The 2010 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge was the tenth running of the Grand-Am Cup series and the first season under Continental Tire sponsorship. It began on January 29 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on September 12 at Miller Motorsports Park.
Despite winning only one race all season, top ten finishes in each of the ten races enabled Charles Espenlaub and Charles Putman of Fall-Line Motorsports to win the Grand Sport class title. Espenlaub and Putman finished six points clear of double race-winners Michael Marsal and Joey Hand of Turner Motorsport, and eight clear of another pair of double race-winners, Roush Performance's Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson. Rum Bum Racing's Matt Plumb won the most races, taking three victories – one victory with Gian Bacardi and two with Nick Longhi – but finished 80 points behind Espenlaub and Putman. Single race victories were taken by Rehagen Racing's Dean Martin and Bob Michaelian at Barber Motorsports Park, as well as The Racer's Group's Steve Bertheau and Spencer Pumpelly at Mid-Ohio.
The Street Tuner class was just as hotly contested as the Grand Sport class, and after ten races, the top two teams – Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius of Compass360 Racing, and Bill Heumann and Seth Thomas of BimmerWorld/GearWrench – finished tied on 274 points. Both teams took two victories and two second places, but the third place for Aschenbach and Thilenius at the final race of the season at Miller Motorsports Park allowed them to clinch the championship. Freedom Autosport pair Tom Long and Derek Whitis, and RSR Motorsports duo Randy Smalley and Owen Trinkler also took two victories over the season, with single victories claimed by APR Motorsport's Ian Baas and Aaron Povoledo, as well as the team-mates of Aschenbach and Thilenius, Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz.
Debuting in 2010 was a new Mustang for Multimatic Motorsports painted to look like the Trans Am Series Boss 302s of Parnelli Jones and George Follmer. Also debuting was a new Sunoco sponsored Camaro resembling the original Penske Camaros of Trans Am.
Schedule
The schedule was announced on October 15, 2009. Nine of the ten rounds supported the 2010 Rolex Sports Car Series, with a stand-alone round at Circuit Trois-Rivières.
| Rnd | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daytona International Speedway | January 29 |
| 2 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | March 6–7 |
| 3 | Barber Motorsports Park | April 9–10 |
| 4 | Virginia International Raceway | April 24–25 |
| 5 | Lime Rock Park | May 28–29 |
| 6 | Watkins Glen International | June 5–6 |
| 7 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | June 19–20 |
| 8 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | July 17–18 |
| 9 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | August 13 |
| 10 | Miller Motorsports Park | September 11–12 |
Calendar
| Rnd | Circuit | Pole Position | Fastest Lap | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daytona International Speedway | #46 Fall-Line Motorsports | #19 Rum Bum Racing | #19 Rum Bum Racing |
 Mark Boden Andy Pilgrim
|
Gian Bacardi Matt Plumb
|
Gian Bacardi Matt Plumb
| ||
| #25 Freedom Autosport | #197 RSR Motorsports | #74 Compass360 Racing | ||
| Tom Long Derek Whitis
|
Sarah Cattaneo V. J. Mirzayan
|
Lawson Aschenbach David Thilenius
| ||
| 2 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | #61 Roush Performance | #15 Multimatic Motorsports | #61 Roush Performance |
| Billy Johnson Jack Roush Jr.
|
Joe Foster Scott Maxwell
|
Billy Johnson Jack Roush Jr.
| ||
| #197 RSR Motorsports | #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench | #25 Freedom Autosport | ||
| Sarah Cattaneo V. J. Mirzayan
|
Bill Heumann Seth Thomas
|
Tom Long Derek Whitis
| ||
| 3 | Barber Motorsports Park | #15 Multimatic Motorsports | #16 Multimatic Motorsports | #52 Rehagen Racing |
| Joe Foster Scott Maxwell
|
Gunnar Jeannette Frankie Montecalvo
|
Dean Martin Bob Michaelian
| ||
| #80 BimmerWorld/GearWrench | #198 RSR Motorsports | #25 Freedom Autosport | ||
| David White James Clay
|
 Craig Conway B. J. Zacharias
|
Tom Long Derek Whitis
| ||
| 4 | Virginia International Raceway | #61 Roush Performance | #13 Rum Bum Racing | #97 Turner Motorsport |
| Jack Roush Jr. Billy Johnson
|
Matt Plumb Gian Bacardi
|
Joey Hand Michael Marsal
| ||
| #196 RSR Motorsports | #74 Compass360 Racing | #75 Compass360 Racing | ||
| B. J. Zacharias Owen Trinkler
|
Lawson Aschenbach David Thilenius
|
Ryan Eversley Zach Lutz
| ||
| 5 | Lime Rock Park | #61 Roush Performance | #96 Turner Motorsport | #97 Turner Motorsport |
| Jack Roush Jr. Billy Johnson
|
Bill Auberlen Paul Dalla Lana
|
Joey Hand Michael Marsal
| ||
| #95 Turner Motorsport | #98 89 Racing Team | #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench | ||
| Don Salama Will Turner
|
Cyril Hamelin Jocelyn Hebert
|
Bill Heumann Seth Thomas
| ||
| 6 | Watkins Glen International | #46 Fall-Line Motorsports | #41 The Racer's Group | #48 Fall-Line Motorsports |
| Mark Boden Bryan Sellers
|
Steve Bertheau Spencer Pumpelly
|
Charles Espenlaub Charles Putman
| ||
| #03 Team MER | #21 GS Motorsports | #74 Compass360 Racing | ||
| Justin Piscitell Jason Saini
|
Andrew Danyliw Jamie Holtom
|
Lawson Aschenbach David Thilenius
| ||
| 7 | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | #6 Stevenson Motorsports | #07 Euro Motorworks Racing | #41 The Racer's Group |
| Matt Bell Jeff Bucknum
|
Terry Heath Bryan Sellers
|
Steve Bertheau Spencer Pumpelly
| ||
| #80 BimmerWorld/GearWrench | #75 Compass360 Racing | #81 BimmerWorld/GearWrench | ||
| David White James Clay
|
Ryan Eversley Zach Lutz
|
Bill Heumann Seth Thomas
| ||
| 8 | New Jersey Motorsports Park | #61 Roush Performance | #97 Turner Motorsport | #61 Roush Performance |
| Billy Johnson Jack Roush Jr.
|
Joey Hand Michael Marsal
|
Billy Johnson Jack Roush Jr.
| ||
| #18 RRT Racing | #64 Next Generation Motorsports | #198 RSR Motorsports | ||
Paul Gerrard Martin Jensen
|
Shawn Dewey Ted Giovanis
|
Randy Smalley Owen Trinkler
| ||
| 9 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | #15 Multimatic Motorsports | #13 Rum Bum Racing | #13 Rum Bum Racing |
| Joe Foster Scott Maxwell
|
Matt Plumb Nick Longhi
|
Matt Plumb Nick Longhi
| ||
| #98 89 Racing Team | #198 RSR Motorsports | #198 RSR Motorsports | ||
| Cyril Hamelin Jocelyn Hebert
|
Randy Smalley Owen Trinkler
|
Randy Smalley Owen Trinkler
| ||
| 10 | Miller Motorsports Park | #6 Stevenson Motorsports | #46 Fall-Line Motorsports | #13 Rum Bum Racing |
| Matt Bell Jeff Bucknum
|
Mark Boden Bryan Sellers
|
Matt Plumb Nick Longhi
| ||
| #91 APR Motorsport | #91 APR Motorsport | #91 APR Motorsport | ||
| Ian Baas Aaron Povoledo
|
Ian Baas Aaron Povoledo
|
Ian Baas Aaron Povoledo
|
References
- "Continental Tire To Sponsor GRAND-AM Sports Car Challenge". grand-am.com. Grand American Road Racing Association. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
- "Grand-Am Announces 2010 KONI Challenge Schedule". grand-am.com. Grand American Road Racing Association. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-11-28.