World Challenge: Round 1 & 2 St. Petersburg

Photos by Mark Weber (World Challenge)

GT CLASS – ROUND ONE

Driver Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, GA opened up the 2010 World Challenge GT season with a flag-to-flag win at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg. Starting from the overall pole in the first combined-class World Challenge race since 1999, Pobst received a pre-race gift when second-qualifying Dino Crescentini’s No. 4 Centric Parts/Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3 headed to the pits on the formation lap with an electrical issue. With his No. 6 K-Pax Racing Volvo alone on the front row, Pobst rocketed away from the standing start and never looked back, taking a 1.189-second win over teammate Andy Pilgrim, of Boca Raton, FL. James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, CA finished third. Pobst averaged 72.367 mph over the 33-lap, 59.4-mile race that was slowed by one caution to retrieve a disabled car. It was Pobst’s 23rd-career World Challenge win, tying him for third all-time with Michael Galati.

GT CLASS – ROUND TWO

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Dino Crescentini, of Manhattan Beach, CA rocketed away from his second starting position and led all the way to take Sunday’s Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg World Challenge Round Two GT class and overall win. Driving the No. 4 Centric Parts/Stoptech/GMG Porsche 911 GT3, Crescentini appeared to get away slow from the standing start, but had momentum to get past polesitter Randy Pobst’s No. 6 K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 as the field funneled into Turn One. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Porsche driver, reversing his bad luck from Saturday’s race, in which his new Porsche developed an electrical problem and retired. Crescentini took his third-career World Challenge series victory by 0.848-second over teammate James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif. He averaged 66.764 mph in the race slowed by a pair of caution periods and limited to 50 minutes.

GTS CLASS – ROUND ONE - Saturday, March 27, 2010

Peter Cunningham of Milwaukee, WI went flag-to-flag in the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg in round one of the GTS class for his record 33rd World Challenge victory. Driving the No. 43 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX, Cunningham topped Brandon Davis, of Huntington Beach, CA by 2.695 seconds. Cunningham led Nick Esayian’s No. 34 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX from the standing start but it was Davis who charged from last overall on the grid after missing qualifying. Davis, the 2009 GT Champion, came to St. Petersburg without the intention of running in the race and was nominated the morning of the first race to drive the No. 1 Acura/RealTime Acura TSX. A caution period allowed Davis to close some real estate on Cunningham, but he couldn’t get close enough to mount a serious challenge.

GTS CLASS – ROUND TWO - Sunday, March 28, 2010

For the second-straight day, Peter Cunningham led start-to-finish in his No. 43 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX to capture the GTS-class win at St. Petersburg, the record-extending 34th of his career. While his Saturday run was never in doubt, Sunday was different, as teammate Brandon Davis pressured him in the No. 1 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX in the race’s closing laps. Cunningham beat Davis to the checkered flag by just 0.544-second. Davis started last in the field after missing qualifying, but again worked his way up to second, setting the race’s fastest lap, a record 1:25.687 (75.624 mph) in the process. RealTime’s third car, with Nick Esayian aboard, finished third.

TC CLASS – ROUND ONE

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The first World Challenge race under new Touring Car regulations delivered a first-time race winning driver and manufacturer when Todd Buras, of Daytona Beach, FL grabbed victory in his inaugural Series appearance. Buras started his No. 49 Irish Mike’s Racing Volkswagen Jetta GLI second on the grid and after an eventful first standing start in which he accidentally had the car in reverse as the lights went out, Buras found himself fighting his way back up to the top for the win. Teammates Robert Stout and Dan Gardiner in the DG-Spec Scion tCs finished second and third respectively.

TC CLASS – ROUND TWO

Sunday, March 28, 2010

After winning in his series debut on Saturday, Todd Buras, repeated the feat on Sunday, giving the No. 49 Irish Mike’s Racing Volkswagen Jetta its second-consecutive World Challenge Touring Car win on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Buras got away cleanly from his second-starting position, but fell to fourth as the field entered Turn One, led by polesitter Mark Hein, of Clearwater, FL. As the Touring Cars exited Turn Three, they came up on the GT Porsche of Patrick Lindsey sideways in the course. Buras picked his line and ended up passing Hein’s No. 38 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Honda Civic Si for the lead in the melee. Robert Stout in the DG-Spec Scion tC finished second while Hein finished third.