Said Looks to Stay Atop Point Standings as Trans-Am Series
Visits Lime Rock for Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
CLEARWATER, Fla. (May 22, 2002) - Boris Said did not wait long for vindication.
Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) was a heartbreaking runner-up to Paul Gentilozzi in the season opener of the 2002 Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. last month. Said had held the lead going into the final lap of that event, but it was Gentilozzi who emerged from a thrilling three-car duel with Said and Justin Bell to claim his 24th career Trans-Am victory, with Said finishing just scant seconds behind.
Said was thus a man with a mission when the series entered its second of 12 rounds last weekend at Mosport International Raceway. In a dominant performance, he and the Esperante throttled the field, as Said breezed to a 23.501-second victory over Johnny Miller. It marked the first Trans-Am victory ever for the Panoz, and it gave Said the lead in the chase for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup.
Now, Said looks to add to his advantage as the Trans-Am Series returns stateside for Round 3, the Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Park Grand Prix on Monday, May 27, at scenic Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. (3 p.m. ET, live, SPEED Channel).
Said's 62 points give him an eight-point edge over Miller (54) in the championship chase, while defending and three-time series champion Gentilozzi stands third with 50 points. The Trans-Am Series will be making its first appearance at the 1.53-mile, seven-turn Lime Rock road course since 1999, when Brian Simo drove to victory from the pole position.
Miller (#64 Automation Direct/Eaton/Cutler Hammer Jaguar XKR) is off to a consistent start in his bid for his first Trans-Am Series championship, with back-to-back podium finishes of third at Long Beach and second at Mosport. His run of 14 consecutive top-10 finishes, dating to a victory at San Diego in the 2000 season finale, is the longest active streak of top-10 performances in the series.
Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls/Microchip/MatrixOne/Futaba Jaguar XKR), meanwhile, will look to rebound from a tough weekend at Mosport that saw him drop out of contention for the victory early due to a broken spark plug.
Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Grand Prix Advance
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He still managed a 10th-place finish and remains a strong candidate for a possible fourth driving championship, which would tie him with Tom Kendall for the most in Trans-Am Series history.
Gentilozzi will also be looking extend his Trans-Am Series records for starts (175), top-three finishes (56), top-five finishes (87), top-10 finishes (116) and fastest race laps (31). He stands third to Mark Donohue (29) and Kendall (26) in career Trans-Am race victories with 24 and second to Kendall (39) in career pole positions with 32.
Bell (#40 XtremeLens Chevrolet Corvette) stands fourth in the championship with 43 points. The 2001 AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year, he comes to Lime Rock off a podium finish of third at Mosport, his fifth podium result in the last seven events.
Lou Gigliotti (#28 LG Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette) and Randy Ruhlman (#49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette) are tied for fifth in the championship with 41 points each. Gigliotti finished a season-best fourth at Mosport, while Ruhlman owns finishes of sixth at Long Beach and fifth at Mosport in his first two events of the 2002 campaign.
Gigliotti is the only driver on this weekend's entry list who owns a previous Trans-Am victory at Lime Rock. It came in 1998 and was the first victory of his seven-year Trans-Am Series career.
Although he is a rookie in the Trans-Am Series, Butch Leitzinger (Tommy Bahama Chevrolet Corvette), the pole-winner at Mosport, has been a consistent winner at Lime Rock in other racing series. All told, Leitzinger has collected seven victories at Lime Rock, in IMSA International Sedan (1991), NASCAR Grand National North (1994, '95 and '96), IMSA World Sports Car (1998) and GARRA Sports Racer (2000 and 2001) competition.
Other contenders for victory at Lime Rock include Michael Lewis (AmeriSuites Jaguar XKR), Tomy Drissi (Rocketsports Racing Jaguar XKR), Stu Hayner (Trenton Forging/Tom Bell Chevrolet Roackland STD Gear Chevrolet Corvette) and Tony Ave (Trilithic Panoz Esperante).
Following its visit to Lime Rock, the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup continues with another tradition-laden event on Saturday, June 29 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The Mid-Ohio event will mark the first of three Trans-Am races to be nationally telecast by CBS Sports during the 2002 season. Airtime is 4 p.m. ET.
FAST FACTS FOR THE MOHEGAN SUN PRESENTS THE LIME ROCK PARK GRAND PRIX WEEKEND
WHAT: Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Grand Prix.
WHERE: Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut.
WHEN: Friday-Monday, May 24-27.
TRANS-AM SERIES FOR THE BFGOODRICH TIRES CUP SCHEDULE (All Times EDT): FRIDAY, MAY 24 - Trans-Am practice, 12:40-1:20 p.m.; Trans-Am practice, 4:30-5:10 p.m. SATURDAY, MAY 25 - Trans-Am practice, 10:20-11:05 a.m.; Trans-Am Fast Five qualifying, 3:50- 4:35 p.m. SUNDAY, MAY 26 - Track closed. MONDAY, MAY 27 - Trans-Am warm-up, 10-10:20 a.m.; Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup race, 3 p.m.
BROADCAST: SPEED Channel, Monday, May 27, 3 p.m. ET (live).
DEFENDING CHAMPION: No race in 2001.
DEFENDING POLESITTER: N/A.
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.53-mile permanent road course.
RACE DISTANCE: 66 laps (100.98 miles).
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying (one lap) - 1995, Ron Fellows, 109.74 miles per hour (50.189 seconds). Race - 1996, Dorsey Schroeder, 104.178 mph. Race Lap - 1995, Boris Said, 106.362 mph (51.785 seconds) .
RACE NUMBER: 3 of 12 in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup.
NEXT EVENT: Saturday, June 29, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.
PAST TRANS-AM RACE WINNERS AT LIME ROCK PARK
1967 Peter Revson (O)
Horst Kwech (U)
1968 Mark Donohue (O)
Tony Adamowicz (U)
1969 Sam Posey (O)
Tony Adamowicz (U)
Parnelli Jones (O)
Gaston Andre (U)
1971 Mark Donohue
1972 George Follmer
1973 Milt Minter
1974 Al Holbert
1981 Greg Pickett
1985 Paul Miller
1986 Paul Newman
1987 Pete Halsmer
1988 Scott Pruett
1989 Dorsey Schroeder
1992 Ron Fellows
1993 Tommy Archer
1995 Dorsey Schroeder
1996 Dorsey Schroeder
1997 Tom Kendall
1998 Lou Gigliotti
1999 Brian Simo
PAST TRANS-AM POLE WINNERS AT LIME ROCK PARK
1968 Mark Donohue
1969 Sam Posey (O)
Jim Netterstrom (U)
Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Park Grand Prix Fast Facts
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1970 Mark Donohue (O)
Don Pike (U)
1971 Mark Donohue (II)
1972 George Follmer
1973 Horst Kwech
1974 Peter Gregg
1981 Brian Redman
1985 Paul Newman
1986 Pete Halsmer
1987 Les Lindley
1988 Scott Pruett
1989 Dorsey Schroeder
1992 Scott Sharp
1993 Ron Fellows
1995 Ron Fellows
1996 Boris Said
1997 Tom Kendall
1998 Brian Simo
1999 Brian Simo
NOTEWORTHY
· Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup championship leader Boris Said (#33 Applied Computer Solutions Panoz Esperante) has finished fifth or better in six of his last seven Trans-Am starts, dating to a third-place performance at Sears Point last year. Also included are finishes of third at Mid-Ohio and fifth at Portland and Road America last year, as well as a victory at Mosport and a runner-up result at Long Beach this year. Said did not compete in the 2001 season finale at Houston.
· Justin Bell (#40 XtremeLens Chevrolet Corvette) owns podium finishes in five of his past seven Trans-Am Series starts, dating to third at Portland last year. He also finished second at Mid-Ohio and won back-to-back events at Laguna Seca and Houston last year, then added to the run with a finish of third at Mosport last weekend.
· Lou Gigliotti (#28 LG Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette) has finished fourth or better in three of his last four Trans-Am Series starts, dating to a podium performance of third at Laguna Seca last year. The run also includes finishes of fourth at Houston last year and Mosport this year.
· Defending and three-time Trans-Am Series champion Paul Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls/Microchip/MatrixOne/Futaba Jaguar XKR) will be seeking his first-ever Trans-Am victory at Lime Rock this weekend. Among active Trans-Am venues that have hosted two or more events, Lime Rock and Road Atlanta are the only two at which Gentilozzi has not recorded a victory. His career-best finish in seven starts at Lime Rock is third in 1997.
· Coming off last weekend's race at Mosport International Raceway, most Trans-Am teams will roll their cars off the trailers with similar suspension setups and tire strategies, says Gary Blalock, chief tire engineer for BFGoodrich® Tires. "Mosport and Lime Rock Park are very similar courses in how they punish the tires and vehicles," Blalock said. "Lime Rock Park is virtually an oval. There are seven right turns and one left turn. It's not as harsh as a road course, but the left side tires are really punished. I think we'll see teams run similar strategies to Mosport, applying what they learned last weekend. If there are changes, it may be in spring adjustments to account for the traditionally bumpier track at Lime Rock. Depending on weather, we may see some teams choose to step up the compound on the left side to capitalize on the track."
