Speed World Challenge

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m.piedgros
Maybe it is the CTS-V program that is going to implode. I don't understand how the Cadillac team let alone the entire World Challenge series could stop/go under... it's all to weird.
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Me neither, maybe it's just one crazy rumor. I don't really keep up with Speed World Challenge news though, so they might have bigger problems than what we hear. I hope this series continues, it always provides some great racing.
 
Speed are able to piggy back their coverage be it with ALMS, ChampCar, IRL or NASCAR. So, I don't understand where they could be losing money, or whatever it is that is making them want to drop the series. That is... I can only assume it is Speed that is doing the imploding around here. SCCA know they have a hit on their hands. Sponsorship dollars keep growing for drivers, teams and SCCA. So... I'd be baffled to see the series actually die. Unless of course they were just dropping for a year or so to give teams time to switch over to FIA GT3 and Super 2000 (for the TC's) regs. Which I wouldn't mind, but I'd be confused. Why change something that works so well?

m.piedgros
 
A while back (late last year/early this year) I think there was a rumor that Speed GT would be renamed Trans Am to keep that name alive. (SCCA has since scheduled a pair of races at Heartland Park Topeka this fall so the series isn't completely dead for its 40th anniversary.) That would have made a lot of sense IMO, because of the parallels between SGT and the glory days of Trans Am. Ideally though, I would like to see SGT and TC stay the way they are and the Trans Am series return to its "pony car wars" roots, with production Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers modified to GT2 or V8 Supercar performance levels slugging it out! And I know for a fact that there are many people who would love to see the latter happen! :D
 
I agree 100%! I'd like to see American cars tuned to DTM spec. Big ol' slick tires as opposed to the comparitively skinny tires of V8 SC. Haha, seriously though, it's unfortunate Trans-Am went under and I think it's a shame that their 40th has to be celebrated this way. Why don't they just rename the SCCA GT1 class Trans-Am? Does someone else own the rights to that?

m.piedgros
 
The problem is that the SCCA has been making a lot of really BONEHEAD moves as of recent that have put SCCA Pro on life support.

The death of Trans Am at the hands of Paul Gentilozzi and Don Panoz has been the biggest hit. Seriously, it's the most well-known, best attended, greatest fan favorite of all SCCA series out there. The cars are powerful, fast as all get out, and are driven by topnotch drivers.

They're a visceral thrill that Speed World Challenge has NEVER matched, and SCCA Pro without Trans Am just isn't as palpable for sponsors.

Secondly, thanks to an archaic rules policy combined with those brats at the NASA banging their Spec Class gong, SCCA Club registration is down significantly. This has led to increased membership dues and entry fees. The entire SCCA is hurting and they're scrambling to try and stop the bleeding.

Ultimately, though, renaming Speed World Challenge "Trans Am" would be a mistake. The Trans Am series has the perfect rules package for loud, obnoxious, in-your-face, doorslamming muscle car road racing. It just needs to be massaged to eliminate some of the Gentilozzi-era favoritism (the weight breaks for the Jaguar 310ci engine, for instance) and the Panoz flights of fancy (up until Don Panoz got involved, free-standing wings and fenderbox widebodywork were verboten, but Don mandated them because he liked the DTM look).

Up the displacement limit to 6.0L (after all, Detroit's new muscle is all over 5.0L, the old limit, from the factory) and bring back bodywork like this......

Road_America-1987-08-30-040.jpg


as opposed to this nonsense........

Daytona-2003-02-02-040.jpg


And you have the perfect new Trans-Am. No need for "production" chassis that'll require every single SCCA Trans-Am or GT1 (non-professional Club Trans-Am cars) team to start fresh meaning there'll be no cars on the grid.

To make Trans-Am work, you need about 30 cheap, loud, fast, wild-handling cars on the traditional courses all beating and banging on each other, overtaking like crazy, until the very last slick-shredding, flame-spewing, V8 bellowing lap. You won't get that with Speed World Challenge. You can't get that with Speed World Challenge. You can only get that with Trans-Am.
 
I agree with most of your post Layla's Keeper, as I find myself doing often. However, are you sure Don Panoz had anything to do with Trans-Am? As I recall, SCCA ran Trans-Am with Champ Car most of the time (in the latter years a.k.a the Don Panoz is involved in motorsports years) because of Gentelozzi's ownership. Panoz-owned tracks like Mosport were dumped for dumps like the Toronto street circuit. Now, even if Panoz did have something to do with the series, are you sure wings were added because of his affection for DTM body work? The radical DTM's we see today are relatively new. Now, DTM's have always been far from stock but for most of their history they've had comparatively (to todays DTM's) conservative flares, wings and the like as well as 2.0 engines. Now, I'm saying they should go to something similar to DTM spec purely because of DTM's EXPLOSION onto the world stage. Easily the best field of drivers in pro motorsport (take that F1!!!) and the tightest racing action. For Trans-Am's sake though I'd like to see cars that are as wild and crazy as they were in the late '80's and early '90's (when they had THE world leading grid... Pruett, Kendall, Fellows, Schroeder and that's from the top of my head!) But maybe something that can save the racers in terms of cost is something a little more production based. That hurt me more typing it than it did you reading it. Trans-Am was hands down my favorite series even when it was just Gentilozzi's Jags piloted by Graf, Pruett and his rich business-man boy-racers. Trans-Am was the most American of U.S. motorsports (take that NASCAR... haha, I'm on a roll!) and I more than ANYONE would like to see it come back the way it was. Of course... no 'Vettes, Jags etc. allowed. (when released)Camaro vs. Mustang vs. (when released)Challenger is how it should be. Pony car wars... on some serious steroids. 650bhp, fat rear tires, baisic chassis and suspension, no wussy electronic aids and there you have it. This May, while the North-East was experiencing a huge amount of snow, hail and sleat and 20* weather the AGT cars were at Mosport (my favorite track ever!!!) First hand reports indicate the track was covered in precipitation, the wind was blowing more and more [precipitation] in, and the temperature was 15* with the windchill. (By the way, someone still set the track record! AGT track record that is.) Guys were at full-lock and the things wouldn't turn. Man I wish I was there driving (though I'm glad I wasn't, I hate weather below 50*!) The point is, that is what Trans-Am is about, ridiculous to the extreme AMERICAN race cars. Yeah, yeah, yeah Alfa's, BMW 2002's and the like raced in a Trans-Am in the '70's but that's not real Trans-Am!

m.piedgros
 
Yes, I am quite sure that Don Panoz owned the rights to Trans-Am in 2000-2001 before passing the series off to Paul Gentilozzi. His Panoz Motor Sports Group purchased Trans-Am as a side series to the Professional Sports Car Racing organization that IMSA sanctioned prior to the foundation of the American Le Mans Series (that was created in response to the revival of the United States Road Racing Championship - USRRC - that grew into the Grand Am).

Here's a few reference articles.....

http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/2311
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/20000212/news007827.html
 
Damn, that would be awesome!
...Muscle cars racing against each other

It would be hard to pick a favorite.


I guess now I can kind of see the appeal of NASCAR to some.
 
Layla's Keeper
Yes, I am quite sure that Don Panoz owned the rights to Trans-Am in 2000-2001 before passing the series off to Paul Gentilozzi. His Panoz Motor Sports Group purchased Trans-Am as a side series to the Professional Sports Car Racing organization that IMSA sanctioned prior to the foundation of the American Le Mans Series (that was created in response to the revival of the United States Road Racing Championship - USRRC - that grew into the Grand Am).

Here's a few reference articles.....

http://www.racingwest.com/news/story.php3/2311
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/20000212/news007827.html
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Thanks LK. Although, I think I'm not getting you on one level. The American Le Mans series was formed in 1997-98 and had it's innuagural season in 1999. ALMS would have been a year or two old at the time, right? Bah... I'm confused. I miss the old Grand-Am, SRP, SRPII, GTS, GT, AGT (especially AGT, though they run and sanction themselves now. Is it the same one?) Not to say I don't like the new one, see "What would make Sports Car Racing Better" -- my first response.

m.piedgros
 
Round 7: Elkhart Lake -- TC Articles may be spoilers for Denver TC round. Read at your own risk!

Practice 1 Results -

TC
GT

Articles:

GT
TC

Practice 2 Results -

TC
GT

Combined Practice Results -

TC
GT

Articles -

GT
TC

Event Photos -

DSC_9729-720.jpg

DSC_9752-720.jpg

DSC_9257-720.jpg

DSC_9398-720.jpg


That's all for now folks!

m.piedgros
 
The above will be entitled "Friday Practice Post" and has been completed. I will post tommorow's results and all the weekend news in a new post.

m.piedgros
 
This series is by far the most fun to watch and the most interesting. I mostly route for the Realtime Acuras and I also like Chip Herr and Randy Pobst (spelling?). I like to see that other gtp members like this series as well.
I also like the Grand-Am/Rolex series :) and most other Gt and Touring car races
 
I love watching Speed GT. It's probably the closest I will get to watching Super GT on television. I also like ALMS. But I don't really like Grand-Am, mainly because DPs don't really appeal to me for some reason.
 
@ socom, yuppers, Pobst. That is the correct spelling.

@ Mr. Boy, I myself like the DP's. They remind me of the big sponsorship GTP's of the Eighties. Those were the days... of course I wasn't alive then so that is really just second hand based.

GT NEWS: Randy Pobst will be in a 996 Porsche at Road Atlanta to aid Porsche with their assault on the GT Manufacturers title. No word yet on if he will be running in the event at the season finale in Monterrey, California.

Everyone knows that the manufacturers drive this series, as they did with GTP of the Eighties *X Files Music.* Sooo, in other manufacturer related news:

Facing a seven-point deficit going into the penultimate round of the 10-race series, Team Cadillac will field a trio of CTS- V race cars driven by Max Angelelli, Ron Fellows, and reigning SPEED GT champion Andy Pilgrim in the 50-minute race at Road Atlanta on Friday, Sept. 29.

Cadillac has been successful in the past at Road Atlanta: Angelelli won there in 2004 and Max Papis led an unprecedented 1-2-3 podium sweep by Team Cadillac last year at the roller coaster Georgia track. With 10 points on the line (nine for a victory and one bonus point for the pole-winning manufacturer), the team is focused on maximum performance and maximum points.

"Road Atlanta is one of my top-five favorite tracks because it's fast and it's fun," said Pilgrim. "It's always great to run with awesome teammates like Max and Ron because they push you to the limit. That's one of the benefits of being a Team Cadillac driver: You get to run with the best of the best, and everyone is going flat-out. As a professional racer, it doesn't get any better than that."

Pilgrim and Angelelli will both be in the unusual situation of carrying zero success ballast for this round, the silver lining in the dark cloud that shadowed them at previous races. As a result of Pilgrim's uncharacteristic 21st place finish in Mosport and Angelelli's 16th place finish in Sebring after a punctured tire, the two racers will enjoy a significant 50-pound weight reduction. Moreover, their chief Viper rival will be burdened with 90 pounds of ballast at Road Atlanta following a runner-up finish at Mosport.

"The problems caused by the rain in Mosport were a big setback to my chances of winning the drivers championship," Pilgrim admitted. "Now I have a lot of ground to make up, but I won't worry about what anyone else does. I'll just go flat out, try to get two wins, and then see what happens in the championship."

Ironically, Pilgrim and Team Cadillac could get some help from unexpected quarters in the three-way battle with Porsche and Dodge for the manufacturers' title. A Volvo won in the rain at Mosport, and recent competition adjustments have brought the Aston Martin and Pontiac GTO entries into contention. With a strong contingent of privateer Corvettes in the series, the competition for the six points-paying finishing positions will be fierce.

"We certainly expect Team Cadillac to be competitive at Road Atlanta," said program manager Dave Spitzer. "We have an excellent opportunity with Max and Andy running with less weight at a track where Cadillac has historically achieved great success. Now we just need to convert this opportunity into a victory."

While the battle for the manufacturers championship is waged on the track, Team Cadillac is also making advances on the marketing front. Angelelli, Fellows and key team members participated in a Champions Tour event at Hennessy Cadillac in Duluth, Ga., on Monday evening. Today Cadillac announced that Piloti has been named the Official Footwear of the CTS- V race team.

"As we continue to reignite America's love affair with the iconic American performance luxury brand Cadillac, we sweat the small details in everything we do," said Cadillac general manager Jim Taylor. "With regard to Team Cadillac racing in the SPEED World Challenge GT series this translates into aligning Cadillac only with other premium brands. The new Cadillac is all about dramatic presence and performance, on and off the race track, and the same can certainly be said of Piloti footwear. Team Cadillac is proud to strive for stepping up on more podiums in the future with our latest partner Piloti."

"Cadillac, with their winning combination of the CTS- V racer and drivers headed by Andy Pilgrim, has proven to be a formidable competitor in the SPEED World Challenge Championship," said Kevin A. Beard, Piloti founder and CEO. "Production car-based road racing is a core part of motorsports history and Cadillac's history dates back to the legendary 1954 Carrera Panamericana and 1950 Le Mans 24 Hour races. This kind of authenticity is what we at Piloti are all about, and we are proud to be the Official Footwear of Team Cadillac."

The SPEED World Challenge GT race at Road Atlanta will start at 4:55 p.m. EDT on Friday, Sept. 29. The 50-minute race will be televised tape-delayed on the SPEED Channel on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m. EDT.

- From world-challenge.com

Autosport Development Boss David Moxlow has made it official. Stu Hayner, and David's son Dane Moxlow (who makes his professional driving debut at Road Atlanta) make a roaring return to the series for the Pontiac GTO's.

No word on their efforts for next year as Pontiac's GTO is going out of production. If the Autosport team continues their efforts in the series, two options exist. Most likely, they will stick with the GTO's for a year or two (full-time). Second being, they may consider doing yet another "You ain't seen nothing like this," and develop a car yet to compete in World Challenge GT.

m.piedgros
 
m.piedgros
@ Mr. Boy, I myself like the DP's. They remind me of the big sponsorship GTP's of the Eighties. Those were the days... of course I wasn't alive then so that is really just second hand based.
Click to expand...

I am the same way, that sight of the DP race at Watkins Glen(NASCAR weekend) gave me goosebumps, reminded me of the old GTP days. (Even though I wasn't alive through most of them, I was born in 1990, haha.)
 
PUT AN END TO THOSE HORRIBLE RUMORS!

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sep. 28, 2006) - Sports Car Club of America announced today that its hallmark road racing properties, the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge and SCCA Club Racing National Championship Runoffs®, have finalized contract extensions with SPEED Channel for 2007.

All SCCA SPEED GT and Touring Car Championship races will continue to be broadcast on SPEED, as they have been each year since the network's inception in 1996. SPEED will also retain the title sponsorship of the series for the eighth-straight season with the option to relinquish naming rights should another entity come along.

"We"re excited to announce our continued partnership with SPEED Channel, and this should put to rest any rumors that may have been floating around about the future of the series,” said Jim Julow, SCCA, Inc. President and CEO and Acting President of SCCA Pro Racing. “SPEED World Challenge is, without a doubt, the most relevant racing property in North America to automotive enthusiasts, and we’re proud to continue the series into its 18th season in 2007.”

Also included in the agreement was an extension on the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, an event often referred to as the “Olympics” of motorsports. The Runoffs features nearly 800 amateur drivers from across the country battling in a single-race national championship format in 25 classes.

“We are so excited to be continuing our relationship with SCCA,” said Bobby Akin, SPEED Vice President. “At SPEED, we have a goal of covering the best that motorsports has to offer and we feel the World Challenge and the Runoffs certainly fit in the category of being the best in their segment. The World Challenge provides some of the best, most competitive road racing in the United States. The Runoffs are the Super Bowl of grassroots sports car racing. It’s a week unlike any other in motor sports and SPEED is proud to bring this unique event to television for another year.”

“Nothing showcases our grassroots programs like the competition at the Runoffs,” added Julow. “It is important to our Club activities to have this event on television, and SPEED has done a fantastic job for the last 10 years.”

This year’s Runoffs, which is held Oct. 9-15 at Heartland Park Topeka, will be broadcast on SPEED this November and December.

m.piedgros
 
SCCA Speed World Challenge: Petit Le Mans Road Atlanta

I'll post all results and articles related to the results here.

(GT and TC results coming soon. I've just been called away from my computer.)

m.piedgros
 
You guys are lucky you have the Speed Channel, down here the closest thing you can get to international racing is ESPN.

I doubt there is any possibility that I could watch this movie via pay-tv, so it looks like i'll just have to navigate websites. :indiff:
 
GT Pro
You guys are lucky you have the Speed Channel, down here the closest thing you can get to international racing is ESPN.

I doubt there is any possibility that I could watch this movie via pay-tv, so it looks like i'll just have to navigate websites. :indiff:
Click to expand...

That's a shame. This is really one of the more exciting series we've got. Lots of passing, close finishes, and a wide variety of cars.

It's funny how many people tell us that we are lucky to have SPEED, yet all we complain about it how SPEED shows nothing but NASCAR. I guess we take things for granted sometimes.
 
:grumpy: Just did a search for a thread just like this only to find out that it has been dormant for far too long, IMO.:irked: Well, only one way to fix that!:D

SPEED will be airing the World Challenge races that were contested at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last weekend. Details on when the races will be aired can be found out by clicking here.

As for the rest of the 2007 season, 3 more rounds will take place before this years champions are crowned...
  • August 24th - 26th: Grand Prix of Mosport, Bowmanville, ONT, CAN
  • October 3rd - 5th: Petit LeMans, Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA
  • October 19th - 21st: Monterey Sports Car Championships, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA
I was wondering who here has been following the series this year? If I can't see the races as they air, I record them to view later on.:sly:
 
Despite the changing of race formats and classes, over its entire history Speed World Challenge, as it is now known, has probably been the most consistent series in North America. No major changes, no huge collapses in popularity, they've always been at the top; generally playing second fiddle to a bigger series like ALMS or IMSA or what have you, but other than NASCAR no series has World Challenge's type of history.

Dave
 
This really is good race watching. Close racing, lots of sliding. I's so unfortunate that SPEED plays them at time I'm not in the house. You know they show those damn monster trucks every weeknight for an hour after dinner. It really irritates me because I know the quality programming they're capable of.
 
I thought I'd update you to a couple more venues added to the SPEED World Challenge schedule for 2008.;)
World-Challenge.com
World Challenge Schedule Picks up New Jersey and Road Atlanta in 2008

TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 29, 2008) - SCCA Pro Racing has added a brand-new East Coast venue and classic American road course to the 2008 SPEED World Challenge schedule.

Following Round Six at Mosport International Raceway, the series will cross the border and head east to the brand-new New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J., home of Thunderbolt Raceway. The 14-turn 2.25-mile road course will host the penultimate round of the SCCA SPEED Touring Car Championship and a SPEED GT doubleheader, September 26 – 28. The series' inaugural event at New Jersey Motorsports Park will be held in conjunction with the ARCA/RE/MAX Series.
"The New Jersey Motorsports Park 2008 schedule features a terrific assortment of events – there"s something for everyone,” Joe Volpe Director of Motorsports, New Jersey Motorsports Park said. “I’m sure our fans will love watching the 'all-or-nothing’ sprint racing SCCA SPEED World Challenge provides. It will be great to provide spectators with an event that features such a diverse field, including Lotus, Scion, Mazda and Cadillac, to name a few. We’re thrilled to host a race in this series.”
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The full story can be read by clicking here.

As soon as I see the completed schedule, I will post it.:sly:👍
 
They'll be at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah the weekend of May 16th - 18th, so I think your prayers may have been answered.;)
 
Code: 
[B][I]2008 SPEED World Challenge Schedule[/I][/B]
[LIST]
[*]March 12th -14th - 56th Annual Mobil 1® 12 Hours of Sebring
[*]April 18th - 20th - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (GT only)
[*]April 25th - 28th - VIRginia International Raceway 400 (TC only)
[*]May 16th - 18th - Utah Grand Prix at Miller Motorsports Park
[*]May 24th - 26th - Lime Rock Classic (TC Doubleheader)
[*]June 5th - 8th - Watkins Glen International
[*]July 17th - 20th - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
[*]August 21st - 24th - Mosport Grand Prix
[*]September 26th - 28th - New Jersey Motorsports Park - Thunderbolt Course
[*]October 1st - 4th - Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta
[/LIST]And in qualifying news from Sebring...
The races are scheduled to be run Friday with Touring Car scheduled to start at 11:05 am EDT and the GT class slated for a 4:40 pm EDT start.
 
Perhaps I haven't looked through the newly redesigned SpeedTV website, but when exactly are the races going to be aired?

I'm afraid to actually visit the SCCA World Challenge website because there are probably spoilers on their home page.
 

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