Daytona Finale: 2003 Champions honored

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (November 3, 2003) -- Grand American Road Racing Association honored its 2003 driver, team owner and manufacturer champions for the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Series during award ceremonies held at Daytona International Speedway over the weekend.

Sunday's Rolex Series Awards Banquet was highlighted by Rolex Watch USA President Walter Fischer presenting the six driver champions with specially engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Daytona Cosmograph watches in stainless steel and 18K gold.

Terry Borcheller, of Phoenix, Ariz., was honored as the first-ever Daytona Prototype champion, while Tommy Riggins, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Dave Machavern, Charlotte, Vt., were named co-champions of the GTS class. Cort Wagner, of Los Angles, Calif., was recognized for his second-straight GT driver championship, sharing the honor with his co-driver Brent Martini, of Laguna Beach, Calif. Steve Marshall, of Christiansburg, Va., was recognized as the SportsRacing Prototype II driver champion.

David Donohue, of West Chester, Pa., and Mike Borkowski, of Scottsdale, Ariz., received second-place honors in the Daytona Prototypes class. Hurley Haywood, of Ponte Vedra Fla., and JC France, of Daytona Beach, took third place in the class.

Two drivers residing in South Florida received second- and third-place honors in the GTS class. Joao Barbosa, of Portugal and currently living in Riviera Beach, Fla., finish second in the point standings, while Jon 'Chevy' Leavy, of Sunrise, Fla., was third.

Hugh Plumb, of Chadds Ford, Pa., and Brian Cunningham, of Danville, Ky., were recognized for their second-place finish in the GT point standings, and Johannes Van Overbeek, of San Francisco, Calif., finished third in the class.

Danny Marshall, of Danville, Va., and Shawn Bayliff, of Alton, Va., were honored for their second- and third-place finishes in the SportsRacing Prototype II class.

Forest Barber accepted the Daytona Prototypes team owner championship on behalf of Bell Motorsports and the No. 54 Chevrolet-powered Doran JE4. Bob Snodgrass received the second- and third-place team owner awards in the Daytona Prototypes class for Brumos Racing's No. 58 and No. 59 Porsche-engined FABCARs.

In addition to being honored as one of the top GTS drivers, Machavern also accepted the GTS team owner championship for his Heritage Motorsports No. 48 Mustang. ChevyLeavy.com Racing and ICY/SL Racing took second and third place among the GTS team owners.

Allie Ash accepted the GT team owner championship for Scuderia Ferrari of Washington and its No. 33 Ferrari 360GT. Marcus Motorsports and Rennwerks Motorsports received second- and third-place honors for GT team owners.

Price Cobb received the SRPII team owner championship on behalf of G&W Motorsports and the No. 80 BMW-powered Picchio.

David Klym accepted the first Daytona Prototype chassis manufacturer championship for FABCAR, and Henry Hsu received the engine award for Porsche. Ford and Ferrari were recognized as the GTS and GT manufacturer champions, respectively. Armando Trentini received the SRPII chassis award for Picchio, and BMW was honored as the top SRPII engine.

The Grand-Am Cup Series champions were recognized in a ceremony held on Saturday evening.

Jean-Francois Dumoulin, of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Robert Julien, of Toronto, Ontario, shared the Grand Sport I driver championship. Michael Levitas, of Jessup, Md., received second-place honors in the class, while co-drivers Devon Powell, of Port Perry, Ontario, and Doug Goad, of Farmington Hills, Mich., tied for third place in GS I.

The father-son pairing of Joe and Wayne Nonnamaker, of Massillon, Ohio, was awarded with the Grand Sport II driver championship. Borcheller and Barber were honored for second place in GS II, while Michael Baughman, of Clear Spring, Md., was third.

John Schmitt, of Sunbury, Ohio, won the Sport Touring I driver championship. Pete Halsmer, of Bloomfield, Mich., was second in the class, and Scott Schlesinger, of Golden Beach, Fla., took third-place honors.

Bob Beede, of Washington, D.C., received the Sport Touring II driver championship. Howie Liebengood, of Vienna, Va., was second place in the ST II class, while Ed Magner, of Grand Blanc, Mich., was third.

Doncaster Racing was honored as the GS I team owner champion for its No. 119 Porsche, and Planet Earth Motorsports received the GS II team owner championship for its No. 41 Porsche. TC Kline Racing took top honors in the ST I class with its No. 12 BMW Z4, and Bill Fenton Motorsports was named team owner champion in the ST II class for the No. 27 Acura Integra LS.

Porsche received top manufacturer honors in both the GS I and GS II classes, while Acura won both the ST I and ST II manufacturer championships.

The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Series will kick off the 2004 season during the Rolex 24 At Daytona weekend, January 29-February 1. Tickets are currently on sale for the event weekend and can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 386-253-RACE.