Maserati Series added to IndyCar weekend

In addition to the high-speed action of the IZOD IndyCar Series at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, Sonoma Raceway has built a jam-packed weekend of high-intensity racing, Aug. 23-25.

New for 2013, the Maserati Trofeo World Series has been added to the lineup, and will be joined by the return of the World Challenge Series and Formula Car Challenge Series.

The Maserati Trofeo World Series pairs with the INDYCAR race weekend for the first time and will host the fourth round of the series. So far this season, an average of 24 Maserati Gran Turismo MC Trofeos have competed on circuits around Europe, but now the action returns to the United States.

This is the second consecutive visit for the series to Sonoma Raceway, after joining the FIA World Touring Car Championship weekend last year. The event marks the halfway point in the season with the battle for the world crown up for grabs. After Sonoma, the Trofeo Series heads to Shanghai (China) on Nov. 3 before the grand finale in Abu Dhabi on Dec.14.

For the third straight year, the World Challenge will host a dynamic a double-header weekend in Sonoma, with two races in the Touring Car (TC) class on Saturday and the 60-minute Grand Touring (GT) and Grand Touring Sport (GTS) main event on Sunday. Fans can again expect makes from Corvette, Cadillac, Volvo and Porsche battling it out on the road course.

The Formula Car Challenge Series will also host a double-header race weekend with open-wheel racing in three classes, making it the only spec series that features a variety of cars. This will mark the fourth time the Formula Car Challenge (FCC) will be paired with the IZOD IndyCar® Series in the Sonoma Valley. Past events have had 33- 35 cars on the grid, making this one of the largest open-wheel races in the country.