Peterson, Lewis, lead the way in practice as qualifying washed out
September 25, 2015
ALTON, Va. [September 25, 2015] – Faced with water logged conditions and continued rainfall at Virginia International Raceway, Trans Am officials ruled to cancel qualifying for Round 9 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship, replacing the three Fast Five sessions with class specific practices.
Two-time defending Champion Doug Peterson, in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Cadillac CTS-V, showcased his recently unveiled new ride by setting a TA class leading 2:07.809 lap time on the drenched 3.27 mile track surface, where he has traditionally performed well throughout his Trans Am career.
Peterson was joined in the top three by Kerry Hitt, in the No. 19 Advanced Composite Products Cadillac CTS-V, who turned a 2:11.769 lap to give Cadillac the top two spots in the practice session. Jim McAleese, in the No. 03 Chevrolet Corvette, was third in the session with a time of 2:12.158 as he rides into VIR with the momentum, and confidence, of a win from the last round at Road America under his belt.
Paul Fix, in the No. 4 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, was fourth in the session; while David Pintaric, in the No. 57 Kryderacing Chevrolet Corvette, was fifth with times of 2:12.440 and 2:12.974, respectively.
In the TA2 class, Shane Lewis showcased his own experience from behind the wheel of the No. 72 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, setting the fast lap for TA2 with a 2:11.847, more than a second faster than two-time defending Champion Cameron Lawrence, in the No. 1 MOPAR Dodge Challenger, who followed Lewis with a time of 2:12.898.
Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 Engineered Components Chevrolet Camaro, was third in the session with a time of 2:12.993; while Dillon Machavern, in the No. 24 UniFirst PPG Ford Mustang, and Tommy Archer, in the No. 54 c3controls Chevrolet Camaro, were fourth and fifth with times of 2:12.108 and 2:14.022.
TA3 American Muscle was once more led by current points leader Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Chevrolet Camaro, who set a 2:16.217 to lead the group. Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Chevrolet Camaro, was second in the group with a time of 2:21.499; while Tim Rubright rounded out the American Muscle top three with a time of 2:26.964.
Milton Grant, in the No. 55 Courtyard Hotel/Sentry Storage Porsche 997 GT3, led the International Group with a time of 2:16.672, just barely edging out Michael Camus, in the No. 08 Epic Motorsports/MCM Holdings BMW M3, who turned a 2:16.768, albeit in several fewer laps. Lee Saunders, current International Group points leader and driver of the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper, was third quickest with a time of 2:19.592.
Sunday’s race will grid by the current points standings, creating a multitude of first and second row showdowns throughout all the classes—adding an extra layer of intrigue to the already tight Championship races in TA and TA2, while opening the door for Ernie Francis, Jr., and Lee Saunders to increase their already substantial leads in the TA3 Championships.
Trans Am will hold an additional practice session tomorrow, Saturday September 26th, at 11:20 a.m. eastern as drivers finalize their rides in preparation for the 31-lap, 101.37-mile Trans Am race for Round 9 of the 2015 Trans AM Championship at 12:55 pm on Sunday, September 27th.
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