DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 12, 2007) – The 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series race schedule once again showcases the latest in international and American-made high performance sports cars and coupes straight from the showroom floor at top circuits in the United States and Canada. Both the Grand Sport (GS) and Street Tuner (ST) classes will run 10-race championships contested at 11 different events in 2008, Grand-Am officials announced today.
The Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series begins the season in conjunction with the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona with the Fresh From Florida 200 (January 25), a combined class three-hour race on the classic road course at Daytona International Speedway.
Split-class races highlight the next several rounds of the calendar. The season hits full swing with the first of two 2008 trips to Virginia International Raceway (April 26), where two KONI Challenge races will support the Rolex Series VIR 400. The KONI Challenge Series joins the Rolex GT class for a third consecutive Memorial Day weekend run at historic Lime Rock Park (May 26) before the first 2008 trip north of the border to Mosport International Raceway (June 15). The Mosport event is the first race of 2008 to showcase the KONI Challenge series without either of the Rolex Series classes.
The ST competitors rejoin the Rolex Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (June 22) to showcase the class in front of a weekend-long celebration for street tuner cars. Both classes visit Watkins Glen (July 5) for a combined 250-mile battle as a complement to the IndyCar Series weekend on the historic road course. The GS class then gets the spotlight when competitors join the Rolex Series at Barber Motorsports Park (July 19) near Birmingham, Ala.
The KONI Challenge returns to Iowa Speedway (August 10) for a combined 2 ½ hour battle on the 1.3-mile road course that the series visited for the first time a season ago. Split-class races highlight the schedule at Trois Rivieres (August 16-17) one week after Iowa, the fourth consecutive season that the KONI Challenge will visit Quebec.
Following a combined race on the country's longest road course in conjunction with the Rolex Series finale at Miller Motorsports Park (September 21), the KONI Challenge season concludes for the third consecutive year with the Twin 6-hour races at VIR (October 4-5). The Twin Sixes have quickly become a KONI tradition and usually decide each class championship.
The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. With title sponsorship support from Rolex Watch USA and presenting sponsorship from Crown Royal Special Reserve, the Rolex Series showcases emerging and legendary drivers from around the globe and thoroughbred racing machines from the industry's leading constructors and the world's top automobile manufacturers. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.
2008 SCHEDULE GRAND-AM KONI CHALLENGE SERIES
Date Venue Distance
Jan. 25 Daytona International Speedway – Daytona Beach, Fla. 3 hours
April 26 Virginia International Raceway – Alton, Va. * 2 ½ hours
May 26 Lime Rock Park – Lakeville, Conn. * 200 miles
June 15 Mosport International Raceway – Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada * 200 miles
June 22 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio # 2 ½ hours
July 5 Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, N.Y. 250 miles
July 19 Barber Motorsports Park – Birmingham, Ala. + 250 miles
Aug. 10 Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa 2 ½ hours
Aug. 16 -17 Trois Rivieres – Trois Rivieres, Quebec, Canada * 2 ½ hours
Sept. 21 Miller Motorsports Park – Tooele, Utah 250 miles
Oct. 4-5 Virginia International Raceway – Alton, Va. * 6 hours
* - Split class races // # - ST class only // + - GS class only
From Grand-Am
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