Eric Curran

Eric Curran is an American racing driver who currently competes in the IMSA Sportscar Championship, driving a Cadillac DPi for the Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing.

Curran has won two championship titles in the IMSA Sportscar Championship, in 2016 and 2018, first with Dane Cameron and then with Felipe Nasr.

Eric Curran

Showing a winning potential from the beginning

Eric Curran was born on June 8, 1975, in Springfield, Massachusetts. His racing career started in 1994 and he has raced in many series including IMSA, Grand-Am, American Le Mans, SCCA World Challenge, SCCA Trans Am, Continental and Koni Challenge or NASCAR  (Nationwide, K&N, Modified).

Curran's first racing car was a Volvo 142 in the SCCA ITB series for improved touring cars. Between 1994 and 1998, he won four championships and scored 22 race wins. In 1999, he raced in his first SCCA national season in a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 and he won the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.

Unsuccessful debut at Daytona 24h in 2000

In 2000, Curran had a schedule full of races in different competitions. He started a season with a debut at Daytona 24 hours, driving a Chevrolet Camaro for Diablo Racing. The #53 car didn't reach the finish. His other commitments were in the US Road Racing Championship (Orion Motorsport, Ford Mustang), the SCCA World Challenge (KAC Technologies, Chevrolet Corvette) or the BMG Motorola Cup (Pegasus Racing, Pontiac Firebird).

Eric continued with diverse schedule of races

In 2001, Curran continued with the similar schedule. He returned to Daytona 24h with Diablo Racing but their Chevrolet Camaro again failed to finish the race. Curran participated partial season in the SCCA World Challenge, driving a Corvette for KAC Technologies. KAC also hired him to drive Corvette C5 in one Grand Am Cup race at Mid-Ohio.

In 2002, Curran had a partial schedule in several competitions. In the Grand Am Rolex Series, he was driving Sky Blue Racing's Ford Mustang, scoring GTS class win at Mont Tremblant. In the Grand Am Cup, he was driving for Bill Fenton Motorsports Acura team. In the SCCA World Challenge, he participated in the GT class with KAC Technologies' Corvette and in the Touring class with Turner Motorsport's BMW 325i.

Curran's Nissan Sentra SE-R in 2003

Nissan factory driver in the 2003 SCCA World Challenge

In 2003, Curran was hired to drive a Nissan Sentra SE-R for Nissan Motorsports factory team RTR in the second half of the season of the World Challenge Touring class. He also continued to drive a partial season with Sky Blue Racing's Ford Mustang in the Grand Am Rolex series. In the Grand Am Cup, he stayed with Bill Fenton Motorsports Acura team.

Honda factory driver in the 2004 Grand Am Rolex Series

In 2004, Honda of America Racing Team (HART) hired Curran to drive Acura NSX with Pete Hilsmer in the Grand Am Rolex GT Series. In the Grand Am Cup, he was driving Acura RSX for Bill Fenton Motorsports. In the SCCA World Challenge, Curran had a couple of one-off races in a Viper and BMW.

2005 - racing with Acuras only

In 2005, Curran was driving only Acura race cars. In the SCCA World Challenge, he joined Real Time Racing team to drive Acura RSX in the Touring class. After scoring one victory and three podiums, he finished fifth in the final standings. In the same season, he was driving Acura RSX for Bill Fenton Motorsports in the Grand Am Cup, scoring three podiums.

Curran spent only one season as an Acura-only driver. In 2006, he continued to drive Acura RSX for the Real Time Racing in the World Challenge Touring Car class, finishing in the fifth place with one victory and four podiums. In the Grand Am Koni Challenge, Georgian Bay Motorsports hired Curran to drive Chevrolet Cobalt.

Acura RSX - one of Curran's cars in 2006

2007 – the season with Chevrolets

Georgian Bay Motorsports continued to use Eric Curran's driving skills in 2007, both in the ST class of the Grand Am Koni Challenge and in the GT class of the Grand Am Rolex Series. Curran scored two wins in the Chevrolet Cobalt SS, finishing 14th in the Koni Challenge standings. In the Rolex Series, he was driving Chevrolet Corvette.

In the SCCA World Challenge, Whelen Motorsports hires Curran for a full season in a Chevrolet Corvette C6. Curran won four races during a season, suffering from mechanical troubles in other races. He finished fifth in the GT class standings.

Driving Porsche at 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona

The completely new experience followed in January 2008, when Curran was driving Porsche 997 GT3 Cup at 24 hours of Daytona. He was a part of Farnbacher Loles team, together with Frank Stippler, Pierre Kaffer, Greg Wilkins and David Lacey. They suffered the radiator damage, dropping to 12th place in the GT class.

Diverse schedule includes NASCAR

For the remainder of the 2008 season, Curran had a diverse schedule again. In the GT class of the SCCA World Challenge, he was driving Chevrolet Corvette for Whelen/Marsh Racing, finishing 10th in the final standings. In the TC class, his car was Real Time Racing's Acura TSX. Curran also continued to drive Georgian Bay Motorsports' Chevy Cobalt in the Grand Am Continental ST series. His teammate Jamie Holton won the championship, Curran was ninth in the points.

Curran also participated in stock car racing, entering one race of the NASCAR Camping World Series East with Whelen Motorsports' Chevrolet Monte Carlo. He raced at Lime Rock Park, finishing in the sixth place. That was not all, as LG Motorsports hired Curran to drive their Chevrolet Corvette in two American Le Mans Series races.

2009 – Curran was all-rounder again

In 2009, Curran was the all-rounder again, participating in at least six different competitions. His main championship was the SCCA World Challenge, with Whelen/Marsh Racing Chevrolet Corvette C6 in the GT class. With six podiums, he finished fifth in the points.

His other competitions were World Challenge TC class (Real Time, Acura TSX), American Le Mans Series (LG Motorsports, Chevrolet Corvette), Grand Am Koni Challenge (Compass 360 Racing, Honda Civic Si), NASCAR K&N Series East and NASCAR Camping World Series West.

Eric Curran celebrated many successful races with Whelen

Focusing on the Grand Am Rolex Series since 2010

In 2010, Curran's main competition was the Grand Am Rolex Series. He was driving the #31 Chevrolet Corvette for Marsh Racing, with four different co-drivers (Sonny Whelen, Brandon Davis, Ken Wilden and Boris Said). Without wins, Curran finished 26th in the points.

In 2011, the #31 Chevrolet Corvette was again Curran's car in the Grand Am Rolex Series. This time, Boris Said was his co-driver in all but one race. Curran scored only GT class victory at Road America, sharing a car with John Heinricy. At the end of the season, Curran was 15th in the points.

Boris Said and Eric Curran where partners for many years

2012 - the third season with Boris Said as a co-driver

In 2012, Curran joined Stevenson Motorsports to drive a Chevrolet Camaro GT.R at Rolex 24 at Daytona, not finishing the race. For the rest of the Grand Am season, he rejoined Boris Said in the #31 Chevrolet Corvette of Marsh Racing/Whelen Motorsports. Without wins, Curran finished 11th in the final standings.

Curran's other competition in 2012 was the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. He was driving Chevrolet Camaro GS.R for  CKS Autosport, sharing a car with Lawson Aschenbach. Curran was fifth in the final standings.

Two starts in the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series

In 2012, Curran also had two starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, hired by NDS Motorsports to drive the #53 Waste Management Dodge Charger at Watkins Glen and Montreal.

In 2013, Curran retained both partnerships in the sports car competitions, with Boris Said in the Grand Am Rolex Series and with Lawson Aschenbach in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. The highlight of the season was the Grand Am GT class victory at Lime Rock Park when Aschenbach replaced Said in the #31 Corvette. At the end of the season, Curran was 9th in the Grand Am GT standings and 22nd in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS class standings.

Eric Curran

Racing with prototypes since 2014

In 2014, the significant change happened when Curran started to race in the Prototype class of the IMSA United Sports Car Championship. In his prototype debut, at Daytona 24 hours, the was sharing the #31 Marsh Racing/Whelen Chevrolet Corvette DP with Boris Said, Max Papis and Bradley Smith. At Sebring 12 hours, Guy Cosmo joined Curran and Said. The results at two greatest endurance races were disappointing. Later in the season, Curran and Said scored two top 5 results. At the end of the season, Curran was 13th in the points.

In 2014, he also participated in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, continuing his relationship with Mike McCalmont's CKS Autosport team. Curran's teammate was Lawson Aschenbach again.

Dane Cameron and Eric Curran

Eric Curran and Dane Cameron together since 2015

The new partnership was created for the 2015 IMSA Sportscar Championship, with Eric Curran and Dane Cameron in the #31 Whelen Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette DP. This time, Whelen teams up with Action Express Racing.

The partnership with Action Express Racing turned to be victorious. The first win of the season came in the fifth round of the championship at the Detroit Belle Isle circuit. Curran and Cameron won one more time, at Road America, to finish third in the final standings, just five points behind a championship-winning pair of Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi.

Eric Curran and Dane Cameron, partners since 2015, champions in 2016

Curran was the 2016 IMSA Sportscar champion

In 2016, which was Curran's ninth season with Whelen, he finally became a champion. Curran and Dane Cameron won the 2016 IMSA Sportscar Championship with two race wins (Mosport, Road America) and seven podiums. They beat Action Express teammates Barbosa/Fittipaldi by three points at the end of the season. After many years without notable results at the greatest endurance races, Curran finally reached a podium at Sebring 12 hours, finishing in the second place.

In 2016, Curran also joined Callaway Competition in two rounds of the ADAC GT Masters, driving the #31 Corvette C7 GT3-R at Red Bull Ring and Zandvoort, with Boris Said and Loris Hezemans as co-drivers.

Eric Curran's #31 Cadillac DPi

Another IMSA title in a Cadillac DPi in 2018

For the 2017 IMSA Sportscar Championship, the new class of prototypes was introduced. Whelen Engineering moved team's number 31 to Cadillac DPi, retaining Action Express Racing as an operating partner. Eric Curran and Dane Cameron are teammates again, with Mike Conway assigned as a co-driver in the endurance races. They finished second in the championship, scoring just one victory at Mosport.

In 2018, Curran stayed in the #31 Cadillac but he gets a new co-driver. Dane Cameron moved to Team Penske and he was replaced by former F1 driver Felipe Nasr. They were on a podium both at Daytona (2nd) and Sebring (3rd), scoring their first win at Detroit Belle Isle. It remained their only victory but it was good enough to take the championship title in the DPi class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship.

Eric Curran in 2018

2019 - podium at Daytona 24h, victory at Sebring 12h

For the 2019 IMSA season, Curran gives his seat in the #31 Cadillac to Pipo Derani, staying with the team as the endurance co-driver.

Sharing a car with Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr, Curran finished second at Daytona 24 Hours and then won at Sebring 12 Hours. One more victory came at Petit Le Mans and they became the winners of the Michelin Endurance Cup.

Photos: Eric Curran FB, Getty Images, pbase.com,