Posted (06/25/2001) -
USFilter Planet Earth Motorsports Celebrates Their Second Win in a Row - (click on picture for a larger version)
For the third time in four races, the USFilter Planet Earth Motorsports team was victorious in their Acura Integra GS-Rs.
Test Day and Practice - As the Championship fight goes into the second half of the season, the USFilter Planet Earth Motorsports effort took two cars out on the pre-event test day at Mosport to continue to develop the Acura Integra GS-Rs. On both test day and in practice the team continued to learn more about the cars, as well as get the drivers even more comfortable at the high speed Mosport track.
Qualifying - Qualifying saw Wayne Nonnamaker qualifying the #41 Comptech Sport Acura Integra and Mike Fitzgerald qualifying the #42 Orison Marketing LLC Integra. The two went out bumper to bumper, and were able to draft to a 1-2 grid position with Fitzgerald taking the pole over Nonnamaker.
Race Day - The Grand Am Cup race called for three hours of endurance racing around the Mosport track. As is usually the case in the C2K class, the three hour endurance race quickly turned into a three hour sprint race. Mike Fitzgerald started the #42 Orison Acura Integra and had jumped out to a healthy five second lead over the #41 Comptech Sport Integra, which was stuck in a battle with a Pontiac Firebird and an Acura Integra Type R, both of which ran in separate classes than the USFilter Planet Earth Motorsports Integras.
Thirty minutes into the race, a yellow flag situation slowed the field and on the ensuing green flag, Fitzgerald got caught behind the previously mentioned Firebird and Integra Type R. Fitzgerald held the lead for the next hour and a half with Nonnamaker right behind him. Seventy minutes into the race, Nonnamaker's Integra began to cut out of the VTEC in long turns allowing Fitzgerald to pull out a 10-15 second lead. When the next yellow came out with just over an hour remaining in the race, that 10-15 second lead Fitzgerald had was enough for the overall leader to be between Fitzgerald and the rest of the pack, and the #42 Orison Marketing Acura Integra got a whole lap lead as a result.
With the #42 Integra on a lap of its own, it was decided that C2K points leader, Will Nonnamaker would get in behind Fitzgerald. Bill Pate took over the controls of the #41 Integra.
With a lap lead, the last hour of the race was now just a matter of survival for Will Nonnamaker. Nonnamaker was able to stay out of trouble, which is not an easy task at the Grand Am Cup races, and take the win, the team's third win in four races.
After the pit stop, Pate came out onto the track in fifth place. Pate displayed his mastery of traffic as he sliced and diced his way from fifth to second in just a matter of a few laps. Pate continued to hold second all the way until the last three laps of the race when the #41 Integra lost oil pressure again and the VTEC kicked off, leaving Pate powerless to hold off the third and fourth place cars. Pate managed a fourth place finish in the Integra.
"These races are supposed to be endurance races, but with the battle we are having with in the C2K class, every race is turning into a three hour sprint race," said Wayne Nonnamaker. "I am so happy we won the race. This really helps us in the season long Championship hunt. Had the #41 car not have had trouble we would have had a 1-2, but we were just unlucky with that car."
The win for Planet Earth Motorsports was the 100th professional street stock endurance racing podium for the Phoenix Promotions company responsible for the preparation of the Planet Earth Motorsports Acura Integra GS-Rs. Phoenix Promotions b
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