Tooele, Utah (9 August 2016) – After just over a month-long break in race action, the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA championship will head to Utah Motorsports Campus (UMC) for a double-header race event this weekend. Just six races remain in the 2016 championship for the all-Porsche series as the visit to Utah sets the stage for the next race weekend at Sonoma Raceway (September 9-11) and the finale at the Circuit of the Americas (September 24-5).
This weekend’s Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA races will be staged as part of a huge Pirelli event weekend as UMC also plays host to the Pirelli World Challenge at the Salt Lake City-area circuit.
Operated by Competent Motorsport, 2016 marks the 10th anniversary season for Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA. The series has three classes (Diamond, Platinum, and Silver) as drivers compete for five championships (Diamond, Platinum, Platinum Masters, Silver, and Silver Masters). The multi-class championship features the renowned Porsche 911 as well as the Porsche Cayman Clubsport GT4, with all the competitors racing on Pirelli competition tires.
Leading the Platinum Championship standings is Robert Todd who has held the advantage over the field for most of the season. Racing for BR Racing, Todd will look to continue that championship momentum on a track that is rich in history for his team.
“UMC (or what will always be Miller Motorsports Park to me!) has a special place in my heart,” said Todd. “The team has been running Miller for a long time. This course is where we started our motorsports program, believe it or not. We have taken part in many driving events at this track and coached a lot of customers bringing them up through the ranks to eventually go into a racing program. I am excited about the opportunity to run there again and hope that it won’t be the last for UMC.”
The Platinum class championship, which features a previous-generation (997) edition of the Porsche Motorsport Porsche 911 Cup machine, is led by TruSpeed Autosport’s Tom Haacker, who launched his career at the Utah track.
“I have run a lot at UMC in Pirelli GT3 Cup as well as NASA races—my second race ever in Pirelli Cup was here back in 2011. I remember waking up and seeing snow on the ground!” said Haacker. “It cleared up and I was able to finish the weekend with a third place to get up on the podium—my first trophy. That was an exciting moment for me. My favorite segment of this track is the Attitudes. Bouncing off the curbs and getting a clean run through 10…no lift! Coming into Round 6 I’ll continue to focus hitting my marks and getting good exits for those long straights. I’m looking forward to the weekend and spending time with my fellow competitors.”
The Silver Class, which was launched in Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA competition ahead of the 2016 season, utilizes the Porsche Cayman Clubsport GT4 for the Silver and Silver Masters classes. The hard-fought championship is led by Kevin Woods, who is looking to add a second Pirelli Cup Championship to his resume, having won the 2013 GT3 championship.
“I have raced at UMC a few times, including races with Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy,” said Woods. “I really enjoy the track. And as a fan of Pirelli World Challenge, I’m looking forward to experiencing a weekend with that series. I find Witchcraft, the corner that connects Knock Out to The Attitudes for the outer course, to be a challenging and fun turn. I don’t have any specific highlights from UMC, but will be hoping to create some new ones this weekend!”
Several teams in Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA competition will also compete in World Challenge, making for a busy event weekend.
“It is cool to have both the Pirelli series—Porsche GT3 Cup and World Challenge—racing together on the same weekend,” said TruSpeed Autosport Team Owner Tyler Tadevic. “We are stoked for the UMC event because it is going to be a really big weekend for us and our sponsor SecurityNational Mortgage on the Pirelli World Challenge side, and we will also have a big effort for the Pirelli Cup races as well. We raced at UMC last weekend in NASA so we are already set up and ready to go!”
GMG will also be doing double-duty on the weekend with entries in both the Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy event as well as World Challenge. Adding to the to-do list for the team is the fact that team owner James Sofronas will also be racing in the SprintX segment of the World Challenge weekend.
“It’s actually great for us to be involved in multiple series on the same weekend with our Porsche fleet, as it’s a perfect demonstration of both our vertically integrated development platform, as well as the depth within our crew,” said Sofronas. “Being able to run both our Pirelli World Challenge and Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA programs at the same venue actually makes our job a little easier, as it allows us to pool our resources in one central location. We’ll have four cars this weekend between both series. It’s a great testament to our driver development program, starting with someone like Kevin Westcott who is continuing his progress in the Trophy USA, all the way to our watching Alec Udell compete for the championship in the GT Cup category or even our GT program with the amazing Porsche 911 GT3 R. It should be a great weekend.”
The Utah Motorsports Campus weekend kicks off on Friday with two practice sessions. Saturday and Sunday will each open with practice, followed by qualifying and the race.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE:
Friday, Aug 12th, 2016
7:15 AM – 7:30 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Driver / Team Managers Meeting
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Practice
11:30 AM – 12:00 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Practice
3:55 PM – 4:25 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Practice
Saturday, Aug 13th, 2016
8:00 AM – 8.30 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Practice
10:20 AM – 10:35 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA QUALIFYING GT3
10:40 AM – 10:55 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA QUALIFYING GT4
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Driver / Team Managers Meeting
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Race #11
3:45 PM – Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Awards Presentations
Sunday, Aug 14th, 2016
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Practice
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA QUALIFYING GT3
10:05 AM – 10:20 AM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA QUALIFYING GT4
12:30 PM – 12:45 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Driver / Team Managers Meeting
2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Race #12
3:45 PM – Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy Awards Presentations
2016 Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA Schedule:
September 9-11 Sonoma Raceway Rounds 13 & 14
September 23-25 Circuit of the Americas Rounds 15 & 16