Tire Changes Confirmed for SprintX Races

Photo: PWC

Pirelli World Challenge will introduce mandatory tire changes and optional refueling in SprintX races, as part of a series of changes to the championship’s sporting regulations for next year.

GT Pro-Pro and Pro-Am teams will be required to change all four tires during the pit stop and driver change, with one air gun and two crew members permitted during the stop. An additional wheel gun will be allowed for cars with multi-lug wheels.

The tire change will come after optional refueling period, where no work can be done to the car, with the engine shut off. Dump cans will be utilized for fueling.

A minimum pit lane delta of 75 seconds, including a 45-second “Driver Change Time” will be enforced for all cars, with the pit window remaining between 25-35 minutes for each 60-minute SprintX race.

The confirmation of mandatory tire changes comes after its rejection by teams prior to the start of this season.

Driver Rating Format Adjusted

PWC’s driver rating format has been adjusted slightly, which sees Gold and Platinum-rated drivers in GT Sprint Pro and Bronze and Silvers eligible for the Am class.

Platinum-rated drivers, meanwhile, are prohibited from GTS, but Gold-rated drivers will remain, despite an initial push to ban them as well.

Gold and Silver-rated drivers will make up GTS Pro, with Bronze-rated drivers in GTS Am.

For SprintX, Gold and Platinum-rated drivers will compete in GT Pro-Pro, with a Bronze and Silver pairing eligible in Pro-Am. Bronze-rated drivers, meanwhile, will be prohibited from competing in the GTS Pro class.

Other Changes for 2018

Limited work, such as recording tire temperatures and cleaning windshields, will now be allowed during qualifying.

Both GTS races, meanwhile, will feature rolling starts to mirror the GT race format, with the second-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car now eligible to compete in GT Cup, alongside the first-gen model, Ferrari 458 Challenge and Lamborghini Super Trofeo car.

“We had a very successful 2017 Pirelli World Challenge series and we did not want to change much with our Sporting Regulations in 2018,” said Marcus Haselgrove, Vice President, Competition for WC Vision.

“However, we did upgrade our driver classifications for 2018 and made a few pit stop adjustments in SprintX including a four-tire change on the pit stop and a splash of fuel as well if needed.

“The pit stop delta times also have been adjusted in 2018. We believe these changes will make for some outstanding racing this coming year.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John