continue to serve the
interests of manufacturers, drivers and, most importantly, automotive
enthusiasts and race fans.
TESTING COULD PROVE KEY IN PIVOTAL EVENT
Former World Challenge Champion and current Miller Motorsports Park
Manager Mitch Wright calls the brand-new 4.5-mile circuit a difficult
track to learn, meaning teams that have traveled to Utah to test will
have an edge coming into the weekend that is halfway through the season.
Teams rumored to have tested include: 3R Racing, Autohaus Motorsports,
Jon Groom Racing, Whelen Engineering, TriPoint Motorsports, RealTime
Racing and BimmerWorld.
GT
Every so often, faint whispers have been heard around the paddock that
the longtime front-running mainstays on the SPEED GT circuit are finally
meeting their match with a new group of hungry competitors. Well, a
quick look at the current point standings seems to confirm that might
just be the case.
Beginning the second half of its season, one race ahead of Touring Car
owing to its solo appearance at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, the SPEED
GT standings are led by a 22-year old Rookie-Lawson Aschenbach (#66 AXA
Financial Porsche 911 GT3). Aschenbach hoped to challenge for race wins
and take the Piloti Rookie of the Year honor. However, he's established
himself as one of the chief title contenders with a combination of speed
(win at St. Pete) and consistency (top 10 at each race). But right
behind the rookie are two seasoned veterans with four series
Championships between them.
Lou Gigliotti (#28 LG Pro Long Tube Headers Corvette) has been fast at
every single event this year, including Mid-Ohio, where he won
flag-to-flag from the pole. He sits just four points behind Aschenbach
in the driver standings entering Miller Motorsports Park. Does he have
the pedigree? Gigliotti is a three-time World Challenge Drivers'
Champion.
One point behind Gigliotti sits defending series Champion Andy Pilgrim
(#1 XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/On Star Cadillac CTS-V). Like in previous years,
Pilgrim has been steady throughout the season, scoring top 10s at each
race. Team Cadillac's lead driver has yet to find victory lane since
returning to the series with the manufacturer in 2004. But, he wears the
#1 on his door for a reason. Joining Pilgrim in the #16 Cadillac this
weekend is Ron Fellows. The last two times he's driven the car (Mosport
2005 and Long Beach earlier this year), he's won.
Michael McCann (#82 McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge Viper) could very
well be leading the Championship if it weren't for a lapped car creating
an incident at Mid-Ohio that put the Sebring winner out. He sits fourth
in points, but faces an uphill battle, 19 out of first.
The most recent winner on the circuit, making it five different drivers
in five races, is Ricardo Imery (#64 AXA Financial/Cavenas Elevators
Porsche 911 GT3). The rookie teammates at Jon Groom Racing have put
Porsche into the Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER point
lead, with 31 over Cadillac's 30, Dodge's 29 and Chevrolet's 19.
Who hopes to be the sixth different winner in as many 2006 races? Other
than Pilgrim, look no further than the 2004 series titlewinner Tommy
Archer (#5 c3controls/Autohaus Motorsports Dodge Viper). Archer started
the season off in a hole, with a mechanical failure at Sebring and a
crash at St. Pete. Since then, he's finished second, fourth and second.
He also has only been outside of the first three starting positions only
once. Leighton Reese (#6 Banner Engineering Corvette) will also look to
turn his bad luck around with a win at Utah.
Other drivers having good seasons hoping to break into victory lane
include Bob Woodhouse (#13 Dodge Viper), James Sofronas (#14 Porsche 911
GT3) and five-time Champion Michael Galati (#24 Volvo S60R). Galati
makes his second appearance in the Volvo this year, and put the car on
the podium for the first time ever at Mid-Ohio.
Other drivers having solid performances this year who hope to improve in
Utah include: Rob Foster (#17 Dodge Viper) and son Kyle (#83 Dodge
Viper), Claudio Burtin (#26 Chevrolet Corvette), Sonny Whelen (#31
Corvette), Brett Pearson (#77 Viper), Doug Peterson (#87 Corvette) and
Skip Sauls (#96 Viper).
Touring Car
Order has been restored in the SPEED Touring Car world, as the RealTime
Racing Acura squad finally grabbed its first win of the season after
watching first BMW, then Mazda and Audi visit victory circle before the
most successful Touring Car marque pulled off the feat. However, with
back-to-back poles and the win at Infineon Raceway, Pierre Kleinubing
has established himself as the man to beat in 2006.
Kleinubing (#42 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Racing Acura TSX)
took the flag-to-flag win at Infineon Raceway and now leads the field by
12 points heading into the fifth round.
Randy Pobst is again the chief protagonist for the Acura squad with his
#73 TriPoint Motorsports/Mazdaspeed Mazda 6. Pobst won at St. Petersburg
and has been conspicuously missing from the podium since, finishing
fifth and fourth in the most recent two rounds. His TriPoint squad,
including fifth in points Jeff Altenburg and Dino Crescentini hopes a
pre-event test in May will help them gain a competitive edge.
However, like the blue Mazdas, the orange and white Acuras spent time at
Miller Motorsports Park as well, and Kleinubing's teammates Brandon
Davis, Eric Curran, Nick Esayian and defending series Champion Peter
Cunningham believe their time spent at the 4.5-mile circuit will prove
to be an early advantage as well.
Acura holds a slight advantage over Mazda in the Manfuacturers'
Championship Presented by RACER Magazine 30 to 27. Audi and BMW are tied
for third, with 11.
Chip Herr leads a STaSIS Engineering Audi A4 squad that also includes
top Piloti Rookie of the Year candidate Jeff Courtney and veteran Freddy
Baker. Herr won at Mid-Ohio, but the team was disappointed with its
Infineon race weekend, hoping to bounce back and return to the podium in
their turbocharged, all-wheel drive cars.
A BMW has not been atop the podium since Sebring, when Bill Auberlen
(not competing at Miller) won. However, BimmerWorld Racing has been
making strides with their brand-new E90-bodied BMW 325i cars, and James
Clay and Seth Thomas hope to turn a new track into a new winner.
Never count out Charles Espenlaub, a winner last year in his #97
Sparco/Oakley/Tindol Motorsport Mazda 6, who is due for a good finish.
Other drivers looking to break out in Utah include: Brian Smith (#13
Dodge SRT4), Jim Osborn (#24 BMW), Christian Miller (#25 Volkswagen
Jetta), Dan Aweida (#66 Dodge SRT4), Charlie Putman (#96 Mazda 6) and
Kuno Wittmer (#06 Mercedes-Benz C230).
Event Entry lists
SCCA SPEED GT Championship
#, Driver, Hometown, Car
1, Andy Pilgrim, Boca Raton, FL, XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/On Star Cadillac
CTS-V
5, Tommy Archer, Duluth, MN, c3ontrols / Dodge Motorsport Dodge Viper
6, Leighton Reese, Minnetonka, MN, Banner Engineering Chevrolet Corvette
C6
13, Bob Woodhouse, Blair, NE, Woodhouse Auto Family Dodge Viper
14, James Sofronas, Newport Beach, CA, Global Motorsports Group Porsche
911 GT3
16, Ron Fellows, Missisauga, ON, XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/On Star Cadillac
CTS-V
17, Rob Foster (R), Phoenix, AZ, LTI Contracting/Race Craft Dodge Viper
23, Bob Miller, Sykesville, MD, At Speed Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3
24, Michael Galati, Olmsted, OH, At Speed Motorsports Volvo S60R
26, Claudio Burtin, Atlanta, GA, LG Pro Long Tube Header Chevrolet
Corvette C6
28, Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, TX, LG Pro Long Tube Headers Chevrolet
Corvette C6
29, Eric Olberz (R), La Canada Flintridge, CA, Sport Chalet/911 Design
Porsche 911 GT3
31, Sonny Whelen, Old Saybrook, CT, Whelen Engineering Chevrolet
Corvette C6
33, Michael Solley, Destin, FL, Solley Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3
42, Mark LoPilato, Granbury, TX, US American Resources/Kinetic Porsche
911 Turbo
56, Ritch Marziale, Tempe, AZ, All-Cut Concrete Cutting Dodge Viper
64, Ricardo Imery (R), Caracas, VN, AXAFinancial/CavenasElevators
Porsche 911 GT3
66, Lawson Aschenbach (R), Gaithersburg, MD, AXA Financial Porsche 911
GT3
67, Kevin Chambers, Hollister, CA, WIT Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette C5
68, Keith Videtto, San Ramon, CA, WIT Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette C5
76, John Bourassa, Jupiter Island, FL, Indeco Real Estate Development
Porsche 911 Turbo
77, Brett Pearson (R), Orlando, FL, VENTEX Corp./Pearson Mtrspts Dodge
Viper
82, Michael McCann, North Canton, OH, McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge
Viper
83, Kyle Foster, Phoenix, AZ, LTI Contracting/Race Craft Dodge Viper
87, Doug Peterson, Bonita Springs, FL, 3-DimensionalServices/LGMtspts
Chevrolet Corvette C6
96, Skip Sauls (R), Longmont, CO, 3R Racing Dodge Viper
SCCA SPEED Touring Car Championship
#, Driver, Hometown, Car
1, Peter Cunningham, Grafton, WI, Acura Cert Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura
TSX
13, Brian Smith (R), Simpsonville, SC, Woodhouse Auto Family/Kicker
Dodge SRT4
17, Chip Herr, Lititz, PA, STaSIS / Clear Capital Audi A4
18, Freddy Baker, Bedford, OH, Fred Baker Audi/STaSIS Audi A4
20, Brandon Davis, Denver, CO, Acura Cert Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura TSX
24, Jim Osborn, Ooltewah, TN, TCThompsons/RemoteAreaMed BMW 325Ci
25, Christian Miller (R), Newark, CA, 034 Motorsport Volkswagen Jetta
34, Nick Esayian, Encinitas, CA, Acura Cert Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura RSX
36, James Clay, Radford, VA, BimmerWorld/Perf Friction BMW 325i
38, Seth Thomas, Cumming, GA, BimmerWorld/Perf Friction BMW 325i
39, Paul Goldman, Menlo Park, CA, BimmerWorld/Perf Friction BMW 325i
42, Pierre Kleinubing, Coconut Creek, FL, Acura Cert Pre-Owned/RealTime
Acura TSX
43, Eric Curran, East Hampton, MA, Acura Cert Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura
RSX
49, Branden Peterson, Breckenridge, CO, GreenFilter/Acura/HondaFactory
Acura TSX
66, Dan Aweida, Boulder, CO, 3R-Racing Dodge SRT4
67, Robb Holland (R), Denver, CO, Fila/3R-Racing Dodge SRT4
72, Jeff Altenburg, Ellicott, MD, Mazdaspeed/Tri-Point Mtrspts Mazda 6
73, Randy Pobst, Gainesville, GA, Mazdaspeed/Tri-Point Mtrspts Mazda 6
74, Dino Crescentini, Malibu, CA, Mazdaspeed/Tri-Point Mtrspts Mazda 6
94, Mary Katharine (R), Delray Beach, FL, Sparco/Oakley/Tindol Mtspts
Mazda Protege
96, Charlie Putman (R), , Sparco/Oakley/Tindol Mtspts Mazda 6
97, Charles Espenlaub, Lutz, FL, Sparco/Oakley/Tindol Mtspts Mazda 6
99, Jeff Courtney (R), Slinger, WI, MPI Coin/KaravanTrailer/Kenda Audi
A4
06, Kuno Wittmer, Montreal, QB, De Sigi Autosport/Autohaus Mercedes-Benz
C230
_______________________
Eric Prill
Director of Marketing Communications
Sports Car Club of America
SCCA Pro Racing/SPEED World Challenge
785-357-7222, 785-232-7228 fax
800-770-2055 toll free
785-250-7920 mobile
eprill@scca.com
www.scca.com <http://www.scca.com> , www.world-challenge.com
<http://www.world-challenge.com/>
