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Michelin Pilot Challenge
Car racing competition held in Canada and the USA
Car racing competition held in Canada and the USA
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| logo | IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge logo.svg |
| category | Grand touring |
| Touring car | |
| country/region | United States |
| Canada | |
| inaugural | 1997 |
| champion driver | GS: USA Vincent Barletta |
| GS: USA Robby Foley | |
| TCR: USA Harry Gottsacker | |
| TCR: CAN Robert Wickens | |
| champion team | GS: USA #96 Turner Motorsport |
| TCR: USA #33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian | |
| manufacturer | GS: DEU Mercedes-AMG |
| TCR: KOR Hyundai | |
| website | michelinpilotchallenge.imsa.com |
| current_season | Michelin Pilot Challenge |
Touring car | country/region = United States Canada GS: USA Robby Foley TCR: USA Harry Gottsacker TCR: CAN Robert Wickens TCR: USA #33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian TCR: KOR Hyundai

The Michelin Pilot Challenge is a grand touring and touring car racing series run by the International Motor Sports Association. Originating from the Canadian Motorola Cup, the series was taken over by Grand-Am in 2001 to become the Grand-Am Cup following the demise of rival IMSA's Firehawk series of similar rules in the US. KONI became series sponsor for the start of the 2007 season when the series became known as the KONI Challenge Series, before renaming once more prior to the start of the 2009 season as the KONI Sports Car Challenge. The series name was once again changed for the 2010 season to Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. In 2019, the series rebranded again after Michelin was selected to become the new official tire supplier of the series and thus simplified their branding name by removing Sports Car term.
The Continental Challenge was the support series for Grand-Am's premier offering, the Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2014, the series became the support series for the United SportsCar Championship (now known as the IMSA SportsCar Championship) upon the merger of the Rolex Series and the American Le Mans Series.
Races
In traditional sports car racing format, the races are often run with both Grand Sport (GT4) and TCR classes on track simultaneously, which is known as a "combined" race. Occasionally the races will be run in "split classes", with separate races for both classes. This is especially common for shorter venues such as Lime Rock Park. Currently the races are 2 hours in length with a required driver change.
Telecasts
- Until 2013, broadcasts were to Fox Sports 1, formerly Speed Channel. All telecasts are uploaded to the series website after their initial airing.
- From 2019 season, NBC Sports telecast Delayed-Race and IMSA TV has telecast live via Peacock.
- In some countries, NASCAR Holdings (which owns IMSA) feature the Michelin Pilot Challenge is included in NASCAR's media rights deals in Mexico and Brazil that includes NASCAR's three national series, IMSA's two major series, and American Flat Track, all of which have broadcasts produced by NASCAR.
- IMSA TV, which is controlled by NASCAR Productions, has international rights in selected countries.
Vehicles
The series uses two classes in each race. Originally, these were:
- The Grand Sport (GS) class features large-displacement 6-cylinder, 8-cylinder, 10-cylinder or 12-cylinder sports cars as well as small displacement 4-cylinder forced induction sports cars.
- The Street Tuner (ST) class is for smaller 4-cylinder, 5-cylinder or 6-cylinder sedans, hatchbacks, coupes or convertibles.
From 2017, IMSA allowed cars built by "mainstream automotive manufacturers" to SRO GT4 regulations to compete, with a complete phase out of the original Grand-Am GS class the next year. Also in 2018, IMSA introduced TCR Touring Cars as a third class, with the intention of it replacing the Street Tuners as the second class, which happened the following year.
The original format was reminiscent of the original Trans-Am Series, combining conventional sports cars and touring cars, though the Trans-Am Series usually had a single driver per car, unlike the Continental Challenge, which has two drivers per car. Some vehicles in the Continental Challenge have actually been wrapped to resemble the original Trans Am cars, such as the Boss 302 Mustangs of George Follmer and Parnelli Jones or the original Sunoco Camaro. As the Pilot Challenge consists of longer races (2-4 hours), the cars are also eligible for the United States Auto Club's Pirelli World Challenge GT4 or TCR classes, which are one-hour races.
Champions
| Season | GS Champion | Car | ST / TCR Champion | Car | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA Craig Stanton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Terry Borcheller | Cadillac CTS-V | USA David Haskell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Sylvain Tremblay | Mazda RX-8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN David Empringham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Scott Maxwell | Ford Mustang | USA David Haskell | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Sylvain Tremblay | Mazda RX-8 (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SWE Anders Hainer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Boris Said | BMW M3 | USA Don Salama | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Will Turner | BMW 330i | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Jeff Segal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Jep Thornton | BMW M3 (2) | USA Trevor Hopwood | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Adam Burrows | BMW 330i (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Joe Foster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Scott Maxwell | Ford Mustang (2) | CAN Jamie Holtom | Chevrolet Cobalt SS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Kenny Wilden | Ford Mustang (3) | USA Chris Miller | Honda Civic Si | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Charles Espenlaub | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Charlie Putman | BMW M3 (3) | USA David ThileniusThe Bimmerworld 328i of Bill Heumann and Seth Thomas and the Compass360 Civic of Thilenius and Aschenbach finished the 2010 season tied in ST points. As both teams had the same number of wins and second-place finishes, Thilenius and Aschenbach won the title by virtue of having more third-place finishes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Lawson Aschenbach | Honda Civic Si (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Paul Dalla Lana | BMW M3 (4) | SWE Niclas Jönsson | Kia Forte Koup | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN John FaranoMatt Plumb was victorious in the final race and was the presumed champion, but upon official review he was determined to have been illegally entered in multiple cars, and thus received no points, handing the championship to Farano and Empringham. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN David Empringham | Porsche 997 | BRA Pierre Kleinubing | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Jason Clunie | Mazdaspeed3 (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Nick Longhi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Matt Plumb | Porsche 997 (2) | USA Terry Borcheller | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Mike LaMarra | BMW 128i (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Trent Hindman | BMW M3 Coupe (5) | USA Eric Foss | BMW 328i (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Porsche Cayman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Andrew Davis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UK Robin Liddell | Chevrolet Camaro | UK Stevan McAleer | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Chad McCumbee | Mazda MX-5 (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Billy Johnson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Scott Maxwell | Ford Mustang GT350R-C (4) | USA Nick Galante | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Spencer Pumpelly | Porsche Cayman (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Dillon Machavern | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Dylan Murcott | Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport MR (3) | USA Eric Foss | Porsche Cayman (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Hugh Plumb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Owen Trinkler | Mercedes-AMG GT4 | USA ST: Devin Jones | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN ST: Nick Galante | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA TCR: Britt Casey Jr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA TCR: Tom Long | ST: BMW 328i (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TCR: Audi RS 3 LMS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Tyler McQuarrie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Jeff Westphal | Audi R8 LMS GT4 | USA Michael Lewis | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Mark Wilkins | Hyundai Veloster N TCR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Kyle Marcelli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Nate Stacy | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 | COL Gabby Chaves | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Ryan Norman | Hyundai Veloster N TCR (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Belgium Jan Heylen | Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (4) | USA Michael Lewis | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Taylor Hagler | Hyundai Veloster N TCR (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Alan Brynjolfsson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Trent Hindman | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 (2) | USA Taylor Hagler (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Michael Lewis (2) | Hyundai Elantra N TCR (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Vincent Barletta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Robby Foley | BMW M4 GT4 Gen II (6) | USA Harry Gottsacker | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Robert Wickens | Hyundai Elantra N TCR (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Matt Plumb | Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 (3) | USA Chris Miller | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Africa Mikey Taylor | Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2) |
Notes
References
References
- "Michelin Pilot Challenge Revealed; Two Classes in 2019 – Sportscar365".
- "IMSA Finalizes Racing Platform Innovations {{!}} IMSA".
- "2004 Grand-Am Cup Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2005 Grand-Am Cup Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2006 Grand-Am Cup Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2007 KONI Challenge Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2008 KONI Challenge Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2009 KONI Challenge Series Driver Point Standings".
- "2010 CTSCC Driver Point Standings".
- "2011 CTSCC Driver Point Standings".
- "2012 CTSCC Driver Point Standings".
- "2013 CTSCC Driver Point Standings".
- "2014 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Official Points".
- "2015 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Official Points".
- "Michelin Pilot Challenge: Home".
- "Michelin Pilot Challenge: Home".
- "Michelin Pilot Challenge: Home".
- "Michelin Pilot Challenge: Home".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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