Saturday, April 23, 2016

PWC: An entertaining Opening Act for Indy Cars



"Mystery" Postcard found by No Fenders Sherpa Claudio at 2014 Sonoma IndyCar race. (The Tomaso Collection)
Just wish I could say something nice about the series website! Which certainly would have joined Thou Honour roll for "Tokyo Fly-by-Night" WORST  Websites if I'd done a 2015 Golden Tailpipes Award story...

As most certainly it's just ME! Who cannot navigate the Pirelli World Challenge's Official Website, right? As I seem to get stuck in a never ending Groundhog Day scenario, since Lucy, my ARSE-Steamed Screen-reader gets stuck on the page tabs that do NOT make any sense - Nor GO Anywhere; but I digress!

Therefore, thanxs to racer.com I was finally able to discover who's in the top notch PWC GT Class, albeit just days prior to Thy season going Green. Which apparently features a robust 19-entries; Hmm? That's just  two shy of Indy Cars complete full season's entry list!

Although the 19-strong Headliner GT Class was just part of the Herculean 100+ cars of the respective seven total class entered for the season opening rounds at Circuit Of The Americas over the March 3-6 race meeting!


Not to mention that the GT category features real diversity instead of FAUX Chassis, nee AFX Aurora Body-by Mennen Aerokits. As certainly Y'all can see the lineage between the Chevy IndyCar and Team Caddy's ASTVR. Or the Hondre' IndyCar vs. Acura TLX, right?

Stealing from Thy Jaguar's Advert. It'll be good to have the Acura NSX back next year! Even if I most likely won't be able to SEE I-T!


Yet you've gotta wonder about how Stout the PWC GT Class competition is, since Jonny O's going for an amazing Five-peat this year at the wheel of a Cadillac ATSVR-GT3! (Huh?, what in thee HELL is an ASTVR)

As the 53yr old Flowery Branch, Georgia resident attempts to win his fifth consecutive GT championship whilst holding off rivals wheeling such rides as the Acura TLX GT in Thy hands of All-time series champion Peter Cunningham who's got something in common with 'DER TERMINATOR, nee Michael Schumacher. as both have seven championship titles to their names!

Although Johnny O's name always conjures up images of him driving those NASTY ARSE yellow Corvettes' - which he's won multiple times in across thy globe for Mwah...


Other manufacturers include the likes of the Audi R8, Bentley Continental GT3, McLaren 650s, Mercedes AMG SLS GT, Nissan GTR GT3 and the venerable, but always potent Porsche 911 GT3R.

Taking a brief look at some of the divergent pedigrees 'O racing drivers competing, its GROOVY! Knowing that Jonathan "CCR" Fogarty, local Oregonian Boy, nee Bend, Oregon resident is piloting Bob Stallings' #99 McLaren 650s this season and stood on Thy podium at COTA this year.

Aspiring Kuhnaidiun' Tintop driver Kyle Marcelli is behind the wheel of the #2 Audi R8 machine. As presumably Marcelli will be wistfully opining for Thy Mayor 'O Hinchtown's ultra fast ride, eh? Since Kyle's apparently won a FF1600 single seater championship previously- although think James Hinchcliffe plans on staying firmly affixed at SPM for the time being.

While Nissan's gone for some hungry, Hard Charging Pilotes', as the name of Aussie James Davison should be familiar to the Hardcore IndyCar Fans, as he's seeking to hopefully sniff out one of the few remaining seats for this year's magnanimous 100th running of the Indy 500, albeit seems like his name's not being bandied about very much as your humble No Fenders scribe Tomaso awaits with Thy Baited Breath for the official Indy 500 entry list to be revealed.

Yet I'm a fan of the Aussie's; Hmm? May be its that True Grit thingy? With James having previously raced twice at Mother Speedway, slyly choosing the No. 33 for his rookie debut in 2014 for KVRTSH What's Yuh MuhCallit's' 33rd and final car entered in Thy field. Then last year he drove Dale Coyne's revolving door #19 entry, with his best finish-to-date being P16 in 2014.

Davison's team-mate's got a GURR-ROOVY name; at least when 'Lucy, my ARSE-Steamed Screen-reader reads I-T to me...

Being none other than Bryan Heitkotter, who's definitely taken a most unorthodox path towards becoming a professional racing driver. As the Fresno, CA driver originally worked as an Auto Parts Delivery Driver before being laid-off. And at age 30, beat out over 53,000 aspiring Nissan Playstation Academy contestants to ultimately win the 16-person Shootout at Silverstone to become the 2011 USA Playstation Academy winner.


And lastly, certainly Team Penske's General Tim Cindric enjoys the proximity of the Pirelli World Challenge's supporting role to the top billings' IndyCar series, since after all what better way to keep an eye upon his 17yr old son Austin, who's having to rough I-T this year behind Thy wheel of an McLaren 650s; Aye Karumba!

As Austin's appropriately driving the No. 6 K-PAX Racing entry in his rookie Pirelli World Challenge campaign, as believe there's a 'lil symmetry with Team Penske and the No. 6, eh?

Whilst the teenager's had an interesting ascendancy thru the motor racing ladder rungs, mostly in Tintops, albeit as diverse as V8 Supercars, ARCA, Continental Sports Cars to Dem Camping World 'PickemUp Trucks - along with winning a bronze medal at the 2014 Austin X-Games and finishing runner-up in the GRC Lights class last year with four wins.

As NO idea how Thy Young Cindric's done this season or how he's fairing during this weekend's outing at the Oh, So Beautiful Barber's...

So far, thru the first four rounds of competition, it's been a Smorgasbord 'O Winners, most notably Effort Racing's brand new 991-based Porsche 911 GT3R's. With longtime Porsche Factory Hotschue Patrick Long taking the season's first race followed by team-mate Michael Lewis sweeping both rounds of St Pete. (Rounds 3-4)

Reminding everyone not to overlook the reigning four-times consecutive GT Champ' was Jonny O' claiming victory aboard his Cadillac ASTVR at Circuit Of The Americas Nightcap Round-2 race.

The Pirelli World Challenge series  next joined the Indy Cars at Long Beach followed by this weekend's outing at Barber Motorsports Park, for which I wasn't aware of the outcome of those race outings at the time of scribblin' this...