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Toad Hall Motor Racing, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has entered two Porsche RSRs  in the Pikes Peak, SPEEDVISION World Challenge GT sportscar race, at Colorado Springs, CO on October 3, 1999.  A total of 38 cars are entered for the race.

Peter Kitchak, of Excelsior, MN, who has won three races in the series at Mid Ohio, Trois Rivieres, Quebec, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of the favorites for the race.  Kitchak, who was only 15th in the series standings after the first two races, has steadily improved his position.

Kitchak now stands second in the driver's championship only 9 points behind Bobby Archer with two races remaining in the series.

The Pikes Peak International World Challenge GT Race is the 9th stop in a ten race series for the World Challenge GT Championship.  Pikes Peak International Raceway, where the race will be held, is a purpose built racing facility near Colorado Springs, and is not the same site as the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Jim Oppenheimer of Chicago, will drive the Impac/Toad Hall Porsche and Peter Kitchak will drive the Keewaydin/Toad Hall Porsche.

Porsche also holds a slight lead in the manufacturer's championship based on the successes of Kitchak, Oppenheimer and George Biskup of Napervill, Ill who also drives a Porsche RSR.

Kitchak, who had closed to within one point of Archer in the championship series, was credited with a 7th place finish after a confusing Vancouver BC race in which he won the pole, was crashed from behind on the start, recovered to finish 2d at the end of the race and was then penalized a lap for exiting a closed pit following repairs required by the crash. The one lap penalty was later rescinded following a review of the video tape, and Kitchak was credited with a 7th place finish.
The Speedvision World Challenge GT series is North America’s leading professional series for exotic production sports cars with a broad spectrum of manufacturers competing.  The series pits top European sports cars such as Porsche and BMW against the “big iron” from North America, the 8 liter Dodge Vipers, the Corvettes and the Mustang Cobras. Also included are the best sports cars from Japan with the turbocharged Toyota Supra and the Acura NSX competing. Eight different manufacturers are now represented in the top 12 positions in the driver’s points race.

Kitchak and Oppenheimer will both driver 3.8 liter (228 cubic inch) Porsche RSRs.  Modified to tight racing specifications determined by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), these normally aspirated cars produce 370 horsepower and will reach 130-140 miles per hour on the twisty road course at Pikes Peak International Raceway.

 “It is imperative that we win the last two races in convincing style to have a good chance at the championship, Kitchak said, "we will be trying to win the pole (1 extra championship point) and lead all of the laps (2 championship points) in each race. We expect to do very well in these two very important races."

The Toad Hall Motor Racing Porsches are prepared by Moorespeed Race Engineering in Austin, Texas.

David Moore, president of Moorespeed will be the team’s crew chief, manager and chief  engineer. Moorespeed is a specialty race car engineering and preparation shop specializing in Porsche and other race cars.

Jim Oppenheimer expects to improve his top ten finish at Vancouver for this race.  After testing and practicing in shifter go-carts since the last race, Oppenheimer says he is confident of a higher finish. The Toad Hall team will miss the presence of key mechanic Lee Kemper this weekend who is at home getting married to Ann Marie Bergeson ( a former personal assistant to Kitchak).  “ We will miss the two of them this weekend”, said team driver Peter Kitchak, “but they have much better things to do.” Both will join the team for the Speedvision World Challenge finale at Laguna Seca.

Kitchak won the 1998 24 hours of Daytona GT-2 class in a 600 hp Twin Turbo Porsche.  He recently finished 18th overall, 6th in class and was a driver in the top GT-2 Porsche at the 1999 24 Hours of LeMans.  Driving in the American LeMans Series for the Germany based team of Konrad Motorsports, he was also 3d in his class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 3d at the Grand Prix of Atlanta in 1999.

Kitchak was the Canadian American Ice Racing Champion in 1970 (driving a Porsche on the frozen lakes of the US and Canada) and the International Ice Racing Champion in 1973.  He did not drive any race cars between 1974 and 1992 when he started his road racing career.  At 58 years old, Kitchak is one of the oldest drivers in the field.  "Age is not a factor, " he says, "I stay in good shape and am driving better than I ever have."
 

Oppenheimer is a resident of Chicago, Illinois.  He is 56 years old, married to Leslie with sons Michael and Jim.  An executive in the packaging conglomerate, The Impac Group, Oppenheimer is a successful race car driver and Porsche collector.

Kitchak is a resident of Excelsior, Minnesota.  He is 58 years old, married to Patricia.  He is considered on the top "deal makers" in American corporate real estate and is the President of The Keewaydin Group, a real estate consulting firm headquartered in Minneapolis.

For more information contact Allison Riestenberg, The Keewaydin Group, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, 612-341-4422.  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
                                      Series Information                                                www.sccapro.com/wc/index.html
                                     The Keewaydin Group:                                         www.keewaydin.com
                                     The Impac Group:                                                 www.impacgroup.com