Inaugural AC Delco Canadian Nationals
Cayuga, ON. (August 9-11, 2002)
Notes|
Results | Photos
NATIONALS NOTEBOOK:
Newly renovated Toronto Motorsports Park hosts IHRA’s newest national event presentation -- the Inaugural AC Delco Canadian Nationals. The event which had been highly anticipated by Canadian racing fans and which rode out months of pre-event scepticism proves to be both well worth the wait and a truly enormous success. The Saturday and Sunday schedule plays to an absolutely packed house to set the foundation for another new and major chapter in Canadian drag racing history.
Hometown favourite John Konigshofer picks an excellent time and place to win his first career title in Pro Stock. Konigshofer, from Otterville, ON, along with brothers Joe and Frank, stun the class when they coax a dominating performance from their new 2002 Mercury Cougar. In only the second time out with the car in competition, the Konigshofer Brothers team make drag racing history on many fronts. John runs 6.579 secs at 211.93 mph in qualifying which is the quickest and fastest times ever for a Canadian in the class, and are also the fastest marks ever recorded on Canadian soil. That ET is good for the pole at the event -- also a first for a Canadian in Pro Stock. Konigshofer caps off his enormous weekend with a final round hole shot win over recent U.S. 131 event winner John Montecalvo to become the first Canadian ever to win in IHRA‘s Mountain-motor Pro Stock class. Partisan capacity crowd celebrates as if the Maple Leafs had just won the Cup!
Local fan favourite Al Billes also shines at the Toronto race with a stellar runner-up finish in Pro Modified. Billes makes a major move towards his first career World Championship title when he takes out both his closest points rivals in head-to-head competition. Billes beats Ed Hoover in round two and Shannon Jenkins in the semi final round. Billes does however fall just short of victory lane when Texan Thomas Patterson slaps a holeshot on him in the final round. Patterson has a near psychic .410 RT and runs 6.375 secs 222.66 mph to beat Billes’s superior 6.324 secs at 225.07 mph. Patterson’s win driving the “Venom” Corvette is his first IHRA national event title.
Clay Millican wins for the 8th time this season and runs his career IHRA event win total up to seventeen in Top Fuel racing. Millican beats Bruce Litton in the final round for the sixth time this season. That keeps Peter Lehman’s Werner Enterprises team undefeated this season all but mathematically assures them of a second straight IHRA World Championship title. Millican’s win includes a pole qualifying 4.701 secs at 306.19 mph. Those numbers are both low ET and top speed of the meet and track records for TMP.
Nitro Harley racing sees Doug Vancil blast to a stunning 6.292 secs to open round one of class eliminations on Sunday. Vancil’s effort is the quickest time yet in the class but it is not backed up for an official IHRA national record. Vancil goes to the final round at TMP but loses out to Ohio’s Steve Stordeur who wins a great 6.302 to 6.388 secs match-up. Winner Stordeur clocks a 221.85 mph speed which is the fastest of the event. Vancil’s ET and Stordeur’s MPH are both Canadian records.
Pro Mod qualifying produces what is recorded to be the quickest side-by-side pairing in IHRA racing history. Shannon Jenkins and Thomas Patterson hook up and unload an exciting 6.234 secs to 6.238 secs duel. The PM bump spot is one of the quickest ever in IHRA racing at 6.352 secs.
Dale Brand wins his second IHRA event in a row driving the Iowa-based Co-Line Pontiac Firebird. Brand is able to topple points leader Jimmy Rector in the final round. Fan favourite lady racer Laurie Cannister has a strong event setting both low ET and top speed at 5.835 secs and 243.59 mph. Laurie goes to the semi final round before losing out to Brand.
Canada’s Robbie Atchison has another strong event in the Pride Fighting Championships Funny Car. Atchison just misses taking the pole with a 5.836 secs (career quick run) which is second only to Cannister. The London-based driver roars all the way to the semi-final round but ultimately his 5.930 secs cannot reel in opponent Jimmy Rector who runs 5.89 secs.
Ontario’s Gianni Cantusci continued his propensity in Super Stock racing. Cantusci won the all Canadian final round at TMP over Niagara’s Wally Clark driving his GT/IA Firebird. History shows that Cantusci has now won three of the five IHRA national events held in Canada so far. He won at Cayuga’s Summer Nationals in 1992, and also prevailed at the Inaugural Mopar Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend in 2000. Cantusci’s victory at TMP 2002 included an enormous win light over 14X IHRA World Champion Anthony Bertozzi.
Canadian Steve Doornbosch wins event’s ET Tournament. Doornbosch, from Forest ON (who was the track Pro ET champion at Grand Bend Motorplex in 2001) ran a 10.726 secs (10.72 dial in) driving his ‘68 Firebird in the final round to beat New York’s Brian Young.
Canadian Sportsman racers just miss winning titles in Super Rod (9.90) and in Stock eliminator. Ted Cordingley, driving his Pontiac J2000 lost the Super Rod final round to Chris Malloy despite a near perfect 9.904 secs run. Vic Beleny (from Welland) driving an F/SA ’67 Fairlane, lost to Chuck Weber’s Chevelle in the Stock final.
Paul Zgoda, from Cheektowaga, NY is injured during a freak accident in Saturday’s alcohol Funny Car qualifying. Zgoda has the transmission explode in his car causing serious injuries to his legs. Zgoda is transported from Canada to a Buffalo hospital by helicopter for treatment.
