LSX TV Forums - Events http://www.lsxtv.com/forum en Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:20:04 GMT vBulletin 5 http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg LSX TV Forums - Events http://www.lsxtv.com/forum Ave Hits 500 at Brainerd http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ave-hits-500-brainerd-3089.html Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:18:41 GMT In the first Trans-Am Series race at Brainerd International Raceway in more than two decades, series points leader Tony Ave, of Maiden, N.C., added another victory to an impressive roster last weekend. Ave now has five wins in the ten-race SCCA Pro series, with two races remaining.



Ave started from the pole position in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette and had a reasonably close race with second-place Tomy Drissi through the early stages of the 36-lap race around the 2.5-mile circuit. Drissi had been very quick in earlier practice, but Ave managed to pull away around the halfway point in the race. At the end, Ave had built a lead of one minute and five seconds over Drissi.

"The last couple of races, we've just been practicing on old tires trying to work on our late-race setup," Ave continued. "It's been a little bit of a surprise how fast we’ll be able to go in qualifying, but we picked up a bunch and it was good."

Ave took his sixth pole position of the year, edging out 2009 Trans-Am champion Tomy Drissi by eight tenths of a second. Ave's first Trans Am series victory came at Miller Motorsports Park in June after more than 16 years of trying. At Brainerd International Raceway, he completed the 36-lap, 90-mile race in 56 minutes, 36.266 seconds at an average speed of 95.398 mph.


Images: Willa Stein/SCCA

"Here we go again," said Drissi. "Ave and the team figured out how to make their car work on the long run. We were just as fast as Ave. We stayed with him at the start. It's all in the setup. We've got the same tires, our motor is good, the car is good, but why are the tires going away? It's happened to us every single race that we've finished. We won one [race] and they obviously figured it out after that one."

Regardless, the result was Drissi's best since a second place finish at Lime Rock Park in July. With his fourth podium result of the season, Drissi remains third in the Trans-Am driver standings with 834 points, 55 points back of RJ Lopez.

The final podium step went to Third place went to Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, in the #59 Chevrolet Corvette. Following a battle for fourth place early in the race, Gregg passed his teammate, Jim Derhaag, and carried on to close up with and pass RJ Lopez for third in the waning laps.

"It felt good to get another podium," Gregg commented. "I'm real happy with how the season is going. Luck is going my way this season with the team and the car. At first I thought this track didn't suit me well, but once I got used to it, I got around just fine. The car was strong and didn't fade and same with me. At the end, that proved to be my advantage."

Round 9 of the Trans Am series runs next weekend, Sept. 10-12, 2010, at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA.

]]> In the first Trans-Am Series race at Brainerd International Raceway in more than two decades, series points leader Tony Ave, of Maiden, N.C., added another victory to an impressive roster last weekend. Ave now has five wins in the ten-race SCCA Pro series, with two races remaining.







Ave started from the pole position in the #4 Chevrolet Corvette and had a reasonably close race with second-place Tomy Drissi through the early stages of the 36-lap race around the 2.5-mile circuit. Drissi had been very quick in earlier practice, but Ave managed to pull away around the halfway point in the race. At the end, Ave had built a lead of one minute and five seconds over Drissi.



"The last couple of races, we've just been practicing on old tires trying to work on our late-race setup," Ave continued. "It's been a little bit of a surprise how fast we’ll be able to go in qualifying, but we picked up a bunch and it was good."



Ave took his sixth pole position of the year, edging out 2009 Trans-Am champion Tomy Drissi by eight tenths of a second. Ave's first Trans Am series victory came at Miller Motorsports Park in June after more than 16 years of trying. At Brainerd International Raceway, he completed the 36-lap, 90-mile race in 56 minutes, 36.266 seconds at an average speed of 95.398 mph.





Images: Willa Stein/SCCA



"Here we go again," said Drissi. "Ave and the team figured out how to make their car work on the long run. We were just as fast as Ave. We stayed with him at the start. It's all in the setup. We've got the same tires, our motor is good, the car is good, but why are the tires going away? It's happened to us every single race that we've finished. We won one [race] and they obviously figured it out after that one."



Regardless, the result was Drissi's best since a second place finish at Lime Rock Park in July. With his fourth podium result of the season, Drissi remains third in the Trans-Am driver standings with 834 points, 55 points back of RJ Lopez.



The final podium step went to Third place went to Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, in the #59 Chevrolet Corvette. Following a battle for fourth place early in the race, Gregg passed his teammate, Jim Derhaag, and carried on to close up with and pass RJ Lopez for third in the waning laps.



"It felt good to get another podium," Gregg commented. "I'm real happy with how the season is going. Luck is going my way this season with the team and the car. At first I thought this track didn't suit me well, but once I got used to it, I got around just fine. The car was strong and didn't fade and same with me. At the end, that proved to be my advantage."



Round 9 of the Trans Am series runs next weekend, Sept. 10-12, 2010, at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ave-hits-500-brainerd-3089.html Camaro5 SoCal Crew Gets Upclose and Personal With the Hurst Camaro http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/camaro5-socal-crew-gets-upclose-personal-2957.html Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:31:11 GMT This past Saturday, July 17th, was a gorgeous day in Southern California. At 84 degrees and clear blue skies overhead, it was almost mandatory to get out the car and go cruising. But, instead of rolling around the usual spots, the SoCal Family chapter of Camaro5 rumbled into Hurst Performance Vehicles' facility in Irvine, CA for a BBQ, shop tour and special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hailing from as far north as the San Fernando Valley, as far west as the South Bay, as far east as the Inland Empire, and as far south as San Diego, 39 of us came to check out the Special Edition Hurst Camaro. Hosted by Hurst's Regis Finn, Nate Shelton, and Tony Baumgartner, there were hamburgers and hot dogs and plenty of beverages available to all the people who showed up.



Click HERE to view the complete Photo Gallery!

Welcomed by Nate, the owner of Hurst Performance Vehicles and Tony from Sales and Marketing, they gave us an overview of the Hurst Performance Vehicle program, and introduced us not only to the new 5th generation Camaro SS, but also their new Mustang and Challenger. This appeared to be a standard "Meet & Greet" until they let everyone in attendance (with a driver’s license, of course) test drive the Special Edition Hurst Camaro, producing an estimated 600hp and 550 lbs. of torque and goes from 0-to-60 in 4.1 seconds. The black and gold special edition Super Sport comes complete with a Magnuson Magnacharger, Eibach coil-over suspension, upgraded wheels (11-inch rears), high performance exhaust, and of course, a signature Hurst shifter.



The cosmetic enhancements are just as impressive, with a unique stripe package, Hurst badging, leather seats with the Hurst logo by Katskin and custom rear deck spoiler. Anyone who wanted to take a lap around the block was given a chance with a Hurst employee. It doesn’t get much better than that for a bunch of gearheads! “I need to get me one of those!” was the common response after the Family Members reluctantly got out of the Hurst Camaro. Even some more “inexperienced” drivers got a chance to drive it.



Once everyone got their fill, we were given a tour of the the highly-guarded ARIA design center. ARIA, builds prototypes for not only the Automotive Industry but the entertainment industry including Virgin and Disney, including Disney's "Carsland" at Disney’s California Adventure expansion. We were not allowed to take pictures within the studios for obvious reasons. ARIA is their partner in designing the Hurst Camaro SS, Challenger and Mustang projects. The cars are painted there (the stripes are painted on, not vinyl) and the installation is done once the cars arrive from the dealership for transformation.



Prizes of various Hurst merchandise were given out and everyone won something at the end of the afternoon. All in all, it was a great day. We got to hang out with the Family again and enjoy an experience that most of us won’t ever forget. Special thanks goes out to the guys at Hurst Performance Vehicles for the great Saturday!



(co-written with John Coy) Pictures Courtesy of Tribone and Camaro5.com

]]> This past Saturday, July 17th, was a gorgeous day in Southern California. At 84 degrees and clear blue skies overhead, it was almost mandatory to get out the car and go cruising. But, instead of rolling around the usual spots, the SoCal Family chapter of Camaro5 rumbled into Hurst Performance Vehicles' facility in Irvine, CA for a BBQ, shop tour and special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hailing from as far north as the San Fernando Valley, as far west as the South Bay, as far east as the Inland Empire, and as far south as San Diego, 39 of us came to check out the Special Edition Hurst Camaro. Hosted by Hurst's Regis Finn, Nate Shelton, and Tony Baumgartner, there were hamburgers and hot dogs and plenty of beverages available to all the people who showed up.







Click HERE to view the complete Photo Gallery!



Welcomed by Nate, the owner of Hurst Performance Vehicles and Tony from Sales and Marketing, they gave us an overview of the Hurst Performance Vehicle program, and introduced us not only to the new 5th generation Camaro SS, but also their new Mustang and Challenger. This appeared to be a standard "Meet & Greet" until they let everyone in attendance (with a driver’s license, of course) test drive the Special Edition Hurst Camaro, producing an estimated 600hp and 550 lbs. of torque and goes from 0-to-60 in 4.1 seconds. The black and gold special edition Super Sport comes complete with a Magnuson Magnacharger, Eibach coil-over suspension, upgraded wheels (11-inch rears), high performance exhaust, and of course, a signature Hurst shifter.







The cosmetic enhancements are just as impressive, with a unique stripe package, Hurst badging, leather seats with the Hurst logo by Katskin and custom rear deck spoiler. Anyone who wanted to take a lap around the block was given a chance with a Hurst employee. It doesn’t get much better than that for a bunch of gearheads! “I need to get me one of those!” was the common response after the Family Members reluctantly got out of the Hurst Camaro. Even some more “inexperienced” drivers got a chance to drive it.







Once everyone got their fill, we were given a tour of the the highly-guarded ARIA design center. ARIA, builds prototypes for not only the Automotive Industry but the entertainment industry including Virgin and Disney, including Disney's "Carsland" at Disney’s California Adventure expansion. We were not allowed to take pictures within the studios for obvious reasons. ARIA is their partner in designing the Hurst Camaro SS, Challenger and Mustang projects. The cars are painted there (the stripes are painted on, not vinyl) and the installation is done once the cars arrive from the dealership for transformation.







Prizes of various Hurst merchandise were given out and everyone won something at the end of the afternoon. All in all, it was a great day. We got to hang out with the Family again and enjoy an experience that most of us won’t ever forget. Special thanks goes out to the guys at Hurst Performance Vehicles for the great Saturday!







(co-written with John Coy) Pictures Courtesy of Tribone and Camaro5.com




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]]> Events tribone http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/camaro5-socal-crew-gets-upclose-personal-2957.html Corvette Racing Can’t Find Its Feet At Northeast Grand Prix http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/corvette-racing-can-t-find-its-2936.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:29:15 GMT On Friday, the rain never stopped. All day water fell from the sky over Lakeville, Connecticut, where the American Le Mans Series had gathered for its annual Northeast Grand Prix. Having never been to an American Le Mans Series race before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, though I certainly wasn’t expecting rain. Nor was I expecting the racers to be out in full force, dipping around the tight and narrow Lime Rock Park, the shortest circuit on the ALMS race series.



There was one particular team I was here for; Corvette Racing. American Le Mans is dominated by high-end European brands in the GT class like Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari. In fact, aside from Corvette Racing, there is just one other American car in the series; a Ford GT (which took the checkered flag in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans). Corvette Racing stands out too, because it has the largest displacement engine allowed by the rules (5.5 liters) which gives it a distinguishable sound from the rest of the field.


Friday's qualifying was a wet one
Pictures: Nicole Werner

Yet so far, Corvette Racing has been unable to find its feet in the 2010 ALMS season. With just one podium finish between the two cars, Corvette Racing came into the Northeast Grand Prix not just wanting a win, but needing it. Friday wasn’t an easy time for Corvette Racing. The wet conditions played havoc with all the cars, but the #4 Corvette, driven by Oliver Gavin and Oliver Beretta had some rear suspension troubles during the second practice session. I was standing on the Big Bend corner when my photographer spotted a metallic object come flying off the car and into the grass. The left rear tire popped out of the fenderwell yet remained attached to the car; it was odd, and the Corvette Racing crew couldn’t figure out what went wrong.



“I have no idea right now what happened,” said Oliver Gavin, who was driving at the time. “Suddenly the car went sideways and the wheel went out of the car. It was strange but there was so much water that you don’t know what is wrong and then boom, something broke. I didn’t want to smash the car so I stopped.”

The #4 car went into the pits and emerged a little while later. The axle had become detached, though the crew could not find out why. The problem would not crop up again, though the Corvette Racing team would ultimately qualify fourth and sixth for the day.


Hundreds of Corvette owners showed up to lend their support

Saturday, the rain subsided giving away to blazing heat. By 9 am I was drenched in sweat, and the racing hadn’t even begun yet. By the 2:05 start, I was borderline dehydrated, though an amazing crowd had braved the heat to show up for the race. This included well over 200 Corvettes come out to support Corvette racing. They gathered in the Corvette Corral, and did a parade lap prior to the race start. In fact, there was a bit of an impromptu car show at the race, as dozens of exotics from Ferrari, Porsche (which had its own Corral) and even a few Japanese imports like the Nissan GT-R showed up. There were still far more Corvettes than any other model, and it seemed like every other person was wearing a Corvette Racing shirt.

Once the race got under way, Corvette Racing moved up to the third and fourth position in quick succession. Just 22 minutes into the race however, Johnny O’Connell in the #3 Corvette made contact with the No. 62 Ferrari driven by Jamie Melo. The Ferrari was out of the race, and then the Corvettes maintained third and fourth place. Things were looking good for the Corvettes and they were running strong, but the rough luck that has followed them all season would show up again this day.


The #3 Corvette was taken out of the race just a few laps in

40 minutes in, Oliver Beretta was penalized for blocking, taking to the pits for a stop-and-go penalty that essentially took him out of contention for first place. "I was very upset with the penalty because everything was good in our first race in GT at Lime Rock," Beretta said. "I was bumped three times - I was the victim, and yet I got the penalty. I just moved one time to defend my line, I was not zigzagging. It was just racing, but the penalty destroyed our race."

Soon there after, the #3 car with Johnny O’Connell made contact with a GTC car and the left rear suspension was damaged beyond quick repair. The car was retired, ultimately finishing 12th place (out of 13). The car had to be flatbedded off the track, and it would be one of the last caution flags of the day. Ultimately, Corvette Racing would finish 5th and 12th place. A disappointing performance, but with half the season left to look forward to, there is still plenty of time to turn it around. They are just outside of the top three right now, and with the next race taking place at Mid-Ohio, anything can still happen.

]]> On Friday, the rain never stopped. All day water fell from the sky over Lakeville, Connecticut, where the American Le Mans Series had gathered for its annual Northeast Grand Prix. Having never been to an American Le Mans Series race before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, though I certainly wasn’t expecting rain. Nor was I expecting the racers to be out in full force, dipping around the tight and narrow Lime Rock Park, the shortest circuit on the ALMS race series.







There was one particular team I was here for; Corvette Racing. American Le Mans is dominated by high-end European brands in the GT class like Porsche, BMW, and Ferrari. In fact, aside from Corvette Racing, there is just one other American car in the series; a Ford GT (which took the checkered flag in the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans). Corvette Racing stands out too, because it has the largest displacement engine allowed by the rules (5.5 liters) which gives it a distinguishable sound from the rest of the field.





Friday's qualifying was a wet one

Pictures: Nicole Werner



Yet so far, Corvette Racing has been unable to find its feet in the 2010 ALMS season. With just one podium finish between the two cars, Corvette Racing came into the Northeast Grand Prix not just wanting a win, but needing it. Friday wasn’t an easy time for Corvette Racing. The wet conditions played havoc with all the cars, but the #4 Corvette, driven by Oliver Gavin and Oliver Beretta had some rear suspension troubles during the second practice session. I was standing on the Big Bend corner when my photographer spotted a metallic object come flying off the car and into the grass. The left rear tire popped out of the fenderwell yet remained attached to the car; it was odd, and the Corvette Racing crew couldn’t figure out what went wrong.







“I have no idea right now what happened,” said Oliver Gavin, who was driving at the time. “Suddenly the car went sideways and the wheel went out of the car. It was strange but there was so much water that you don’t know what is wrong and then boom, something broke. I didn’t want to smash the car so I stopped.”



The #4 car went into the pits and emerged a little while later. The axle had become detached, though the crew could not find out why. The problem would not crop up again, though the Corvette Racing team would ultimately qualify fourth and sixth for the day.





Hundreds of Corvette owners showed up to lend their support



Saturday, the rain subsided giving away to blazing heat. By 9 am I was drenched in sweat, and the racing hadn’t even begun yet. By the 2:05 start, I was borderline dehydrated, though an amazing crowd had braved the heat to show up for the race. This included well over 200 Corvettes come out to support Corvette racing. They gathered in the Corvette Corral, and did a parade lap prior to the race start. In fact, there was a bit of an impromptu car show at the race, as dozens of exotics from Ferrari, Porsche (which had its own Corral) and even a few Japanese imports like the Nissan GT-R showed up. There were still far more Corvettes than any other model, and it seemed like every other person was wearing a Corvette Racing shirt.



Once the race got under way, Corvette Racing moved up to the third and fourth position in quick succession. Just 22 minutes into the race however, Johnny O’Connell in the #3 Corvette made contact with the No. 62 Ferrari driven by Jamie Melo. The Ferrari was out of the race, and then the Corvettes maintained third and fourth place. Things were looking good for the Corvettes and they were running strong, but the rough luck that has followed them all season would show up again this day.





The #3 Corvette was taken out of the race just a few laps in



40 minutes in, Oliver Beretta was penalized for blocking, taking to the pits for a stop-and-go penalty that essentially took him out of contention for first place. "I was very upset with the penalty because everything was good in our first race in GT at Lime Rock," Beretta said. "I was bumped three times - I was the victim, and yet I got the penalty. I just moved one time to defend my line, I was not zigzagging. It was just racing, but the penalty destroyed our race."



Soon there after, the #3 car with Johnny O’Connell made contact with a GTC car and the left rear suspension was damaged beyond quick repair. The car was retired, ultimately finishing 12th place (out of 13). The car had to be flatbedded off the track, and it would be one of the last caution flags of the day. Ultimately, Corvette Racing would finish 5th and 12th place. A disappointing performance, but with half the season left to look forward to, there is still plenty of time to turn it around. They are just outside of the top three right now, and with the next race taking place at Mid-Ohio, anything can still happen.




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]]> Events Chris DeMorro http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/corvette-racing-can-t-find-its-2936.html Trans Am: New Face on Top http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/trans-am-new-face-top-2916.html Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:15:28 GMT RJ Lopez, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, scored his first career victory in SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series competition this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto. Starting from P4 on the grid, Lopez, in his #6 Disco 106/ECR Engines/Goodyear Corvette translated a Lap 3 incident involving Tomy Drissi, into a second place position.



Pole sitter Drissi and second place starter, Amy Ruman, came together when Drissi suffered a flat tire. The incident also promoted Tony Ave to first place in the running. Lopez pursued Ave for eleven laps of the 1.75-mile street circuit. Lopez out-braked Ave at the end of "Thunder Alley" - a 170 mph straight - into the 40-mph Turn 3. From there, Lopez managed to stay ahaead of Ave for the balance of the time-shortened race.



Barely able to restrain himslef, Lopez was delighted with the result. "Honestly, it's about time, but it feels awesome," Lopez said. "If there was any place to do it, it's right here in front of the biggest crowds. I love this place. Toronto is just awesome. In front of the IndyCar guys, it's great. To be ahead of Tony Ave is just awesome. He's won the last three races and to be able to beat him, to finish first ahead of him is just killer."



Lopez has been a steady contender throughout the season, logging four consecutive podium finishes at the season's start. His victory cut short the developing win streak of Tony Ave, who won the last three Trans Am races in convincing fashion. Ave had expressed doubts about the car for this race, but brought it home in second place regardless.

After starting from P2, Kent, OH native, Amy Ruman, took the final step on the podium after recovering from an early incident. Her #23 McNichols/Goodyear/Cenweld Corvette made it a 1-2-3 finish for America's sports car, as well as Ruman's second podium finish in three starts. She finished second at Road America last month.



Past series champion, Tomy Drissi, ended the race in fifth place after cutting a tire early on. Drissi stands third in the championship points with 636 points, following Lopez with 677 and Ave with 752.

The SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series will gather again at Autobahn Country Club, in Joliet, IL, on Sunday, August 1 for the next round of Trans Am competition.

]]> RJ Lopez, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, scored his first career victory in SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series competition this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto. Starting from P4 on the grid, Lopez, in his #6 Disco 106/ECR Engines/Goodyear Corvette translated a Lap 3 incident involving Tomy Drissi, into a second place position.







Pole sitter Drissi and second place starter, Amy Ruman, came together when Drissi suffered a flat tire. The incident also promoted Tony Ave to first place in the running. Lopez pursued Ave for eleven laps of the 1.75-mile street circuit. Lopez out-braked Ave at the end of "Thunder Alley" - a 170 mph straight - into the 40-mph Turn 3. From there, Lopez managed to stay ahaead of Ave for the balance of the time-shortened race.







Barely able to restrain himslef, Lopez was delighted with the result. "Honestly, it's about time, but it feels awesome," Lopez said. "If there was any place to do it, it's right here in front of the biggest crowds. I love this place. Toronto is just awesome. In front of the IndyCar guys, it's great. To be ahead of Tony Ave is just awesome. He's won the last three races and to be able to beat him, to finish first ahead of him is just killer."







Lopez has been a steady contender throughout the season, logging four consecutive podium finishes at the season's start. His victory cut short the developing win streak of Tony Ave, who won the last three Trans Am races in convincing fashion. Ave had expressed doubts about the car for this race, but brought it home in second place regardless.



After starting from P2, Kent, OH native, Amy Ruman, took the final step on the podium after recovering from an early incident. Her #23 McNichols/Goodyear/Cenweld Corvette made it a 1-2-3 finish for America's sports car, as well as Ruman's second podium finish in three starts. She finished second at Road America last month.







Past series champion, Tomy Drissi, ended the race in fifth place after cutting a tire early on. Drissi stands third in the championship points with 636 points, following Lopez with 677 and Ave with 752.



The SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series will gather again at Autobahn Country Club, in Joliet, IL, on Sunday, August 1 for the next round of Trans Am competition.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/trans-am-new-face-top-2916.html LS Motor City Rumble Race Recap http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ls-motor-city-rumble-race-recap-2889.html Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:44:58 GMT For the second year in a row the Pritchett Brothers bring their Ultimate Outlaw series to Milan Dragway in Michigan. The skies were blue and the weather was hot, with temperatures in the upward 80’s some cars struggled to get a tune on the track. This event brings a whole new meaning to Outlaw racing in the north with classes like Outlaw 10.5, Outlaw drag radial and many LSX sanctioned classes. Drivers from as far as New York, Canada and Georgia made the trip this weekend for the event.



LS MOTOR CITY RUMBLE RESULTS

LS 10.00



In LS 10.00 Index 3 cars made it out, one of which, Bill Kurres was running a beautiful Corvette to take the number 2 spot and was followed by John King, but leading the pack was Steve Verplank who won in the final over Bill Kurres with an 11.02 at 93.95 over Kurres 15.02 at 62.15.

LS 9.00



Taking the top of 3 spots in 9.00 was Raymond Litz who received a bye in the first round advancing straight to the finals. Ken Stone took the number three spot and advanced over number 2 qualifier Matt Avedian who red lit, to go to the finals. In the finals it was Ken Stone who red lighted handing the win to Raymond Litz who ran a 9.31 compared to Stone’s 9.22.

LS OUTLAW RADIAL



In LS Outlaw Radial we saw Mike Brown of Dayton, Ohio charge down with a 7.27 at 200.01 to take the number one spot. Mike was followed by fellow teammate Mark Koehler who ran a 7.50 and Steve Turley who managed a 7.70. Wrapping up the field was #4 John King who ran a 10.55. In the First round of Eliminations we saw Steve Turley take the win over a broken Mark Koehler with a 7.60. Mike Brown ran another great pass with a 7.45 taking out John King who ran a 10.51. In the finals it was an all Ohio match-up with Mike Brown blasting a 7.33 to take out Steve Turley’s coasting 14.57.

LS CAMARO SHOWDOWN



With only one car showing in the Camaro Showdown Robin Lawrence took the win and number one spot, qualifying with a 10.98 and winning with a coasting 12.81.

LS TRUE 10.5



While there was only one car in True 10.5, Keith Berry had everyone standing on their feet as he set record after record all weekend long. Berry qualified with an 8.32 which was his fastest pass of the weekend but managed many mid 8.30 passes all weekend long. In the final he ran an 8.36 at 166 mph.

]]> For the second year in a row the Pritchett Brothers bring their Ultimate Outlaw series to Milan Dragway in Michigan. The skies were blue and the weather was hot, with temperatures in the upward 80’s some cars struggled to get a tune on the track. This event brings a whole new meaning to Outlaw racing in the north with classes like Outlaw 10.5, Outlaw drag radial and many LSX sanctioned classes. Drivers from as far as New York, Canada and Georgia made the trip this weekend for the event.







LS MOTOR CITY RUMBLE RESULTS



LS 10.00







In LS 10.00 Index 3 cars made it out, one of which, Bill Kurres was running a beautiful Corvette to take the number 2 spot and was followed by John King, but leading the pack was Steve Verplank who won in the final over Bill Kurres with an 11.02 at 93.95 over Kurres 15.02 at 62.15.



LS 9.00







Taking the top of 3 spots in 9.00 was Raymond Litz who received a bye in the first round advancing straight to the finals. Ken Stone took the number three spot and advanced over number 2 qualifier Matt Avedian who red lit, to go to the finals. In the finals it was Ken Stone who red lighted handing the win to Raymond Litz who ran a 9.31 compared to Stone’s 9.22.



LS OUTLAW RADIAL







In LS Outlaw Radial we saw Mike Brown of Dayton, Ohio charge down with a 7.27 at 200.01 to take the number one spot. Mike was followed by fellow teammate Mark Koehler who ran a 7.50 and Steve Turley who managed a 7.70. Wrapping up the field was #4 John King who ran a 10.55. In the First round of Eliminations we saw Steve Turley take the win over a broken Mark Koehler with a 7.60. Mike Brown ran another great pass with a 7.45 taking out John King who ran a 10.51. In the finals it was an all Ohio match-up with Mike Brown blasting a 7.33 to take out Steve Turley’s coasting 14.57.



LS CAMARO SHOWDOWN







With only one car showing in the Camaro Showdown Robin Lawrence took the win and number one spot, qualifying with a 10.98 and winning with a coasting 12.81.



LS TRUE 10.5







While there was only one car in True 10.5, Keith Berry had everyone standing on their feet as he set record after record all weekend long. Berry qualified with an 8.32 which was his fastest pass of the weekend but managed many mid 8.30 passes all weekend long. In the final he ran an 8.36 at 166 mph.




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]]> Events johnnyhuege http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ls-motor-city-rumble-race-recap-2889.html Fellows Tops the Glen First Time Out http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/fellows-tops-glen-first-time-out-2870.html Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:04:32 GMT When Ron Fellows, of Mississauga, ON, signed a three-race World Challenge Championships deal with CRP Racing, one of the races he wanted to run was the World Challenge Grand Prix of Watkins Glen, mainly because he had never raced the 3.4-mile full circuit at The Glen.



Fellows demonstrated convincing pace through the weekend's practice and qualifying sessions. The team parked their #2 CRP Racing Chevy Corvette early in the qualifying session. "We were three-quarters of a second up on everybody, so we decided to stop and save our tires for the race," Fellows said. In the closing minutes, series veteran, Randy Pobst, 1:54.467 (106.930 mph) in his #6 K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 - over a second faster than Fellows, to take the pole position.

"It was a complete shock to me," said Pobst. "We turned a time that kind of took the breath away from me."

The shock was certainly over come race day, when Pobst gained an early lead from the green flag. Fellows fell behind by about 3.5 seconds, although he kept his second place secure. Settling down to business, Fellows caught up to the leader by the fifth lap. During the next lap, Fellows looked to make a late-braking pass on Pobst in Turn 1, then thought better of it.

Pobst, who was having braking issues, went wide and Fellows slid into the lead. From there, the veteran driver made it two in a row in the World Challenge series, averaging 104.06 mph over the 22-lap, 74.8-mile race. As well, he posted the race’s fastest lap at 1:55.672 (105.816 mph).

Of the Turn 1 incident, Fellows explained, "I locked the rear tires as well, which is why I ended up moving in behind him. I was going to make a move to the inside, but he went in deep. He was closer to the two marker, and I was braking somewhere between the three and the two, and it was way too early in the race and we would have ended up just banging doors. My car had a bit of a twitch, but when Randy went off, I went by.”


Photo: World Challenge

Kuno Wittmer, of Montreal, QC, followed the #2 Corvette across the finsh line just 11.775 seconds after. Wittmer managed to get by Pobst during lap 8, so making it two Canadians on the Watkins Glen podium.

In spite of his early difficulties, Pobst managed his Volvo well enough to keep the last spot on the podium.

"We had a great start ," he explained. "I got out to what looked like a big lead, but I've been around and I knew to wait and see how it sorted out. Ron reeled me in pretty quick, and my brakes just weren't up to snuff in the race. I had a lot of trouble getting the car to stop, and it made it very tricky to drive."

Fellows' deal with CRP Racing is complete, but he enjoyed his new experience at The Glen. "When I first started in the Trans-Am Series, we ran on the NASCAR weekend and ran the short course, and of course again in my NASCAR starts. But I must say, the long course is awesome. That is the most fun section of the race track, and it's surprising how much grip you can generate through turn six. I really enjoyed it," Fellows commented.

The World Challenge Championships return to action, July 16 - 17, on the streets of Toronto.

]]> When Ron Fellows, of Mississauga, ON, signed a three-race World Challenge Championships deal with CRP Racing, one of the races he wanted to run was the World Challenge Grand Prix of Watkins Glen, mainly because he had never raced the 3.4-mile full circuit at The Glen.







Fellows demonstrated convincing pace through the weekend's practice and qualifying sessions. The team parked their #2 CRP Racing Chevy Corvette early in the qualifying session. "We were three-quarters of a second up on everybody, so we decided to stop and save our tires for the race," Fellows said. In the closing minutes, series veteran, Randy Pobst, 1:54.467 (106.930 mph) in his #6 K-Pax Racing Volvo S60 - over a second faster than Fellows, to take the pole position.



"It was a complete shock to me," said Pobst. "We turned a time that kind of took the breath away from me."



The shock was certainly over come race day, when Pobst gained an early lead from the green flag. Fellows fell behind by about 3.5 seconds, although he kept his second place secure. Settling down to business, Fellows caught up to the leader by the fifth lap. During the next lap, Fellows looked to make a late-braking pass on Pobst in Turn 1, then thought better of it.



Pobst, who was having braking issues, went wide and Fellows slid into the lead. From there, the veteran driver made it two in a row in the World Challenge series, averaging 104.06 mph over the 22-lap, 74.8-mile race. As well, he posted the race’s fastest lap at 1:55.672 (105.816 mph).



Of the Turn 1 incident, Fellows explained, "I locked the rear tires as well, which is why I ended up moving in behind him. I was going to make a move to the inside, but he went in deep. He was closer to the two marker, and I was braking somewhere between the three and the two, and it was way too early in the race and we would have ended up just banging doors. My car had a bit of a twitch, but when Randy went off, I went by.”





Photo: World Challenge



Kuno Wittmer, of Montreal, QC, followed the #2 Corvette across the finsh line just 11.775 seconds after. Wittmer managed to get by Pobst during lap 8, so making it two Canadians on the Watkins Glen podium.



In spite of his early difficulties, Pobst managed his Volvo well enough to keep the last spot on the podium.



"We had a great start ," he explained. "I got out to what looked like a big lead, but I've been around and I knew to wait and see how it sorted out. Ron reeled me in pretty quick, and my brakes just weren't up to snuff in the race. I had a lot of trouble getting the car to stop, and it made it very tricky to drive."



Fellows' deal with CRP Racing is complete, but he enjoyed his new experience at The Glen. "When I first started in the Trans-Am Series, we ran on the NASCAR weekend and ran the short course, and of course again in my NASCAR starts. But I must say, the long course is awesome. That is the most fun section of the race track, and it's surprising how much grip you can generate through turn six. I really enjoyed it," Fellows commented.



The World Challenge Championships return to action, July 16 - 17, on the streets of Toronto.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/fellows-tops-glen-first-time-out-2870.html Ave Becomes the Trans Am Train http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ave-becomes-trans-am-train-2869.html Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:54:51 GMT Last weekend at Lime Rock Park saw Tony Ave, of Maiden, NC, continue his stellar series performance in the #4 Lamers Racing/McMahon Group/Pro-Motor Corvette. Ave's performance led the field throughout the entire weekend, landing him on the pole for the start of the race. When the green flag dropped, the 59-lap race to the end.



Since ending a 16-year drought in Trans-Am racing, Ave has dominated the season, with this win making three in a row. The last time this happened was in 2005, when Klauss Graf took three in a row. This win extends Ave's lead in the championship standings by 91 points, over fellow COrvette driver, RJ Lopez.


Photos: Nate Siebens/SCCA

The Trans Am cars have been absent from Lime Rock since 2003. The natural terrain road course, near Lakeville, CT, is barely over a mile and a half long, so lap times are typically under a minute. Piloting the track in something as strong as a Trans Am Corvette takes a particular discipline.

"You can’t be afraid of the fences. It’s just a real good, high-speed place. There’s a lot of bravery to going fast. The three fastest corners, there’s no runoff area, so you just have to be committed, I guess," explained Ave.



Others found their hands full getting the most out of their cars on the short track. "The car is all over the place," explained RJ Lopez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. "It's really scary going up that hill when you're kind of sideways. I don't know. It's not fun, but hopefully we'll put new tires on it and it all comes together." Lopez qualified in third place, but crashed out on lap 51 of the race, ending up in fourth spot.

The 2009 series champion, Tomy Drissi, of Hollywood, CA, started the race from P2 and finished second in the #5 Knight and Day Jaguar XKR. On his battles with Ave, Drissi said, "We just had to chase him, and then I was pushing so hard that I didn’t keep my cool, I didn’t take care of my tires and he could because he could pace me. Five laps into the race, it was already starting to go loose. It was a handful today."

Third place went to Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. The #59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette slipped into the podium spot when Lopez slid off course into the tire barrier between Turns 2 and 3.

The second half of the Trans-Am schedule will kick off in two weeks on the temporary street circuit in downtown Toronto, Canada.

]]> Last weekend at Lime Rock Park saw Tony Ave, of Maiden, NC, continue his stellar series performance in the #4 Lamers Racing/McMahon Group/Pro-Motor Corvette. Ave's performance led the field throughout the entire weekend, landing him on the pole for the start of the race. When the green flag dropped, the 59-lap race to the end.







Since ending a 16-year drought in Trans-Am racing, Ave has dominated the season, with this win making three in a row. The last time this happened was in 2005, when Klauss Graf took three in a row. This win extends Ave's lead in the championship standings by 91 points, over fellow COrvette driver, RJ Lopez.





Photos: Nate Siebens/SCCA



The Trans Am cars have been absent from Lime Rock since 2003. The natural terrain road course, near Lakeville, CT, is barely over a mile and a half long, so lap times are typically under a minute. Piloting the track in something as strong as a Trans Am Corvette takes a particular discipline.



"You can’t be afraid of the fences. It’s just a real good, high-speed place. There’s a lot of bravery to going fast. The three fastest corners, there’s no runoff area, so you just have to be committed, I guess," explained Ave.







Others found their hands full getting the most out of their cars on the short track. "The car is all over the place," explained RJ Lopez of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. "It's really scary going up that hill when you're kind of sideways. I don't know. It's not fun, but hopefully we'll put new tires on it and it all comes together." Lopez qualified in third place, but crashed out on lap 51 of the race, ending up in fourth spot.



The 2009 series champion, Tomy Drissi, of Hollywood, CA, started the race from P2 and finished second in the #5 Knight and Day Jaguar XKR. On his battles with Ave, Drissi said, "We just had to chase him, and then I was pushing so hard that I didn’t keep my cool, I didn’t take care of my tires and he could because he could pace me. Five laps into the race, it was already starting to go loose. It was a handful today."



Third place went to Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. The #59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette slipped into the podium spot when Lopez slid off course into the tire barrier between Turns 2 and 3.



The second half of the Trans-Am schedule will kick off in two weeks on the temporary street circuit in downtown Toronto, Canada.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/ave-becomes-trans-am-train-2869.html No Cinderella Story in France http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/no-cinderella-story-france-2803.html Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:13:39 GMT Corvette Racing's bid for the GT2 title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended Sunday morning, when the #64 Corvette C6.R retired with an engine problem. The #63 Corvette fell out about three hours earlier, also with engine issues.



In the #63 car, Antonio Garcia had just left the pits after replacing Johnny O'Connell and was starting the car's 226th lap of the 8.47-mile circuit. "There was no sign of a problem," Garcia said. "Suddenly there was a big noise and an engine alarm. I tried to cruise back to the pits, but that was it. Last year we won Le Mans, and this year it is a shame not to finish."


Photos: Corvette Racing

The lead was carried on by Emmanuel Collard in the remaining Corvette. The team had been running 1-2 in class since the Risi Competizione Ferrari suffered a transmission failure late Saturday night. Around 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Anthony Davidson, driving the #1 Peugeot LMP1 car, passed Collard on the inside of the Porsche Curves.

"I turned to the second left in the Porsche corner and the Peugeot was on the inside," Collard said. "I didn't know he was there, I was focused on my driving. There was no contact, but he was there on the inside and I missed the right line. The car lost grip, and I crashed."



Returning to the pits, the car had suffered significant damage to the rear end, but was back into the fray in thirty minutes. Now six laps behind the class leading car, Gavin began the chase with a vengance. Within just a few laps, he had clocked a lap at 3:59.356 - faster than his pole-winning qualifying time.



A final stroke of bad luck hit the team at 9:42 a.m., when Gavin had to pull off track by the Mulsane corner. Unable to return to the pits and victim of an apparent engine failure, course marshalls pushed the Corvette behind the barriers to end its run in France. "We had the fastest car for 18 hours, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. It's frustrating that we get so far into it, we prove that we have the speed and the pace to win the race," Gavin said.

While hoping for a class win in the 24-hour race, Corvette Racing program manager, will settle for what was accomplished.

"There are different ways to make history, and today's result certainly wasn't what we set out to accomplish. At the end of the day, you have to look at what you did accomplish and the goals that you had set," he said.



"The Corvettes qualifying first and second in an extremely competitive class validated all of the time spent designing and developing the GT2 Corvette C6.R," he noted. "Second, we demonstrated the value of safety engineering being transferred from production to racing. The No. 63 Corvette had a huge impact, but Emmanuel walked away and is feeling fine. That's a testament to the product relevance of the Corvette Racing program."

"So now we go back, we work harder, we improve ourselves, and we look forward to coming back next to achieve our goal of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans," Fehan added. "We never give up at Corvette Racing."

The team will return to the USA to continue in the American Le Mans Series, whose next event is at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, on Sunday, July 11.

]]> Corvette Racing's bid for the GT2 title at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended Sunday morning, when the #64 Corvette C6.R retired with an engine problem. The #63 Corvette fell out about three hours earlier, also with engine issues.







In the #63 car, Antonio Garcia had just left the pits after replacing Johnny O'Connell and was starting the car's 226th lap of the 8.47-mile circuit. "There was no sign of a problem," Garcia said. "Suddenly there was a big noise and an engine alarm. I tried to cruise back to the pits, but that was it. Last year we won Le Mans, and this year it is a shame not to finish."





Photos: Corvette Racing



The lead was carried on by Emmanuel Collard in the remaining Corvette. The team had been running 1-2 in class since the Risi Competizione Ferrari suffered a transmission failure late Saturday night. Around 8:30 a.m. Sunday morning, Anthony Davidson, driving the #1 Peugeot LMP1 car, passed Collard on the inside of the Porsche Curves.



"I turned to the second left in the Porsche corner and the Peugeot was on the inside," Collard said. "I didn't know he was there, I was focused on my driving. There was no contact, but he was there on the inside and I missed the right line. The car lost grip, and I crashed."







Returning to the pits, the car had suffered significant damage to the rear end, but was back into the fray in thirty minutes. Now six laps behind the class leading car, Gavin began the chase with a vengance. Within just a few laps, he had clocked a lap at 3:59.356 - faster than his pole-winning qualifying time.







A final stroke of bad luck hit the team at 9:42 a.m., when Gavin had to pull off track by the Mulsane corner. Unable to return to the pits and victim of an apparent engine failure, course marshalls pushed the Corvette behind the barriers to end its run in France. "We had the fastest car for 18 hours, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. It's frustrating that we get so far into it, we prove that we have the speed and the pace to win the race," Gavin said.



While hoping for a class win in the 24-hour race, Corvette Racing program manager, will settle for what was accomplished.



"There are different ways to make history, and today's result certainly wasn't what we set out to accomplish. At the end of the day, you have to look at what you did accomplish and the goals that you had set," he said.







"The Corvettes qualifying first and second in an extremely competitive class validated all of the time spent designing and developing the GT2 Corvette C6.R," he noted. "Second, we demonstrated the value of safety engineering being transferred from production to racing. The No. 63 Corvette had a huge impact, but Emmanuel walked away and is feeling fine. That's a testament to the product relevance of the Corvette Racing program."



"So now we go back, we work harder, we improve ourselves, and we look forward to coming back next to achieve our goal of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans," Fehan added. "We never give up at Corvette Racing."



The team will return to the USA to continue in the American Le Mans Series, whose next event is at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, on Sunday, July 11.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/no-cinderella-story-france-2803.html Grand Am: Pony Cars Show Battle Form http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/grand-am-pony-cars-show-battle-2792.html Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:27:31 GMT Racing luck: Those who benefit from it may call it skill, while those who don't usually reference it as a curse. Sometimes, it's just a combination of circumstances that act to the advantage of one car and the detriment of another. For spectators at the Continental Tire 150 Grand Am race at Watkins Glen last weekend, their luck was that Saturday morning dawned beautifully. For many of the racers gathered there, they must have been wondering what kind of magic the BMW M3 teams had found.



From second practice on, the German cars had dominated the results and Fall-Line Motorsports would fill the first three spots on the grid with their M3's. Getting there, however, was not without its excitement. First practice saw the #15 Multimatic Motorsports/Mustang Boss 302R, driven by Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell, post a third-fastest 2:04.177 (98.57 mph) lap time, followed immediately by Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr, in the #61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT.

In second practice, the Multimatic Team upped their game, with the #5 BOSS 302 posting a 2:03.690 (98.96 mph) lap, only to find four M3's ahead of them on the scoreboard. Immediately behind was the #9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Craig Stone. They had also come in under the 2:04 wire with a 2:03.885 (98.80 mph) lap.


Photos: Grand Am

Qualifying consists of a 15-minute period for each of the GS (Grand Sport) and ST (Street Tuner) competitors. It is a hectic time that is over in a flash if you are on the track side of the pit wall. Sensory overload would be a understated description of what goes on during that quarter hour for the race teams. Friday evening's qualifying saw the Fall-Line hat-trick at the front, led by Bryan Sellers, who posted a commendable 2:03.783 (98.882 mph) lap in full race trim.



Fourth on the grid went to the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R and fifth to Jack Roush Jr, in the #61 Roush Performance Mustang. Other notables in the Top Ten were the #59 Rehagen Racing Mustang GT in sixth, the #37 JBS Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R in eighth and the #15 Multimatic Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R in ninth.



At the green flag, pole sitter Bryan Sellers was able to jump ahead of the competition and set a blazing pace for the first 28 laps. Following an early incident, Roush Jr. pitted the #61 Mustang. "I was pinched against the wall by an ST car that I was passing - I don't believe he saw me," Roush explained. "As a result, the left rear wheel slammed against the railing, bending the wheel. I didn't know how severe the damage was. So, I wanted to make sure that it wasn't something that would leave me stranded on the track and ruin a decent finish."

Roush's co-driver, Billy Johnson, took the wheel and began a concerted drive up through the field. The first yellow flag of the race would come shortly after, when Jim Click had to park his #2 Mustang Boss 302R by the Inner Loop. About 1:20 into the race, on lap 29, Johnson, in the Roush car, slipped by Sellers' M3 for the lead. Johnson's racing luck would take a turn two minutes later when the course went yellow once more.

Eric Lux, in the #73 JBS Motorsports Mustang GT, went wide through the Esses and ended up parking the car in a barrier. He walked away from the incident. Thirty-six laps were complete. On the next, cars started pitting for fuel and other needs. Johnson, in the #61 Roush Performance car stayed out, eventually coming in on the 39th lap and falling a lap down.

Roush Jr. explains what happened. "Grand-Am announced that the pit lane was open only after Billy had passed the pit entrance. Virtually all of the other contenders were able to come in that lap. However, it was too late for us, but we needed gas. As a result of this, we were shuffled behind the ST traffic."

Johnson returned and began carving through the field once more. In the meantime, an excellent battle was going on between Hugh Plumb (#9 Camaro) and Kenny Wilden (#52 Mustang GT), dicing for 8th and 9th place. By lap 47, Johnson passed Maxwell into 19th spot, unlapping himself. Plumb won the skirmish with Wilden and kept moving up. By the 55 lap mark, Johnson is in 9th spot, while Hugh Plumb passes Duncan Ende (#23 Porsche Cayman) for P6.



With ten minutes left in the race, Johnson slips into seventh, while Plumb passes Dean Martin (#59 Mustang GT) for fifth. In lap 60, Johnson also makes it by Martin and Ende. With 62 laps complete, three BMWs lead the pack, followed by Hugh Plumb in fourth and Billy Johnson in fifth. The latter pair are 9 seconds back and unlikely to catch up before the 2 hours, 30 minutes time limit.

Less than a minute later, an errant ST car squarely hit the barrier at Turn 5, bring out a full course caution that would end the race. The ST driver was unhurt. Kenny Wilden finished in P7, with Dean Martin in P8. While the podium held a distinctly German atmosphere, there is no doubt that the racing going on just behind was some of the best this season.

Next up in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is the EMCO Gears Classic on Saturday, June 19, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH.

]]> Racing luck: Those who benefit from it may call it skill, while those who don't usually reference it as a curse. Sometimes, it's just a combination of circumstances that act to the advantage of one car and the detriment of another. For spectators at the Continental Tire 150 Grand Am race at Watkins Glen last weekend, their luck was that Saturday morning dawned beautifully. For many of the racers gathered there, they must have been wondering what kind of magic the BMW M3 teams had found.







From second practice on, the German cars had dominated the results and Fall-Line Motorsports would fill the first three spots on the grid with their M3's. Getting there, however, was not without its excitement. First practice saw the #15 Multimatic Motorsports/Mustang Boss 302R, driven by Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell, post a third-fastest 2:04.177 (98.57 mph) lap time, followed immediately by Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr, in the #61 Roush Performance Ford Mustang GT.



In second practice, the Multimatic Team upped their game, with the #5 BOSS 302 posting a 2:03.690 (98.96 mph) lap, only to find four M3's ahead of them on the scoreboard. Immediately behind was the #9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R, driven by Hugh Plumb and Craig Stone. They had also come in under the 2:04 wire with a 2:03.885 (98.80 mph) lap.





Photos: Grand Am



Qualifying consists of a 15-minute period for each of the GS (Grand Sport) and ST (Street Tuner) competitors. It is a hectic time that is over in a flash if you are on the track side of the pit wall. Sensory overload would be a understated description of what goes on during that quarter hour for the race teams. Friday evening's qualifying saw the Fall-Line hat-trick at the front, led by Bryan Sellers, who posted a commendable 2:03.783 (98.882 mph) lap in full race trim.







Fourth on the grid went to the #6 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R and fifth to Jack Roush Jr, in the #61 Roush Performance Mustang. Other notables in the Top Ten were the #59 Rehagen Racing Mustang GT in sixth, the #37 JBS Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R in eighth and the #15 Multimatic Motorsports Mustang Boss 302R in ninth.







At the green flag, pole sitter Bryan Sellers was able to jump ahead of the competition and set a blazing pace for the first 28 laps. Following an early incident, Roush Jr. pitted the #61 Mustang. "I was pinched against the wall by an ST car that I was passing - I don't believe he saw me," Roush explained. "As a result, the left rear wheel slammed against the railing, bending the wheel. I didn't know how severe the damage was. So, I wanted to make sure that it wasn't something that would leave me stranded on the track and ruin a decent finish."



Roush's co-driver, Billy Johnson, took the wheel and began a concerted drive up through the field. The first yellow flag of the race would come shortly after, when Jim Click had to park his #2 Mustang Boss 302R by the Inner Loop. About 1:20 into the race, on lap 29, Johnson, in the Roush car, slipped by Sellers' M3 for the lead. Johnson's racing luck would take a turn two minutes later when the course went yellow once more.



Eric Lux, in the #73 JBS Motorsports Mustang GT, went wide through the Esses and ended up parking the car in a barrier. He walked away from the incident. Thirty-six laps were complete. On the next, cars started pitting for fuel and other needs. Johnson, in the #61 Roush Performance car stayed out, eventually coming in on the 39th lap and falling a lap down.



Roush Jr. explains what happened. "Grand-Am announced that the pit lane was open only after Billy had passed the pit entrance. Virtually all of the other contenders were able to come in that lap. However, it was too late for us, but we needed gas. As a result of this, we were shuffled behind the ST traffic."



Johnson returned and began carving through the field once more. In the meantime, an excellent battle was going on between Hugh Plumb (#9 Camaro) and Kenny Wilden (#52 Mustang GT), dicing for 8th and 9th place. By lap 47, Johnson passed Maxwell into 19th spot, unlapping himself. Plumb won the skirmish with Wilden and kept moving up. By the 55 lap mark, Johnson is in 9th spot, while Hugh Plumb passes Duncan Ende (#23 Porsche Cayman) for P6.







With ten minutes left in the race, Johnson slips into seventh, while Plumb passes Dean Martin (#59 Mustang GT) for fifth. In lap 60, Johnson also makes it by Martin and Ende. With 62 laps complete, three BMWs lead the pack, followed by Hugh Plumb in fourth and Billy Johnson in fifth. The latter pair are 9 seconds back and unlikely to catch up before the 2 hours, 30 minutes time limit.



Less than a minute later, an errant ST car squarely hit the barrier at Turn 5, bring out a full course caution that would end the race. The ST driver was unhurt. Kenny Wilden finished in P7, with Dean Martin in P8. While the podium held a distinctly German atmosphere, there is no doubt that the racing going on just behind was some of the best this season.



Next up in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is the EMCO Gears Classic on Saturday, June 19, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/grand-am-pony-cars-show-battle-2792.html Trans Am: Persistence Pays for Ave http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/trans-am-persistence-pays-ave-2784.html Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:00:09 GMT Veteran racer Tony Ave was fast right out of the box last weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. Driving his #4 Tony Ave Racing/Pro Motor Engines Chevrolet Corvette, the Maiden, NC, native topped Saturday's first practice session and later went on to grab the pole position, with a lap of 1:28.750 (89.239 mph).



This was his second Trans-Am pole position in three outings so far this season. Ave was about an eighth of a second ahead of Mike Skeen, who took P2 with a 1:28.827 (89.162 mph) lap, in the #81 Baker Manufacturing/Next Table Chevrolet Corvette.


Photos: Trans Am

"It went pretty much as expected, except I didn't think Skeen would be that fast," said Ave. "But no, he was fast this morning. I went what I thought was as fast as I could without hurting the tires, and nobody else except Michael was very close. Then, he just beat it, so then I had to go back out and put a couple more laps on it."

Starting immediately behind the pair would be points leader, RJ Lopez, and 2009 Champion, Tomy Drissi. Both were about a second off the torrid pace set by the front runners. This event marks the first time that a Trans Am race has been run at Miller Motorsports Park. The 2.2-mile, 15-turn East Course presents a technical challenge for drivers, including elevation changes and a final, banked turn into the finish straight.



When the green flag dropped, those challenges did little to hold Ave back. His 42nd start in Trans Am racing would also mark his first victory, leading the 40-lap race from start to finish. Next to take the checkered flag was Tomy Drissi in the #5 Jaguar XKR, more than 3.5 seconds behind. Drissi drove a skilled and patient race, jumping from fourth to third in the first lap, then found the opportunity to pass Mike Skeen about half way through the race.

"I think Ave figured how to have a hundred-mile car now and a hundred-mile driver, so we’ve got our work cut out for us," Drissi said. "It took a long time for Ave to win a Trans-Am race, and it’s not like he ran that many Trans-Am races, but he’s been around since ’94."



RJ Lopez finished the race on the last podium spot and ceeded the points lead to Ave. Mike Skeen and Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, rounded out the Top 5 places with four Corvettes in total. Skeen set fastest lap of the race with a 1:30.465 (87.547 mph).

"It's awesome," said Ave. "I'm doing this mostly because I like it. I mean, I build and sell cars, so we do it to make some money, but I come and my friends help me with some money and we come and try to have some fun. My buddy, Dave Janz, kept my head on straight. I was so nervous. Every time we're fast, it seems like we find a way to lose. Those guys had to kind of smack me around a little bit this morning."

Round 4 of the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series takes place at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, on June 18-20.

]]> Veteran racer Tony Ave was fast right out of the box last weekend at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. Driving his #4 Tony Ave Racing/Pro Motor Engines Chevrolet Corvette, the Maiden, NC, native topped Saturday's first practice session and later went on to grab the pole position, with a lap of 1:28.750 (89.239 mph).







This was his second Trans-Am pole position in three outings so far this season. Ave was about an eighth of a second ahead of Mike Skeen, who took P2 with a 1:28.827 (89.162 mph) lap, in the #81 Baker Manufacturing/Next Table Chevrolet Corvette.





Photos: Trans Am



"It went pretty much as expected, except I didn't think Skeen would be that fast," said Ave. "But no, he was fast this morning. I went what I thought was as fast as I could without hurting the tires, and nobody else except Michael was very close. Then, he just beat it, so then I had to go back out and put a couple more laps on it."



Starting immediately behind the pair would be points leader, RJ Lopez, and 2009 Champion, Tomy Drissi. Both were about a second off the torrid pace set by the front runners. This event marks the first time that a Trans Am race has been run at Miller Motorsports Park. The 2.2-mile, 15-turn East Course presents a technical challenge for drivers, including elevation changes and a final, banked turn into the finish straight.







When the green flag dropped, those challenges did little to hold Ave back. His 42nd start in Trans Am racing would also mark his first victory, leading the 40-lap race from start to finish. Next to take the checkered flag was Tomy Drissi in the #5 Jaguar XKR, more than 3.5 seconds behind. Drissi drove a skilled and patient race, jumping from fourth to third in the first lap, then found the opportunity to pass Mike Skeen about half way through the race.



"I think Ave figured how to have a hundred-mile car now and a hundred-mile driver, so we’ve got our work cut out for us," Drissi said. "It took a long time for Ave to win a Trans-Am race, and it’s not like he ran that many Trans-Am races, but he’s been around since ’94."







RJ Lopez finished the race on the last podium spot and ceeded the points lead to Ave. Mike Skeen and Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, rounded out the Top 5 places with four Corvettes in total. Skeen set fastest lap of the race with a 1:30.465 (87.547 mph).



"It's awesome," said Ave. "I'm doing this mostly because I like it. I mean, I build and sell cars, so we do it to make some money, but I come and my friends help me with some money and we come and try to have some fun. My buddy, Dave Janz, kept my head on straight. I was so nervous. Every time we're fast, it seems like we find a way to lose. Those guys had to kind of smack me around a little bit this morning."



Round 4 of the 2010 SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series takes place at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, on June 18-20.




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]]> Events Gordon McDonald http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/trans-am-persistence-pays-ave-2784.html LSX Shootout 2009 Coverage http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/lsx-shootout-2009-coverage-1832.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:34:09 GMT It's the biggest event of the year for LSx powered cars during the NMCA Finals in Memphis. The champions will be back with faster cars as Drag Radial pushes to the 6 second zone. Additionally, the naturally aspirated and index classes will have some fierce competition.

Special thanks to our event sponsor SCT Performance. Check out www.sctflash.com for all their great tuning solutions.



Friday Photo Gallery - Click Here

Jump to Saturday News - Click Here
Saturday Photo Gallery - Click Here

Jump to Sunday News - Click Here
Sunday Gallery - Click Here

Videos - Launch Full Video Player

Weekend Videos

FRIDAY VIDEOS
In The Pits with Mike Murillo at the LSX Shootout

SATURDAY VIDEOS
LSX Shootout - Qualifying Round 2 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial
LSX Shootout - Qualifying Round 3 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial
Saturday Highlights - LSX Shootout Highlights, Conrad Scarry breaks the ET and MPH record, Joel Greathouse on the bumper, and Booze gets in the 30s.

SUNDAY VIDEOS
In the Pits with SAM School - Jud Massingill of SAM School talks about their three entries in the LSX Shootout. 2010 Camaro, 2000 Camaro, and the famous Orange Camaro.
LSX Shootout - Eliminations Round 1 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial
LSX Shootout - Eliminations Round 2 - All LSX Index Classes
LSX Shootout Final Round Eliminations - All Classes ]]> It's the biggest event of the year for LSx powered cars during the NMCA Finals in Memphis. The champions will be back with faster cars as Drag Radial pushes to the 6 second zone. Additionally, the naturally aspirated and index classes will have some fierce competition.



Special thanks to our event sponsor SCT Performance. Check out www.sctflash.com for all their great tuning solutions.







Friday Photo Gallery - Click Here



Jump to Saturday News - Click Here

Saturday Photo Gallery - Click Here



Jump to Sunday News - Click Here

Sunday Gallery - Click Here



Videos - Launch Full Video Player



Weekend Videos



FRIDAY VIDEOS

In The Pits with Mike Murillo at the LSX Shootout



SATURDAY VIDEOS

LSX Shootout - Qualifying Round 2 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial

LSX Shootout - Qualifying Round 3 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial

Saturday Highlights - LSX Shootout Highlights, Conrad Scarry breaks the ET and MPH record, Joel Greathouse on the bumper, and Booze gets in the 30s.



SUNDAY VIDEOS

In the Pits with SAM School - Jud Massingill of SAM School talks about their three entries in the LSX Shootout. 2010 Camaro, 2000 Camaro, and the famous Orange Camaro.

LSX Shootout - Eliminations Round 1 - LSX All Motor & LSX Drag Radial

LSX Shootout - Eliminations Round 2 - All LSX Index Classes

LSX Shootout Final Round Eliminations - All Classes
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]]> Events mark@lsxtv http://www.lsxtv.com/forum/lsx-shootout-2009-coverage-1832.html