2010 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Explained

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

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]

RndCircuitDate
1Daytona International SpeedwayJanuary 29
2Homestead-Miami SpeedwayMarch 6–7
3Barber Motorsports ParkApril 9–10
4Virginia International RacewayApril 24–25
5Lime Rock ParkMay 28–29
6Watkins Glen InternationalJune 5–6
7Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseJune 19–20
8New Jersey Motorsports ParkJuly 17–18
9Circuit Trois-RivièresAugust 13
10Miller Motorsports ParkSeptember 11–12

Calendar

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Continental Tire To Sponsor GRAND-AM Sports Car Challenge . . grand-am.com . 2009-12-01 . 2009-12-02.
  2. News: Grand-Am Announces 2010 KONI Challenge Schedule . . grand-am.com . 2009-10-15 . 2009-11-28.