SANDBERG WINS FIRST PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE GTS RACE FOR ANSA MOTORSPORTS
ANSA Motorsports competed in its first-ever Pirelli World Challenge GTS Championship event last weekend at Circuit of the Americas with its two season drivers, Dore Chaponick, Jr. and Brett Sandberg. Thanks to Sandberg’s fabulous driving, ANSA Motorsports won round 2 of the first 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GTS Championship event in Texas and brought REITER Engineering KTM X-Bow GT4 its first, official, overall victory in North America.
After a promoter test day spent working on cars to prepare for qualifying and the race, the two ANSA drivers, Chaponick and Sandberg, started to show some speed and were on top of the chart. On Friday, they topped the first of the two practice sessions and Chaponick, the 19-year-old from Miami, driving the No. 12 KTM X-Bow GT4, ended the day with the fastest time.
In qualifying, ANSA Motorsports KTM X-Bows finished first and second. Chaponick was on the provisional-pole position, followed by Sandberg in second place. Following technical inspections, cars 12 and 13 lost their qualifying times, and the two drivers were sent to the back of the field for round 1. Some minor issues with the boost pressure caused this decision by the officials plus a rpm reduction in fifth and sixth gear. They had to start 18th and 19th.
Friday afternoon, Chaponick and Sandberg took a great start in round 1 of 2 and quickly moved up in the top ten. Sandberg was on his way to a top-three finish, but since he was trying so hard, the driver from New Jersey spun and lost multiple track positions. Sandberg re-entered the track and raced again, harder than before, to finish in 6th place after the 50-minute race.
Chaponick had a good race, too, but did not get the result he deserved. The GTS championship rookie driver, who is only in his first professional full season, showed great potential, but was involved in a racing incident that cost him a time penalty for unavoidable contact. He finished 10th in round 1.
On Sunday in round 2, Sandberg started on the pole position and Chaponick in 3rd place on the grid, since the two drivers scored the fastest and third-fastest times in round 1. Unlike round 1, round 2 start was a standing start.
Sandberg led from start to finish, winning Sunday’s Round 2 of the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GTS season, at the Circuit of the Americas, part of the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas brought to you by VP Racing Fuels. When the lights went out for the standing start, Sandberg, in the No. 13 ANSA Motorsports KTM X-Bow GT4, got the jump he needed to keep the lead from pole, heading into turn one. Sandberg had one of the best races of his career and kept the lead during the 22 laps around the 3.4-mile circuit. Sandberg took maximum points for the GTS championship and scored the fastest race lap in round 2.
Chaponick, who was one of the fastest men of the GTS Championship race weekend at COTA, was looking for a great finish in round 2, but unfortunately he encountered technical problems with his No. 12 car that forced him to finish in 14th place.
Austin, TX - Mar 04, 2016: Pirelli World Challenge teams take to the track on Pirelli tires for a practice session for the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas presented by VP Racing Fuels at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.
Catch all the action from COTA on an expanded CBS Sports Network broadcast, scheduled for Thursday, March 17 at 9:00 p.m. eastern time. GTS teams next take to the streets of St. Petersburg for Rounds 3 and 4, March 11-12, with live timing available on world-challenge.com and live video on motortrendondemand.com.
Brett Sandberg quote after his first 2016 victory: “The KTM X-Bow performed flawlessly today. The car was super consistent throughout the entire race,” said Sandberg. “The ANSA Motorsports team worked outstanding in conjunction Reiter Engineering. The car felt so good through the entire run today. I felt some pressure from Lawson as the race went on and I needed to drive smoothly to keep our pace. To beat someone like Lawson, who really helped me out a few years back, this is a great feeling. It’s been a challenge to try and get the Balance of Performance (BOP) up to the standard of the GTS which is the Camaro. They made a pretty significant change on our car from qualifying. They have done a lot with the car. The car performed great throughout the weekend.”
After a promoter test day spent working on cars to prepare for qualifying and the race, the two ANSA drivers, Chaponick and Sandberg, started to show some speed and were on top of the chart. On Friday, they topped the first of the two practice sessions and Chaponick, the 19-year-old from Miami, driving the No. 12 KTM X-Bow GT4, ended the day with the fastest time.
In qualifying, ANSA Motorsports KTM X-Bows finished first and second. Chaponick was on the provisional-pole position, followed by Sandberg in second place. Following technical inspections, cars 12 and 13 lost their qualifying times, and the two drivers were sent to the back of the field for round 1. Some minor issues with the boost pressure caused this decision by the officials plus a rpm reduction in fifth and sixth gear. They had to start 18th and 19th.
Friday afternoon, Chaponick and Sandberg took a great start in round 1 of 2 and quickly moved up in the top ten. Sandberg was on his way to a top-three finish, but since he was trying so hard, the driver from New Jersey spun and lost multiple track positions. Sandberg re-entered the track and raced again, harder than before, to finish in 6th place after the 50-minute race.
Chaponick had a good race, too, but did not get the result he deserved. The GTS championship rookie driver, who is only in his first professional full season, showed great potential, but was involved in a racing incident that cost him a time penalty for unavoidable contact. He finished 10th in round 1.
On Sunday in round 2, Sandberg started on the pole position and Chaponick in 3rd place on the grid, since the two drivers scored the fastest and third-fastest times in round 1. Unlike round 1, round 2 start was a standing start.
Sandberg led from start to finish, winning Sunday’s Round 2 of the 2016 Pirelli World Challenge GTS season, at the Circuit of the Americas, part of the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas brought to you by VP Racing Fuels. When the lights went out for the standing start, Sandberg, in the No. 13 ANSA Motorsports KTM X-Bow GT4, got the jump he needed to keep the lead from pole, heading into turn one. Sandberg had one of the best races of his career and kept the lead during the 22 laps around the 3.4-mile circuit. Sandberg took maximum points for the GTS championship and scored the fastest race lap in round 2.
Chaponick, who was one of the fastest men of the GTS Championship race weekend at COTA, was looking for a great finish in round 2, but unfortunately he encountered technical problems with his No. 12 car that forced him to finish in 14th place.
Austin, TX - Mar 04, 2016: Pirelli World Challenge teams take to the track on Pirelli tires for a practice session for the Nissan Grand Prix of Texas presented by VP Racing Fuels at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX.