Peterson, Archer, pace rain-drenched practice at Virginia International Raceway
September 26, 2015
Lee Saunders and Ernie Francis, Jr., lead TA3 groups through downpour
ALTON, Va. [September 26, 2015] – With rainfall continuing to drench the Trans Am paddock at Virginia International Raceway, 43 members of the Trans Am field took to the thoroughly soaked 3.27-mile course in a final practice before tomorrow’s 101.37-mile Trans Am race, expected to take place under similar conditions.
Two-time defending Champion Doug Peterson, in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Cadillac CTS-V, once more led practice for the TA class and Trans Am field with a time of 2:11.983. Peterson’s new ride, unveiled at Mid-Ohio just two rounds earlier, seems to finally have hit its stride. If Peterson can continue to perform well in the rain, which is expected to persist into tomorrow’s race, VIR may present him with his first win of the year.
With the Trans Am field gridding by points for tomorrow, Peterson will start third and will have get by both Amy Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, and Paul Fix, in the No. 4 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, a substantial feat in and of itself.
Peterson was followed in the session by John Baucom, in the No. 86 RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, who was close behind with a time of 2:12.651. Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/McMahon Group Ford Mustang, was third quickest for the TA class with a time of 2:14.311; while Ruman and David Pintaric, in the No. 57 Kryderacing Chevrolet Corvette, were fourth and fifth with times of 2:14.871 and 2:15.551, respectively.
In TA2, Tommy Archer and the No. 54 c3controls Chevrolet Camaro set the pace with a time of 2:12.374. Unfortunately for Archer, who rejoined the series at Brainerd, the No. 54 will start 14th on tomorrow’s grid. While the challenge is substantial, Archer will ply his decades of experience behind the wheel as he attempts to move up through the field in pursuit of a podium placement of his own.
Archer was followed in the TA2 class by two-time defending Champion Cameron Lawrence, in the No. 1 MOPAR Dodge Challenger, who set a lap time of 2:13.515. Lawrence will start tomorrow’s race on pole as he continues his Championship defense, but he will be joined in the first row by the driver who was also directly behind him in the practice session— Gar Robison. Robinson, in the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, set a time of 2:14.100 in the session and will do his best to finish above Lawrence come tomorrow with the goal of closing the gap between the two front runners in the TA2 Championship.
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Tony Ave, in the No. 70 Lamers Motor Racing Ford Mustang, and Shane Lewis, in the No. 72 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, were fourth and fifth in TA2 during practice, with times of 2:14.351 and 2:14.812.
Current TA3 International points leader Lee Saunders, in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper, led his group during the session with a time of 2:18.082. He will resume that place again come tomorrow’s race, as he starts on pole for the International Group in his ongoing pursuit of what would be his first Trans Am Championship. Milton Grant, in the No. 55 Courtyard Hotel/ Sentry Storage Porsche 997 GT3, was second fastest in the International Group with a time of 2:25.902.
Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Chevrolet Camaro, led the American Muscle Group once more with a time of 2:21.989, a strong warm up for tomorrow’s race, where he will start at the front of the American Muscle field. Francis, the Group’s current defending champion, will need to manage both the elements and the race come tomorrow to ensure that his lead remains intact.
Virginia native, Robert Korzen, in the No. 88 Elite Classics Collector Cars Ford Mustang, was second in the session with a time of 2:22.744; while current points runner-up Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Chevrolet Camaro, was third with a time of 2:23.336. Fernando Seferlis, in the No. 28 Compulab Panama Chevrolet Camaro, and Tim Rubright, in the No. 77 BlueKnobAuto.com Ford Mustang, were fourth and fifth in the American Muscle Group with times of 2:23.437 and 2:24.902.
Tomorrow, Sunday September 27, Trans Am will hold a 15-minute warm up session at 8:15 a.m. in final preparation for the 31-lap, 101.37-mile Trans Am race for Round 9 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship at 12:55 pm.
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