2016 Utah Motorsports Campus - World Challenge

New for the 2016 season is the SprintX Championship for GT competitors. It is based on the very successful Blancpain Sprint Series in Europe.

There is a total of six rounds with two races at three different venues (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Utah Motorsports Campus and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca). The events are 60-minutes in length and require a mandatory pit-stop for a driver change between the 25 and 35-minute mark of the race.

The SprintX Championship has two classes:

Grand Touring X (GT-X) – This is the series quickest class and is predominantly cars competing in the FIA GT3 category. Examples of vehicles eligible in this class include: Porsche 911 GT3 R, Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3, McLaren 650S GT3, Cadillac ATS-V.R GT3 and Ferrari 488 GT3.

Grand Touring Sport X (GTS-X) – The cars in this class are similar to the GT vehicles but have more preparation restrictions. In previous years, the GTS class which is the basis for GTS-X was mainly comprised of Ford, Chevrolet and Porsche products. In 2016, this category witnessed the appearance of a number of new vehicles which proved to be very competitive - KTM X-Box GT4, Ginetta G55 GT4 and SIN R1 GT4.

These cars are prepared to the same rules as those competing in the 50-minute sprint races.

Team points are awarded based on each competitor’s performance during their driving stint.

To date, the average entry for each race has been eight teams. It has been suggested, that competitors are taking a ‘wait and see attitude’.

Utah Motorsports Campus hosted rounds three and four of the Sprint X Championship in early August. Teams competed on the fifteen-turn 3.048-mile ‘Outer Course’.

The start of Sunday’s SprintX race and nine (five – GT-X and four – GTS-X) cars funnel into Utah Motorsports Campus’ very quick turn-one. Leading the way is the No. 98 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 shared by Preston Calvert and Michael Lewis. In second place is the James Sofronas / Brent Holden GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3.

Early in the first practice session, Andrew Davis was at the wheel when the Calvert Dynamics Porsche caught fire. The cause of the fire was not evident but it was believed to be fuelled by an oil leak or engine failure. Davis attempted to return the car to the pits but the fire was too intense and he parked it in the last corner. Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames but the damage to the Porsche was extensive.

‘What a difference a day makes’ or perhaps that should be ‘What a difference two days make’. After the No. 77 Calvert Dynamics Porsche 911 GT3 suffered a catastrophic fire on Friday the team entered a second car - the No. 98. Piloted by Preston Calvert and Michael Lewis the duo was successful in rounds three and four - capturing the overall and GT-X class win.

The Mills BMW Z4 was driven by Kuno Wittmer and Michael Mills. The pair started Saturday’s race behind the local Audi R8 Ultra GT3 of James Burke and David Askew. Mills handed the car over to Wittmer for the final stint. Wittmer driving an ill-handling car led until the final lap when he was passed by the Calvert entry. In round four, it appeared that Mills would pass race leader Preston Calvert but he spun and finished third.

Running in the practice sessions and drawing a lot of attention was the new Acura NSX GT3. Testing the car were RealTime principal Peter Cunningham and Dutch Touring Car veteran Peter Kox. This new Acura is powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Unfortunately, for those in attendance the team chose not to enter it in the Sprint or Sprint X races.

The Racer’s Group entered two Aston Martin Vantage GT4s in the GTS-X class. The No. 07 was shared by Max Riddle and Kris Wilson. They started from the class pole in round three but from the outset suffered problems with the left front suspension and were in and out of the pits. They started last in Sunday’s race but after sixty-minutes of racing captured the class win.

The second Racer’s Group Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was driven by Derek DeBoer and Jason Alexandridis. The demise of their teammates in Saturday’s race meant they were able to secure the GTS-X victory. With repairs made overnight to the quicker No. 07 Aston Martin, the pair finished sixth overall and second in class on Sunday.

In round three the No. 23 Audi R8 was shared by Walt Bowlin and David Ostella. The car started fifth in GT-X and was fourth at the checkered flag. The following day Dion von Moltke an experienced Audi driver from the IMSA series replaced Bowlin. Von Moltke and Ostella moved from their fourth starting position to finish second overall and in the GT-X class.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GT-X	Preston Calvert / Michael Lewis	Calvert Dynamics / Porsche 911 GT3	32	-
2	GT-X	Michael Mills / Kuno Wittmer	Mills Racing / BMW Z4	32	-
3	GT-X	Brent Holden / James Sofronas	GMG Racing / Porsche 911 GT3 R	32	-
4	GT-X	Walt Bowlin / David Ostella	M1 GT Racing / Audi R8	32	-
5	GTS-X	Jason Alexandridis / Derek DeBoer	TRG-AMR / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	30	-
6	GTS-X	Chris Beaufait / Scott Heckert	Racers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT4	29	-
7	GTS-X	Max Riddle / Kris Wilson	TRG-AMR / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	27	-
8	GT-X	James Burke / David Askew	DXDT Racing / Audi R8 Ultra GT3	16	-

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	SPONSOR / CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	GT-X	Michael Lewis / Preston Calvert	Calvert Dynamics / Porsche 911 GT3	32	-
2	GT-X	David Ostella / Dion Von Moltke	M1 GT Racing / Audi R8	32	-
3	GT-X	Kuno Wittmer / Michael Mills	Mills Racing / BMW Z4	32	-
4	GT-X	James Sofronas / Brent Holden	GMG Racing / Porsche 911 GT3 R	32	-
5	GTS-X	Kris Wilson / Max Riddle	TRG-AMR / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	30	-
6	GTS-X	Derek DeBoer / Jason Alexandridis	TRG-AMR / Aston Martin Vantage GT4	30	-
7	GTS-X	Parker Chase / Harry Gottsacker	Performance Motorsports / Ginetta GT4	30	-
8	GTS-X	Scott Heckert / Chris Beaufait	Racers Edge Motorsports / SIN R1 GT4	29	-
9	GT-X	David Askew / James Burke	DXDT Racing / Audi R8 Ultra GT3	21	-

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