built to conquer the greatest battle of all. your ... - World Challenge

The Drivers
2008: Earned record-tying fifth World Challenge Championship, finishing all 10 rounds of SPEED
Touring Car Championship in the top 10, including five top-three finishes and two pole positions.
Driving a RealTime Acura TSX, helped lead American Honda to its record 11th Manufactuers’ Title.
Also competed in the KONI Challenge.
Previously: Started autocrossing at the age of 17, winning the first event entered. Professional
career started in 1985 in the Playboy Endurance Cup. Was the SCCA Escort Endurance Class B
Champion, driving a Honda CRX Si in 1988. Won the same title in 1989 and led the B class with
11 career victories. In 1990, won the Racetruck Championship in a Mazda and finished second
(Honda CRX Si) in the first year of the SCCA World Challenge Super Production class. In 1993, led
Honda to the Class C Manufacturers’ Championship, scored three victories and finished second in
the Drivers’ Championship in a Honda Prelude Si. In 1994, drove to second place in the WC Super
Production class, missing the Drivers’ Championship again by three points. In 1995, won his first
World Challenge Drivers’ Championship (Class C) in a Honda Prelude Si. Recorded one victory (Trois-
Riveres) and eight top-five finishes in as many races. In 1996, finished fifth overall with two wins
in a T1 Acura NSX. In 1997, captured his second World Challenge Drivers’ Championship with four
victories in a T1 NSX. Also in 1997, finished second in CART Super Touring Championship in a Honda
Accord for Honda of America Racing Team. Finished third overall in the T1 Drivers’ Championship
(Acura NSX) in 1998 on the strength of two wins. Also in 1998, signed on to to Team PTG’s BMW
endurance racing program, competing with various co-drivers in USRRC and IMSA GT catagories.
Over the next three seasons, scored three wins, 17 top-three and 27 top-10 finishes. Did not compete
in World Challenge in 1999. In 2000, ran the entire SpeedvisionGT season in a BMW M3,
recording a World Challenge record-tying 19th-career win at Ste. Croix. Recorded five top-10 finishes,
four top-fives, and a season-high three pole positions. Made one Speedvision Touring Car
start, finishing third. In 2001, finished runner-up in the Speedvision GT Championship in an Acura
NSX SC, topping the statistical charts with a season-high five wins, seven poles, seven top-fives and
nine top-10s. Broke the World Challenge record for wins at Sebring with 20. In his only Touring Car
appearance of the season, drove a RealTime Racing Acura Integra R to a 10th-place finish after
starting 40th at Road Atlanta. In 2002, captured third SPEEDWorld Challenge Touring Car title with
one win, six top fives, ten top-10s and two poles in an Acura Integra Type R. Scored runner-up finish
in GT Championship, with one win, eight top fives and ten top-10 finishes an Acura NSX SC.
Became second driver in history to win both class races in the same weekend (Road Atlanta). In
2003, headed the Nissan factory team effort driving a Nissan SE-R Spec V. In the program’s first
season, Cunningham recorded a flag-to-flag win at Road America, two podium, five top-five and six
top-10 finishes en route to finishing fourth in the Drivers’ Championship. In 2004, completed second
and final year of Nissan Sentra SE-R program, earning one win, six top-five and six top-10 finishes
in 10 SPEED Touring Car events, finishing fifth in the point standings. The victory at Road
America made it five consecutive seasons with at least one win. Won the season-long Air Force
Reserve Pole Award for a class-best three poles won. Also drove in two SPEED GT races in an Audi
RS6, earning a top-five and a top-10 finish. Earned fourth World Challenge Drivers’ Championship
in 2005, his first since winning the 2002 Touring Car title. In eleven starts, earned one win
(Sebring) to go along with seven top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, all of which helped Acura claim
the Touring Car Manufacturers’ Championship. Had four consecutive third-place finishes following
season-opening win. Needs just one more win to earn 30 for his career and only seven starts to
break the 150 start plateau. Finished fourth in the 2006 SPEED Touring Car Driver’s Championship.
In ten starts, scored three podium and nine top-10 finishes, helping Acura to its record-sixth
Manufacturers’ title. Broke a 25-race winless streak in 2007 at the series’ first visit to the Grand
Prix of Toronto. Earned a second win in the final race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Had a total
of four top-five finishes and eighth top-10s. Ended the season fifth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Personal: Nickname is “P.D.” Born July 1, 1962 and is married to Rainey with one daughter, Audrey.
Owns RealTime R&L, Inc., a racing team and logistics company in Wisconsin.
Year Class Starts Wins Top-5 Top-10 Pts. Fin. (T10)
1990 SP 8 2 7 8 2
1991 WC 2 1 2 2 -
1991 SP 2 1 1 1 -
1992 A 1 0 1 1 -
1992 D 2 0 2 2 -
1993 C 8 3 7 8 2
1994 SP 8 2 6 7 2
100 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide
1995 SP 8 1 8 8 1
1996 T1 10 2 4 7 5
1997 T1 9 4 8 8 1
1998 T1 9 2 4 5 3
2000 TC 1 0 1 1 -
2000 GT 10 1 4 5 7
2001 TC 1 0 0 1 -
2001 GT 10 5 7 9 2
2002 TC 11 1 6 10 1
2002 GT 10 1 8 10 2
2003 TC 10 1 5 6 4
2004 TC 10 1 6 6 5
2004 GT 2 0 1 1 -
2005 TC 11 1 7 11 1
2006 TC 10 0 5 9 4
2007 TC 10 2 4 8 5
2008 TC 10 0 9 10 1
Totals WC 173 31 113 144 1
as ALMS.
ERIC CURRAN
AIR-ik KUR-in
South Deerfield, Mass.
Age: 33
Career Highlights: 1999 SCCA Runoffs American Sedan National Champion.
1999 SCCA Jim Fitzgerald Rookie of the Year.
2008: After a rough start to the season in the Whelen Engineering Chevrolet
Corvette, scored a runner-up finish at Road America and followed it up with
a win at Mosport. Also earned fourth-place finishes at Watkins Glen and Road
Atlanta. Finished 10th in the SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship. Also entered
three SPEED Touring Car events in a Acura RSX finishing in the top 10 at
each. Also Competed in the KONI Challenge winning three ST races, as well
Previously: In 1994, began SCCA Club Racing in ITB. Has experience in SCCA ITC, American
Sedan, Spec Miata, the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series, Grand-Am, Grand-Am Cup, Motorola Cup,
NASCAR Modified series, SCCA Solo, EMRA time trials and ice racing. In 1999, third-place finish at
the Rolex 24 Hour in the AGT class and won the SCCA National Championship in American Sedan.
In 2000, started six SPEED GT races with three top-fives and six top-10s. Won three Borla
Performance awards. Earned the pole, finished second and set the track record at Lime Rock Park
in the Grand-Am GT race. In 2001, ran three SPEED GT races in a Chevrolet Corvette C5 and finished
16th in the points. Recorded two top-fives (Lime Rock Park and Road Atlanta) and three top-
10s. Best finish of fourth at Road Atlanta. In 2002, ran SPEED GT events at Lime Rock Park and
Road Atlanta in a Corvette Z06. Best finish of the season was a fifth at Lime Rock Park from a seventh-place
qualifying position. After having already run one 2003 race at Lime Rock Park, he joined
TeamRTR prior to the race at Infineon Raceway. Was the pilot of a Nissan SE-R Spec V and recorded
a career-best third place finish in Puerto Rico in addition to three top-10 finishes. Ran a scaled
down effort in 2004, competing in two SPEED Touring Car events and finishing a season-high 15th
at Lime Rock after starting 36th. Also competed in one SPEED GT event, also at Lime Rock, where
he nabbed a top-10, finishing eighth. In 2005, competed in a career-high 11 events, driving in a
full season for the first time in his career. With RealTime Racing, earned first win of career at Denver
and finished in the top five (three podiums) four times. Finished fifth in the Drivers’ Championship,
the first time in his career to finish in the top 10. Finished fifth in the Championship with RealTime
again in 2006, collecting four podium finishes, including his second World Challenge career-victory
at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Made to move back to GT in 2007 with Marsh Racing, driving a
Chevrolet Corvette. Won opening rounds at Sebring and the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Also won
Mid-Ohio and Mosport Rounds. Despite collecting four wins, five DNFs limited him to his third-consecutive
fifth-place points finish.
2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Media Guide 101
The Drivers