Charlie Shears Seals Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship

With a victory and a third place finish in Rounds 12 and 13 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship at Mosport, Canada, Charlie Shears clinched both the Lites1 class overall championship and the Masters Class Championship with a race weekend to spare. The American tyre manufacturer-backed Championship features racing between two sports racer prototype classes, Lites 1 and Lites 2, presenting a dimension of competition as drivers must be aware of classes with distinctly different speeds, a similar challenge to that faced by the drivers of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.

Shears won the first race of the season in Sebring and never looked back. He won three races and earned a podium spot in nine out of 13 races, which took place in circuits across the US and Canada. “When we won the first race of the season at Sebring, there was no question in my mind that we could make a run at the championship,” said Shears. “I knew that I was going head- to-head with some younger, very talented drivers, so to win like that on that racetrack, with the high speed turns, was a huge boost to our confidence.”

Shears has tentative plans to return to the Cooper Tires-backed Championship next year to defend his title – unless his stellar season garners interest from one of the ALMS teams. After four years in the series, he knows the tracks and he believes the experience in the Lites 1 car should help him progress. “I’d love to be in the big show,” continued Shears. “I feel as though we’ve earned our stripes, but the question is if there’s a team that will give us the opportunity. The wonderful thing about the Lites series is this car is as fast on some of the tracks as the GT or LMPC cars.”

The Championship concludes with Rounds 14 and 15 at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, 29 September – 2 October.