SEBRING, Fla.—Mustang versus Camaro, BMW versus Porsche, Nissan versus Honda—what race fan wouldn’t want to see these affordable sports cars do battle on track?
These are precisely the contests presented by the Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge, which will be racing this Friday at Sebring Raceway in support of the Sebring 12 Hours.
CTSCC regularly features grid of several dozen car (60 are entered for Sebring) in two classes, street tuner for the smaller, less powerful cars and Grand Sport for the big bangers, the Porsche 911s, Aston Martin Vantages, Camaros, and Mustangs.
CTSCC cars are real street cars right off the assembly line modified for safety and to withstand the rigors of racing—not that different from cars you could buy off the showroom floor.
Watching these cars negotiating the notoriously bumpy Turn 17 at Sebring reveals both the streetcar heritage, and the spirit of the drivers—the cars skitter around the corner on three and sometimes only two wheels, inches from their competitors, bouncing and fishtailing but not slowing. And they do it on every lap.
The GS-class #41 Tower Motorsports Nissan 370z has two wheels off the track as it negotiates Turn 17. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
The Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge offers some of the most exciting and closely contested road racing on the continent, yet only sports car cognoscenti have heard of it. That might change now that it is the main support series for the new Tudor United Sportscar Championship.
With the support of the new series, CTSCC is getting the kind of exposure it deserves. Fans can watch Friday’s race live and follow Timing and Scoring on IMSA.com Friday, March 14 from 1 p.m3:30 p.m., then tune in for a replay on Fox Sports 1 at 1 p.m. on the 19th, or at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 2 on the 23rd.
For more information about the series visit IMSA.com, and for tickets to the race—and The 62nd Sebring 12 Hours—visit Sebringraceway.com.
The ST-class #98 CRG Honda Civic leads the ST #65 Murillo Racing BMW 328 around Turn 17. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
