2010 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

The 2010 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge was the tenth running of the Grand-Am Cup series and the first season under Continental Tire sponsorship.[1] It began on January 29 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on September 12 at Miller Motorsports Park.

Despite winning only one race all season, top ten finishes in each of the ten races enabled Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman of Fall-Line Motorsports to win the Grand Sport class title. Espenlaub and Putman finished six points clear of double race-winners Michael Marsal and Joey Hand of Turner Motorsport, and eight clear of another pair of double race-winners, Roush Performance's Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson. Rum Bum Racing's Matt Plumb won the most races, taking three victories – one victory with Gian Bacardi and two with Nick Longhi – but finished 80 points behind Espenlaub and Putman. Single race victories were taken by Rehagen Racing's Dean Martin and Bob Michaelian at Barber Motorsports Park, as well as The Racer's Group's Steve Bertheau and Spencer Pumpelly at Mid-Ohio.

The Street Tuner class was just as hotly contested as the Grand Sport class, and after ten races, the top two teams – Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius of Compass360 Racing, and Bill Heumann and Seth Thomas of BimmerWorld/GearWrench – finished tied on 274 points. Both teams took two victories and two second places, but the third place for Aschenbach and Thilenius at the final race of the season at Miller Motorsports Park allowed them to clinch the championship. Freedom Autosport pair Tom Long and Derek Whitis, and RSR Motorsports duo Randy Smalley and Owen Trinkler also took two victories over the season, with single victories claimed by APR Motorsport's Ian Baas and Aaron Povoledo, as well as the team-mates of Aschenbach and Thilenius, Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz.

Debuting in 2010 was a new Mustang for Multimatic Motorsports painted to look like the Trans Am Series Boss 302s of Parnelli Jones and George Follmer. Also debuting was a new Sunoco sponsored Camaro resembling the original Penske Camaros of Trans Am.

Schedule

edit

The schedule was announced on October 15, 2009. Nine of the ten rounds supported the 2010 Rolex Sports Car Series, with a stand-alone round at Circuit Trois-Rivières.[2]

Rnd Circuit Date
1 Daytona International Speedway January 29
2 Homestead-Miami Speedway March 6–7
3 Barber Motorsports Park April 9–10
4 Virginia International Raceway April 24–25
5 Lime Rock Park May 28–29
6 Watkins Glen International June 5–6
7 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course June 19–20
8 New Jersey Motorsports Park July 17–18
9 Circuit Trois-Rivières August 13
10 Miller Motorsports Park September 11–12

Calendar

edit
Rnd Circuit Pole Position Fastest Lap Winner
1 Daytona International Speedway #46 Fall-Line Motorsports #19 Rum Bum Racing #19 Rum Bum Racing
  Mark Boden
  Andy Pilgrim
  Gian Bacardi
  Matt Plumb
  Gian Bacardi
  Matt Plumb
#25 Freedom Autosport #197 RSR Motorsports #74 Compass360 Racing
  Tom Long
  Derek Whitis
  Sarah Cattaneo
  V. J. Mirzayan
  Lawson Aschenbach
  David Thilenius
2 Homestead-Miami Speedway #61 Roush Performance #15 Multimatic Motorsports #61 Roush Performance
  Billy Johnson
  Jack Roush Jr.
  Joe Foster
  Scott Maxwell
  Billy Johnson
  Jack Roush Jr.
#197 RSR Motorsports #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench #25 Freedom Autosport
  Sarah Cattaneo
  V. J. Mirzayan
  Bill Heumann
  Seth Thomas
  Tom Long
  Derek Whitis
3 Barber Motorsports Park #15 Multimatic Motorsports #16 Multimatic Motorsports #52 Rehagen Racing
  Joe Foster
  Scott Maxwell
  Gunnar Jeannette
  Frankie Montecalvo
  Dean Martin
  Bob Michaelian
#80 BimmerWorld/GearWrench #198 RSR Motorsports #25 Freedom Autosport
  David White
  James Clay
  Craig Conway
  B. J. Zacharias
  Tom Long
  Derek Whitis
4 Virginia International Raceway #61 Roush Performance #13 Rum Bum Racing #97 Turner Motorsport
  Jack Roush Jr.
  Billy Johnson
  Matt Plumb
  Gian Bacardi
  Joey Hand
  Michael Marsal
#196 RSR Motorsports #74 Compass360 Racing #75 Compass360 Racing
  B. J. Zacharias
  Owen Trinkler
  Lawson Aschenbach
  David Thilenius
  Ryan Eversley
  Zach Lutz
5 Lime Rock Park #61 Roush Performance #96 Turner Motorsport #97 Turner Motorsport
  Jack Roush Jr.
  Billy Johnson
  Bill Auberlen
  Paul Dalla Lana
  Joey Hand
  Michael Marsal
#95 Turner Motorsport #98 89 Racing Team #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench
  Don Salama
  Will Turner
  Cyril Hamelin
  Jocelyn Hebert
  Bill Heumann
  Seth Thomas
6 Watkins Glen International #46 Fall-Line Motorsports #41 The Racer's Group #48 Fall-Line Motorsports
  Mark Boden
  Bryan Sellers
  Steve Bertheau
  Spencer Pumpelly
  Charles Espenlaub
  Charles Putman
#03 Team MER #21 GS Motorsports #74 Compass360 Racing
  Justin Piscitell
  Jason Saini
  Andrew Danyliw
  Jamie Holtom
  Lawson Aschenbach
  David Thilenius
7 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course #6 Stevenson Motorsports #07 Euro Motorworks Racing #41 The Racer's Group
  Matt Bell
  Jeff Bucknum
  Terry Heath
  Bryan Sellers
  Steve Bertheau
  Spencer Pumpelly
#80 BimmerWorld/GearWrench #75 Compass360 Racing #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench
  David White
  James Clay
  Ryan Eversley
  Zach Lutz
  Bill Heumann
  Seth Thomas
8 New Jersey Motorsports Park #61 Roush Performance #97 Turner Motorsport #61 Roush Performance
  Billy Johnson
  Jack Roush Jr.
  Joey Hand
  Michael Marsal
  Billy Johnson
  Jack Roush Jr.
#18 RRT Racing #64 Next Generation Motorsports #198 RSR Motorsports
  Paul Gerrard
  Martin Jensen
  Shawn Dewey
  Ted Giovanis
  Randy Smalley
  Owen Trinkler
9 Circuit Trois-Rivières #15 Multimatic Motorsports #13 Rum Bum Racing #13 Rum Bum Racing
  Joe Foster
  Scott Maxwell
  Matt Plumb
  Nick Longhi
  Matt Plumb
  Nick Longhi
#98 89 Racing Team #198 RSR Motorsports #198 RSR Motorsports
  Cyril Hamelin
  Jocelyn Hebert
  Randy Smalley
  Owen Trinkler
  Randy Smalley
  Owen Trinkler
10 Miller Motorsports Park #6 Stevenson Motorsports #46 Fall-Line Motorsports #13 Rum Bum Racing
  Matt Bell
  Jeff Bucknum
  Mark Boden
  Bryan Sellers
  Matt Plumb
  Nick Longhi
#91 APR Motorsport #91 APR Motorsport #91 APR Motorsport
  Ian Baas
  Aaron Povoledo
  Ian Baas
  Aaron Povoledo
  Ian Baas
  Aaron Povoledo

References

edit
  1. ^ "Continental Tire To Sponsor GRAND-AM Sports Car Challenge". grand-am.com. Grand American Road Racing Association. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  2. ^ "Grand-Am Announces 2010 KONI Challenge Schedule". grand-am.com. Grand American Road Racing Association. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
edit