Road Racing: Rookie Fitzgerald leads Porsche sweep in Texas Speedvision GT
4 September 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
FORT WORTH, TEXAS--Mike Fitzgerald, of Phoenix, Ariz., took his first-career Speedvision World Challenge GT Championship win, winning the Grand Prix of Texas at Texas Motor Speedway. Making it an all-rookie Porsche podium sweep in the 108 degree heat were Scott Bove, of Avon Lake, Ohio, and Justin Jackson, of Alpharetta, Ga.
Fitzgerald normally drives in the Speedvision Touring Car Championship, but an opportunity to add to his worldwide Porsche Cup point standings enticed the rookie into Dale White's No. 38 Westward Ho Hotel Vegas/MPIE Porsche 911 GT3 Cup just 15 minutes prior to qualifying. Fitzgerald qualified seventh, but moved up into the top four at the start when polesitter Boris Said and points leader Bill Cooper tangled in turn three, eliminating each car.
Terry Borcheller's Saleen SR led second qualifier Peter Cunningham's BMW M3 at first, then John Heinricy's Corvette C5 as Fitzgerald moved into the battle for the lead. The top-three traded the lead until Heinricy fell back on lap 15 of the 26-lap event, becoming a two-car battle until Borcheller's car had a mechanical failure on lap 21. Bove had slowly moved forward from his 14th place start position in the e-sports.com/Stoddard Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and moved into second with Borcheller's departure.
Fitzgerald cruised the last six laps to a 13.606-second win, averaging 79.110 mph. The win was the first for the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in World Challenge competition and Porsche's first win in seven races.
"I was having a horrible weekendI got hit by a couple cars and knocked out in the Speedvision Touring Car race and the car I was supposed to drive in the ALMS blew up before I got in," said Fitzgerald. "Even after qualifying, I wasn't sure if I should run, because if I was going to run, I wanted to win. When I saw the smoke from behind me when Terry's [Borcheller] car had a problem, I was really relieved. This is great."
Bove, whose previous best finish was 10th, moved up quickly initially, had the third-fastest lap of the race in a strong run to second.
"This is fantastic," said Bove. "We replaced the radiators before the race because of the heat. I attacked the corners early, and finally got some good luck at the end."
Jackson, driving the J-3 Motorsports Porsche 911 RSR, also earned his career-best finish with third after starting 11th. Jackson moved into sixth in points, with 97, to lead Bove (seventh, with 86) in the rookie standings.
Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., was able to hang on to fourth, followed by Jeff McMillin, of Erie, Pa.
Local driver Bobby Archer took the points lead with a sixth place finish, coming back from an early pit stop to replace a flat tire in the first lap melee. McMillin is one point behind (127 to 126), followed by Peter Cunningham (119), who also had to pit for a flat tire, Cooper, with 118 and Michael Galati, with 101.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS--Results from the Speedvision World Challenge GT Championship Round Six Race, part of the Grand Prix of Texas at Texas Motor Speedway with position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps complete and reason out (if any).
1. (7), Mike Fitzgerald(R), Phoenix, Ariz., Porsche GT3 Cup, 26.
2. (14), Scott Bove(R), Avon Lake, Ohio, Porsche GT3 Cup, 26.
3. (11), Justin Jackson(R), Alpharetta, Ga., Porsche 993 RSR, 26.
4. (6), John Heinricy, Holly, Mich., Corvette C5, 26.
5. (9), Jeff McMillin, Erie, Pa., BMW M3, 26.
6. (5), Bobby Archer, Ft. Worth, Texas, Dodge Viper GTS, 26.
7. (19), Daniel Eastman(R), Miami, Fla., Porsche 993 R, 26.
8. (22), Phil McClure, Floris, Iowa, Corvette, 26.
9. (26), Walter Swick, Concord, Ohio, BMW M3, 26.
10. (24), Scotty B. White, Puyallup, Wash., Corvette C5, 26.
11. (13), Michael Galati, North Olmstead, Ohio, Audi S4 Comp., 26.
12. (28), Jimmy Adams(R), Suffolk, Va., Dodge Viper GTS, 26.
13. (23), Rob Raub(R), Littleton, Colo., Corvette C5, 26.
14. (2), Peter Cunningham, W. Bend, Wis., BMW M3, 25.
15. (20), Danny Kellermeyer(R), Ortonville, Mich., Corvette C5, 25.
16. (16), Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Sherrils Ford, N.C., Lotus Esprit T,
25.
17. (34), Tommy Safar_II, Farmingdale, N.J., Saleen SR, 25.
18. (30), Jeff Demetri, Omaha, Neb., Saleen Mustang, 25.
19. (27), Kelly Bradley, Hitchcock, Texas, Corvette, 25.
20. (31), Steve Carvajal(R), Anthony, N.M., Saleen Mustang, 25.
21. (35), Walter Dethier, Warren, Conn., Saleen Cobra R, 25.
22. (32), John Warner(R), Southport, Conn., Corvette, 25.
23. (18), Derek Bell, Pagham Sussex, England, Audi S4 Comp., 24.
24. (15), David Donohue(R), West Chester, Pa., Dodge Viper GTS, 23,
Mech.
25. (38), Charlie Barns(R), Dallas, Texas, Corvette ZR-1, 23.
26. (29), Michael Pettiford, Louisville, Colo., Carmaro, 23.
27. (36), Tom Edwards(R), Paradise Valley, Ariz., Dodge Viper GTS, 22,
Mech.
28. (3), Terry Borcheller, Phoenix, Ariz., Saleen SR, 21, Crash.
29. (10), David Schardt, Dayton, Ohio, Porsche GT3 Cup, 18, O'Heat.
30. (8), Reese Cox, Marietta, Ga., Corvette C5, 17, Fuel.
31. (33), Michael Giglio, Watertown, Conn., Saleen SR, 16.
32. (25), Terry Lackey, Hitchcock, Texas, Corvette C5, 15, Mech.
33. (21), Phil Lasco(R), Fenton, Mich., Dodge Viper GTS, 13, Tire.
34. (17), Matt Drendel(R), Hickory, N.C., Ferrari 355, 12, Mech.
35. (39), Don Istook(R), Ft. Worth, Texas, Audi S4, 6, Mech.
36. (12), Paul Brown, Omaha, Neb., Saleen SR, 1, Susp.
37. (37), Dick Grieser(R), Toledo, Ohio, BMW M3, 0, Mech.
38. (4), Bill Cooper, Bozeman, Mont., Corvette C5, 0, Crash.
39. (1), Boris Said, Carlisbad, Calif., Ford Mustang, 0, Crash.
Time of race: 45 minutes, 49.643 seconds.
Average speed: 79.110 miles-per-hour
Margin of victory: 13.605 seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-7, Terry Borcheller; laps 8-10, John Heinricy; laps
11-17, Mike Fitzgerald; laps 18-20, Terry Borcheller; laps 21-26, Mike
Fitzgerald
Fastest race lap: Mike Fitzgerald, 1:31.423 (91.513 mph)
Text Provided By Eric Prill
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