Greg Liefooghe drove the #20 Stephen Cameron Racing M235i Racing to victory in the second Touring Car sprint race in the Pirelli World Challenge season opener at Virginia International Raceway on April 30. He had finished second to Audi RS 3 LMS racer Paul Holton in Saturday’s sprint.
The M235i Racing that Liefooghe piloted to his win was one of four brought to VIR by the California-based Stephen Cameron Racing team, and one of fifteen entered in the race. Classic BMW of Plano, Texas also brought four M235iRs to VIR, including one driven by last year’s champion Toby Grahovec.
Liefooghe led the Saturday sprint from the green flag until the race was red-flagged for a spectacular rollover by Honda racer Jason Fichter; Fichter was examined at the hospital and released. PWC officials elected to restart the race, allowing a final ten minutes of competition. Holton, who had been on Liefooghe’s tail before the red flag incident, managed to get by the BMW racer for the win. It was the first race and the first win for the new Audi, a car built to the specs of TCR, an emerging global touring car platform. Nick Wittmer rounded out the podium on Saturday in an ST Racing M235iR. Holton, who got sick halfway through the race, was not able to make the podium celebration. Instead he went to the track medical center for what PWC described as “heat exhaustion-like symptoms.”
Wittmer and Liefooghe battled for the lead in Sunday’s race; Wittmer appeared to be headed for a win when he was involved in a late-race crash with Audi racer John Allen. The crash eliminated both Wittmer and Allen and brought out a full-course yellow. PWC officials determined that car removal and track repairs would take the race beyond its scheduled forty minutes, so the checker was thrown early; Liefooghe took the win ahead of Holton, with Porsche Cayman racer Cody Ellsworth third.
The M235s run in the Touring Car class; two other classes, TCA and TCB, ran with them in the two Touring Car races. TCA is dominated by Mazda MX-5s; in TCB Minis run along with Honda Fits, Mazda 2s, and Chevy Sonics. Sonic racer Canaan O’Connell won the class on Saturday, when the Minis of Taylor Handwerk and Travis Washay finished fourth and fifth. Washay won the class on Sunday; Handwerk once again finished fourth.
There is no BMW presence in the other PWC classes so far this season. Mike Mills, who won the SprintX title last season in a Z4, has not returned to defend his title.
The series runs again at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on May 19-21, and then runs at Lime Rock Park on May 26-27.—Brian S. Morgan
Photos:
Greg Liefooghe took the overall and TC class wins in Sunday’s Touring Car race at VIR. Brian Morgan photo
Travis Washay won the TCB class on Sunday at VIR. Brian Morgan photo
