Three classes, three track records for Trans Am at CTMP qualifying

Defending champion Simon Gregg leads the way with time of 1:15.614

When the dust settled after a rampant qualifying session, defending Champion Simon Gregg finished at the top of the field and will start in pole position for the Trans Am race tomorrow afternoon.  Gregg and the #1 Gregg Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette put in the fast lap, and track record, time of 1:15.614 minutes and topped out at 117.073 miles per hour.  The previous track record was 1:15.952.  Following Gregg was Tony Ave in the #4 Lamers/PME Engines/RPX Chevrolet Corvette with a time of 1:16.056 and Ave’s teammate Doug Peterson in the 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet Corvette.  Needless to say, Gregg was thrilled with the result.

“It was an exciting session, I really gave it all I had,” said Gregg.  “The car was running great, and I’ve really come to love this track after racing here since ’96 almost every year.  This track can be very fast, adrenalin pumping and can actually be frightening at times and doesn’t have a lot of runoff area—and that makes it very unique and one of my personal favorites.” 

When asked, Gregg revealed that being the defending Champion does contribute some added pressure to his racing routine, but does not serve as his greatest motivation. 

“I do feel some pressure as defending champ; it can be tough to maintain my edge and keep on racing at a high level— nothing is easy.  But this is what racers do” commented Gregg. “I’m always motivated to do my best, to drive the car to its maximum potential, to make the team proud, to make my family proud and follow in my father’s (Peter Gregg’s) footsteps.” 

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Ave leads practice with time of 1:17.258, edges out defending champ Simon Gregg

Robert Huffmaster paves the way for ultra-competitive TA2 class with Stretch close behind

Tony Ave showed the Trans Am field exactly why he’s won the Trans Am Series twice in the past by beating out current Champion Simon Gregg by the slimmest of margins in the last few minutes of today’s practice at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.   Ave and the #4 Lamers/PME Engines/RPX/Chevrolet Corvette clocked in a lap of 1.17.258 on the 2.459-mile track, edging out Gregg and the #1 Gregg Motorsports/Chevrolet Corvette’s time of 1:17.261. 

Following Gregg and Ave were Canada’s own Blaise Csida and Allan Lewis in Gateway Racing Chevrolet Corvettes.  The teammates put in times of 1:18.688 and 1:18.942, respectively, showing that they will not be quick to relinquish their home track and bragging rights north of the border.    

After the session, Ave was unaware of just how close his time was to Gregg’s.

“I really had no idea what Simon had run.”  Said Ave.  “This car has been sitting and we still have some work to do on it.  We were off a fair bit and we changed a lot last night, and I feel like we’re still a second or so off from where I’d like to be.  To be honest, I wasn’t even looking at the times." 

While Canadian Tire Motorsport Park has made a plethora of changes on site and has laid down some additional pavement, Ave does not feel that the changes have made any major impact on to the way he drives the course.

“The changes here haven’t really seemed to effect me.” Said Ave. “I lost a few landmarks, but where they’ve added a lot of pavement is where we really don’t run.  I think it may make things easier for people who don’t have their line buttoned down yet, but it hasn’t really changed the fast line.” 

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Miller Racing announces #10 Camaro, opening door for return of Miller

Miller Racing’s newest addition to Trans Am paddock makes way for the return of Trans Am veteran, team owner Mike Miller. 

Mike Miller has assembled what he considers to be a top-flight team in Trans Am’s TA2 class and now, with the addition of the #10 Ctek/Motorstate/Northstar Battery Chevrolet Camaro, that team just improved even more.

While Miller has remained an active member of the team, overseeing nearly every facet of the team’s operations, the addition of 20-year-old Cameron Lawrence midway through the 2012 season meant that Mike had to step back from the driver’s seat, instead opting to watch and manage the team.

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