Racer Article: TC America returns to Watkins Glen with 30-car grid
After a one-year hiatus, TC America Powered by Skip Barber returns to the twists and turns of Watkins Glen International, the scenic and historic 3.37 mile, 11-turn road course in the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York.
Three classes totaling thirty entries will make up the grid for Rounds 9 and 10 of the championship.
Fifteen cars across six manufacturers are entered for the TC category. Eric Powell’s championship advantage expanded to over 20 points at Road America, and will to continue his defense in the No. 92 Honda Civic Type-R for Skip Barber Racing School at Watkins Glen. His closest rival, the No. 9 Honda Civic Type-R of Kevin Boehm for DXDT Racing, aims to close the gap with just three rounds remaining on the calendar.
Skip Barber Racing School expands their effort to six cars for Rounds 9 and 10, with Powell, Lindsay Brewer in her No. 29 Honda Civic Type-R, Ken Fukuda in his No. 28 Honda Civic Type-R, and new entries in the Honda Civic Si in TCA. LA Honda World will campaign two Honda Civic Type-Rs, the No. 37 of Mike LaMarra and the No. 73 of Mat Pombo.
A duo of Hyundai Veloster Ns, the No. 78 of Jeff Ricca and No. 88 of Kurt Washeim will battle for GenRacer. Mazda is back in the TC category with the addition of the No. 70 of Joey Jordan for FTG at Watkins Glen, while the No. 21 Nissan 370Z driven by Rob Hines represents Nissan. The No. 60 Mini Cooper driven by Derek Jones returns with MINI JCW in the TC class.
Four BMW M240iRs are set to race as well, with the No. 06 and No. 09 of Mathew Ibrahim and Kris Valdez for DRS & Garagistic, and the No. 51 and No. 52 of Austen Smith and Tom Capizzi for Auto Technic Racing all representing the Bavarian marque. Smith sits third in the standings just three points behind Boehm.
The TCX class will feature four BMW M2 CS Cup cars at Watkins Glen, including championship leader Jacob Ruud in the No. 81 Classic BMW entry. Ruud has won all but one round this year, but seeks victory again at Watkins Glen after he was defeated at Road America by Stephen Cugliari.
The No. 5 BMW M2 CS Cup driven by Roy Block for KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering returns, along with the No. 30 of Steve Streimer, driving for Hard Motorsport. Block and Streimer are separated by just two points in a heated battle for second in the driver’s points heading into the two rounds at Watkins Glen. One new entry caps off the TCX grid – the No. 38 BMW M2 CS Cup of Joseph Catania for RigidSpeed.
The TCA category will feature six Honda Civic Si, including three from Skip Barber Racing School: the current championship runner-up Carter Fartuch in his No. 16, the No. 2 of Colin Harrison, and the No. 20 of Mike Stillwagon. The No. 780 Honda Civic Si of Sally McNulty rides a wave of success into Watkins Glen after a fourth-place finish at Road America in Round 8 – her best finish of the season.
Two Hyundai Velosters are entered for Watkins Glen, the championship leading No. 18 of Caleb Bacon, and the no. 33 of Luke Rumburg, both for Forbush Performance. Two Toyota 86s, the No. 22 of Jesse Love and the No. 25 of PJ Groenke, will race for TechSport Racing.
The No. 62 Mini Cooper and driver Clayton Williams enter Watkins Glen with momentum after a third-place finish at Road America. The No. 77 Honda Civic Si of Mario Biundo for LA Honda World Racing is back for Rounds 9 and 10, as well as the No. 99 Honda Civic Si of Jose Blanco for VGMC Racing.
Part of the HRC program, L.A. Honda World Racing is the official race team of L.A. Honda World, a factory-authorized Honda dealership in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, CA.
For more information about the drivers and team, visit L.A. Honda World Racing on the web at www.lahondaworldracing.com and www.lahondaworld.com.
About L.A. Honda World Racing
L.A. Honda World Racing is an in-house professional racing team based in Southern California and participates in the SRO / TC America racing series exclusively racing touring cars built by HRC. They are also a factory authorized Honda dealer for American Honda Motor Co. www.lahondaworldracing.com
About Honda Racing Corporation US
Honda Racing Corporation US, (HRC), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers. From pinnacle racing in Formula 1, INDYCAR, and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial racing programs, HRC powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HRC leads all of Honda and Acura's high-performance racing programs in North America. HRC specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. HRC offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro racing. For more information, visit hondaracing-us.honda.com
