Rainy Weather Cancels Mosport Qualifying

Two Local Drivers Awarded Front Row Based On Points

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (September 27, 2002) -- The remnant of Hurricane Isidore made its way north of the border today, resulting in rainy weather throughout the day at Mosport International Raceway. After two rain-soaked practice sessions, Grand-Am Cup Series officials decided to cancel the late afternoon qualifying sessions due to hazardous track conditions caused by standing water on the course. The starting grid for tomorrow's Sunoco Ultra 94 presents the Mosport Three-Hour will be set based on current team point standings in accordance with the Grand American Road Racing Association rulebook. 

A pair of local drivers will start on the front row for Saturday's race. Toronto's Scott Maxwell will start the Doncaster Racing #76 Porsche GT3 Cup in the pole position with Port Perry's Devon Powell in the Powell Motorsports #11 Corvette beside him. 

The front-row pairing will not only face off two long-time local rivals, but also the top-two teams in the hunt for the series championship. Toronto's Doncaster Racing currently holds a two-point lead over Port Perry's Powell Motorsports, however in the driver point standings Maxwell and Powell are in a three-way tie for the lead with Powell's co-driver, American Doug Goad. 

While both teams call Mosport their home track, their drivers have different opinions on who will have the upper hand when the green flag drops at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday. "I haven't raced at this track in three years, and they have made some changes to it in that time," said Maxwell. "The Powell team has worked with their Corvette on this track for several years now, so they should have it pretty tuned in to where it needs to be."

However, Powell has a different view of the rivalry. "I don't think that there is a big advantage for us here, because Scott has been here longer than I have. It's like riding a bike - you never forget," commented Powell. "I don't think there is a real home track advantage for any of us, but it should be a good race because of that."

The heavy puddling on the track due to the rain resulted in the withdrawal of one entry from the race. The Case-It Racing #84 Porsche hit a puddle and spun into the wall during the afternoon practice session, sustaining severe damage that could not be repaired in time for the race. 

The Max Q Motorsports/TF Racing #53 Mustang Cobra R will start Saturday's race at the front of the Grand Sport II field, while the King Motorsports #64 Acura Integra R will lead the Sport Touring I field. The HRPworld.com #41 Acura Integra LS will be in front of the Sport Touring II class at the green flag. 

A 15-minute final practice session will be held at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The Sunoco Ultra 94 presents the Mosport Three Hour will get underway at 3 p.m. ET. Fans may follow all the action from the event on the official Grand American Road Racing Association website - www.grand-am.com - which features Zippo Live Timing & Scoring during the race.
. Other drivers in the GSI class who reside in Ontario include Zoom Motorsports' Alan Wortzman and Fiorano Racing's Robert Julien. Wortzman will team up with Michael Fitzgerald in the #16 Porsche, while Julien will join Richard Spenard and Jean-Francois Dumoulin in the #119 Porsche. The GS II class also includes several Ontario drivers, including Jeff Lapevich (Caister Centre), David Shep (Toronto), David Swain (Port Perry) and Kenny Wilden (Oakville).