Pro Touring at Pirelli Ultimate Track Car Challenge

[Steve Chryssos]

The Pirelli Ultimate Track Car Challenge ran last Friday at VIR. And it was amazing!

65 of the fastest cars and drivers compete in Time Trial format. Three members of the pro-touring community participated:
-Mike Holleman 1964 El Camino - Pro Touring
-Mark Steilow 1969 Camaro - Pro Touring
-Jake Parrott / Jakes Rod Shop 1972 Camaro - AIX Race Car

Unfortunately, Mark suffered a steering rack failure in his 69 Camaro, but he took over driving duties for Mike Holleman's El Camino, which placed 40th overall and received the pro touring trophy. Jake's Rod Shop proved that off-the-shelf pro touring parts can run with the big dogs.

Jake's AIX 2nd Gen Camaro placed 26 overall and 12nd in class. The JRS team then stayed the weekend and competed in the NASA American Iron Extreme race, where Jake finished in second place. That's a podium finish for the same exact torque arm and front subframe that you can buy for your pro touring street car.

It's unfortunate that Steilow's Camaro suffered a DNF, but it was way cool that Mike Holleman's El Camino was such a crowd pleaser. When I mentioned the ElCo at the awards ceremony, people cheered and clapped. We hope to see more pro touring cars at this event next year. It's a chance to see how our cars fit into the overall super high performance landscape. Even if you don't wish to participate, you can bring out your car and sign up for NASA's excellent HPDE program (High Performance Driver Education)




INSANE! Watch Glenn Bunch's 528 Hemi IMSA Challenger walk away from the new Dodge Viper ACR-X on the straights. The Viper then reels it in under braking.


RED DEVIL! What do Steilow's Red Devil Camaro, a Porsche GT Race Car, and a 550RWHP Evo have in common? They all participated in the Ultimate Track Car Challenge.


STAGING / PIT OUT! Is this the coolest car show ever? or just staging for the Pirelli UTCC. Watch this video of the big dog class exiting pit road prior to the first session.


You can check out more Pirelli Ultimate Track Car Challenge news in the link below including footage. And keep checking back. More images and video will be posted throughout the week.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/utcc/updates/