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2002 was the sixth season for the Canada GT Challenge Cup series.
Sanctioned by ASN Canada, the championship draws a wide array of high powered Grand Touring cars and the attention of fans.
Helping the series attract competitors is a prize fund that was reduced for 2002. Last season, the winner of each contest received a cheque for $6,000; this year, first place was awarded $3,000. The runner-up earns $2,000 and third-place collects $1,000. All other finishers receive $500. The end of season championship fund is $10,000 as opposed to $30,000 in 2001. Second place in the title chase earns $7,500 and third-place in the final standings is worth $5,000. Vehicles eligible to compete in the series include FIA GT, Professional Sportscar GTS & GT, Sports Car Club of America Improved Touring, GT1, GT2 & Trans Am, plus ASA Stock Cars. Sports Racers, ground effect cars and Showroom Stock vehicles are not permitted to compete in the Canada GT Challenge Cup series. All races are one-hour in length and require a mandatory one-minute pit-stop. For teams that use two drivers, one-minute is sufficient time to make the change. Competitors driving solo can remain in the car during the stop. Re-fueling is not allowed. The events are contested during CASC Ontario Region weekends or in conjunction with major events at Mosport International Raceway. The Canada GT Challenge Cup season kicks off on April 28 at Mosport International Raceway during the BARC Grand Prix of Ontario. This is followed by two more events at Mosport – the BEMC Spring Trophy Races and the Victoria Day Trans-Am Weekend. Round four is the series’ first of three visits to Shannonville Motorsport Park. On June 16, the championship returns to Mosport for the CASCAR Weekend. The next two events are held at Shannonville. On August 18th, the championship competes at Mosport as a support race for the American Le Mans Series. The final round will be conducted at Mosport during the CASC Celebration event at the end of September. The second race of the 2002 Canada GT Challenge Cup season was held at Mosport International Raceway during the Trans Am Weekend presented by Kenwood. Teams would compete on the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course for sixty-minutes.
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Blaise Csida successfully campaigned a Chevrolet Corvette in the old GT2 category. Csida dominated and won the class title in 2000. When the rules changed the following year, which resulted in the elimination of GT2, he replaced the Corvette with a Chevrolet Camaro. Initially, Csida did not have much luck with the car. However, at the Trans Am weekend, he started second and led flag-to-flag. |
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Jim Harrison made his Canada GT Challenge Cup debut in 1999 but became a regular last year. His best result prior to this season was a seventh-place finish in round seven at Shannonville Motorsport Park. He began 2002 with a sixth-place result after starting second. At the Trans Am weekend, the driver of the No. 49 Longhill Energy Porsche 911 Turbo qualified fourth and captured the runner-up position. |
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The first event of the season was run in challenging conditions. Malcolm Strachan displayed his wet weather driving prowess by finishing in the runner-up position. At the Trans Am weekend, Strachan was the third fastest in the qualifying session. During the race, he was passed by the Porsche of Jim Harrison but captured the final position on the podium. More importantly, Strachan was leading the point standings. |
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One of the more unique vehicles in the series is the ex-Jason Plato BTCC Renault Laguna, driven by Ken McRae. The four-cylinder two-liter motor is no match for the series larger displacement vehicles on Mosport’s back straight. However, the front-wheel-drive layout allows McRae to excel in the rain. In the second event of the year, he qualified eighth, but a couple of retirements allowed him to finish in the fourth position. |
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Jay Fieger was another series regular who drove the No. 85 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, initially debuted by Bentley Hammer. The Monte Carlo earned Fieger a sixth-best finish last season in round six at Shannonville. This season Fieger was driving the No. 92 Chevrolet Corvette out of the Phil Strudwick Motorsports stable. He failed to record a qualifying time for race two but finished in fifth place. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR / ENTRANT | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Blaise Csida | Chevrolet Camaro / New York Fries | 42 | - |
| 2 | 4 | Jim Harrison | Porsche 911 Turbo / Longhill Energy | 41 | - |
| 3 | 3 | Malcolm Strachan | Chevrolet Corvette / Konica Canada | 41 | - |
| 4 | 8 | Ken McRae | Renault Laguna / Polywheels | 39 | - |
| 5 | DNQ | Jay Fieger | Chevrolet Corvette / Marathon Graphics | 37 | - |
| 6 | DNQ | Ron Beyeler | Oldsmobile Cutlass / Real Time Products | 37 | - |
| 7 | 6 | Greg Clifton | Chevrolet Camaro / Strudwick Motorsport | 26 | Did Not Finsih |
| 8 | 5 | Ulrich Furtmair | Porsche 911 Turbo / Furtmair Auto | 4 | Did Not Finish |
| 9 | 7 | Allan DeWolfe | BMW 325i / Eurotec | 2 | Did Not Finish |
| - | 1 | Klaus Bytzek | Porsche 911 GT1 Evo / BMS Race Team | - | Did Not Start |
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