TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 11, 2014) – Miller Motorsports Park will host the final two rounds of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge Championships for all six classes. You can catch every minute or racing action by logging onto www.world-challengetv.com.
The GT Drivers’ Championship is led by Johnny O’Connell, who is looking for his third consecutive championship. O’Connell had a 42-marker lead over Mike Skeen, who would like nothing more than to break through with his first GT title.
For Skeen to move ahead in the standings before taking the start of Saturday’s Round 16, he would have to win in Round 15 while O’Connell would finish third, or lower. While that is not the only scenario for Skeen to take the point lead, that situation is the easiest to explain. Both drivers have scored three race wins this season, with Skeen having the edge in number of pole positions by one.
Michael Mills holds a 43-point lead in the GT-A sub class. His is the lead contender, for the inaugural season of the category, riding high following four consecutive race wins from Rounds 10 through 13.
Henrik Hedman, who has struggled recently, will try to recapture the early-season magic that resulted in five class podiums in the first 10 rounds.
In GTS, the same three drivers are at the top of the Drivers’ Standings as last year. In 2014, Mark Wilkins leads Lawson Aschenbach and Jack Baldwin leading into the final two rounds of the season. Wilkins has amassed 1333 points, including 12 top-five finishes in 14 races.
Aschenbach, only 80 markers behind Wilkins, heads to Miller with the momentum of three wins in the last four races. Baldwin faces a taller task in earning the Championship title as he sits at 1139 points.
Michael DiMeo is the Touring Car Champ, but can make history becoming the first driver to collect nine race wins during a season. That number would eclipse the current record of eight, held by Peter Cunningham. The question is, will DiMeo push to make history or stand pat on the strength of his point lead?
In Touring Car A, rookie Jason Wolfe is the Drivers’ Championship leader heading into Rounds 13 and 14. He leads Shea Holbrook by 36 points. Lurking in third is Ernie Francis, Jr., who will take advantage of any misstep made by Wolfe or Holbrook to claim his first Pirelli World Challenge title.
Brian Price is the current Drivers’ Standings leader in Touring Car B-Spec, with 1144 points. He leads 14-year-old Nathan Stacey by 77 points, with Tyler Palmer trailing in third. Price started the 2014 campaign strong by winning four of the first six races of the season, but has fallen on tough times after scoring only one podium in the last six races.
On the other hand, Stacey, has been consistent with top-10s in each race of the season. If Stacey can pull off the come-from-behind Championship win, he will be the youngest driver to claim a title in Pirelli World Challenge.
All four races of the Championship race weekend will be covered via live internet broadcast, which can be seen by going to www.world-challengetv.com. Starting Sept. 12, at 3:00 p.m. (MDT), will be TC/TCA/TCB Race One, followed by GT/GT-A/GTS Race One, at 4:40 p.m. (MDT). Coverage for the final TC/TCA/TCB race of 2014 will start Sept. 13, at 9:15 a.m. (MDT), with the GT/GT-A/GTS final starting at 2:10 p.m. (MDT).
