2002 Mosport International Raceway - Grand Am Cup Street Stock Series

The 2002 Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series consists of ten race weekends. The championship kicks off in January with the first of two visits to Daytona International Speedway. Seven weeks later, the teams travel to the West Coast, making stops and California Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway. Then it is back to the East Coast for a race at Watkins Glen International. Watkins Glen was followed by events at Virginia International Raceway, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and, then back to Virginia on the Labour Day weekend. Next on the schedule is a visit to Canada for rounds at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant and Mosport International Raceway. The finale takes place at Daytona in early November.

Most races are 3-hours in length and scheduled as a support event for the Rolex Sports Car series. Mosport was the only weekend when the Grand-Am Cup series competed without the Rolex championship.

The cars racing in the series are relatively unchanged from their road-going versions – modifications are mandated mainly for safety – roll cages, window nets, etc. They also used spec DOT-approved tires produced by Hoosier. Based on performance potential, the cars are divided into one of four groups:

Grand Sport (GS I and GS II): Grand Sport is the quicker of the two groups - this division features the larger displacement engines as well as smaller four-cylinder motors with forced induction systems. The power-plants produce between 400 and 500-horsepower. Minimum weights range between 2,900 – 3,300-pounds, which are dependent on the motor configuration and displacement. The GS I category includes cars such as the Porsche 993 Turbo, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Dodge Viper and Saleen Mustang SR. The Acura NSX, Audi S4, BMW M3, Nissan 350Z and Pontiac Firebird are examples of vehicles competing in GS II.
Sport Touring (ST I and ST II): The smaller displacement cars compete in the ST category. Engines in this group typically produce between 220 and 280-horsepower. Popular vehicles found the ST I class are the Acura RSX, Audi A4, Lexus IS300, Porsche Boxster, BMW Z3 Coupe and Acura Integra Type R. The ST II group includes the Mazda MX-5, Honda Civic EX, Chevrolet Cavalier Z24, Acura Integra LS, Dodge Neon and Mazda Protege.

With the exception of Phoenix, Watkins Glen and the second round at Virginia, the four classes compete together.

The penultimate round of the 2002 Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series was held at Mosport International Raceway. Drivers would compete for three-hours around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

Heavy rain caused by Hurricane Isidore forced Grand-Am officials to cancel the qualifying session. The grid was set by the current team point standings.

The start of the penultimate round of the 2002 Grand-Am Street Stock Series at Mosport International Raceway. Leading the field of thirty-nine competitors into corner one is the pole-sitter, Scott Maxwell, driving the Doncaster Racing Porsche GT3 Cup. Trailing Maxwell is the No. 11 Powell Motorsport Chevrolet Corvette of Devon Powell and the second Doncaster entry shared by David Lacey and Greg Wilkins.

At Mosport International Raceway, there was a tie at the top of the Grand Sport I driver standings. The reigning class champions of Powell Motorsport, Devon Powell and Doug Goad shared first place with Scott Maxwell. Powell and Goad had momentum on their side - winning the last event at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Goad took the lead in the final hour to score their fourth victory of the season and break the tie.

It was a memorable day for the local racer, Jeff Lapcevich. Lapcevich and his co-driver, John Shreiner captured the Grand Sport II victory in the No. 30 Shreiner Racing Ford Mustang Cobra R – this was their fourth class win of the season. During the three hour race, Shreiner and Lapcevich traded the lead with the Theetge Motorsports Acura NSX and the Max Q Motorsports / TF Racing Ford Mustang Cobra R before finishing first.

In the previous round, Villaconn International drivers, Branson Patch and Don Salama were victorious against Team Lexus’ four-car fleet. At Mosport International Raceway, it was Ken Dobson and Beau Buisson sharing the No. 34 BMW Z3 that defended the team’s honour and fended off a trio of Lexus entries. The pair dominated the race and captured their third Street Tuner I win of the year.

The Grand Sport I podium for round nine of the 2002 Grand-Am Cup series at Mosport International Raceway. In the center are the winners, Devon Powell and Doug Goad. The victory moved the defending class champions into the points lead. On the left side of the rostrum are the runner-ups, Scott Maxwell and David Empingham. The third-place finishers, Richard Spenard and Robert Julien are standing on the right.

Another team with momentum on their side was the No. 41 HRPworld.com sponsored Acura Integra LS of the Nonnamaker brothers, Wayne and Will. The Nonnamakers won the previous round at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant and led the Street Tuner II point standings. They continued their dominant ways in the penultimate race and earned their third class victory of 2002.

Scott Maxwell led Grand Sport I standings until Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant when he and his co-driver, David Empringham, finished third. Entering round nine at Mosport International Raceway, Maxwell was tied with Devon Powell and Doug Goad. He started the race and ran at the front during his stint. Empringham lost first place to Goad and the race finished under a yellow - preventing him from challenging for the victory.

In the previous round, Benoit Theetge shared the No. 73 Theetge Motorsports Acura NSX with American sportscar veteran Peter Cunningham. At Mosport International Raceway, he was joined by his regular co-driver, Kenny Wilden. They were gridded fourteenth overall and seventh in Grand Sport II. During the contest, the duo was in a three-way battle with TF Racing and Shreiner Motorsports; they would score a runner-up finish.

Team Lexus principal, Chuck Goldsborough and Quebec resident, Jean-Francois Dumoulin, shared the No. 0 Lexus IS300. The paired started the three-hour race at Mosport International Raceway fifth in the Street Tuner I category and twenty-third overall. They proved to be no match for the dominant Villaconn International entry of Ken Dobson and Beau Buisson and finished second in class.

The Grand Sport II podium for the penultimate round of the 2002 Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series. In the center are the winners, team owner, John Shreiner and local racer, Jeff Lapcevich. The result moved the pair within striking distance of the class leaders. On the left side of the rostrum are the runner-ups, Canadians Benoit Theetge and Kenny Wilden. Occupying the final spot on the podium are Don Istook and Ted Martin.

Istook / Aines Motorsport Group scored a Grand Sport II victory in the second visit to Virginia with drivers, Don Istook and Alejandro Lince. At Mosport International Raceway, Istook was sharing the No. 04 Audi S4 with a local racer, Ted Martin. They started third in Grand Sport and tenth overall. When the class point leading Mustang encountered an incident during the race, Istook and Martin earned a third-place finish.

One of the many Canadian entries at Mosport International Raceway was the No. 119 Fiorano Racing Porsche 993 TT. Sharing the Porsche were Jean-Francois Dumoulin, Robert Julien and veteran Richard Spenard. The car was gridded fifth for the start of the thee hour contest. The trio was unable the maintain pace of the Powell Motorsport Corvette or Doncaster Porsche but managed to capture the final spot on the podium.

All season the No. 27 Fenton Motorsports Acura Integra LS of Bill Fenton and Bob Beede have battled with the No. 41 Acura driven by the Nonnamaker brothers, Wayne and Will. Beede and Fenton finished sixth at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant and lost ground in the points chase. They were no match for their main rivals at Mosport, but despite being spun by the third-place car, the duo finished second in Street Tuner II.

The Street I podium for the 2002 Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series at Mosport International Raceway. The center of the rostrum is occupied by the winners from Villaconn International, Ken Dobson and Beau Buisson. To their right are the runner-ups, Chuck Goldsborough and Jean-Francois Dumoulin. Completing the podium are the third-place finishers, Ian James and Daniel Dror, Jr.

Ian James and Daniel Dror, Jr. had one podium finish entering the penultimate round - their best result being a third at Mont-Tremblant. The duo shared the No. Lexus IS300 and were one of four entries from Team Lexus. They were gridded sixth in class but were never in contention. The Street Tuner I category had a high attrition rate and although the pair were two laps behind the winners, they finished in third place.

Scooter Gabel and Jeff Lowman often shared the No. 5 DTM Engineering Mazda Miata. At Mosport International Raceway, Gabel was paired with Jim Daniels. They started the penultimate round fourth in Street Tuner II and thirty-seventh overall. Near the end of the contest, Gabel was third but spun the second-place Acura of Bob Beede. Two laps later, Gabel went off course and would finish in third place.

The 2002 Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series podium for the Street Tuner II category. Capturing their third class victory of the year and leading the point standings are Wayne and Will Nonnamaker. Standing on the left side of the rostrum are the second-place finishers, Bob Beede and Bill Fenton. The final position on the podium belongs to Scooter Gabel and Jim Daniels.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	ENTRANT	LAPS
1	GS I	Powell / Goad	Chevrolet Corvette	Powell Motorsport	106
2	GS I	Maxwell / Empringham	Porsche GT3 Cup	Doncaster Racing	106
3	GS I	Dumoulin / Spenard / Julien	Porsche 993 TT	Fiorano Racing	106
4	GS I	Lacey / Wilkins	Porsche GT3 Cup	Doncaster Racing	106
5	GS I	Weinberg / Hayner	Chevrolet Corvette	Powell Motorsport	105
6	GS II	Schreiner / Lapcevich	Ford Mustang Cobra R	Shreiner Racing	102
7	GS II	Cunningham / Theetge	Acura NSX	Theetge Motorsports	102
8	ST I	Buisson / Dobson	BMW Z3	Villaconn International	101
9	GS II	Istook / Martin	Audi S4	Istook / Aines Motorsport	101
10	GS II	Snipes / Sachs	Ford Mustang Cobra R	Snipes Ford Motorsports	101
11	ST I	Dumoulin / Goldsborough	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	101
12	GS II	Assentato / Longhi	Ford Mustang Cobra R	Max Q Motorsports	101
13	GS II	Del Vecchio / Baughman	Pontiac Firebird	Baughman Racing	100
14	ST I	James / Dror, Jr	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	100
15	ST I	Gaughran / Macleod	Hyundai Tiburon	Hyundai Motorsports	99
16	ST I	Guenette, Jr / Gorriaran	Hyundai Tiburon	Hyundai Motorsports	99
17	GS II	Shep / Strum	Porsche 911	SpeedSource	99
18	ST I	Moorcones / Himes	Acura Integra R	Craftsman Motorsports	98
19	ST I	Connolly / Salama / Chenoweth	BMW	CSL Racing	98
20	GS I	Mears, Jr / Wellman	Porsche GT3 Cup	SpeedSource	98
21	GS II	Thornton / Russell	BMW M3	Automatic Racing	98
22	ST I	Schlesinger / Tremblay	Porsche Boxster	SpeedSource	98
23	ST II	Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker	Acura Integra LS	HRPworld.com	96
24	ST I	Lally / Gaffney	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	95
25	ST II	Fenton / Beede / Curran	Acura Integra LS	Bill Fenton Motorsports	94
26	ST II	Daniels / Gabel	Mazda Miata	DTM Engineering	94
27	ST II	Martin / Harrell	Ford Focus	Team Ford Focus Racing	93
28	ST II	Thomson / Lowman	Mazda Miata	Caduceus Motorsports	92
29	ST II	Velcio / Nuzzo	Acura Integra LS	HRPworld.com	92
30	ST I	Adams / Allen	Acura RSX	Honda of America Racing Team	91
31	ST II	Luffy / Baglier	Mazda Protégé	Baglieracing	91
32	ST I	Wolfkill / Piscelli	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	86
33	GS II	Wortzman / McCalmont	Porsche 993 TT	Zoom Motorsports	85
34	ST I	Schmitt / Halsmer	Acura RSX	Honda of America Racing Team	83
35	ST I	Patch / Salama	BMW Z3	Villaconn International	83
36	GS II	Barber / Borcheller	BMW M3	Bell Motorsports	52
37	ST I	Ellinger / Ellinger	Mercedes 190E	RC Imports	49
38	ST I	Van Sicklen / Endicott	Acura Integra R	King Motorsports	41
39	GS II	Rehagen / Pacione	Ford Mustang Cobra SVT	Rehagen Racing	2

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