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In 1999, the successful Canada GT Challenge Cup entered its third season.
Sanctioned by ASN Canada FIA, it was a twelve-round series of races one-hour in length.
Drivers competed at Mosport International Raceway, Shannonville Motorsport Park and Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
A wide range of vehicles was eligible for the series – FIA GT, Professional Sportscar GTS & GT, SCCA Improved Touring, GT1, GT2 & Trans Am and ASA Stock Car. The list of ineligible cars was much shorter – Sports Racers, Ground Effects Cars and Showroom Stock. There were two classes (GT1 and GT2) based on qualifying and race lap times: Mosport International Raceway
Shannonville Motorsport Park
If a GT2 driver broke out of the time bracket, they would be moved to GT1. One or more drivers could compete in a car. However, the second driver had to complete either twenty minutes or one-third of the total race laps to earn points. The races also included a mandatory one-minute pit stop during green flag conditions. Round five of the 1999 Canada GT Challenge Cup season was held on the DAC Trillium Trophy Races weekend. Competitors would race for one hour on Shannonville Motorsport Park’s long circuit, which incorporates the Nelson and Fabi layouts.
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Klaus Bytzek missed the first two rounds of the season due to a broken leg he received in race one. Bytzek returned for the Trans Am weekend at Mosport International Raceway and demonstrated why he is the series two-time GT1 champion. Bytzek put the No. 00 BMS Race Team Porsche 911 GT1 on the pole. Despite a poor start, he won by a two-lap margin on the way to his third victory of 1999. |
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Finishing second in GT1 was the winner of race one at Mosport International Raceway, Charles Webster. Klaus Bytzek’s main rival, James Holtom, encountered mechanical issues early in the weekend, leaving Webster to be the primary challenger. Starting second in the No. 95 C.J. Webster Chevrolet Camaro, he shot into the lead. But Webster was no match for Bytzek and finished in the runner-up position. |
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The first four rounds of the 1999 Canada GT Challenge Cup had as many GT2 category winners. In round four, sports car racing veteran Ludwig Heimrath won the class driving the No. 07 Porsche 968. In race five, Heimrath resumed his rivalry with Ahmad Khodkar in the No. 1 Quest-Tech Datsun 280Z. He would finish ahead of Khodkar, grabbing the victory and being the first repeat GT2 winner of the year. |
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Ahmad Khodkar was one of four GT2 competitors to earn a class victory in the first four races. His win came in round two at the Mosport. At Shannonville Motorsport Park, Khodkar qualified down the order in thirteenth overall and fourth in class. He wasted little time catching the category leader Heimrath. With the two drivers so equal, Khodkar could only hope for Heimrath to make a mistake, which never happened. |
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The No. 39 Porsche 911 was shared by Rudy Bartling and Rick Franczak. The DAC Trillium Trophy Races at Shannonville Motorsport Park would be their first Canada GT Challenge Cup event of the season. The Porsche was gridded eighth overall and second in the GT2 category for the start of the one-hour contest. The pair finished sixth overall but could not maintain the pace of the class leaders and finished third. |
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James Beaton and Barry Coons ‘pooled their resources to campaign the No. 26 Oldsmobile Cutlass with backing from Century Mechanical. The starting line incident in race one allowed the duo to capture a runner-up result in the GT1 category. Since the opening round, they hadn’t collected another podium but always finished in the top five. This trend would continue at Shannonville, where the pair finished fourth in class. |
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| FINISH | START | CLASS | DRIVER | CAR / ENTRANT | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | GT1 | Klaus Bytzek | Porsche 911 GT1 / BMS Race Team | 51 | - |
| 2 | 2 | GT1 | Charlie Webster | Chevrolet Camaro / C.J. Webster | 49 | - |
| 3 | 7 | GT2 | Ludwig Heimrath | Porsche 968 / Heimrath Porsche | 49 | - |
| 4 | 13 | GT2 | Ahmad Khodkar | Datsun 240Z / Quest-Tech | 49 | - |
| 5 | 6 | GT1 | Aaron Pettipas | Chevrolet Camaro / Pettipas Race Team | 48 | - |
| 6 | 8 | GT2 | R. Bartling / R. Franczak | Porsche 911 / - | 48 | - |
| 7 | 5 | GT1 | B. Coons / J. Beaton | Oldsmobile Cutlass / Century Mechanical | 48 | - |
| 8 | 26 | GT2 | Bentley Hammer | Chevrolet Monte Carlo / Strudwick Motorsports | 47 | - |
| 9 | 17 | GT2 | G. Schmidt / P. Carpenko | VW Corrado VR6 SC / Greenbelt Motors | 47 | - |
| 10 | 18 | GT2 | Kirk Spencer | Chevrolet Camaro / Spencer Racing | 47 | - |
| 11 | 12 | GT2 | Jim Harrison | Porsche 911 / Longhill Energy | 47 | - |
| 12 | 23 | GT2 | Ed Fukushima | Chevrolet Corvette / Strudwick Motorsports | 46 | - |
| 13 | 3 | GT1 | Brent Gates | Dodge Daytona / TMI Racing | 46 | - |
| 14 | 20 | GT2 | Bob Munro | Porsche 944 Turbo/Canaska | 46 | - |
| 15 | 19 | GT2 | Greg Clifton | Chevrolet Corvette / Strudwick Motorsports | 46 | - |
| 16 | 10 | GT2 | T. Martin / N. Gleason | Pontiac Grand-Prix/Georgian Bay Motorsports | 45 | - |
| 17 | 14 | GT2 | Lennox Clue | Nissan 240SX / - | 44 | - |
| 18 | 9 | GT2 | Peter Klutt | Chevrolet Corvette / Country Style | 43 | Did Not Finish |
| 19 | 16 | GT2 | Duane Hoo | Mazda RX-7 / Can-Jam Auto | 42 | - |
| 20 | 4 | GT1 | John Brenner | Chevrolet Monte Carlo / Hoosier Tire | 21 | Did Not Finish |
| 21 | 25 | GT2 | Dominic Ho | Honda Civic / - | 11 | Did Not Finish |
| 22 | 21 | GT2 | Blair Killoran | Porsche 911 / - | 9 | Did Not Finish |
| 23 | 15 | GT2 | D. Colivaris / S. Colivaris | Porsche 924 / - | 8 | Did Not Finish |
| 24 | 11 | GT1 | Steve Hummel | Chevrolet Corvette / - | 8 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 24 | GT1 | James Holtom | Chevrolet Camaro / Scadapack | 0 | Did Not Start |
| - | 22 | GT2 | Frank Colivaris | BMW M3 / - | 0 | Did Not Start |
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