2023 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - Vintage Sports 2000 North American

When the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) removed Sports 2000's National status, owners of these cars were required to comply with the new Prototype rules and make modifications or retire their vehicles. However, the Vintage Sports 2000 North American (VS2NA) group was formed and has given owners of Sports 2000 cars another alternative which is to compete in the VS2NA series.

The series consists of nine race weekends, with events in America and Canada.

March 31 – April 2 - Virginia International Raceway
April 28 – 30 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 15 – 18 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 13 – 16 - Road America
July 28 – 30 - New Jersey Motorsports Park
August 11 – 13 – Grattan Raceway
August 19 – 20 - Summit Point
September 1 – 4 - Lime Rock
September 15 – 17 - Watkins Glen International Raceway

In 1978, Sports 2000 cars made their first appearance in North America and were recognized as a National class by the Sports Car Club of America in 1980.

The cars are rear engine open-cockpit purpose-built prototypes. They are constructed by British and American manufacturers such as Lola, Swift, Tiga, Doran, etc. The chassis' are either an aluminum monocoque or tube frame design. All Sports 2000 racers are powered by a four-cylinder, two-liter single-overhead camshaft engine previously used in the Ford Pinto and Mustang. Fitted to the motor is a Hewland MK9 transaxle. Depending on the camshaft option, a vehicle must weigh no less than 1310 or 1335-pounds with the driver.

There are three classes in the VS2NA series – Sports 2000 (S2), Vintage Sports 2000 (VS2) and Historic Sports 2000 (HS2).

The third weekend of the 2023 Vintage Sports 2000 North American series was held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during the VARAC Vintage Grand Prix. Drivers would compete in four races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course.

There were four races for the Vintage Sports 2000 North American competitors at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The first contest was held late Friday afternoon. Lap one and leading the field of twenty-two starters into corner four is the pole-sitter, Ben Sinnott, in the No. 5 Lola T90/91. Behind Sinnott is the No. 14 Lola T90/91, driven by John Thompson and Brent Grenert in the No. 76 Lola T90/90.

Ben Sinnott swept the opening rounds of the series at Virginia International Raceway and almost delivered the same results at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The Sports 2000 competitor drove the No. 5 Lola T90/91 and won the first three races of the weekend; in the finale, he finished third. Despite his success, Sinnott is second in the standings because he skipped the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course event.

In the Vintage Sports 2000 category, local racer Jim Hallman matched Ben Sinnott's performance. Hallman, who drives the No. 98 Swift DB2, won three of the weekend's contests. He led his division in race three until the final lap, when he retired. Hallman finished fourth in class. He missed the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course rounds and left Canadian Tire Motorsport Park second in the points chase.

Brent Gernert was the driver who beat Ben Sinnott for the overall and Sports 2000 win. Gernert drives the No. 76 Lola T90/90. He opened his season at Virginia International Raceway with fourth-place points. However, Gernert was the only entry at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – a poor weather forecast caused his competitors to pass on the event. After three events, he leads the class by a margin of thirty-eight points.

The oldest car in the field was the No. 18 Historic Sports 2000 entry of Tomas R. La Costa. La Costa pilots a 1978 Lola T492. He was fourth in the standings based on his results at Virginia International Raceway. However, the leaders Davis Jones, Thomas Kane and Peter Krause weren't entered at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. La Costa grabbed a pair of victories and runner-up results at this event to take the points lead.

John Thompson left the season opener at Virginia International Raceway, second in the title hunt for the Sports 2000 class, but dropped down the order after missing the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course rounds. The No. 14 LolaT91/90 driver collected a pair of runner-up finishes and third-place at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Unfortunately, he was the first retirement in race two and is currently third in the standings.

Vintage Sports 2000 competitor Rhett Merriman started his 2023 Vintage Sports 2000 North American season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Merriman is the driver of the No. 44 Lola T598. In race one, he finished tenth overall and second in class. Issues in the second contest saw him retire after eight laps. In the next race, Merriman inherited the victory when Jim Hallman retired. In the finale, he finished second.

There were just three Historic Sports 2000 entries at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. One of them was Robert Brady, who drove the No. 19 Tiga SC81. When the series arrived at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, he was tied for fifth in the class standings. However, the absence of the category leaders allowed his to collect valuable points. Brady grabbed two wins and runner-up finishes, which moved him to second in the title chase.

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	S2	Ben Sinnott	1991 Lola T90/91	16	-
2	S2	Brent Gernert	1990 Lola T90/90	16	-
3	S2	John Thompson	1991 Lola T91/90	16	-
4	S2	Henry Payne V	1989 Lola T90	16	-
5	S2	Rob Sherwood	2003 Carbir CS2	16	-
6	S2	Mark Coombs	1990 Lola T90/90	16	-
7	S2	Samuel Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	16	-
8	VS2	Jim Hallman	1986 Swift DB2	16	-
9	S2	Edward Guenther	2017 Carbir CS2	16	-
10	VS2	Rhett Merriman	1985 Lola T598	16	-
11	S2	Rodney Kendall	1987 Lola T87/90	16	-
12	S2	Henry Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	15	-
13	S2	Joseph Moran	1999 Carbir CS2	15	-
14	VS2	Jack Freehoff	1987 Swift DB2	15	-
15	VS2	Greg Miller	1985 Swift DB2	15	-
16	S2	Robert Dusek III	1986 Swift DB2	14	-
17	HS2	Tomas R. La Costa	1978 Lola T492	14	-
18	HS2	Angelo Savoia	1980 Tiga SC80	13	-
19	S2	Robert Dusek II	1992 Doran JE1	11	-
20	VS2	Martin Hulick	1987 Swift DB2	9	-
21	S2	Lee Brahin	1989 Lola T89/90	1	Did Not Finish
22	HS2	Robert Brady	1981 Tiga SC81	0	Did Not Finish

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	S2	Ben Sinnott	1991 Lola T90/91	12	-
2	S2	Brent Gernert	1990 Lola T90/90	12	-
3	S2	Rob Sherwood	2003 Carbir CS2	12	-
10	S2	Henry Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	12	-
5	S2	Mark Coombs	1990 Lola T90/90	12	-
6	S2	Robert Dusek II	1992 Doran JE1	12	-
7	S2	Samuel Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	12	-
8	S2	Edward Guenther	2017 Carbir CS2	12	-
9	VS2	Jim Hallman	1986 Swift DB2	12	-
10	S2	Joseph Moran	1999 Carbir CS2	12	-
11	S2	Rodney Kendall	1987 Lola T87/90	12	-
12	VS2	Jack Freehoff	1987 Swift DB2	12	-
13	VS2	Greg Miller	1985 Swift DB2	12	-
14	S2	Henry Payne V	1989 Lola T90	11	-
15	HS2	Robert Brady	1981 Tiga SC81	11	-
16	S2	Lee Brahin	1989 Lola T89/90	11	-
17	S2	Robert Dusek III	1986 Swift DB2	11	-
18	HS2	Tomas R. La Costa	1978 Lola T492	11	-
19	VS2	Martin Hulick	1987 Swift DB2	11	-
20	HS2	Angelo Savoia	1980 Tiga SC80	10	-
21	VS2	Rhett Merriman	1985 Lola T598	8	-
22	S2	John Thompson	1991 Lola T91/90	7	-

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	S2	Ben Sinnott	1991 Lola T90/91	11	-
2	S2	John Thompson	1991 Lola T91/90	11	-
3	S2	Brent Gernert	1990 Lola T90/90	11	-
4	S2	Henry Payne V	1989 Lola T90	11	-
5	S2	Rob Sherwood	2003 Carbir CS2	11	-
6	S2	Henry Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	11	-
7	S2	Robert Dusek II	1992 Doran JE1	11	-
8	S2	Edward Guenther	2017 Carbir CS2	11	-
9	S2	Samuel Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	11	-
10	VS2	Rhett Merriman	1985 Lola T598	11	-
11	S2	Lee Brahin	1989 Lola T89/90	11	-
12	VS2	Jack Freehoff	1987 Swift DB2	11	-
13	VS2	Greg Miller	1985 Swift DB2	11	-
14	HS2	Robert Brady	1981 Tiga SC81	11	-
15	VS2	Jim Hallman	1986 Swift DB2	10	-
16	HS2	Tomas R. La Costa	1978 Lola T492	10	-
17	VS2	Martin Hulick	1987 Swift DB2	8	-
18	S2	Mark Coombs	1990 Lola T90/90	7	-
19	S2	Robert Dusek III	1986 Swift DB2	2	-
20	S2	Joseph Moran	1999 Carbir CS2	1	-
21	S2	Rodney Kendall	1987 Lola T87/90	-	Did Not Start
22	HS2	Angelo Savoia	1980 Tiga SC80	-	Did Not Start

FINISH	CLASS	DRIVER	CAR	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	S2	Brent Gernert	1990 Lola T90/90	14	-
2	S2	John Thompson	1991 Lola T91/90	14	-
3	S2	Ben Sinnott	1991 Lola T90/91	14	-
4	S2	Rob Sherwood	2003 Carbir CS2	14	-
5	S2	Henry Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	14	-
6	S2	Mark Coombs	1990 Lola T90/90	14	-
7	VS2	Jim Hallman	1986 Swift DB2	14	-
8	S2	Edward Guenther	2017 Carbir CS2	14	-
9	S2	Lee Brahin	1989 Lola T89/90	14	-
10	S2	Joseph Moran	1999 Carbir CS2	14	-
11	VS2	Rhett Merriman	1985 Lola T598	14	-
12	VS2	Jack Freehoff	1987 Swift DB2	14	-
13	HS2	Tomas R. La Costa	1978 Lola T492	13	-
14	S2	Henry Payne V	1989 Lola T90	10	-
15	S2	Robert Dusek II	1992 Doran JE1	10	-
16	VS2	Martin Hulick	1987 Swift DB2	9	-
17	HS2	Robert Brady	1981 Tiga SC81	7	-
18	S2	Samuel Payne	1989 Lola T89/90	4	-
19	VS2	Greg Miller	1985 Swift DB2	-	Did Not Start
20	S2	Robert Dusek III	1986 Swift DB2	-	Did Not Start
21	HS2	Angelo Savoia	1980 Tiga SC80	-	Did Not Start
22	S2	Rodney Kendall	1987 Lola T87/90	-	Did Not Start

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