This weekend, Pirelli World Challenge prepares to wrap up the 2014 season with this weekend’s race in Tooele, UT. Going into the final race of the season, the championship is still up for grabs, as Johnny O’Connell leads the points standings by a mere 42 points in his Cadillac Racing Cadillac CTS-V.R in GT class. A similar gap of 48 points separates leader Michael Mills from Hendrik Hedman in GT-A. Mark Wilkins has a more comfortable lead over Lawson Aschenbach, sitting 80 points ahead in GTS class. In TC, Michael DiMeo holds a commanding 489 point advantage over second place in class, Karl Thomson. TCA and TCB leaders each hold a 36 and 77 point lead respectively.
While the race this weekend should be a nail-biter, as competition has been close all season, given the current point standings, what has many people talking is Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) President and CEO, Lisa Noble, racing in this weekends World Challenge event at Miller Motorsports Park, in support of the charitable organization, Maxton’s Fight.
While it is not often in the racing community that we see the big names of the industry administration gear up and get behind the wheel in a full fledged race, it is the boost that racing needs. For fans, having the opportunity to watch the President and CEO of SCCA run with some of the fastest drivers in the World Challenge series is rare to say the least, and it speaks volumes about Noble’s character, and the industry as a whole.
Not only is Noble jumping back into the drivers seat to show that the big bosses aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves, but it shows just how close-knit the racing community is as a whole. Maxton’s Fight was established in honor of SCCA Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Eric Prill’s son was diagnosed with leukemia. While Maxton still battles his illness, the foundation aims to support children and their families, when they are forced to deal with pediatric disease. Noble hopes to bring publicity to this great foundation over the weekend, and the fans get a chance to watch a veteran racer take to the track after many years of progressing sports car racing through her administrative work.
Looking forward, spectators can expect a good weekend of racing from Pirelli World Challenge as drivers hammer their way around Miller Motorsports Park. As an added bonus, we have the pleasure of watching Lisa Noble take to the track in support of a great cause.
I’m loving the Pirelli World Challenge competition this season! The GT3 cars are very competitive on the dedicated circuits, and the Cadillac’s have advantage on the street courses. I think this has been a banner year for the series with huge manufacturer involvement and most importantly their impressive adaptation to modern media utilizing the web & YouTube for watching the races. And then their is of course the really good cause of Maxton’s Fight. Super impressed with Lisa Noble going behind the wheel in the final race. No matter where she finishes it shows the dedication of the administration to make the series a success. I’ll certainly be tuning in to this one!