CJ Wilson Racing Looking to Carry Momentum into COTA

Coming off its first IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Grand Sport class victory, Austin-based CJ Wilson Racing will look to gain additional momentum at its home track in Friday’s Circuit of The Americas 150.

Danny Burkett and Marc Miller drove the No. 33 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport to victory in the most recent round at Virginia International Raceway.

With only two races remaining, Burkett and Miller trail GS leaders Scott Maxwell and Billy Johnson by 20 points, 260-240.

“With COTA being CJ Wilson Racing’s home race, we really want to excel here,” Burkett said. “But it seemed our ‘bad race’ (taken out in an accident) at Road America took a lot of the pressure off the team at VIR.

“We went out, executed, did our job and won. It’s the same situation at COTA.

“The Ford finished right behind us at VIR, so they can still win the championship even if we win the next two races.

“So we’re going to go into the race without feeling pressure just like we did at VIR, and whatever happens, happens.”

Maxwell and Johnson’s second place finish at VIR ended a streak of three consecutive victories in the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Shelby GT350R-C.

The pair opened the year by winning at Daytona, and have finished in the top four in all eight events.

After missing the season opener at Daytona, Cameron Cassels and Trent Hindman scored three straight triumphs in the No. 12 Bodymotion Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

They have finished top-five in all seven starts and are third in the standings with 219 points.

Other GS contenders in the Circuit of The Americas 150 include Paul Holton and Pierre Kleinubing in the No. 76 C360R Ford Shelby GT350R-C, Ted Giovanis and Guy Cosmo in the No. 64 Team TGM Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport and a pair of Aston Martin Vantages for Automatic Racing with drivers Rob Ecklin, Charles Espenlaub, Charlie Putman and VIR pole winner Sebastian Landy.

While CJ Wilson Racing now concentrates on GS competition, the team debuted in Street Tuner competition in 2012 and has fond memories of racing at Circuit of The Americas.

Chad McCumbee captured the team’s first TOTAL Pole Award at COTA in 2013, with Stevan McAleer and Miller going on to win the team’s first race in that event.

McCumbee and McAleer placed sixth in 2014, while placing second last year en route to winning the championship in a Mazda MX-5.

For 2016, McCumbee and McAleer continue with Mazda, now driving the No. 25 Mazda MX-5 for Freedom Autosport.

They won at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Lime Rock Park, and are currently second in the standings, trailing Spencer Pumpelly and Nick Galante by just six points, 223-217.

Pumpelly is the defending ST winner at COTA, winning last year’s event with Luis Rodriguez Jr.

He currently co-drives the No. 17 RS1 Porsche Cayman with Galante, with the pair winning at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock.

Austin resident Jeff Mosing and Eric Foss finished third at COTA in 2015 and second in 2014 co-driving the No. 56 Murillo Racing Porsche Cayman.

They are currently third in the standings with 196 points, with their four podium finishes including a victory in the season opener at Daytona.