Pirelli World Challenge Announces ‘official’ 2017 Racing Schedule
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| 2016 Full Field |
WC Vision, producers of the Pirelli World Challenge, today announced its 11-weekend racing schedule for the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge Championships featuring North America’s biggest GT Production-based road racing campaign.
In 2016, the PWC campaign, with over 22 auto manufacturers and 38 separate models through its eight racing divisions, GT, GTA, GT Cup, GTS, Touring Car, TCA, TCB and Sprint X, enjoyed sensational racing action in its 27th year as one of the world’s most competitive and entertaining sports car racing series.
For 2017, the Pirelli World Challenge season will host eleven weekends through North America including a new venue in Virginia International Raceway (VIR) with the popular 3.27-mile, 17-turn permanent road circuit set to host all eight PWC classes on April 28-30.
In addition, the series season-opener the past two years, Circuit of the Americas (COTA), will host all eight categories in a Labor Day headliner weekend set for Sept. 1-3.
Pirelli World Challenge also revealed that five GT weekends will feature live telecasts on the CBS Sports Network beginning with the season-opening weekend in the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 11-12.
As usual, PWC will visit many of North America’s most prestigious and legendary race facilities starting with the season opener scheduled for the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 10-12, at the annual Indy Car race.
“After a successful 2016 season including 127 entries in the season finale last weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, we are pleased with the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge schedule,"
said Greg Gill, president and CEO of WC Vision. “There are a few remaining contracts and venue details to be worked out. We will work through those details in the coming days." said Greg Gill, president and CEO of WC Vision.
“We want to thank North America’s most iconic and legendary road racing venues in bringing the best GT Production-based motorsports racing to their racing facilities in 2017. We expect another outstanding season in 2017 for the fans, teams, drivers and sponsors."
The complete class participation for each PWC weekend will be announced in the near future as GT single-driver sprint events will continue to run in conjunction with the Verizon IndyCar Series weekends.
Those 2017 weekends will include St. Petersburg, Long Beach (April 7-9), Road America (June 23-25), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (July 28-30) and Sonoma Raceway (Sept. 15-17). All except Long Beach (GT single race) will be doubleheader weekend.
In the five PWC headliner races, VIR (April 28-30), Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (May 19-21), Lime Rock Park (May 26-27), Utah Motorsports Campus (Aug. 11-13) and COTA (Sept. 1-3) will feature all eight racing divisions.
The Pirelli World Challenge finale again will take place at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca with a unique weekend set for racers and fans on Oct. 13-15. Working in conjunction with the popular European-based SRO Blancpain GT Series, the SRO Motorsports Group Intercontinental GT Challenge will include an eight-hour GT endurance contest with GT3 machines. The PWC classes for MRLS will be announced soon.
2017 Pirelli World Challenge Schedule
| Date | Track | City |
| March 10-12 | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Fla. |
| April 7-9 | Streets of Long Beach | Long Beach, Calif. |
| April 28-30 | Virginia International Raceway | Alton, Va. |
| May 19-21 | Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | Bowmanville, Ont., CAN |
| May 26-27 | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, Conn. |
| June 23-25 | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wis. |
| July 28-30 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
| August 11-13 | Utah Motorsports Campus | Grantsville, Utah |
| September 1-3 | Circuit of the Americas (COTA) | Austin, Texas |
| September 15-17 | Sonoma Raceway | Sonoma, Calif. |
| October 13-15 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca | Salinas, Calif. |
(With SRO International GT Challenge)