Savannah Speed Classic on The Grand Prize Circuit on Hutchinson Island Kicks-Off Three Race Run to the 2015 Championships.
SAVANNAH, Georgia (October 22, 2015) – Championship battles in The Stuttgart Cup and Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy USA are heating up heading into this weekend’s Savannah Speed Classic on the Grand Prize Circuit on Hutchinson Island, October 23 – 25.
The first of this year’s final stretch of three races that will bring the 2015 championships to a close, Savannah could prove to be a critical race for both points leaders and drivers looking to make up some championship ground.
The closest battle by far is in the Stuttgart Cup’s flagship 3.4-liter Cayman S class.
Dominique LeQueuex took the Cayman S points lead one race ago in the Atlanta Fall Historics at Road Atlanta with a pair of sprint race victories. He has been battling all year for the Cayman division crown in his red No. 30 MOMO-themed machine that is prepared by Atlanta-based Goldcrest Motorsports.
LeQueux took the points lead from fellow 2015 race winner Rick Stavola who led the standings going into Road Atlanta. Stavola drives the No. 22 Bodymotion Cayman S prepared by Racelink.
LeQueux currently has 355.5 points while Stavola is not far off in second with 224.
The Stuttgart Cup and Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy series each follow the same points system that is managed by America’s GT Cup, the operating organization of both racing series.
Drivers must run at least five race weekend events to be eligible for 2015 championship awards. Each driver’s best seven endurance races combined with their best nine sprint race showings will be used to determine their final championship positions.
Race points are awarded to the top-seven finishers, with 10 points to the winner, eight for second, six for third, four for fourth on down to a single point for seventh. Drivers must complete 50% of each race winner’s laps to earn race points, and a variety of additional bonus points – including starting points, finishing points, class-competition points and even livery bonus points – keep the championships exciting.
Two-time and reigning Stuttgart Cup Cayman Champion Bill Riddell is third in the Cayman S championship coming to Savannah. He has 292 points in his black No. 05 Cayman S prepared by Racelink and stayed in the title hunt with an Enduro race victory at Road Atlanta last month.
Tom Kievet is sixth in the Cayman S standings and makes his Savannah Grand Prize Circuit debut this weekend in his No. 27 Bodymotion Cayman S prepared by Racelink.
Another familiar driver joining the action this weekend is top Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) Cayman competitor Jack Baldwin who will be driving the same Cayman he and GTSport Racing raced and won with in this year’s PWC GTS class. Baldwin’s No. 73 PWC-spec 3.8-liter Cayman will not be racing against the 3.4-liter Cayman championship competitors in The Stuttgart Cup but he will certainly challenge the Mission Foods GT3 Cup field and other competitors for overall race wins all weekend.
A debuting Stuttgart Cup driver is Peter MacMillian who will be racing a No. 35 Cayman S prepared by the 901 Shop.
A Stuttgart Cup Boxster entry to watch is John Reisman and his 3.4-liter No. 70 Boxster from Hudson Historics that has been known to mix up with the Cayman competitors.
In Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy action, Jonathon Ziegelman brings the momentum of a pair of Road Atlanta race wins to Savannah. Ziegelman took Mission Foods GT3 Cup 3.6-liter class honors in Saturday’s opening sprint at Road Atlanta and then joined his father, Allan Ziegelman, in taking the Enduro win on Sunday in his No. 911 KMW Motorsports Porsche 997. Both Ziegelmans will be racing again this weekend in Savannah.
KMW is also fielding at Savannah a 3.6-liter Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy entry for Linden Burnstein who made two podium appearances at Road Atlanta. Burnstein finished second in his No. 917 Porsche 997 Cup race car in Saturday’s second sprint race at Road Atlanta and then co-drove with a double-duty Jonathon Ziegelman to runner-up honors in Sunday’s Enduro.
In other news from the Savannah Speed Classic, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) released its 2016 calendar of racing events today. America’s GT Cup will follow with its 2016 schedule announcement next Tuesday that will include The Stuttgart Cup, Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy USA and the first full season for the recently announced Maranello Cup, which will showcase previously eligible Ferrari Challenge race cars.
The Stuttgart Cup and Mission Foods GT3 race with the support of America’s GT Cup series partners Pirelli Tire North America, BRM Chronographes, Pacifico Costa Rica, Mission Foods, VP Racing Fuels, Palm Beach Driving Club and Bob Woodman Tires.
For more information, visit www.StuttgartCup.com and www.GT3CupUSA.com
Follow on Twitter @StuttgartCup and @GT3CupTrophyUSA and look for us on Facebook at The Stuttgart Cup and GT3 Cup Trophy USA
Contact: Adam Saal, (321) 890-2848 and SaalGoodPR@gmail.com