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The World Challenge series was divided into two separate classes – World Challenge GT and World Challenge Touring.
The series featured production based cars modified for racing. The races for both classes were 50-minutes in length.
In 2000 World Challenge series organisers decided to make a number of changes to the series in an effort to attract car enthusiasts and to copy the success of European Touring Car series:
The series also boasted larger purses and a great television package as the result of sponsorship from Speedvision.
All these factors attracted bigger fields - at some events as many as 80-cars were entered for the two classes.
Round eight of the World Challenge series was held at the Laguna Seca road course.
The eleven-turn 2.238-mile road course is located in Monterey, California.
There were forty-three GT class cars entered.
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Mike Fitzgerald won the GT race at Laguna Seca by 4.204-seconds - a comfortable margin by World Challenge standards. Fitzgerald, who started from the pole, was passed at the start by Michael Galati who used the all-wheel-drive advantage of his Audi S4 but by the third turn Fitzgerald was back in front. Fitzgerald became the ninth driver in World Challenge history to win three-straight races. |
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Terry Borcheller, who qualified third in the AASCO Saleen SR, made a poor start and fell back to seventh. By lap-9 of 26 Borcheller was up to second which is where he would finish. The 1998 series champion felt fortunate to earn the runner-up spot after the ignition box came loose and moved around on the car’s floor. He also set the fastest race lap - 1:36.058. |
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Bill Cooper started the season with a win but since then he could usually be found at either end of the results sheet. At Laguna Seca he qualified the Pirate Racing Chevrolet Corvette C5 seventh. The car developed an engine miss on about lap-5 – although he could not catch Fitzgerald or Bocheller he was able to finish third. |
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Legendary sports car champion Derek Bell qualified his Champion Audi S4 Competition in sixth place. Bell maintained this position to the checkered flag. This was not his best result of the 2000 season – he finished fifth at Sears Point. |
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Canadian racing veteran Frank Allers entered the 2000 World Challenge series with an impressive racing resume. He had won multiple Canadian championships – the Honda Challenge Series and the Western GM Championship for Camaros and Firebirds. Allers also raced in the Formula Atlantic series from 1987 to 1998. At Laguna Seca he started fourth and was fifth at the finish. |
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It was not a good race for Peter Cunningham and his BMW M3. Cunningham held many World Challenge records – most career wins and top-3, top-5 and top-10 finishes. Earlier in the season, he won at Le Circuit Ste. Croix but at Laguna Seca he was the first to retire. Contact in corner- two damaged the radiator. |
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At Laguna Seca Jeff McMillin driving the JJ’s Snacks BMW M3 continued to demonstrate his ability to consistency finish in the top-ten. At round eight McMillin qualified eighth and finished ninth. He entered Laguna with the championship lead and when title contender Bobby Archer finished twelfth the point’s gap increased. |
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Rookie Justin Jackson was having a spectacular season. He had a podium finish – third – at the Texas Motor Speedway event and fourths at Lowes Motor Speedway and Road Atlanta. He qualified his Porsche 993 RSR twelveth at Laguna Seca and scored another fourth place finish. This result moved him into fourth in points and he remained at the top of the Rookie standings. |
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G.J. Mennen in the No. 04 Chevrolet Corvette passes Paul Brown in a Saleen SR at turn-two. Brown and Mennen qualified twenty-second and twenty-third, respectively. Mennen would go on to an eleventh place finish which earned him the Borla Performance award and Brown was classified twentieth. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mike Fitzgerald | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | 26 | - |
| 2 | 3 | Terry Borcheller | Saleen Mustang SR | 26 | - |
| 3 | 7 | Bill Cooper | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 4 | 12 | Justin Jackson | Porsche 911 RSR | 26 | - |
| 5 | 4 | Frank Allers | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 6 | 6 | Derek Bell | Audi S4 | 26 | - |
| 7 | 9 | Reese Cox | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 8 | 16 | Eric Curren | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 9 | 8 | Jeff McMillin | BMW M3 | 26 | - |
| 10 | 17 | Jimmy Adams | Dodge Viper GTS | 26 | - |
| 11 | 23 | Terry Lackey | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 12 | 18 | Bobby Archer | Dodge Viper GTS | 26 | - |
| 13 | 11 | John Heinricy | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 14 | 2 | Michael Galati | Audi S4 | 26 | - |
| 15 | 19 | Bob Miller | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | 26 | - |
| 16 | 20 | Phil McClure | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 17 | 31 | Dan Kellermeyer | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 18 | 27 | Bob Taylor | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 26 | - |
| 19 | 36 | Walter Swick | BMW M3 | 26 | - |
| 20 | 22 | Paul Brown | Saleen Mustang SR | 26 | - |
| 21 | 45 | Ryan Negri | Porsche 911 Super Cup | 25 | - |
| 22 | 29 | Rick Knoop | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 25 | - |
| 23 | 25 | Joe Varde | Dodge Viper GTS | 25 | - |
| 24 | 26 | Nigel Burns | BMW M3 | 25 | - |
| 25 | 32 | Rael | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | 25 | - |
| 26 | 39 | Mark Dixon | Pontiac Firebird | 25 | - |
| 27 | 35 | Tom Edwards | Dodge Viper GTS | 25 | - |
| 28 | 33 | Steve Carvajal | Saleen Mustang | 25 | - |
| 29 | 38 | Derek Clark | Porsche 911 Super Cup | 24 | - |
| 30 | 34 | Don Istook | Audi S4 | 24 | - |
| 31 | 41 | Rudy Courtado | Porsche 911 Super Cup | 24 | - |
| 32 | 40 | Carol Hollfelder | Ferrari F355 Challenge | 22 | - |
| 33 | 28 | Robert Rodriguez | Chevrolet Corvette C4 | 19 | Mechanical |
| 34 | 37 | Dick Greiser | BMW M3 | 19 | Accident |
| 35 | 13 | Scotty B. White | Chevrolet Corvette C5 | 12 | Mechanical |
| 36 | 10 | Scott Bove | Porsche 911 GT3 Cup | 12 | - |
| 37 | 24 | James Sofronas | BMW M3 | 11 | Mechanical |
| 38 | 30 | Thomas Safar II | Saleen Mustang SR | 8 | Mechanical |
| 39 | 14 | Ross Thompson | Chevrolet Corvette C4 | 6 | Mechanical |
| 40 | 42 | Daniel Eastman | Porsche 911 RSR | 6 | Mechanical |
| 41 | 21 | Mark Anderson | Porsche 928 | 3 | Mechanical |
| 42 | 15 | Mark Wolocatiuk | Chevrolet Corvette | 1 | Accident |
| 43 | 5 | Peter Cunningham | BMW M3 | 0 | Damage |
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