2013 Detroit Belle Isle - World Challenge GT

In 2013, the Pirelli World Challenge Championship kicked off its twenty-fourth consecutive season at St. Petersburg, Florida, in March as a support event for the IndyCar series. The season ended the first weekend in October at the Grand Prix of Houston. In between these two events, there were races at Long Beach, Circuit of the Americas, Detroit, Lime Rock, Toronto, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma Raceway.

The series launched the Touring Car B-Spec category in 2012 and it was proving popular as entries were showing strong growth. There were four classes this season:

Grand Touring (GT) – This group includes the series quickest cars: Porsche 911 GT3, Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper, Cadillac CTS-V.R, Nissan GTR, Audi R8 LMS and Volvo S60. The preparation rules remain unchanged from the previous year. These vehicles produce more than 450-horsepower.
Grand Touring Sport (GTS) – The cars in this class are not permitted the same level of preparation as the GT category. The category is a mix of cars that could be best described as sports cars or sports sedans. Vehicles eligible to compete in GTS include SCCA Club Racing Touring 2 cars and some FIA GT4 cars. Makes competing in this category include the Ford Mustang, Porsche Cayman S, Chevrolet Camaro, Kia Optima and Acura TSX.
Touring Car (TC) – The preparation of the Touring Cars is closely aligned with the Grand-Am Cup and the Sports Car Club of America’s Improved Touring classes. The wide range of vehicles homologated for this category means that power output ranges from 180 to 260-horsepower. Also, there is significant variation in drivetrain configurations – front-wheel, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive. Makes competing in the category include the Honda Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, Volkswagen Jetta and Golf.
Touring Car B (TCB) – World Challenge’s newest class was implemented to allow competitors to compete at the professional level in cost-efficient cars. To keep expenses down, modifications are limited to performance spring and shock packages offered by the manufacturers. Makes competing in TCB are the Kia Rio, Honda Fit, Mazda 2, Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper.

Rounds six and seven of the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge series for Grand Touring and Grand Touring Sport competitors were conducted at Detroit’s Belle Isle. Drivers would race in two fifty-minute contests around the fourteen-turn 2.350-mile temporary street circuit.

The Touring Cars did not compete at this venue.

The front row of the Grand Touring grid for round seven of the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge Championship at Detroit’s Belle Isle. On the pole is the Global Motorsports Group prepared Audi R8 LMS of James Sofronas. Next to Sofronas is Saturday’s second-place finisher, Randy Pobst, driving the No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60. Behind the leaders are the Cadillac teammates, Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim.

Last season Johnny O’Connell swept both races at Belle Isle. The driver of the No. 3 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R qualified on the pole and led round six flag-to-flag for his second victory of the year. In the second race of the weekend, O’Connell was gridded third. He moved into second place early in the contest and caught the leader, Randy Pobst. O’Connell was unable to challenge for the win as the event ended under caution.

Race one for the Grand Touring Sport competitors belonged to Mark Wilkins. Wilkins qualified on the class pole driving the No. 38 Kia Motors America Kia Optima and led the twenty-five-lap contest flag-to-flag for his first victory of the season. He was gridded sixth for round seven. Wilkins moved up the race order and cleared the incident on the lap-21 restart to capture a runner-up finish.

The driver of the No. 6 K-PAX Racing Volvo S60, Randy Pobst, qualified on the outside of the front row for the weekend’s first contest in Detroit. With rain forecasted, the team set-up the Volvo for wet conditions. The damp weather failed to materialize and Pobst could not take advantage of the car’s all-wheel-drive and finished second. The next day, he started second and led flag-to-flag for his first win of the year.

Dean Martin made his series debut in this year’s Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge at Belle Isle. Martin qualified fifth fastest in Grand Touring Sport for round six and finished in fourth place. On Sunday, he was gridded eighth but moved up the race order. On the restart for the event’s final caution, an incident allowed the driver of the No. 50 Ford Mustang Boss 302S to capture first in class and the victory.

The round seven 2013 Pirelli World Challenge podium for the Grand Touring category at Detroit’s Belle Isle. In the center from K-PAX Racing and scoring his first victory of the season is Randy Pobst. On the right side of the rostrum is the defending class champion Johnny O’Connell. Completing the podium is the third-place finisher and current points leader, James Sofronas.

The Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring championship leader entering round six was Jack Baldwin. The 1992 Trans-Am title holder drove the No. 73 Porsche Cayman S and qualified in second in class for Saturday’s contest. He chased the eventual winner, Mark Wilkins and finished in the runner-up spot. In the weekend’s finale, Baldwin started second and for the first time the season, he finished off the rostrum in fifth-place.

It was a weekend of mixed results for the 2005 Pirelli World Challenge Grand Touring champion, Andy Pilgrim. Pilgrim was fourth fastest in the qualifying session for round six. Piloting the No. 8 Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R, he passed James Sofronas on the races first restart and held the position. On Sunday, Pilgrim was gridded fourth, but contact in corner three ended his day and he finished in eighth place.

Two-time series champion, Lawson Aschenbach, joined Blackdog Speed Shop to campaign a Chevrolet Camaro in the Grand Touring Sport category. Entering round six in Detroit, Aschenbach had victories at Long Beach and COTA but was second in the standings. In the weekend’s first race, he moved from ninth on the grid to a third-place finish. During round seven, Aschenbach moved into the lead but faded to eighth-place result.

Global Motorsports Group driver, James Sofronas, entered the weekend at Belle Isle with four victories and the Grand Touring points lead. Competing in the No. 14 Audi R8 LMS, he started the weekend’s first race gridded third but could not hold off a challenge from Andy Pilgrim. This was the first time in 2013, Sofronas did not finish on the podium. He started on the pole for round seven and claimed the final spot on the rostrum.

Before round seven, Alec Udell’s best result was a fifth-place in the second race at Circuit of the Americas. Udell was the sixth fastest Grand Touring Sport driver in qualifying for race six and finished in that position. In the final contest at Belle Isle, the driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang Boss 302R fared much better. Udell started ninth in class, but he moved to a third-place finish during the confusion on the final restart.

The round seven 2013 Pirelli World Challenge podium for the Grand Touring Sport category at Detroit’s Belle Isle. In the center is the winner, Dean Martin. This was the local competitor’s second start in the series. On the right side of the rostrum is Saturday’s victor and the runner-up in the weekend’s final contest, Mark Wilkins. Occupying the final spot on the podium and recording his best result of the year is Alec Udell.

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS
1	1	GT	Johnny O'Connell	Cadillac CTS-V.R	25
2	2	GT	Randy Pobst	Volvo S60	25
3	4	GT	Andy Pilgrim	Cadillac CTS-V.R	25
4	3	GT	James Sofronas	Audi R8 LMS	25
5	8	GT	Tim Pappas	Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3	25
6	9	GT	Tomy Drissi	Porsche 911 GT3	25
7	7	GT	Duncan Ende	Audi R8	25
8	6	GT	Mike Skeen	Nissan GTR	21
9	5	GT	Alex Figge	Volvo S60	11
1	1	GTS	Mark Wilkins	Kia Optima	25
2	2	GTS	Jack Baldwin	Porsche Cayman S	25
3	9	GTS	Lawson Aschenbach	Chevrolet Camaro	25
4	5	GTS	Dean Martin	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
5	8	GTS	Andy Lee	Chevrolet Camaro	25
6	6	GTS	Alec Udell	Ford Mustang Boss 302R	25
7	7	GTS	Dane Moxlow	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
8	10	GTS	Harry Curtin	Chevrolet Camaro	25
9	11	GTS	Nick Esayian	Acura TSX	25
10	12	GTS	Ric Bushey	Nissan 370Z	25
11	18	GTS	Erik Davis	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
12	16	GTS	Brad Adams	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
13	24	GTS	Roger Miller	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
14	23	GTS	Tony Gaples	Chevrolet Camaro	25
15	13	GTS	Roger Rodas	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	25
16	15	GTS	Todd Napieralski	Chevrolet Camaro	24
17	21	GTS	Buz McCall	Porsche Cayman S	24
18	20	GTS	Jim Taggart	Lotus Exige	23
19	19	GTS	Ardee Toppe	Ford Mustang Boss	18
20	17	GTS	Brian Kleeman	Nissan 370Z	18
21	14	GTS	Craig Capaldi	Ford Mustang Boss 302	17
22	3	GTS	Peter Cunningham	Acura TSX	11
23	25	GTS	Richard Golinello	Ford Mustang 302S	3
24	4	GTS	Nic Jonsson	Kia Optima	0
25	22	GTS	Bill Ziegler	Pontiac Solstice	0

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS
1	2	GT	Randy Pobst	Volvo S60	22
2	3	GT	Johnny O'Connell	Cadillac CTS-V.R	22
3	1	GT	James Sofronas	Audi R8 LMS	22
4	5	GT	Duncan Ende	Audi R8	22
5	9	GT	Tim Pappas	Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS GT3	22
6	6	GT	Alex Figge	Volvo S60	22
7	7	GT	Tomy Drissi	Porsche 911 GT3	21
8	4	GT	Andy Pilgrim	Cadillac CTS-V.R	20
9	8	GT	Mike Skeen	Nissan GTR	6
1	8	GTS	Dean Martin	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	22
2	6	GTS	Mark Wilkins	Kia Optima	22
3	9	GTS	Alec Udell	Ford Mustang Boss 302R	22
4	4	GTS	Peter Cunningham	Acura TSX	22
5	2	GTS	Jack Baldwin	Porsche Cayman S	22
6	14	GTS	Jim Taggart	Lotus Exige	22
7	13	GTS	Brad Adams	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	22
8	3	GTS	Lawson Aschenbach	Chevrolet Camaro	22
9	21	GTS	Roger Rodas	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	22
10	19	GTS	Todd Napieralski	Chevrolet Camaro	22
11	18	GTS	Ardee Toppe	Ford Mustang Boss	22
12	16	GTS	Roger Miller	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	22
13	24	GTS	Bill Ziegler	Pontiac Solstice	22
14	23	GTS	Buz McCall	Porsche Cayman S	22
15	5	GTS	Dane Moxlow	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	14
16	7	GTS	Nick Esayian	Acura TSX	14
17	10	GTS	Craig Capaldi	Ford Mustang Boss 302	14
18	12	GTS	Richard Golinello	Ford Mustang 302S	14
19	20	GTS	Harry Curtin	Chevrolet Camaro	14
20	15	GTS	Ric Bushey	Nissan 370Z	11
21	11	GTS	Tony Gaples	Chevrolet Camaro	8
22	22	GTS	Erik Davis	Ford Mustang Boss 302S	8
23	1	GTS	Andy Lee	Chevrolet Camaro	4
24	17	GTS	Brian Kleeman	Nissan 370Z	1
25	25	GTS	Nic Jonsson	Kia Optima	0

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