World Challenge: Borcheller takes San Diego Speevision GT, McMillan wins Championship
6 November 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
SAN DIEGO, Calif. Terry Borcheller, of Phoenix, Ariz., passed David Schardt with two laps remaining to take the Speedvision World Challenge GT Round 10 race win at the San Diego Grand Prix. Jeff McMillin, of Erie, Pa., finished seventh, to claim the series' Drivers Championship.
Driving the No. 52 AASCO Performance Saleen SR, Borcheller followed polesitter Mike Fitzgerald for the first three laps, before Fitzgerald's car began smoking and fell off the pace. Borcheller held off Schardt for the next two laps, before Schardt put the No. 94 Wheel Source/Hikari Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in the lead on lap six. Schardt led until a lap-28 restart, when Borcheller got the jump going into turn one.
While the two battled for the lead, Bobby Archer, running in eighth, spun into the wall, collecting Fitzgerald in the process. Archer's exit from the race allowed McMillin to clinch the title.
Borcheller held off a charge from Schardt in turn three as the course went yellow for the remainder of the event. The 49.5-mile race finished under caution, and Borcheller averaged 65.736 mph.
"I was expecting a later green on the restart, but it came out early, and that worked in our favor," said Borcheller, who also won at Lime Rock Park this year. "I got inside of Dave, but thought he might get back around the outside. I had some close calls and even smacked the wall on the front straight at one point. It's good to be back up here."
Schardt, of Dayton, Ohio, tied his career-best finish of second, but hoped the race would have gone caution-free.
"The car was just great all day," said Schardt. "I used the brakes hard the entire race, and was actually hoping to not go yellow because I think I had a little more left and a good lead over Terry. Going to yellow allowed them to get their tires and brakes back. I was definitely caught out by the early green on the restart, and Terry timed it perfectly. Still, it feels good to be back on the podium."
Schardt's second-place gave Porsche the Manufacturers' Championship over Chevrolet, 52 to 50.
John Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., finished third, equaling his season-best in the No. 39 Aristeo Construction Chevrolet Corvette C5 after starting seventh.
"I got a really good start, and I might have gotten by Dave [Schardt], but he squeezed me out to the wall on the entrance of turn one," said Heinricy. "After that, I just ran a conservative race and saved the brakes for a late charge, but that never really happened."
Eric Curran, of South Deerfield, Mass., finished fourth, earning the Borla Performance Award for moving from 12th on the grid. Michael Galati, of N. Olmstead, Ohio, was fifth, moving into second in the Championship.
McMillin, driving the No. 25 JJ's Snacks/John Hancock BMW M3 earned his first Speedvision World Challenge GT Drivers' Championship with a conservative drive and his 10th top-10 finish in the 10 races. He was the only driver to finish every race the entire season.
"I drove the race today watching the mirror for Bobby [Archer]," said McMillin, who will take home an additional $50,000 for winning the Championship. "I kept getting intervals back to him and always wanted to keep it at about four seconds. This Championship was won with hard work from the whole team. That's how you finish every race."
McMillin finished with 209 points, followed by Galati, who jumped from fourth, with 189, Archer, with 173, Cooper, with 169, and Rookie of the Year Justin Jackson, with 163. Archer was penalized 10 points after the event for making unnecessary contact with another car, but it did not affect his final finishing position in the Championship.
Text provided by Eric Prill
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