Pirelli World Challenge visits Road America: "A wonderful place to drive!"



PLYMOUTH -- The biggest names in racing these days compete in NASCAR. The IndyCars still have their fans too -- as was proven during their recent weekend at the Milwaukee Mile for IndyFest. But a new sports care series is growing rapidly.

When the Pirelli World Challenge visits Road America, there is a great degree of anticipation. The guys behind the wheel are stoked.

"Other than being a wonderful place to go watch a race, it's a wonderful place to drive. It's a four-mile track -- one of the longest in North America, and it's very smooth and a lot of different variety of corners, so from a driver's standpoint, it's very challenging," Peter Cunningham, Pirelli World Challenge driver said.

The fans are enthused because the series presents familiar makes and models in a relatable, competitive arena.



"Even a casual fan can appreciate the Pirelli World Challenge because of how different the cars are. They can see that's a Bentley, and that's a Lamborghini, and that's a McLaren, and that's a Cadillac, and that's an Acura -- so they are true to their heritage," Cunningham said.

And the manufacturers love the chance to showcase their equipment.

"The whole goal here is to try to pitch the Acura brand, get it in the limelight and get it results so that hopefully makes you choose our car over another." With Bentley and Mercedes and Porsche, to be able to take our Acura TLX and to compete at the front of the field with those guys really shows what the brand is capable of," Ryan Eversley, Pirelli World Challenge driver said.

"These are production-based cars, and they are going head-to-head -- a lot of variety and they're very recognizable because the are real cars -- real cars going real fast," Cunningham said.

"You can definitely see the styling resemblances, but it's a very aggressive version of what we're selling at the dealership, so basically your Acura TLX on steroids," Eversley said.

There are many unique aspects to the Pirelli World Challenge, but the universal mindset of a driver is as common in this series as any other.

Road America is poised to host the challenge again next season, possibly pairing it with IndyCar for a big motorsports weekend in Elkhart Lake.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Road America.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Pirelli World Challenge.