Speedvision World Challenge At Sears Point

Speedvision GT and Touring Car Championships
Round Four - Sears Point Raceway ALMS Grand Prix of Sonoma

Green Flag:
Speedvision Touring Car: Saturday, July 22, 4:15 p.m. (PT)
Speedvision GT: Sunday, July 23, 3:15 p.m. (PT)

Race Lengths: To be determined on the 2.52-mile circuit. Not to exceed 50 minutes.

Television: Speedvision Touring Car: Saturday, August 18, 9:00 p.m. (ET) Speedvision Speedvision GT: Saturday, August 18, 8:00 p.m. (ET)

What to Watch: A record 83 cars are entered for the two Speedvision World Challenge races this weekend.

Peter Cunningham believes this to be his best opportunity to tie Lou Gigliotti’s record of most-career World Challenge wins (18). While he leads the Speedvision GT point standings over Bobby Archer (Dodge Viper), he has yet to appear on the podium. The twisty Sears Point circuit should favor his BMW M3 for a good finish. Ironically, the win could come on the weekend when 16 year-old Lou Gigliotti Jr. makes his first career start.

Porsches could again be a factor this weekend, with the new-bodied 911 GT3 Cup receiving more wing to assist their handling. Others to watch out for include Jeff McMillin’s BMW, former track instructor Bill Cooper (Corvette) and three-time Touring Car Champion Michael Galati’s all-wheel drive Audi S4 Competition.

Pierre Kleinubing had a perfect season through the first two races of 2000, but a disastrous Lime Rock Round Three race left him on the sidelines with a broken car as the Speedvision Touring Car field took the green light. After losing his point lead to Neal Sapp (BMW 328Ci), don’t expect Kleinubing to lay back this weekend in his Acura Integra Type R. Other drivers to watch include local pilots Taz Harvey, Terry McCarthy, Ken Dobson and Shauna Marinus.