[954Stealth]

It's that time again, boys! This season is primed to be one of the biggest and the best for PWC that I've seen in a long time, in fact a record number of teams and drivers are registered for this year. The racing begins this weekend but teams are already showing up for the season opener at COTA for final testing and shakesdowns.

Here's a reminder of the schedule and the stops we'll visit in this thread:
PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE
* March 6-8 ; COTA, Austin, TX (All Classes)
* March 27-29 ; St. Petersburg, FL (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)
* April 17-19 ; Long Beach, CA (GT/GTA/GT Cup)
* April 24-26 ; Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)
** May 15-17 ; Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario, Canada (All Classes)
* May 29-31 ; Detroit Grand Prix, Detroit, MI (GT/GTA)
** June 26-28 & Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI (All Classes)
* July 31-Aug. 2; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)
* Aug. 14 -16 ; Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, OH (TC/TCA/TCB)
** Aug. 21-23 & Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, UT (All Classes)
* Aug. 28-30 & Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, CA (GT/GTA/GT Cup/GTS)
** Sept. 11-13 & Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA (All Classes)
(* Coincides with Verizon INDYCar Series)
(**Pirelli WC Headline Events )


www.RACER.com put out a good season preview yesterday:

Pirelli World Challenge season preview
Date: Tuesday, 03 March 2015 By Beck Duggleby/ Graham Goodwin/DailySportsCar.com

There’s little doubt that the Pirelli World Challenge has the potential for an exciting future. The 25th anniversary season of the North American series was rung in by record car counts and increased participation from international drivers, marques and teams alike. What’s more, the World Challenge is set for further expansion in 2015.

The entry list across the GT and Touring Car classes for the opening round is well into three figures with 113 cars listed at present for the opening round.

Classes: More Entries and GT Cup

The top-echelon GT and GT-A categories are set to return with increase for the number and variety of cars on the entry list from 2014.

Open to a wide range of GT3 machinery, several teams have made the jump from other series, notably the Tudor Championship, to contest in the Pirelli World Challenge’s premier class.

Due to the influx of cars onto the GT/GT-A grids, GTS cars will compete in separate races this year. GTS is also expected to grow, with 20 cars already confirmed to compete in the class, some with backgrounds in IMSA-sanctioned series.

The rest is here: http://www.racer.com/pwc/item/114022...season-preview



Now, let's take a look at the the first stop of the season, Austin Texas and the Circuit of the Americas:



Date: Friday, March 06 - Sunday, March 08
Location: Austin, TX
Round: GT/GTA/GT Cup: Rounds 1 & 2; GTS: Rounds 1 & 2; TC/TCA/TCB: Rounds 1, 2 & 3
TV Broadcast Info: Saturday, March 14, 11 AM: GT/GTA, GT Cup presented by MOMO / Wednesday, March 18, 8 PM: TC, TCA, TCB. All times listed Eastern. Times and dates subject to change

Stop 1 COTA Daily Schedule:
Friday:
8:00am Practice - TC/TCA/TCB
9:40am Practice - GTS
10:35am Practice - GT/GTA/GT Cup
12:25pm Practice - TC/TCA/TCB
2:05pm Practice- GTS
3:00pm Practice - GT/GTA/GT Cup

Saturday:
8:00am - Qualifying GTS
9:30am - Qualifying GT/GTA/GT Cup
10:30am - Qualifying/RAce - TC/TCA/TCB
12:20pm - Race - GTS
2:45pm - Race - GT/GTA/GT Cup
4:15pm - Race - TC/TCA/TCB

Sunday:
8:45am - Warm UP - GTS
9:15am - Warm UP - GTGTA/GT Cup
10:20am - Race - GTS
1:25pm - Race - GT/GTA/GT Cup
3:10pm - Race - TC/TCA/TCB

Live Timing and scoring will be here: http://www.world-challenge.com/liverace/index.html

Live Streaming will be here: WWW.WORLD-CHALLENGETV.COM

TV Broadcast will be here: CBS Sports Network: Saturday, March 14, 11 AM: GT/GTA, GT Cup presented by MOMO / Wednesday, March 18, 8 PM: TC, TCA, TCB. All times listed Eastern. Times and dates subject to change.

This Cadillac ATS VR will be debuting


And of course our favorite Turner Motorsports with their 2 car program and debuting the special Borla livery on Bret Curtis's #32 Z4 GT3



we'll also see a couple Nissan GT-R GT3

NISSAN ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ALWAYS EVOLVING TO CAMPAIGN TWO NISSAN GT-R GT3 CARS FOR 2015 PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE

- 2011 Nissan GT Academy Champion Bryan Heitkotter to pilot #05 GT-R GT3
- IndyCar, Prototype and GT racer James Davison to Campaign #33 GT-R GT3
- First U.S. Appearance of Nissan GT-R Built to FIA GT3 Specifications
- Debuts in Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas March 6-8

FULL WEEKEND OF RACING PLANNED FOR PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE SEASON-OPENER
There are only a few weeks left before the thrilling 2015 season-opener of the Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of The Americas.

More than 100 race-prepped, production-based road cars are entered for the races, which will take place March 6 through 8. The weekend will feature practice sessions on Friday, with qualifying and races on both Saturday and Sunday.

The series features multiple classes of racing from manufacturers such as Cadillac (pictured), Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley, Porsche and Audi, just to name a few. In addition to the on-track action, an open paddock will give fans a chance to look around the cars and talk to the drivers.

Tickets and more information can be found at circuitoftheamericas.com and at www.world-challenge.com.

The Bentley Continental GT3's of Dyson Racing will be there as well;


"Following a winter’s worth of testing and development, Bentley Team Dyson Racing is prepared for a full season of racing with the goal of bringing Bentley its first North American sporting title. In the course of a half-season in the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge, the team demonstrated the competitive potential of the Bentley Continental GT3 with front-row starts, a race win and two other podium finishes.

“Our goal last season was to assess the car, the series and the competition,” said Rob Dyson, the team’s founder and CEO. “It was clear from our first race weekend at Elkhart Lake, where Butch Leitzinger set the second-fastest lap in each race, that the car was good, the competition was keen, the races were hard-fought, and the series was very well run.”

And the all new Acura TLX PWC GT



K-PAX Racing with Flying Lizard Motorsports Ready for Season Opener at Circuit of the Americas

"After two successful tests with their two new McLaren 650S GT3s, K-PAX Racing with Flying Lizard Motorsports officially begins their 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season this week at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas."



BLANCPAIN AND REITER ENGINEERING TEAM UP FOR THE USA




Under the ‘Blancpain Racing’ banner, a name currently more familiar among European motorsport fans, Blancpain, the world’s oldest watchmaking brand and Bavarian sportscar stable Reiter Engineering will join the grid of the North American ‘Pirelli World Challenge’ racing series. Recently signed Dutchman Nick Catsburg will be at the wheel of the Gallardo GT3 and contest the entire PWC season under the Blancpain Racing banner

By joining the ‘Pirelli World Challenge’, Blancpain reinforces its commitment to motorsport in the USA as the brand strongly believes on the great potential of this new GT championship. Starting with the participation of the "Blancpain Racing" Team, this partnership may evolve over the next years.

2 More Lambo's just joined

The entry list for Pirelli World Challenge’s season-opening Nissan Grand Prix of Texas at Circuit of the Americas has had a handful more changes since Monday.
http://sportscar365.com/world-challe...ota-pwc-entry/

Reiter Engineering has added two more Lamborghinis in addition to the one announced last week for Dutchman Nick Catsburg, who is slated to race a full season.

Scuderia Corsa and their PWC Ferrari program;

http://www.scuderiacorsa.com/scuderi...river-lineups/

Six Audi R8s To Compete In 2015 Pirelli World Challenge Season

Six first-generation Audi R8 GT3 race cars will be driven in this year’s Pirelli World Challenge season, set to kick off at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas next weekend. No other automaker is as well-represented as Audi in the GT racing series, which boasts a large 31-car field.

LG Motorsports Set for Return with Three-Car Aston Martin PWC Effort.





Other than TMS, Vita4One will field their Z4 GT3


***********************
Here's some rules to remember

Purpose: The purpose of the Pirelli World Challenge® Championships is to provide teams, manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers a competitive production-based race series in which to prove their products.

Race Length: There is a 50-minute maximum time limit for every race, with the number of laps and total distance being determined by track configuration, lap times and race conditions.

Homologation of Vehicles: In addition to the general series rules that apply to all homologated vehicles, each vehicle model that is homologated into the Pirelli World Challenge Series has a set of specifications assigned to it on a Vehicle Technical Specification sheet (VTS) in order to give equivalent overall performance capabilities to a wide range of vehicles. Adjustments to a vehicle’s VTS sheet will be made until a competitive package is developed. Vehicles may be submitted for homologation up to a year before it goes on general sale to the public, and until that particular body style goes out of production throughout the world.

Eligibility: Cars that have been homologated for competition in the Pirelli World Challenge Series are eligible for a full-year of competition from the time it is homologated, until that particular body style has been out of production throughout the world for four (4) years. After a body style has been out of production for four (4) years, it may continue to compete in no more than five (5) races total with a single driver, for an additional three (3) years.

Competition Adjustments: In order to keep the competition close within the Pirelli World Challenge series, competition adjustments will be made to a vehicle model when deemed necessary. Competition adjustments will primarily be done through adjustments to the base weight, the engine speed limit and/or the required restrictor size.

*****************************************


Check out how the track looked yesterday and the famous tower!

[hellrotm]

Cold front coming through Austin tonight, Icy mix in the AM. Not sure how much testing they will get done tomorrow. Temps are going to be chilly all through the weekend.

[954Stealth]

Looks like today is just setup day

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

Cold front coming through Austin tonight, Icy mix in the AM. Not sure how much testing they will get done tomorrow. Temps are going to be chilly all through the weekend.

Cold and wet, indeed

[954Stealth]

Brand new K-Pax liveries!

[Malloy]

I'm really excited for this season!

[Flying Ace]

series is starting to look more interesting than Tudor....not quite yet, but if you love street cars...then this is a good start.

Any way to watch this series on youtube?

[954Stealth]

Originally Posted by Flying Ace

series is starting to look more interesting than Tudor....not quite yet, but if you love street cars...then this is a good start.

Any way to watch this series on youtube?

Yep! They stream on their YouTube channel as world. Look up 'world challenge TV'

[954Stealth]

Practice

[954Stealth]

Practice

[954Stealth]

TMS practice

[954Stealth]

Maintenance

[954Stealth]

Practice

[954Stealth]

Lined up for practice

[954Stealth]

Sorry. App only allows 1 upload per post

[954Stealth]

More

[954Stealth]

2nd to last one

[954Stealth]

Ok last one

[954Stealth]

Practice

[954Stealth]

Another

[954Stealth]

After the day, the ladies strip

[hellrotm]

Great pic, right before test session.