SCCA: Canadian Fellows Takes Trois-Rivieres Trans-Am Win

08/06/96

CANADIAN FELLOWS TAKES TROIS-RIVIERES TRANS-AM WIN

TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec, Can. -- (August 8) Ron Fellows, of Toronto,
Ontario, Can., passed Scott Sharp, of Danville, Calif., on lap 16 and
was never seriously challenged, taking a 6.736-second margin of
victory over Dorsey Schroeder, of Osage Beach, Mo., on the 1.506-mile,
10-turn Trois-Rivieres street circuit.

Defending Trois-Rivieres race-winner Fellows, in the #3 Sunoco/AER
Manufacturing Chevrolet Camaro, started the 55-lap, 82.83-mile race
third and moved past second-place starter Paul Gentilozzi on the
race's opening lap. Fellows then hotly pursued pole-sitter Sharp, in
the #33 Rain-X Oil Energizer Camaro, for 15 laps before overtaking
Sharp in traffic.

"Traffic definitely played a part in today's race," said
Fellows. "Traffic was very hard to get through and the circuit was
very slippery. To win here two times in a row feels great. I really
love coming to Trois-Rivieres--the fans are extremely passionate about
car racing and so am I."

Once in the lead, Fellows easily pulled away from Sharp, who became
entangled in a battle for second with Dorsey Schroeder, in the #12
Raybestos Ford Mustang Cobra.  Sharp began the contest on
soft-compound Goodyear tires, and as the race progressed his pace
slowed as his tires faded in the hot Trois-Rivieres weather, giving
Schroeder an advantage he took on lap 46, moving into his second-place
finishing position while Sharp finished third.

The early going of the race saw a spectacular seven-car train
locked in a battle for the lead, with Sharp, Fellows, Schroeder, Paul
Gentilozzi, Brian Simo, Greg Pickett, Jamie Galles and Tom Kendall
running nose-to-tail. On lap eight, Galles, in the #2 ICI/Glidden
Camaro, spun after getting nudged by Kendall, dropping Galles to 12th
and Kendall to 18th one lap later after Kendall had to pit for a
stop-and-go penalty as a result of the contact.

With Fellows in the lead after making it by Sharp, the battle became
a chase for points, with Paul Gentilozzi, in the #5 HighwayMaster
Camaro, making a late-race re-pass on Brian Simo, in the #22 Valvoline
Mustang Cobra, for fourth, while Simo finishing fifth.

In taking the win, Fellows set a Trois-Rivieres record average speed
of 82.65 miles-per-hour and earned the DynoMax Turn On The Power Award
for his effort.

John Fergus, in the #67 Carlin Combustion Mustang Cobra, finished
seventh in his Trans-Am debut, earning the Raybestos Rising Star of
the Race Award in the process.  Kendall, in the #11 All Sport Body
Quencher Ford Mustang Cobra, finished eighth after starting 19th,
improving 11 positions to win the OPTIMA Batteries Quick Charger
Award.

Fellow's win, Chevrolet's fourth victory of the 1996 season, propels
the auto maker into a tie with Ford in the Manufacturers' Championship
point standings, 78 to 78.

In the Drivers' Championship point standings, Schroeder leads with
266 points, followed by Kendall, 257; Jamie Galles, 215; Sharp, 200;
Fellows, 199; Brian Simo, 186; Greg Pickett, 185; Paul Gentilozzi,
180; Bill Saunders, 166; and Jon Gooding, 147.

Next up for the Trans-Am is Round 11 of 14, the Serengeti Eyewear
Trans-Am Classic, part of the NASCAR Bud at the Glen, Watkins Glen,
N.Y., August 8-11.



TROIS-RIVIERES, Quebec, Can. -- (August 8) Results from Sunday's
55-lap, 82.83-mile Trans-Am Championship race at the Trois-Rivieres
street circuit, with finishing position, starting position in
parentheses, driver, hometown, car, laps and reason out.

 1, (3),  Ron Fellows, Toronto, Ontario, Can., Chevrolet Camaro, 55.
 2, (4),  Dorsey Schroeder, Osage Beach, Mo., Ford Mustang Cobra, 55.
 3, (1),  Scott Sharp, Danville Calif, Chevrolet Camaro, 55.
 4, (2),  Paul Gentilozzi, Lansing, Mich., Chevrolet Camaro, 55.
 5, (5),  Brian Simo, Carlsbad, Calif., Ford Mustang Cobra, 55.
 6, (7),  Jamie Galles, Albuquerque, N.M., Chevrolet Camaro, 55.
 7, (10), John Fergus, Columbus, Ohio, Ford Mustang Cobra, 55.
 8, (19), Tom Kendall, Apopka, Fla., Ford Mustang Cobra, 54.
 9, (8),  Jon Gooding, Longwood, Fla., Ford Mustang Cobra, 54.
10, (9),  Bill Saunders, Dallas, Texas, Chevrolet Camaro, 54.
11, (11), Dale Phelon, San Juan, P.R., Ford Mustang Cobra, 54.
12, (6),  Greg Pickett, Alamo, Calif., Chevrolet Camaro, 54.
13, (20), R.J. Valentine, Hingham, Mass., Chevrolet Camaro, 52.
14, (14), John W. Miller IV, Johnson, City Tenn., Chevrolet Camaro, 51.
15, (17), Ed Hinchcliff, Ypsilanti, Mich., Ford Mustang Cobra, 49.
16, (13), Bob Ruman, Munroe Falls, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro, 48.
17, (16), Jerry Simmons, Ancaster, Ontario, Can., Chevrolet Camaro, 41, crash.
18, (12), Randy Ruhlman, Greensboro, N.C., Dodge Daytona, 39, transmission.
19, (15), Eric Boisvert, Quebec, Quebec, Can., Chevrolet Camaro, 33, mech.
20, (18), Ted Sullivan, Hampton, Conn., Chevrolet Camaro, 12, brakes.

Time of race: 1 hour,  7.801 seconds
Average speed: 82.650 miles-per-hour
Fastest race lap: Tom Kendall, 1:03.739 (85.059 mph)
Margin of victory: 6.7359 seconds
Lap leaders: laps 1-15, #33 Sharp; laps 16-55, #3 Fellows