For immediate release

Charlotte, NC
March 28, 2000
(Press release complements of Toad Hall Racing)

Toad Hall Motor Racing, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, will enter 2 cars in the Speedvision World Challenge GT Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Charlotte NC, March 30, 2000.

Peter Kitchak, Runner-up in 1999’s driver’s championship in the Speedvision World Challenge GT series, will drive the #3 Keewaydin/Toad Hall Porsche GT3 in the opening Speedvision World Challenge GT event for the 2000 season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jim Oppenheimer will drive the #2 Impac/Toad Hall Porsche RSR.

Kitchak was the winner of the GT-2 Class at the 1998 24 Hours of Daytona and winner of 4 Speedvision World Challenge GT races in 1999. With 5 wins in 13 races, he has the highest winning percentage (38.5%) of any driver in World Challenge history.

Kitchak was the Canadian American Ice Racing Champion (driving a Porsche on the frozen lakes of the US and Canada) in 1970 and the International Ice Racing Champion in 1973.  He did not drive any race cars between 1974 and 1994 when he started his road racing career.

The Keewaydin Toad Hall Porsche is a new normally aspirated 3.6 Liter  water-cooled Porsche GT3 with 6 cylinders that makes approximately 370 horsepower.  The car is prepared by Moorespeed race engineering of Austin, Texas.  The car was raced last year in the German Carrera Cup and was driven by Bernd Mylander.

After 4 days and more than 600 miles of testing the team is excited about the upcoming season. “We have made significant changes to the car, but our testing showed we still have a substantial way to go to be competitive,” said Kitchak. “We tested against our last year’s car and we were not as fast with the new car. We will have to find a way to make the car faster soon or we will have a difficult time being on the pace. Last year we were competitive after the first race and had a great car all season.  I will be much more difficult against much better prepared competition this year.”

Crew Chief David Moore explained. “We have a smaller motor, less horsepower, less torque, smaller tires and a smaller wing this year so it is understandable that we are not as fast. The car has a significant over-steer problem that we cannot solve without a better wing. We hope the organizers will appreciate our lack of competitiveness and make appropriate adjustments to the rules,” said Moore.

“This will be a very exciting season,” said driver Jim Oppenheimer, “with a factory Audi team, a new Lotus team and a number of Ferraris this will be the best World Challenge GT season yet. We expect significant competition from all quarters. This will be an extraordinary series and we are pleased for us and our sponsors to be a part of it.”

David Moore of Moorespeed of Austin, Texas will be the team’s manager, crew chief and chief engineer for the 2000 season. Moorespeed is a specialty race car engineering and preparation shop specializing in Porsche and other race cars. Other crew members are Keith Surmont, of West Palm Beach Florida and Lee Kemper, John Ormberget, John Dwyer and Eli Brothers, all of Austin, Texas.

In 1999, Kitchak was runner-up in the Speedvision GT championship by only one point. He went into the last race leading the series. After winning the pole position for the race, he was bumped off the course from behind in the first turn of the first lap. Although he started from the rear of the field, he finished that race in 4th place and narrowly missed winning his first World Challenge championship.

The Keewaydin Group, primary sponsor of Kitchak’s car, is a national real estate advisory company headquartered in Minneapolis. Oppenheimer’s car  has the Impac Group, and international packaging conglomerate as its primary sponsor.

Kitchak is a resident of Excelsior, Minnesota. He is 50 years old, married and the President of The Keewaydin Group, a real estate consulting firm specializing in large commercial real estate projects, headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

Toad Hall Motor Racing is owned by Kitchak and partner and teammate Jim Oppenheimer of Chicago.

For more information contact Peter Kitchak, at The Keewaydin Group, Inc. Minneapolis, MN,  612-341-4422 or by e-mail at pkitchak@keewaydin.com.  During the Race Weekend contact Peter Kitchak 612-889-0910 (cell phone) or David Moore at 512-751-2996 (cell phone).

More information:
Toad Hall Motor Racing: www.toadhallracing.com
SCCA World Challenge and immediate results: www.sccapro.com
The Keewaydin group: www.keewaydin.com

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