2004 Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant

On October 15, 2003, a significant restructuring of the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand Am Cup classes was announced. Starting next year, the Grand Sport I (GS I) cars would be called Super Grand Sport (SGS) and compete in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Following this news, there were changes in the Grand Am Cup category. In 2004, there would be a single Grand Sport (GS) and Sport Touring (ST) class.

Grand Sport (GS): The quicker of the two classes - the group features the larger displacement engines as well as smaller four-cylinder motors with forced induction systems. The power-plants produce between 350 and 405-horsepower. Minimum weights range between 2,900 – 3,300-pounds, which is dependent on the motor configuration and displacement. This class includes cars such as the BMW M3, Pontiac Firebird, Ford Mustang, Nissan 350Z and Porsche 996.
Sport Touring (ST): The smaller displacement cars compete in this class in which engines typically produce between 170 and 240-horsepower. Popular vehicles found in this group are the Acura RSX, Mazda RX-8, BMW Z3, BMW 330i, Acura Integra Type R and Mini Cooper S.

While the classifications changed the rules remained the same. The cars 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 placed in the Grand Sport or Sport Touring group.

The 2004 season consists of ten race weekends and starts in January at Daytona International Speedway, which is followed by a second event in Florida at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In April, the series will make a visit to Phoenix International Raceway for the Twin 200s. The Grand Sport and Sport Touring teams will compete in separate races. Then the series travels north of the border to compete at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. After this event, race weekends will take place Watkins Glen International, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and a second visit to Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final three rounds will be conducted in October and start with Virginia International Raceway. The penultimate weekend is at Alabama’s, Barber Motorsport Park, with the finale taking place at California Speedway.

On Canada’s Victoria Day long weekend, the Grand Am Cup teams traveled to Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant for round four of the 2004 championship. Drivers would race around the fifteen-turn 2.65-mile road course in the Mont-Tremblant 250.

The pole-winning Istook / Aines Motorsport Group Audi S4, driven by Anders Hainer, leads the field into Mont-Tremblant’s corner four. Behind Hainer is the second place starter and his teammate, Gary Sheehan, in the No. 4 Audi S4. Following Sheehan, in the order which they qualified, is the Cadillac of Devin Powell, Mike Cronin, Jr. driving the No. 33 Nissan 350Z and the point leading, Porsche of Craig Stanton and David Murry.

The 2003 Super Grand Sport championship-winning team crossed the finish line in second place. But Doncaster Racing’s, Robert Julien and Greg Wilkins, were awarded the Grand Sport victory after the Powell Motorsport Cadillac CTS-V failed the post-race inspection. The successful Doncaster team had a difficult start to the season. It seemed only fitting that the Canadian team’s first victory of the year would come on home soil.

Another team benefitting the post-race Grand Sport disqualifications was the No. 19 Porsche 996 shared by Mike Pickett and Spencer Pumpelly. To date, the team’s best result was a seventh-place at Phoenix. Pickett started thirty-first in the forty-seven car field. Pumpelly drove the final stint and, despite contact, was fourth at the checker. The disqualification of the Powell and Rehagen teams gave them a runner-up finish.

After some good qualifying results, the No. 2 Team Lexus Lexus IS300 was rewarded with a Sport Touring victory. Chuck Goldsborough qualified second fastest at Phoenix International Raceway but he and his teammate, Ian James, retired early. At Mont-Tremblant, Goldsborough started thirtieth overall and sixth in class. A conservative pace, which meant only one stop during the contest, gave the pair their first victory of 2004.

The Sport Touring point’s leaders, Don Salama and Will Turner, were yet to find the top step of the podium. They topped the title chase as the result of a fourth-place and two runner-up finishes. For the first time the season, Turner qualified the BMW 330i and would start twenty-fourth overall and second in class. The BMW’s poor fuel mileage meant the team required a second pit-stop. They caught the winning Lexus but finished second.

This is how the Grand Sport podium at Mont-Tremblant looked before the post-race technical inspection. Standing in the center and first across the finish line were Terry Borcheller and Devon Powell. To the left are the second-place finishers, Robert Julien and Greg Wilkins, who would be declared the winners. The final spot on the rostrum is occupied by David Shep and Kenny Wilden, who would also be disqualified.

The SpeedSource team was fresh off their historic victory (the first North American professional race win for the Mazda RX-8) in the previous round at Phoenix International Raceway. Qualifying the Mazda at Mont-Tremblant was David Haskell and he captured the class pole. With just ten minutes left in the race, Haskell’s teammate, Sylvain Tremblay, was third but slowed when he ran low on fuel and finished fifth.

When the checkered flag fell for the Mont-Tremblant 250, it appeared that Terry Borcheller had sole possession of the Grand Sport points lead. But that changed when the Powell Motorsports Cadillac CTS-V failed the technical inspection. Craig Stanton, Borcheller’s former teammate, took the top spot in the title chase. Stanton was paired with David Murry in TheRaceSite.com, sponsored Porsche 996 and finished fifth.

The Istook / Aines Motorsport Group had reason to be optimistic, heading into 2004. During the pre-season testing at Daytona, they were the quickest Grand Am Cup team. However, that changed when the racing started. After three events, the team had three top-ten qualifying efforts – including a pole – but failed to finish a race. Mont-Tremblant included another pole but Anders Hainer crashed and retired on the first lap.

After a difficult start to the season (twenty-fifth in Sport Touring at Daytona International Speedway), Bob Beede and Eric Curran captured their second consecutive podium of the year. The No. 27 Bill Fenton Motorsports Acura RSX-S was gridded twenty-fifth overall and third in class thanks to Curran. They ran with the class leaders and were able to capture third in their category when the SpeedSource Mazda ran low on fuel.

In just its second race, the Powell Motorsport Cadillac CTS-V piloted by Devon Powell and Terry Borcheller scored a victory, or so it seemed. Borcheller joined the Powell group at Mont-Tremblant. Powell qualified the Cadillac third fastest and they finished first. In the post-race technical inspection, it was found that the fuel tank capacity exceeded specifications and they received twenty-eighth place points.

The No. 58 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang Cobra SVT driven by David Shep and Kenny Wilden also failed the post-race technical inspection. According to Grand-Am Cup Series Technical Director, Scott Spencer, the fuel capacity on the Mustang exceeded the legal limit. Drivers, Shep and Wilden, who were third at the checkered flag, received points for a twenty-ninth place finish.

The Grand Am Cup Sport Touring podium at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. On the right are the second-place finishers from Turner Motorsport, Don Salama and Will Turner. And, on the opposite side and completing the podium are Bob Beede and Eric Curran. In the center, earning their first victory of the season are Team Lexus drivers, Chuck Goldsborough and Ian James.

POS.	CLASS	DRIVERS	CAR	ENTRANT	LAPS
1	GS	Wilkins / Julien	Porsche 996	Doncaster Racing	92
2	GS	Picket / Pumpelly	Porsche 996	Race Prep Motorsports	92
3	GS	Stanton / Murry	Porsche 996	The Race Site.com	92
4	GS	Schuitemaker / Zacharias	Nissan 350Z	Schuitemaker Motorsports	92
5	GS	Plummer / Cosmo	Porsche 996	BGB Motorsports	91
6	GS	Brumbaugh / McDowell	Porsche 996	BGB Motorsports	91
7	GS	Thornton / Russell	BMW M3	Automatic Racing	91
8	GS	Nonnamaker / Nonnamaker	Porsche 996	The Race Site.com	91
9	ST	James / Goldsborough	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	91
10	ST	Turner / Salama	BMW 330i	Turner Motorsport	91
11	ST	Beede / Curran	Acura RSX-S	Bill Fenton Motorsports	91
12	ST	Pappas / Hamblin	BMW 330i	Turner Motorsport	91
13	ST	Haskell / Tremblay	Mazda RX-8	SpeedSource	91
14	GS	Sheehan / Bailey	Audi S4	Istook / Aines Motorsport Group	90
15	GS	Fox / Krohn	Porsche 996	G&W Motorsports	90
16	GS	Weinberg / Knowles	Cadillac CTS-V	Powell Motorsport	90
17	GS	Sofronas / Munson	BMW M3	Anchor Racing	90
18	GS	Shreiner / Lapcevich	Ford Mustang Cobra	Shreiner Racing	90
19	GS	Snipes / Sachs	Cadillac CTS-V	Snipes Motorsport	90
20	GS	Wortzman / McCalmont	BMW M3	Zoom Motorsports	90
21	ST	Fenton / Liebl / Endicott	Acura RSX-S	Bill Fenton Motorsports	90
22	GS	MacAlpine / Martin / Rehagen	Ford Mustang Cobra	Rehagen Racing	89
23	ST	Fanelli / Walker	Mazda RX-8	SpeedSource	88
24	ST	Thompson / Robinson	Mazda RX-8	Cairsea Racing	88
25	ST	Probert / Olsen	BMW 330i	QuickSilver Motorsports	87
26	ST	Matz / Gaughran / Potter	BMW 328i	DF Motorsports	87
27	ST	Marinus / Mears, Jr.	Mazda RX-8	SpeedSource	87
28	GS	Powell / Borcheller	Cadillac CTS-V	Powell Motorsport	92
29	GS	Shep / Wilden	Mustang Cobra SVT	Rehagen Racing	92
30	ST	Abello / Theetge	Mazda RX-8	SpeedSource	86
31	ST	Eaton / Howard	Mazda RX-8	Southpaw Racing	86
32	ST	DeJager / Thomson	BMW Z3	Compass360 Racing	86
33	GS	MacDonald / Brown	Ford Mustang Cobra	Frederick Motorsports	86
34	ST	Roach / Kimball	Dodge Neon SRT4	Roach Racing	86
35	GS	Cronin / Hayner	Nissan 350Z	Unitech Racing	85
36	ST	Schlesinger / Tuaty	Mazda RX-8	SpeedSource	84
37	ST	Goldsborough / Lally / Mady	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	84
38	ST	Arnold / Connolly	BMW 330ci	Matt Connolly Motorsports	74
39	ST	Lally / Dumoulin	Lexus IS300	Team Lexus	69
40	GS	Rosser / Collins	Nissan 350Z	Unitech Racing	61
41	GS	Del Vecchio / Martin	Pontiac Firebird	Michael Baughman Racing	46
42	GS	Roy / Camp	Ford Mustang Cobra	Frederick Motorsports	41
43	GS	Stubbs / Masessa	Porsche 996	The Race Site.com	18
44	GS	Duarta / Morrison / Halsmer	Acura NSX	DAL Motorsports	12
45	ST	Himes / Ellinger / Rosenblum	BMW Z3	ICY / SL Motorsports	11
46	GS	Picket / Pumpelly / Levitas	Porsche 996	Race Prep Motorsports	10
47	GS	Hainer / Istook	Audi S4	Istook / Aines Motorsport Group	1

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