Pirelli World Challenge

Montecalvo, Thompson Win GTA/GTC Championships

2 Mins read

Whilst the GT class of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge finale saw Johnny O’Connell crowned as championship and Alessandro Balzan take the race win, the action was just as exciting in the GTA and GT Cup categories on Sunday afternoon at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

GTA

Eric Lux led the first of what would be a 35 laps. For the first part of the race, he led Martin Fuentes, but by the mid-point it was Frank Montecalvo in second, following a drive-through penalty for contact served by Fuentes. This made it a DragonSpeed 1-2 that would continue for the remainder of the race.

At the chequered flag, Lux was first in class, and eighth overall. He finished less than ten seconds ahead of team-mate Montecalvo, 11th on track. He is now officially the 2015 GTA champion, but already had a unbeatable points lead heading into the weekend.

Third position was held by Christina Nielsen, whilst Mike Hedlund and Timothy Pappas round out the top five.

Montecalvo took the championship with a total of 2073 points, 306 more than second-placed Henrique Cisneros.

 

“It was nice to get the monkey off our back with a victory today and get to the top step. I really appreciate everyone at Dragon Speed.” said Lux. “Congrats to my teammate Frankie (Montecalvo) on the championship. The chemistry with the team is unbelievable and the car was fast right off the truck. We didn’t have to do much with it this weekend. I was able to start from the pole and run a smooth race with the Mercedes-Benz. It’s very exciting taking my first win at a legendary track like Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.” 

Thompson 2015 PWC Laguna Seca

GT Cup

Colin Thompson ended an incredibly dominant season in style, taking not only the GT Cup victory but also the championship.

However, it was Alec Udell who got the best getaway at the start. It was only on lap 20 when Thompson managed to catch up with the class leader, skilfully using faster GT traffic to his advantage.

Reported damage to Udell’s car dropped the Texan back to third, and allowed Sloan Urry to take second at the finish line, 8.2s to the rear of Thompson. Behind the podium finishers were Lorenzo Trefethen and Preston Calvert.

Thompson’s points advantage after the race was a whopping 665 points, the Porsche of Bucks County with 2309 points as compared with Sloan Urry’s 1644.

“The start was great for me but Sloan (Urry) and Alec (Udell) did a good job under braking,” commented Thompson. “They were able to get by me two turns later. It made it tough and Alec was fast. We then got a nice gap and we pretty much plateaued with our times at that point. With a little luck and some traffic, I was able to get back by him. Then I saved the car for the win.”

321 posts

About author
Jake covers sportscars for The Checkered Flag, mainly Tudor United SportsCar Championship and World Endurance Championship, along with a variety of other series including World Rally Championship.
Articles
Related posts
British GTEndurance RacingEuropean GT4 SeriesPirelli World Challenge

Lotus Unveil All-New Emira GT4 Race Car at Thrilling Launch

3 Mins read
Lotus have unveiled their brand-new Emira GT4 race car at the legendary Hethel test track, in what is a new era of GT racing for the famous manufacturer.
Pirelli World Challenge

Callaway Competition set for double Corvette C7 GT3-R entry for 2018 PWC season

1 Mins read
ADAC GT Masters title winning car set for Pirelli World Challenge as Corvette C7 GT3-R set to make competitive debut on American soil.
Pirelli World Challenge

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing closes racing team ahead of 2018 season

1 Mins read
Team owner Bob Stallings is excited with what the future holds despite the doors closing on his race team ahead of next season.