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The Series<br />

and Eagle <strong>the</strong>ir second-straight respective titles in Super Production, winning two races en<br />

route <strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>pping Norris Rancourt’s Carmichael Honda CRX Si by six points.<br />

In 1992, <strong>the</strong> series underwent ano<strong>the</strong>r major facelift. One more class was created,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> classes were renamed A, B, C and D, with some cars re-classified <strong>to</strong> meet market<br />

needs. Endurance Races were a thing <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> past beginning in 1992. All races became onehour<br />

sprints.<br />

Lotusport disappeared prior <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1992 season, leaving Corvette <strong>to</strong> dominate <strong>the</strong><br />

season. Smith <strong>to</strong>ok his second Drivers’ Championship in a Dieline Corp. Corvette over Kim<br />

Baker and teammate Bill Cooper. Gigliotti again <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> B class in his Pace America<br />

Camaro over <strong>the</strong> Metalcraft Mazda RX-7 Turbo <strong>of</strong> Mako<strong>to</strong> Yamamura. Dave Jolly won his<br />

first <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Championship in <strong>the</strong> C Class in a Metalcraft Oldsmobile Achieva.<br />

While Honda missed <strong>the</strong> Drivers’ Championship again, it <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ title <strong>of</strong>f<br />

<strong>the</strong> strength <strong>of</strong> Taz Harvey’s second place. Neil Hannemann won <strong>the</strong> new D Class<br />

Championship in <strong>the</strong> HighwayMaster Eagle Talon over teammate Bill Saunders.<br />

In 1993, <strong>the</strong> D class disappeared as <strong>the</strong> Eagles grew turbos and moved in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> B class<br />

with <strong>the</strong> BMW M3. Racing legend Elliott Forbes-Robinson broke <strong>the</strong> Corvette streak,<br />

piloting <strong>the</strong> Dal Tech Nissan 300 ZX Turbo <strong>to</strong> five wins and a 13-point win over Smith's<br />

Dieline Corvette and Boris Said’s BluBlocker Saleen Mustang.<br />

Gigliotti’s two season-ending wins in <strong>the</strong> B class weren’t enough <strong>to</strong> overcome Willy<br />

Lewis’ Archer Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Eagle Talon T. Ron Emmick and Cunningham <strong>battle</strong>d <strong>all</strong> season long<br />

in <strong>the</strong> C Class, with Emmick’s Metalcraft Oldsmobile edging Cunningham’s<br />

Au<strong>to</strong>technica/Red Line Oil Honda Prelude by three points. Honda again <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong><br />

manufacturers’ title.<br />

Classes were renamed again in 1994 <strong>to</strong> <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge, Touring Car and Super<br />

Production. Porsche returned as a major player with Kelly Moss Racing. Price Cobb <strong>to</strong>pped<br />

teammate Mauro Baldi after winning <strong>the</strong> final three races <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> season. Cobb’s title<br />

propelled him <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> worldwide Porsche Cup–becoming <strong>the</strong> first driver <strong>to</strong> do so.<br />

Hannemann won his second Drivers’ Championship in three years–this time in Touring Car,<br />

scoring two wins in his Archer Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Eagle Talon <strong>to</strong> best Gigliotti’s Camaro by seven points.<br />

Jolly again <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Super Production Drivers’ Championship away from Cunningham’s Prelude,<br />

but Honda again <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ Championship over Oldsmobile.<br />

The <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge class was again renamed in 1995, <strong>to</strong> Sport, but little changed,<br />

as Porsche <strong>battle</strong>d Corvette for supremacy. David Murry piloted his Rohr Mo<strong>to</strong>rsport<br />

Porsche 911 GT2 <strong>to</strong> five wins in eight races <strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>p John Heinricy’s Morrison Corvette 432 <strong>to</strong><br />

369. Hannemann <strong>to</strong>ok his second-straight Touring Car Championship by a single point<br />

(389 <strong>to</strong> 388) over Archer Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Racing teammate Lewis as Eagle <strong>to</strong>pped Chevrolet for<br />

<strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ title. After finishing runner-up three times, Cunningham <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Super<br />

Production Class Championship in his RealTime Racing Honda Prelude over Paul Booher’s ICY<br />

Racing Saturn, giving Honda its fourth-straight Manufacturers’ Championship.<br />

<strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge was split in<strong>to</strong> two categories, Sports and Touring, in 1996, each<br />

broken in<strong>to</strong> two classes, designated S1, S2, T1 and T2.<br />

With <strong>the</strong> S1 class not arriving until late in <strong>the</strong> season, <strong>the</strong> S2 class featured <strong>the</strong> fastest<br />

<strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge cars ever. Loosely based on <strong>the</strong> European FIA GT2 rules, <strong>the</strong> cars ran on<br />

slick tires for <strong>the</strong> first time; and, while fields were sm<strong>all</strong>, provided exciting racing. Almo<br />

Coppelli’s C<strong>all</strong>away Corvette edged Shane Lewis’ radical Mosler Intruder by two points. The<br />

<strong>to</strong>p four manufacturers were within two points, with Saleen winning a tiebreaker with<br />

Porsche <strong>to</strong> take <strong>the</strong> title over C<strong>all</strong>away and Mosler. Martin Snow <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> three-race S1<br />

Championship in his Porsche 911 Turbo.<br />

Gigliotti returned <strong>to</strong> championship form in 1996, taking <strong>the</strong> T1 title in his LG Saleen<br />

Mustang, winning two races. Lewis’ Talon and Kermit Up<strong>to</strong>n’s BMW completed <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>pthree,<br />

with Eagle taking Manufacturers’ honors in a tiebreaker over Ford/Saleen.<br />

Rookie Michael Galati won <strong>the</strong> second-straight T2 Drivers’ Championship for RealTime<br />

Racing’s Honda Prelude by two points over Taz Harvey’s Prelude and Alain Chebeir’s BMW.<br />

34 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Media Guide<br />

Honda captured its fifth-straight <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Manufacturers’ Championship.<br />

High costs eliminated <strong>the</strong> Sports Category in 1997, and <strong>the</strong> T1 Championship shaped<br />

up as a <strong>battle</strong> <strong>of</strong> American muscle versus high-revving Japanese technology. Cunningham<br />

earned his second <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Drivers’ Championship in T1, driving <strong>to</strong> four vic<strong>to</strong>ries<br />

in his RealTime Racing Acura NSX, despite missing one race. Gigliotti’s Saleen Mustang was<br />

second, with two wins, followed by <strong>the</strong> similar car <strong>of</strong> Rob Fellows. Ford/Saleen’s strong<br />

presence rewarded it with <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ Championship.<br />

RealTime Racing introduced <strong>the</strong> Acura Integra Type R <strong>to</strong> T2 in 1997, with rookie Pierre<br />

Kleinubing earning <strong>the</strong> Drivers’ Championship over Booher’s Saturn and teammate Galati.<br />

Points for Acura and Honda were split in 1997, <strong>all</strong>owing Saturn <strong>to</strong> take <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’<br />

Championship for <strong>the</strong> first time.<br />

Saleen returned <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1998 T1 Championship, sweeping <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>p two spots in <strong>the</strong><br />

Drivers' Championship with Terry Borcheller and Ron Johnson over Cunningham’s RealTime<br />

NSX. The specialty car builder also dominated <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ Championship.<br />

Galati used consistency in his RealTime Acura Integra R <strong>to</strong> take his second T2<br />

Championship–<strong>the</strong> fourth-straight for <strong>the</strong> team–over teammate Kleinubing and Lance<br />

Stewart’s DC Sports Integra R. Acura earned <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ Championship, <strong>the</strong> sixth<br />

for American Honda.<br />

The <strong>of</strong>f-season between 1998 and 1999 proved <strong>to</strong> be <strong>the</strong> most pivotal for <strong>the</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />

Ch<strong>all</strong>enge, as <strong>the</strong> Speedvision Network–a cable broadcasting station dedicated <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

fastest things in <strong>the</strong> air, water and <strong>the</strong> road–became a part owner in <strong>the</strong> series and its title<br />

sponsor. Exposure and purses grew exponenti<strong>all</strong>y, as did <strong>the</strong> fields. The 1999 season<br />

would average nearly 50 cars per race between <strong>the</strong> two classes.<br />

Archer drove a Viper Speed Dodge Viper <strong>to</strong> his second-career Championship, winning<br />

<strong>the</strong> Speedvision GT title by a scant point over Peter Kitchak’s Porsche 911. Porsche <strong>to</strong>ok<br />

<strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ title over Chevrolet, which featured <strong>the</strong> debut <strong>of</strong> its new C5, with Scotty<br />

B. White giving <strong>the</strong> car its first win (Vancouver). Archer earned a $50,000 bonus for his<br />

Championship–<strong>the</strong> biggest ever in SCCA Pro Racing his<strong>to</strong>ry.<br />

Galati branched out <strong>to</strong> form his own Speedvision Touring Car Acura team in 1999, but<br />

<strong>the</strong> results were <strong>the</strong> same, taking <strong>the</strong> title by three points over RealTime’s Kleinubing and<br />

his teammate Hugh Plumb. Galati tied <strong>the</strong> <strong>all</strong>-time record for consecutive wins at <strong>the</strong> start<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> season (four). Acura again <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ Championship.<br />

In 2000, both series ran separately for <strong>the</strong> first time and standing starts made <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

debut. The season saw giant jumps in participation, averaging over 70 cars per event<br />

between <strong>the</strong> two series.<br />

Jeff McMillin became <strong>the</strong> first driver ever <strong>to</strong> win a title without a win when he scored<br />

<strong>to</strong>p-10 finishes in <strong>all</strong> 10 Speedvision GT races. He became only <strong>the</strong> third driver ever (joining<br />

Galati and Plumb from 1999) <strong>to</strong> record 10 <strong>to</strong>p-10s in a season. Galati jumped <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Champion Audi GT team in 2000 and finished second, recording <strong>the</strong> marque’s first win in<br />

<strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge at Las Vegas. In <strong>all</strong>, six different drivers and marques won on <strong>the</strong> season.<br />

Kleinubing captured his second title by winning <strong>the</strong> Speedvision Touring Car<br />

Championship for RealTime over rookie Neal Sapp (TC Kline Racing BMW 328Ci). Acura<br />

<strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> manufacturers’ title, but fought BMW in<strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> last race.<br />

In 2001, new changes included a new spec tire from Toyo Tires, and boosted purses<br />

across <strong>the</strong> board due <strong>to</strong> various new sponsorships.<br />

Michael Galati became <strong>the</strong> first driver <strong>to</strong> win four <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Drivers’<br />

Championships, taking <strong>the</strong> Speedvision GT title with four wins and helping Audi <strong>to</strong> its firstever<br />

Manufacturers’ Championship. Galati <strong>battle</strong>d his former team owner Peter<br />

Cunningham <strong>all</strong> <strong>the</strong> way. Cunningham won <strong>the</strong> statistics race, recording seven poles and<br />

five wins in his supercharged Acura NSX, but a DNF at Lime Rock hurt his title chances.<br />

Galati became <strong>the</strong> second-straight Speedvision GT driver <strong>to</strong> place in <strong>the</strong> <strong>to</strong>p-10 in each<br />

race, and he and Cunningham each eclipsed <strong>the</strong> $100,000 mark in purse and contingency<br />

prize money earned for <strong>the</strong> first time in series his<strong>to</strong>ry. Audi <strong>to</strong>ok <strong>the</strong> Manufacturers’ title<br />

2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED <strong>World</strong> Ch<strong>all</strong>enge Media Guide 35<br />

The Series

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