Rocketsports to Montreal with Championship Hope

LANSING, Mich. (August 24, 2005) The Rocketsports Racing organization heads to Montreal, Canada looking to win their third-consecutive drivers championship and sixth overall with rookie driver, Klaus Graf. Last week, Graf clinched the Trans-Am Rookie-of-the-Year title and captured the points lead with one race remaining in the 2005 season. Paul Gentilozzi finished second in the No. 1 Jaguar R Performance XKR, while Tomy Drissi drove the No. 5 Transporter2 the Movie Jaguar XKR to his fourth top-five finish of the season. 

Sitting 12 points ahead of Randy Ruhlman, the newly crowned Rookie-of-the-Year is focusing on winning his first driver’s championship in North America. Graf currently holds two International championships in Europe. In 2005, the 34-year-old demonstrated his driving abilities by visiting victory circle three times, qualifying on the pole in four out of eight attempts and has led nearly 40% of all competition laps. 

Graf looks at the upcoming event in Montreal as just another race, he will not to put undo pressure on him or his crew this weekend. “My experience tells me that it's best to go into the last race like going into any other race,” said Graf I am going to take the confidence of the last two wins to wrap up the Championship in Montreal. So I'm really looking forward to going to another beautiful racetrack and enjoy myself on the race track.”

By winning the 2005 Trans-Am Championship, the German native will become only the second driver to win both the rookie title and the championship in the same year. Dorsey Schroeder accomplished the feat in 1989. 

Hollywood resident, Drissi looks to finish off the season with a win on the Montreal circuit. This will be Drissi’s second visit to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the first was a Formula One event as a fan. “Who are you kidding, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is legendary,” said the excited Drissi. “I watched Michael Schumacher win a Formula One event here. The track is amazing, I can’t wait to get there. I am going there with one thing on my mind, winning. I’ve been close this year and I don’t want to end the season without being on the top of the podium.”

Four-time champion, Gentilozzi looks to end out the season not as a championship driver, but a championship car owner of the No. 7 Jaguar driven by Graf. The Lansing, Michigan resident holds driver Graf in high regard. “Klaus is a fantastic driver who has the skill and knowledge to drive anything,” said Gentilozzi. “He has been great to have in the no. 7 car and in the series. He has been great to race against and I believe he has helped step up the level of competition in the Trans-Am series.”

Last weekend, Jaguar clinched the Manufacturers Championship with Graf’s victory at Road America. The 2005 title is Jaguar’s third consecutive and fifth overall. 

The Trans-Am event during the Molson Indy Montreal is scheduled for Saturday, August 27 at 4:00 pm Eastern Time. Watch the excitement of the championship going down the last lap when SPEED channel airs the event on Sunday, September 18th at 1:00 pm Eastern Time.