Trans Am ready for Watkins Glen return, Classic Tube 100
May 11, 2016
Event to set series record for attendance at WGI in 28th appearance
MIAMI, Fla. [May 10, 2016] – The Trans Am Series is set to make its first appearance since 2013 at Watkins Glen International (WGI) this weekend, May 14-15, for the Classic Tube 100, Round 3 of the 2016 Trans Am Championship. The series will make its 28th appearance on the legendary New York State road course, this time with 67 cars set to take on the freshly paved 3.40-mile surface.
The 67-car entry will be featured across two 102-mile Trans Am races within the Classic Tube 100 weekend: 28 TA2, powered by AEM, class cars featuring in a standalone race, while 39 cars, consisting of entries from the TA, TA3, TA4 and TA5 classes, will hold a multiclass race of their own.
With only two rounds of the 12 round 2016 Trans Am Championship complete, class title races are far from taking anything that would approximate their final shape; however early season points could prove pivotal later on and, in a sport where momentum has an impact all its own, the Watkins Glen races stand as a vital portion of the series’ 50th anniversary season.
The TA class will host 17 entrants including current points leader and defending class Champion Amy Ruman, driver of the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, 2013 pole sitter David Pintaric, in the No. 57 Kryderacing Chevrolet Corvette, and 2015 championship runner-up Paul Fix, New York native and driver of the No. 50 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette.
Ruman enters the weekend atop the point standings and hot off a victory at Road Atlanta, looking to start a winning streak at Watkins Glen, however the absence of the legendary track on recent Trans Am schedules has made the track something of an unknown—adding an additional element of intrigue to the weekend.
In 2013, then-champion Doug Peterson finished victorious with Fix second and Simon Gregg third. However, Ruman did set the fast lap of the race while finishing ten laps down. When you add in current TA class staples such as Cliff Ebben, Kerry Hitt, Vincent Allegretta, Claudio Burtin and a host of others in the TA class, the result becomes even more unpredictable.
TA2 stands to be as tightly contested as ever, with the stage set for yet another round of the modern-day Pony Wars, with the TA2 renditions of the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro all set to compete together for the first time at WGI.
Tony Buffomante, driver of the No. 34 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang, enters the weekend atop the TA2 point standings and on a three race podium streak dating back to the 2015 season finale at Daytona— a streak recently bolstered by a victory at Road Atlanta last round. Buffomante will be faced with a slew of 27 other TA2 competitors, headlined by defending TA2 champion Gar Robinson, driver of the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, and Adam Andretti, driver of the No. 44 ECC/Anchor Bolt and Screw Dodge Challenger.
The trio currently stand as the top three in the TA2 class points, but are only just the tip of one of the most competitive fields in sports car racing with names like Tony Ave, Shane Lewis, JJ Haley, Dillon Machavern and Louis-Philippe Montour all striving to make their mark in the class and become the first TA2 victor at Watkins Glen since Cameron Lawrence in 2013.
Trans Am’s production racing contingent will also be in attendance, with a full force entry of 22 cars across the TA3, TA4 and TA5 classes.
In TA3, current points leader Randy Mueller, in the No. 0 Bizbloom.com BMW M3, will be faced with several challengers making their respective debuts in the 2016 Trans Am Championship. Key amongst them will be the Oregon-based duo of Cindi Lux and Steve Streimer, in the No. 42 and No. 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper ACRX, and Andrew Aquilante in the No. 32 Phoenix/Hawk/ Penske Chevrolet Corvette— all three of whom were race winners in 2015.
Mark Boden, in the No. 47 Fall Line Motorsport/ Calypso BMW M3, will also be making his TA3 debut, and when paired with class veterans including Michael Camus, in the No. 08 BizBloom.com BMW M3, 2015 champion Lee Saunders, in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper ACRX; and Jason Berkeley, in the No. 67 BMG Management Chevrolet Corvette, the TA3 field should mark one of the most competitive in the class’s history.
TA4 will also be the host of another rendition of the classic Trans Am battle between production-based Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros. Ernie Francis, Jr., driver of the No. 98 Beta Tools/Liquid Performance Ford Mustang, will continue his title defense in his pursuit of a third consecutive victory to kick off the 2016 championship.
Francis will be faced with opposition from the likes of 2015 runner-up Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Chevrolet Camaro; rookie Brian Kleeman, in the No. 07 DWW Motorsports Ford Mustang; and the talents of Chris Outzen, Rich Jones, Bill Baten, Tristan Herbert and Rob Bodle—each vying to be the one to knock Francis off the top spot on the podium.
TA5 will feature Road Atlanta victor Connor Flynn, in the No. 95 Irish Mike’s Automotive Porshe 997, as well as Tim Kezman, in the No. 4 Fall-Line Motorsports/ Calypso Porsche 997, and Milton Grant in the No. 5 Sentry Self/ Courtyard By Marriott Porsche 997, as the class’ debut season continues.
Trans Am’s Classic Tube 100 will feature alongside the NARRA GT Championship, Formula Atlantic Championship Series, F1600 Formula F Championship Series, F2000 Championship Series and the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup.
Fans can purchase tickets at the Watkins Glen gate for $30 and can keep up throughout the weekend with live timing and scoring at www.gotransam.com/live-timing, on Twitter at @gotransam and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam.
Event Schedule
Saturday, May 14, 2016
8:50 – 9:20 AM TA2 Practice
9:20 – 9:50 AM TA/TA3/TA4/TA5 Practice
1:45 – 2:05 PM TA2 “One Shot” Qualifying
2:05 – 2:25 PM TA “One Shot” Qualifying
2:25 – 2:45 PM TA3/TA4/TA5 “One Shot” Qualifying
Sunday, May 15, 2016
9:20 AM – 10:30 AM TA2, powered by AEM, Race (102 miles, 30 laps or 70 minutes)
3:40 PM – 4:50 PM The Classic Tube 100 Race (102 miles, 30 laps or 70 minutes)
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Classic Tube is a manufacturer of preformed tubing products for the automotive OE, aftermarket and restoration markets. In addition, they produce tubing for fleet, heavy equipment, marine, mining and aerospace industries. Classic Tube also manufactures a complete line of replacement brake, fuel, transmission and carburetor tubing applications for Cars and Trucks both Domestic and Foreign, from the 1930's to present. www.classictube.com
ABOUT THE TRANS AM SERIES
The Trans Am Series, America’s Road Racing Series, began igniting the passion of motorsports fans across the world in 1966 and has been home to some of the greatest names in road racing. Today, Trans Am continues to honor its legacy, while challenging the status quo in racing, through meaningful racing platforms and a driver-oriented focus. The Trans Am Series is operated by The Trans Am Race Company, LLC (TARC), through a five-year agreement in which TARC oversees the management and marketing of the Trans Am Series. SCCA Pro Racing sanctions Trans Am events and provides operations services to the Series.
Defending Champions include: Amy Ruman (TA), Gar Robinson (TA2), Ernie Francis, Jr., (TA3 American Muscle) and Lee Saunders (TA3 International). For more on the Trans Am Series visit www.gotransam.com, “like” Trans Am on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam, or follow Trans Am on Twitter at @gotransam.
