Trans-Am Series Racers To 'Turn Right' at Lime Rock
CONTACT: Justin Anderson
(704) 348-9400
Cell: (517) 927-3614
Fax: (704) 348-9444
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2003
TRANS-AM SERIES RACERS TO ŒTURN RIGHT¹ AT LIME ROCK
LAKEVILLE, Conn. ‹ Racing at Lime Rock Park is an integral part of what has
become the Trans-Am Series legend. On Monday, May 26, that legend continues
at the 1.53-mile permanent road course, which hosted its first Trans-Am
Series event in 1967. This year¹s race, part of the Mohegan Sun Presents the
Lime Rock Grand Prix weekend and Round 4 of the Trans-Am Series for the
BFGoodrich® Tires Cup, is scheduled for its traditional Memorial Day date.
Lime Rock, known by many as the Trans-Am Series¹ ³short track,² is an
historic stop for America¹s oldest continuously running road racing Series.
The list of Lime Rock winners reads like a who¹s who of road racing legends.
Renowned drivers like the late Mark Donohue, Scott Pruett, Sam Posey, George
Follmer, Parnelli Jones, Dorsey Schroeder, Tommy Kendall, Ron Fellows, Tommy
Archer and Boris Said all celebrated in victory lane here.
Of the former winners here, only one active driver in this year¹s race,
Scott Pruett, has a chance for a repeat victory.
The 2002 race marked a return of the Trans-Am Series to Lime Rock Park after
a two-year absence. Previously, the Series had raced here 21 times between
1967 and 1999. Said won the 2002 race by 4.566 seconds after starting third
and led a Panoz 1-2 sweep as Tony Ave finished second. It was the marque¹s
first 1-2 finish.
However, hadn¹t it been for mechanical gremlins, the results might have been
much different. Stu Hayner won his first Series pole here in 2002 and also
set the fastest race lap in his Trenton Forging GMAC Finance Chevrolet
Corvette. Hayner, who won a 1997 IMSA race here, led 15 laps before
surrendering the point to Said. Hayner finished 13th after being sidelined
by a mechanical failure.
This year¹s race certainly won¹t disappoint. One returning champion,
talented rookies and a host of seasoned veterans are ready to converge on
Lime Rock.
Pruett, who has never finished off the podium in his three starts at Lime
Rock, left the Trans-Am Series in 1994, going on to success in the Champ Car
World Series and NASCAR. This year, Pruett returns to his Trans-Am roots,
ready to pick up where he left off. Pruett will drive the No. 7 Jaguar R
Performance XKR for Rocketsports Racing and will certainly be a title
contender.
During his Trans-Am Series tenure, Pruett has won 15 races, and earned the
Drivers¹ Championship in 1987 and 1994.
³It¹s a unique track,² said Pruett of Lime Rock. ³It¹s a track that you have
to really set the car up to turn right. You do not do a straight-up car.
There¹s a unique rhythm at Lime Rock. Once you figure that rhythm out, you
can run very well there.
³Going back to Lime Rock is like a homecoming,² added Pruett. ³Getting back
to some of these tracks we didn¹t get to in the Champ Car World Series or
Winston Cup is great. Some of those tracks are just shear fun to drive, and
Lime Rock was one of those tracks.²
Yet, as Pruett returns to the Series, teammate Johnny Miller seeks to expand
on the foundation he¹s built during his nine-year Trans-Am Career, which
began in 1994. Miller has one thing in mind this season‹to win that elusive
first drivers¹ title. Miller finished fourth in the title chase last season,
and has finished fifth in the championship twice. His best points position
was third in 2001.
³I like it at Lime Rock Park,² said Miller, whose best finish in five starts
at Lime Rock is fourth in 1999. ³We¹ve always done pretty well there. It
reminds me of a short-track race. It¹s really fast relative to the terrain.
I love the three-dimensional stuff and the terrain changes. I remember last
year when Paul (Gentilozzi) and I were running together on the back
straightaway. He was on one wheel when we crested the hill, and I don¹t know
how many I was on.
³You set up a car to turn right, just like you¹d set up a short-track car to
go left,² added Miller. ³You make everything turn right and you give up the
left hander.²
Both will have their hands full this season, however, as Hayner, returning
to the No. 2 Trenton Forging GMAC Finance Corvette, will put the skills he¹s
honed during his 10-year Trans-Am Series career to use this season.
Meanwhile, this year¹s rookie crop, which includes Hayner¹s Revolution
Motorsports teammate Bobby Sak, Jorge Diaz, Jr. and Joey Scarallo, are
seeking to etch their names into the Trans-Am Series legacy. All are hungry
for their first Series victory, and winning this season would be a fitting
boost to each of the driver¹s young Trans-Am Series careers.
In addition, Series veterans Michael Lewis, Tomy Drissi, Randy Ruhlman,
Simon Gregg, John Baucom, Max Lagod and many others will compete at Lime
Rock this year.
Round 4 of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires Cup, part of the
Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Grand Prix weekend, is scheduled for
Monday, May 26 beginning at 2 p.m. The race will air live on SPEED Channel.
Fast Facts:
What: The Mohegan Sun Presents the Lime Rock Grand Prix
Round 4 of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich® Tires
Cup Championship
When: Friday, Saturday and Monday, May 23, 24, 26, 2003
Race Day: Monday, May 26, at 2 p.m.
Distance: 66 laps/100.98 miles
Where: The race will be run on the 1.53-mile eight-turn permanent
road course
Series PR Contact: Justin Anderson, 517-927-3614, cell at the track
janderson@trans-amseries.com
Track Records:
QUALIFYING RECORD
Year Driver Car Time Speed
1995 Ron Fellows Chevrolet Camaro 50.189 109.74 mph
RACE RECORD
Year Driver Car Time Speed
1996 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang N/A 104.178 mph
RACE LAP RECORD
Year Driver Car Time Speed
1995 Boris Said Ford Mustang 51.785 106.362 mph
Tire Talk:
Gary Blalock, tire engineer for spec tire supplier BFGoodrich® Tires, is
bringing 460 g-Force T/A® tires to Lime Rock in two dry compounds‹200
(medium) and 75 (hard)‹and a one full wet compound.
³Lime Rock is a turn-right track, with the exception of one left turn,² said
Blalock. ³The top teams last year were successful using hard left-side tires
and medium right-side tires. The track is old and it results in fast tire
wear. The fast guys last year were running hard-compound left-side tires,
and we¹ll make that same recommendation this year, unless it¹s really cold.²
Lime Rock Logbook:
* Nineteen drivers have won the 22 Lime Rock races, with only Dorsey
Schroeder (1989, 1995, and 1996) scoring three victories. The late Mark
Donohue won twice, in 1968 and 1971, and is the only other multiple race
winner here. The 16 other winners (listed in chronological order) are: Peter
Revson, Sam Posey, Parnelli Jones, George Follmer, Milt Minter, Al Holbert,
Greg Pickett, Paul Miller, Paul Newman, Pete Halsmer, Scott Pruett, Ron
Fellows, Tommy Archer, Tommy Kendall, Lou Gigliotti, Brian Simo, and Boris
Said.
* Pruett (1988 winner from pole in a Merkur XR4Ti) seeks his second Series
Lime Rock victory, pole, and fastest race lap. Pruett set fast lap in 1987.
* Stu Hayner seeks his second consecutive pole after dominating the race
last season. Hayner fell out late in the event with mechanical problems, and
Said went on to win. Hayner, however, isn¹t winless at Lime Rock, as he
earned a GTS-1 class victory during an IMSA race here in 1997.
* In the 17 seasons of Trans-Am competition at Lime Rock (beginning with
1972) during which the official Drivers¹ Championship was awarded, only four
Lime Rock race winners have gone on to clinch title: George Follmer in 1972,
Dorsey Schroeder in 1989, Kendall in 1997, and Said in 2002.
* Roush Racing leads all teams in Lime Rock Trans-Am victories with four.
* Ford Mustangs posted a five-race win streak at Lime Rock from 1995-1999.
The streak ended in 2002 with Boris Said victory in a Panoz Esperante.
Overall, Ford Motor Co. has won 12 of the 22 races; Porsche, three; AMC and
GM, two apiece; and Chrysler, Nissan and Panoz, one apiece. Ford leads the
marques with nine victories, Mercury and Porsche share runner-up honors with
three wins apiece to two each for AMC and Chevrolet and one each for Dodge,
Nissan and Panoz.
* Mercury's Merkur has won twice (1987 and 1988) as has Porsche's Carrera
(1973 and 1974) and the AMC Javelin (1971 with Donohue, 1972 with Follmer).
Chevrolet's Camaro has one victory (Donohue, 1968), as does Corvette (1981,
Pickett). Mercury's Cougar won in 1967 (Revson), Porsche's 924 Turbo in 1985
(Miller), Nissan's 300ZX Turbo in 1986 (Newman), Dodge's Daytona in 1993
with Archer, and the Panoz Esperante in 2002 with Said.
* Interestingly, Jaguar hasn¹t won at Lime Rock, and, along with Panoz, is
gunning for its first Lime Rock pole.
* The 1995 Lime Rock race set a record for lead-lap finishers, 13.
* Victory margins in Lime Rock Trans-Am Series races have ranged from 0.227
second in 1988 by Pruett (11th on the all-time victory margin list) to five
laps by Donohue in 1971.
* Eight (36.4%) Lime Rock races have been won from the pole, with Donohue
doing so twice (1968 and 1971). Other race-winning polesitters are: Posey
(1969), Follmer (1972), Pruett (1988), Schroeder (1989 and 1996), and Simo
(1999). Kendall's 1997 victory came from a "drawn" third starting position
after he qualified first. Schroeder's 1996 win came from an "inverted pole"
after he qualified fifth. Fellows won from second in 1992, Schroeder from
third in 1995, and Said won from third in 2002. The furthest back a race
winner has started is seventh (Minter, 1973).
* Donohue is the only driver in Lime Rock history to win three Lime Rock
poles. Fellows, with his 1993 and 1995 poles, and Brian Simo, with
consecutive 1998 and 1999 honors, are the only other drivers with more than
one fast-qualifying effort here.
* Said and Donohue are the only drivers with more than one fastest lap here.
Each has two, with Donohue achieving the feat in 1968 and 1971, while Said's
fast laps were consecutive (1995-1996).
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