2018 Circuit of the Americas - World Challenge

The 2018 Pirelli World Challenge season is the twenty-ninth consecutive year for the championship. There are six race weekends for the Touring Car categories. The title chase kicks-off in March at Circuit of the Americas. This event is followed by races at Virginia International Raceway, Lime Rock Park and the Portland International Raceway. The penultimate rounds are held at the Utah Motorsports Campus with the finale taking place at Watkins Glen International on the Labour Day weekend.

As in the previous year, there were three Touring groups; however, there were some significant changes. With dwindling entries in Touring Car B class series management decided it would not be included in the 2018 championship and was replaced by a new category, TCR.

Touring Car (TC) – This class is for smaller sedans and sports cars which are allowed some performance modifications. These front or rear-wheel-drive vehicles may be powered by turbocharged or normally aspirated engines. Examples of cars competing in this category include: Honda Civic Type R, Nissan 370Z, BMW235iR and Genesis Coupe.
Touring Car A (TCA) – Many of the cars competing in this class are the same as those found in Touring Car. What sets them apart is the minimum amount of modifications that can be made – most changes are to improve the safety of the vehicles. Using turbocharged or normally aspirated powerplants, these cars produce between 160 and 185-horsepower.
Touring Car Race (TCR) – This is an international class which was first introduced in 2014 to address the expense of competing in the World Touring Car Championship. These production-based cars are powered by 2.0-liter turbocharged engines which produce approximately 300-horsepower. Examples of vehicles competing in this category include: Audi RS 3 LMS, Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR, Honda Civic Type-R TCR, Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR and Hyundai I30 N TCR.

The opening rounds of the Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car season took place during the Grand Prix of Texas weekend. Twenty-eight TCR Touring Car and Touring Car A drivers competed in the two forty-minute races around Circuit of the Americas’ twenty-turn 3.4-mile road course.

Fourteen TCR competitors approach Circuit of the Americas’ last turn (corner twenty) in anticipation of a green flag. This would be the debut for this new TCR category. It was an all Hyundai front row – the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai I30 N TCRs were driven by Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis. The Canadian, Wilkins was the fastest qualifier and started on the pole.

Former Grand Touring competitor, Michael Lewis joined the Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian team driving the No. 98 Hyundai I30 N TCR. In Saturday’s contest, Lewis shared the front row with his teammate and pole-sitter, Mark Wilkins. He beat Wilkins to the first turn and led flag-to-flag for the win. The following day, Lewis started second but was unable to pass Wilkins and settled for second place.

In 2016, Tom O’Gorman won the Touring Car B title and moved to Touring Car A the following season driving a Honda Civic prepared by Shea Racing. This year, O’Gorman joined the very successful RealTime Racing which has eighteen professional titles to their credit. He qualified and finished a close second in the weekend’s first event. On Sunday, O’Gorman won by a margin of 7.583-seconds.

Eric Powell scored a victory during the final weekend of the 2017 season. This year he returned to TechSport racing a TCA Subaru BRZ tS. Powell’s weekend at Circuit of the Americas did not get off to a good start; he missed the first practice session and was slowest in the second. But it came together for qualifying and the races – Powell was gridded fourth for round one and took the win. In race two, he was the runner-up.

The Pirelli World Challenge TCR podium for round two at Circuit of the Americas. On the left is the runner-up and Saturday’s victor, Michael Lewis. To the right and scoring his second third-place finish of the weekend is RealTime Racing’s, Ryan Eversley. Between these two is the race winner and TCR point’s leader, Mark Wilkins.

Second place starter, Tom O’Gorman leads a field of fifteen Touring Car A competitors up the hill and into corner one on the first lap of Sunday’s contest. In pursuit of O’Gorman is the winner from round one, Eric Powell in a Subaru BRZ tS and Powell’s TechSport Racing teammate, P.J. Groenke.

Canadian, Mark Wilkins drove the second Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai I30 N TCR. Wilkins captured the TCR pole by just 0.338-seconds. In round one, his teammate, Michael Lewis beat him to the first corner and never relinquished the lead. Wilkins’ fastest race lap in Saturday’s contest gave him another pole. This time Wilkins was able to hold off Lewis and won by a margin of 0.512-seconds.

Ryan Eversley was one of three drivers performing double duty. He drove the No. 43 Honda Civic Type-R TCR and also shared an Audi R8 in the GTS SprintX event. The other drivers were Vesko Kosarov and Henry Schmitt who competed in Touring Car and GTS SprintX. Eversley was the best of the rest in TCR. Unable to match the pace of the Hyundais, he started and finished third both days – despite a penalty on Sunday.

With the demise of the Touring Car B category the 2017 champion, P.J. Groenke joined the Touring Car A class. For the new season, Groenke teamed up with the TechSport Racing team to drive the No. 25 Subaru BRZ tS. He turned in a solid performance during the first two-rounds – scoring a pair of third-place finishes.

Sunday’s Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car A podium at Circuit of the Americas. On the left is the runner-up and Saturday’s winner, Eric Powell. To the right and scoring his second third-place finish of the weekend is Powell’s TechSport Racing teammate, P.J. Groenke. Between these two, on the top step of the rostrum is the victor, Tom O’Gorman.

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	2	TCR	Michael Lewis	Bryan Herta Autosport / Hyundai I30 N TCR	17
2	1	TCR	Mark Wilkins	Bryan Herta Autosport / Hyundai I30 N TCR	17
3	3	TCR	Ryan Eversley	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Type-R TCR	17
4	4	TCR	Martin Jensen	Alfatcr.USA / Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR	17
5	8	TCR	Anthony Geraci	Heinlein Racing Development / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	17
6	6	TCR	Michael Hurczyn	FCP Euro by HRD / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	17
7	5	TCR	Jerimy Daniel	The Racing Company / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	17
8	9	TCR	Nate Vincent	FCP Euro by HRD / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	17
9	7	TCR	Mason Filippi	TFB / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	17
10	11	TCR	Matt Fassnacht	Murillo Racing / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	17
11	14	TCR	Dwight Merriman	Heinlein Racing Development / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	17
12	12	TCR	Nick Esayian	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Type-R TCR	17
13	13	TCR	JT Coupal	Compass Racing / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	16
14	18	TCA	Eric Powell	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	16
15	16	TCA	Tom O'Gorman	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Si	16
16	20	TCA	P.J. Groenke	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	16
17	15	TCA	Bryan Ortiz	Copeland Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	16
18	19	TCA	Kenny Murillo	Murillo Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	16
19	23	TCA	Spencer Patterson	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	16
20	22	TCA	Breton Williams	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	15
21	25	TCA	John Mauro	Atlanta Motorsports/Mauro Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	15
22	26	TCA	Jose DaSilva	Ives Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	15
23	24	TCA	Austin Allison	Jason Hoover Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	15
24	27	TCA	Moisey Uretsky	Murillo Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	15
25	21	TCA	Travis Washay	Indian Summer Racing / Volkswagen Golf GTI	15
26	28	TCA	Jenny Gannett	Ian Lacy Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	15
27	17	TCA	Jeff Sexton	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	10
NC	10	TCR	Jarett Andretti	Copeland Motorsports / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	1

FINISH	START	CLASS	DRIVER	TEAM / CAR	LAPS
1	1	TCR	Mark Wilkins	Bryan Herta Autosport / Hyundai I30 N TCR	14
2	2	TCR	Michael Lewis	Bryan Herta Autosport / Hyundai I30 N TCR	14
3	3	TCR	Ryan Eversley	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Type-R TCR	14
4	6	TCR	Anthony Geraci	Heinlein Racing Development / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	14
5	8	TCR	Nate Vincent	FCP Euro by HRD / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	14
6	5	TCR	Jerimy Daniel	The Racing Company / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	14
7	9	TCR	Mason Filippi	TFB / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	14
8	7	TCR	Michael Hurczyn	FCP Euro by HRD / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	14
9	13	TCR	JT Coupal	Compass Racing / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	14
10	12	TCR	Dwight Merriman	Heinlein Racing Development / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	14
11	10	TCR	Nick Esayian	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Type-R TCR	14
12	16	TCA	Tom O'Gorman	RealTime Racing / Honda Civic Si	14
13	15	TCA	Eric Powell	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	14
14	17	TCA	P.J. Groenke	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	14
15	22	TCA	Kenny Murillo	Murillo Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
16	25	TCA	Jeff Sexton	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	14
17	19	TCA	Spencer Patterson	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	14
18	18	TCA	Bryan Ortiz	Copeland Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
19	24	TCA	John Mauro	Atlanta Motorsports/Mauro Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
20	23	TCA	Austin Allison	Jason Hoover Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
21	26	TCA	Moisey Uretsky	Murillo Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
22	27	TCA	Jose DaSilva	Ives Motorsports / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	14
23	12	TCR	Jarett Andretti	Copeland Motorsports / Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR	10
NC	11	TCR	Matt Fassnacht	Murillo Racing / Audi Sport RS3 LMS	6
NC	28	TCA	Jenny Gannett	Ian Lacy Racing / Mazda Global Mx5 Cup	5
NC	21	TCA	Travis Washay	Indian Summer Racing / Volkswagen Golf GTI	4
NC	4	TCR	Martin Jensen	Alfatcr.USA / Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR	2
NC	20	TCA	Breton Williams	TechSport Racing / Subaru BRZ tS	2

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