Speed World Challenge: Round 7

Event Coverage

Speed World Challenge
Road America
Elkhart Lake, WI
Aug 15-16 2009

GT Class

ST3_0010_thAfter eight rounds of SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT competitions, Tony Rivera, of Missouri City, TX, became the first repeat winner of the 2009 season. Rivera took the Road America Grand Prix presented by StopTech with a solid win. Eric Curran, of Easthampton, MA and Dino Crescentini of Manhattan Beach, FL completed the podium at Road America, site of this weekend's Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase.

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Starting third in the No. 97 Tax Masters/Brass Monkey Racing Porsche 911 GT3, Rivera was the primary beneficiary when the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 of polesitter James Sofronas remained motionless on the standing start. Skirting his way around the disabled Porsche, Rivera charged into turn one side-by-side with the No. 13 Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper of Canadian Kuno Wittmer, who started second.

"I didn’t expect James not to move,” Rivera said. “I almost got into the back of him because I was so focused on the lights. They went out, I looked up and was like 'oh no!’ I got alongside Kuno and I don’t think he knew that I was there. He was trying to protect the right side and I nearly had my right tires in the grass all the way up to turn one. I decided to give [the position] to him.”

Touring Car

Pierre Kleinubing, of Coconut Creek, Fla., captured his first SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car win in 16 races Saturday, taking the World Challenge Road America Grand Prix presented by StopTech. Charles Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., and Patrick Lindsey, of Santa Barbara, Calif., completed the top three in the Round Eight race, part of the Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase at Elkhart Lake's Road America.

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Starting third in the No. 42 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX, Kleinubing followed teammate and first-starting Kuno Wittmer into turn one to take second. The two battled for several laps before Kleinubing demoted Wittmer’s No. 44 Acura/RealTime/Red Line Oil Acura TSX to take second for good on the front straight. From there, Kleinubing sped away to his 28th-career victory.

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