(Toronto,
ON) — Compass360 Racing (C360R) released details of their fourth driver for
the season-opening round of the Pirelli World Challenge series in St.
Petersburg, FL, with the announcement that Robb Holland will pilot the team’s
#70 Honda Civic Si at the prestigious event, which also marks the start of the
IndyCar season.
Holland,
who finished third overall in last year’s Touring Car standings, will help
anchor a strong line up for the defending champions that includes Todd Lamb,
Ryan Winchester, and Shea Holbrook.
C360R
Team Principal Karl Thomson was clearly happy with his new signing. “Robb
drove for us a few years ago in Grand-Am and I’ve been working ever since to
get him back in one of our cars. He had several great battles with Lawson
Aschenbach (who won the championship) last year and really showed his strength
as a driver. He has more experience around this tough St. Pete course than any
other driver in the TC field and I think that will be a great asset for us as
we begin the defense of our title.”
Holland
was clearly excited to be reunited with last year’s champs. “With the
Volvo C30 program coming to a close late in the year, I was scrambling to find
a good ride as most seats had already been filled. C360R consistently runs
one of the best and most professional teams in any series and I was flattered
when they asked me to drive for them at St. Pete. I drove the Civic Si for them
early in its development, and although it may not have the straight-line speed
of the Speed3 or VW, I’m confident the package will be competitive as they have
a good handle on how to make that car work. I spent a lot of time looking
at it’s taillights last year, and now I’m really looking forward to the view
from the drivers seat.”
Although
Holland has only signed for the first round at St. Pete, Thomson is hoping to
have him in the #70 car for the rest of the season. “Robb has proven to be
an asset for all the teams he’s driven for and it’d be great to have him on
board all season. We’ll be sitting down after St. Pete and seeing what we can
work out for the long term. Clearly we want to have all four cars capable of
winning races and podium finishes to get Honda another Manufacturer’s
Championship in 2012.”
The
2012 Pirelli World Challenge presented by the SCCA schedule consists of 14
races over six weekends. Races will take place on a variety of circuits across
the United States and Canada ranging from a street circuit in St.
Petersburg, FL to the world renowned Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. The
World Challenge season begins with a double-header race at the St. Petersburg
Grand Prix with IndyCar, March 23-25. The event will be televised,
taped-delayed, on NBC Sports.
———
Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Brand
Architects, a Toronto-based firm offering marketing expertise to clients in
diverse industries across North America. The team, with support from Honda
Performance Development (HPD), fields front-running Honda Civic Si’s in SCCA
Pro’s World Challenge Touring Car series, winning the series championship in
its first season, 2011. C360R also fields four Hondas in Grand-Am’s Continental
Tire Sports Car Challenge, winning series Championships in 2010, 2009 and 2007.
The team won the Canadian Touring Car Championship in 2010. For details
visit http://C360R.com.
Discussion about this post