2000 Charlotte - World Challenge GT

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:

Aligning with trends in the automotive aftermarket competitors were allowed to use larger wheels and tires (up to 18-inches in GT and up to 17-inches in Touring), spec rear wings and more aerodynamic bodywork.

Also introduced for 2000 was standing starts.

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.

The 10-race season began in Charlotte, North Carolina at Lowes Motor Speedway and ended in November at San Diego, California.

Round one used the 'Roval' layout at Lowes Motor Speedway. The 2.25-mile ten-turn road course used almost the entire 1.5-mile oval with an infield road course section. The GT class had 38-entries for the 50-minute race.

During the third lap of qualifying at Viper spun in turn-one which knocked a stack of tires on to the track. Bill Cooper damaged the front of his Pirate Racing Corvette C5 when he hit these tires but that was after he captured the pole. Cooper fell back to third at the start but was able to move back in front by the sixth lap. He led from there and finished almost 3-seconds ahead of Reese Cox.

Reese Cox qualified fourth in the GT class with his Chevrolet Corvette C5 and maintained the position early in the race. On lap-18, a blown engine in the Dodge Viper of Bobby Archer allowed him to move to third. In the closing stages of the race, he trailed David Schardt and was able to pass him on the last lap to capture second.

It seemed optimistic to think that at the start thirty-eight cars would successfully navigate the first corner. Turn one at Charlotte is very tight. The cars come off the very fast front straight and funnel into a concrete walled entrance for the road course. Two drivers – twenty-first starter Cory Friedman and Trip Goolsby who qualified twenty-fifth were victims of the first turn on the first lap.

Driving the No. 3 Porsche GT3 Cup was Peter Kitchak. In 1999, he was the runner-up in the Drivers Championship – by a single. Kitchak started sixth and captured the last step on the podium after the retirements of Bobby Archer, David Schardt and John Heinricy.

Defending series champion Bobby Archer driving a Dodge Viper GTS started alongside pole-sitter Bill Cooper. Archer was following David Schardt and Bill Cooper in third place when his engine failed on lap-18. He did have the consolation of setting a new lap-record.

David Schardt qualified third in his Porsche GT3 Cup and was having a great weekend until the final lap. Schardt was in a close battle with Reese Cox for second when he spun on the last lap. He stopped sideways across the track and was hit broadside by Matt Drendel in a Ferrari 355 – neither driver was injured.

Derek Bell was entered in The Legends of Motorsport/Champion Audi/Audi Sport North America S4 Competition. The S4 Competition was the only four-door, four-wheel drive car in the field. Bell was teamed with former series champion Michael Galati but only one car was available for round one. Bell started seventeenth and finished ninth.

Move-it Motorsports entered three Lotus Esprits for drivers - Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Butch Leitzinger and “Rael”. Leitzinger and “Rael” retired within laps of each other. Forbes-Robinson fared much better qualifying ninth and finishing tenth.

To the victor go the spoils. The World Challenge GT podium at Charlotte. On the left is second place finisher Reese Cox and the right Peter Kitchak, who captured third. Between these two is the winner Bill Cooper.

FINISH	START	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	1	Bill Cooper	Chevrolet Corvette C5	29	-
2	4	Reese Cox	Chevrolet Corvette C5	29	-
3	6	Peter Kitchack	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	29	-
4	7	Justin Jackson	Porsche 911 RSR	29	-
5	8	Peter Cunningham	BMW M3	29	-
6	13	Dale White	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	29	-
7	10	Paul Brown	Saleen Mustang SR	29	-
8	23	Jeff McMillin	BMW M3	29	-
9	17	Derek Bell	Audi S4	29	-
10	9	Elliott Forbes-Robinson	Lotus Esprit Turbo	29	-
11	15	Scott Bove	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	29	-
12	16	David Farmer	Chevrolet Corvette C5	29	-
13	39	Dan Kellermeyer	Chevrolet Corvette C5	29	-
14	3	David Schardt	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	28	Accident
15	22	Daniel Eastman	Porsche 911 RSR	28	-
16	19	Anthony DeMonte	Ford Mustang	28	-
17	35	Thomas Safar II	Saleen Mustang	28	-
18	32	Mark Dixon	Pontiac Firebird	28	-
19	14	Scotty B. White	Chevrolet Corvette C5	28	-
20	27	Lyn D. Wilson	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	28	-
21	30	Walter Dethier	Saleen Mustang Cobra	28	-
22	20	Adam Merzon	Porsche 911 GT3 Cup	28	-
23	33	Gennady Soykher	Porsche 911 RSR	28	-
24	31	Phil Lasco	Dodge Viper GTS	28	Mechanical
25	36	Bill Black	Pontiac Firebird	27	-
26	34	Carol Hollfelder	Ferrari F355 Challenge	26	-
27	11	Matt Drendel	Ferrari F355 Challenge	25	Accident
28	36	Peter Polli	Chevrolet Corvette	21	DNF
29	24	Kelly Bradley	Chevrolet Corvette	20	Mechanical
30	2	Bobby Archer	Dodge Viper GTS	18	Mechanical
31	12	Butch Leitzinger	Lotus Esprit Turbo	17	DNF
32	29	Rael	Lotus Esprit Turbo	15	DNF
33	37	Richard Ford	Toyota Supra Turbo	12	DNF
34	5	John Heinricy	Chevrolet Corvette C5	8	Oil
35	18	Terry Lackey	Chevrolet Corvette C5	7	Spring
36	26	Jimmy Adams	Dodge Viper GTS	1	Cooling
37	21	Cory Friedman	Porsche 911 RSR	0	Accident
38	25	Henry Trip Goolsby	Porsche 911 RSR	0	Accident

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