Cadillac Racing Heads to Sonoma with Momentum

Cadillac Racing driver Johnny O'Connell has come back into contention for the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) GT championship points lead as the series heads to Sonoma Raceway for a double header to run this weekend, Aug 28-30.

O'Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.), took double wins at last weekend's event at Miller Motorsports Park in the No. 3 Cadillac ATS-V.R. The two wins, with some help from his competitors at the top of the point standings not having great runs, put O'Connell within seven points of the GT championship driver points lead (Cadillac is 11 points down to Porsche in manufacturer championship) with just three races left. Adding to the intrigue, the championship leader Ryan Dalziel, is not scheduled to run at Sonoma this weekend. O'Connell is the three-time defending PWC Champion.

Sonoma Raceway is located at the gateway to California's wine country. O'Connell started his motorsports career as a driving instructor at the 2.2-mile, 12-turn track. The familiarity should benefit him and his Cadillac ATS-V.R this weekend.

"I'm hopeful that our new Cadillac ATS-V.R will perform well at Sonoma Raceway," O'Connell said. "I must admit to being a little worried. Sonoma is very busy as well as bumpy in some areas. Especially the circuit that is used by the IndyCar Series. Utilizing both hairpins and the chicane makes for an awkward flow."

Asked about his focus for the last three races, "I just try to do what Cadillac Racing always does, which is to execute at the highest level possible and avoid mistakes. There are some world-class drivers and teams competing this year and we will have to be perfect these final three races."

Teammate Andy Pilgrim is also coming off a successful race weekend posting finishes of fifth and seventh.

"I had the best weekend of the year at Miller and am looking forward to continuing that run," Pilgrim said. "I think the ATS-V.R will be competitive at Sonoma, although it may not be the best track for it. We have had a great car on the faster tracks with sweeping corners and hairpins, but Sonoma only has a little of that type of layout. I am so far out of the drivers' championship at this point after the season challenges my focus is to work as hard as I can to help Cadillac in the manufacturers race. We will definitely need a really good set-up this weekend to be up front at Sonoma.

Pilgrim has great memories of racing at Sonoma. "I remember in the late 1980's I was running a Firehawk endurance race at Sonoma in a Pontiac. I had an hour-long battle with a Camaro. It was a crazy run with both of us going at it for the lead like it was the last lap. I had no idea who was in the car and found out afterwards it was Jack Baldwin [current GTS driver] doing a guest appearance in our series at a time when he was one of the top guys in Trans Am. We ran side by side around that whole track and never touched, giving each other racing room for an hour."

The Pirelli World Challenge Series race from Sonoma Raceway will be televised on CBS Sports Network, Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. ET. Lives streaming can be viewed at world-challengetv.com.

The Pirelli World Challenge Series race from Miller Motorsport Park, last weekend, will be televised on CBS Sports Network Sunday, August 30, 4 p.m. ET.

Contact:

kyle@kcapr.com

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