Trans-Am Court Rules on Tom Gloy Racing Appeal

MIAMI, Fla. (October 5, 2002) - A Trans-Am Series Appeals Court has upheld the series' right to penalize Tom Gloy Racing while reducing the severity of sanctions issued against the team for a rules infraction which occurred during the September 1 Trans-Am Series event at Denver.

 

Last month, the series penalized Tom Gloy Racing, a season-long entrant in the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup, points and purse equivalent to driver Butch Leitzinger's runner-up finish at the Denver Grand Prix for use of an ignition amplifier box that did not conform to Trans-Am Series rules. In appealing the penalty, Tom Gloy Racing contended that it had received verbal approval from a member of the Trans-Am technical staff for use of the component in question, and that it was sealed for identification by a Trans-Am Series technical official prior to its use in Denver.

 

After hearing the appeal, the three-member court, chaired by veteran CART, Formula One and SCCA official John Bornholdt, reduced the amount of the fine from $20,000 to $5,000 and restored 23 of the 28 championship points that had been taken from the team, returning Leitzinger to third place in the BFGoodrich Tires Cup drivers' championship. The court also restored to Chevrolet the 13 Manufacturers' Championship points Leitzinger earned as a result of his runner-up finish, but upheld the forfeiture of all points toward the High Tech Performance Trailers Trans-Am Series Owners' Championship that the team would have been awarded at the Denver event.

 

In issuing its ruling, the Appeals Court found that the ignition amplifier box used on Leitzinger's car in Denver was an aftermarket modification of an approved component, and that the car was "not in conformance with the 2002 Trans-Am Series General Competition Rules and Technical Specifications . regarding internal modifications to the ignition amplifier box. 

 

"The Trans-Am Series Technical Consultant's review of the ignition amplifier box and test data showed : a) no performance advantage and; b) no evidence of traction control capability, " the court continued.

 

Beyond that, however, the court cited an inconsistency in Trans-Am Series technical procedures that contributed significantly to the incident, and thus reduced the penalty to the Gloy team.

 

"We'd like to thank the appeals court for its effort and diligence in dealing with this matter," said  John Clagett, Executive Director of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup. "This incident was regrettable for everyone involved, but at the same time, we feel it important to note that our appeals process worked, having provided Tom Gloy Racing a forum in which the team received redress.
 

"We look forward to the closure provided by the court's ruling, and toward moving ahead with the final three events of the 2002 Trans-Am Series season," Clagett added.

Leitzinger owns three race victories and a series-high four pole positions during the 2002 campaign, and has already clinched the AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year Award. He trails three-time and defending Trans-Am Series champion Paul Gentilozzi by 12 points (224-212) for second place in the championship entering Saturday's qualifying session for Sunday's Grand Prix Americas Trans-Am 100 on the streets of Miami.