Grand Prix of Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Grand Prix of Minnesota was an auto racing event held from 1996 until 1998 on an Alan Wilson-designed temporary street course in Minneapolis, Minnesota near the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It was known as the Children's Grand Prix of Minneapolis in 1996, changing its name to The Sprint PCS Grand Prix of Minneapolis for its final two years.
The Grand Prix of Minneapolis was started as the first professional auto race in the United States that would contribute all of its profit to charity. The goal of the Grand Prix was to make a $1 million annual contribution to the Cancer KIDS Fund, part of the Children's Healthcare Foundation of the Twin Cities.
The Grand Prix was founded by Mark Cohn, President and CEO of Damark International, and his wife Claudia after their youngest son Tyler (1988 – 1997) was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. They knew first hand what families dealing with childhood cancer face, and found that the Cancer KIDS Fund helped these families with some of the expenses that were not covered by insurance or other agencies like educational material, wigs, wheelchairs, and pagers to keep in touch with the hospital. Rather than giving a one-time donation, the Cohn's decided to create an event that would provide long-term support for the Cancer KIDS Fund.
The grand prix debuted on July 6 and 7, 1996 with Boston Market as the sponsor. They returned for their second year on July 4 through 6, 1997 with Sprint PCS as its sponsor, and they held a final grand prix on June 27 and 28, 1998 with Sprint PCS continuing to be their sponsor.
All three years had the SCCA Trans-Am Championship as the featured race. The supporting races in 1996 included the World Challenge Grand Sports Division, Sports 2 and Touring Division, Touring 1 and 2, Spec Racer Ford Pro Series, and a Vintage Car race. The supporting races in 1997 were the Barber Dodge Pro Series, World Challenge Touring Division 1 and 2, Spec Racer Ford Pro Series, and a Vintage Car race. For their last year, the supporting races in 1998 were the Can-Am Series, GT Series, U.S. F2000 Series, World Challenge Touring Division 1 and 2, and the Dodge Neon Charity Challenge.
[edit] Race Winners
Trans-Am
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | July 7 |  Tom Kendall |
Ford Mustang Cobra |
| 1997 | July 6 | Tom Kendall |
Ford Mustang Cobra |
| 1998 | June 28 | Paul Gentilozzi |
Chevrolet Corvette |
Can-Am
| Season | Date | Winning Drivers | Chassis/Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | June 28 |  James Weaver - Butch Leitzinger |
Riley & Scott Mk. III/Ford |
SCCA World Challenge S2 Class
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | July 7 | Shane Lewis |
Intruder |
SCCA World Challenge T1 Class
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | July 7 | Greg Theiss |
Eagle Talon |
| 1998 | June 28 | Chris Wiehle |
Chevrolet Corvette |
SCCA World Challenge T2 Class
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | July 7 | Chuck Hemmingson |
Olds Achieva |
| 1998 | June 28 | Lance Stewart |
Acura Integra R |
SCCA Spec Racer Ford
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | July 7 | James Goughary |
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- Deborah Hopp, Publisher, Children's Grand Prix of Minnesota 1996 Official Souvenir Program, MSP Communications Custom Publishing
- Deborah Hopp, Publisher, Sprint PCS® Grand Prix of Minnesota 1997 Official Souvenir Program, MSP Communications Custom Publishing
- Deborah Hopp, Publisher, Sprint PCS® Grand Prix of Minnesota 1998 Official Souvenir Program, MSP Communications Custom Publishing
- http://wilsonmotorsport.com/public_html/code/maps.htm#street
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=5884&FS=TRANSAM
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=5885&FS=TRANSAM
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=10231&FS=TRANSAM
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=10233&FS=TRANSAM
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=17002&FS=TRANSAM
- http://motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=17146&FS=TRANSAM
