WC Vision and SCCA Pro Racing have announced six of the eight venues and the first 10 races that will make up the planned 12-race 2011 World Challenge Championships campaign. For the 22nd season of the production-based sports car series, World Challenge competitors will once again contend for Driver, Manufacturer and Team Championships in the individual GT, GTS and Touring Car categories.
As it did in 2010, the 2011 World Challenge season begins in Florida with a doubleheader race weekend on the streets of St. Petersburg as part of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IZOD IndyCar weekend. Round 1 is scheduled for Saturday, March 26, while Round 2 is on Sunday, March 27.
For the sixth-straight year, the World Challenge series will race as part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend, April 15-17. All three World Challenge classes will battle on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course. Round 4 will take place at Miller Motorsports Park, April 29-May 1, as World Challenge will co-headline the weekend with the NASCAR K&N Pro West Series.
Teams and drivers then head north of the border, May 20-22, for the one Canadian event in 2011 and a doubleheader weekend as part of the annual Victoria Day SpeedFest at Mosport International Raceway, just east of Toronto.
On Aug. 5-7, the series will head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for two races along with the American Le Mans Series and IndyCar Series. Later in August, the series travels west with the IndyCar Series to Sonoma, Calif., returning to Infineon Raceway, Aug. 26-28 for Rounds 9 and 10. The series last raced at Infineon in 2006.
Two more events completing the 2011 schedule will be announced soon.
“We are excited with how our 2011 calendar is coming together,” Scott Bove, Director of Operations, WC Vision said. “We've listened to what our fans, competitors and partners want. World Challenge presents Sports Car Wars at top courses and road racing events across the continent. Our skilled drivers get to test their mettle at the most challenging circuits and our fans get to see their favorites battle it out at these top venues in door-to-door, 50-minute sprints to the finish – a trademark of our series.”
Divided into three separate categories (World Challenge GT, World Challenge GTS, and World Challenge Touring Car), each race features a thrilling standing start, adrenaline-filled, door-to-door action and world-class drivers. World Challenge features race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, World Challenge races at North America's premier road and temporary street courses. For more information about World Challenge, visit www.world-challenge.com.
2011 World Challenge schedule
March 25-27, Rounds 1 & 2
St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 15-17, Round 3
Long Beach, Calif.
April 29-May 1, Round 4
Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah
May 20-22, Rounds 5 & 6
Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
August 5-7, Rounds 7 & 8
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
August 26-28, Rounds 9 & 10
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
September – Round 11
To be announced
October – Round 12
To be announced
* denotes doubleheader race event