SCCA Press Release: SCCA News

08/21/96

SCCA PRO FAX - Volume 3, Number 19 - August 16, 1996

ROAD AMERICA NEXT: The Trans-Am Championship and four more SCCA Pro
Racing series will be racing this weekend at Road America. For the
Trans-Am Championship, the Saturday, Aug. 17 race is the 12th round of
the 14-race 30th anniversary season and marks the third race in as
many weeks. For the World Challenge, Road America is the first of two
races in two weeks. The Player s/ Toyota Atlantic Championship is on
the card as well, as Patrick Carpentier heads to Elkhart Lake a single
point from clinching the Drivers Championship after winning the last
five Atlantic contests. The Barber Dodge Pro Series races at Road
America too, and Swedish sensation Fredrik Larsson enters the race in
winning form. He took the victory at Mid-Ohio last weekend, giving him
his second-consecutive win and his fifth victory in the last six
races.  Larsson has a commanding 39-point lead in the Drivers
Championship with four races to go. A field of 78 Dodge and Plymouth
Neons is expected to take the green flag in the season-ending PPG Neon
Challenge, as the top SCCA national competitors, PPG Pace Car Team
drivers and celebrity drivers do battle at Elkhart Lake.

SCHROEDER VS. KENDALL: It looks that the 1996 Trans-Am Championship
has come down to a battle between 1989 Trans-Am Champion Dorsey
Schroeder and two-time (1990, 1995) and defending champion Tom
Kendall. Schroeder, driver of the #12 Raybestos Ford Mustang Cobra,
with 298 points, leads the Championship with three races to
go. Schroeder has four victories to his credit, including last
Saturday s Serengeti Eyewear Trans-Am Classic at Watkins Glen.

Kendall, pilot of the #11 All Sport Body Quencher Mustang Cobra, is in
close pursuit with 287 points, but he has lost ground in the last two
races, finishing eighth at Trois-Rivieres and second at Watkins
Glen. Ford, thanks to a 1-2-3 sweep at Watkins Glen, has opened up a
87-to-82 advantage over Chevrolet in the Manufacturers Championship.

FELLOWS STILL FOCUSED: Ron Fellows, driver of the #3 Sunoco/AER
Manufacturing Chevrolet Camaro, has set his sights on a new goal after
a string of mechanical DNF s.  The drivers title for me is pretty much
out of reach, said Fellows.  I m putting all my energy into getting
those valuable points for Chevrolet. I m impressed with what Chevrolet
has accomplished in this series in 30 years, and I m personally proud
to have contributed to this record.

CANCER KIDS ARE THE BIG WINNERS: Officials from the Children s Grand
Prix of Minnesota have turned over proceeds from the event totaling
$200,000 to the Cancer KIDS Fund.  The Children s Grand Prix was run
as a benefit to support the Cancer KIDS fund, which is dedicated to
helping children with cancer and other blood-related diseases. Grand
Prix founders Mark and Claudia Cohn sought an opportunity to
contribute to the Cancer KIDS Fund after one of their children was
treated for cancer at the Children s Health Care facility.  We felt
that a successful, well-run annual event could provide more ongoing
financial support and awareness for the Cancer KIDS Fund than we could
simply do on our own, Mark Cohn said.  The Children s Grand Prix is
delighted to turn over this contribution to the Fund. We would like to
see the amount continue to grow year after year and see the event
generate funds well into the future.  Trans-Am drivers Jim Derhaag,
Jamie Galles and Eric van de Poele and World Challenge driver David
Rosenblum donated a portion of their winnings to the fund as well.

HARRAH S TRIPLE CROWN WORTH $50,000: Dorsey Schroeder, in taking the
victories at Phoenix and Watkins Glen, has won the first two jewels of
the Harrah s Road to Reno Triple Crown award and is just one victory
away from winning the impressive $50,000 jackpot. Schroeder will
collect the $50,000 bonus if he wins the season-ending Reno Grand Prix
at the Reno Hilton, Presented by Megabucks. If Schroeder fails to
complete the sweep, a $7,500 cash prize will be awarded to the driver
who scores the most Drivers Championship points in the three Triple
Crown races.

McCALL ON AMERICAN EQUIPMENT RACING S FUTURE IN TRANS-AM: Despite
losing Chevrolet backing after the 1996 Trans-Am season, American
Equipment Racing team owner Buz McCall expects to be back in 1997.
SCCA Trans-Am racing is the most competitive road-racing series in
America today and it s quite natural that one of the top teams, i.e.,
American Equipment Racing, needs to be involved in that series, said
McCall.  Therefore, even though we will miss a certain level of
technical support from GM Motorsports, it is our intention to go
forward with our race program, paying particular attention to our
corporate sponsorship needs in an effort to return to championship
form in the SCCA Trans-Am series.

PRATT & MILLER ANNOUNCES 97 CHASSIS PROGRAM: Pratt & Miller
Engineering & Fabrication has announced a revolutionary new approach
to placing its latest race-winning TA97 chassis technology in the
hands of SCCA Trans-Am competitors for the 1997 racing season. For the
first time, Pratt & Miller will sell a frame and suspension kit,
starting at $49,900, rather than just selling rolling chassis. Similar
to the way NASCAR teams buy cars, the kit consists of a complete
paneled, bracketed and painted frame configured for Camaro bodywork,
plus suspension parts.  We re really excited about the frame and
suspension kit, says Gary Pratt, long-time constructor of winning
Trans-Am cars and co-owner of Pratt & Miller along with former
Trans-Am competitor Jim Miller.  This concept is targeted specifically
towards getting more competitors into Trans-Am. There are lots of good
SCCA racers out there ready to move up. These guys have lot of
experience putting their own race cars together. With our new frame
and suspension kit they re not paying for a resource that they can
provide themselves, plus they re getting into the series with factory
level technology and quality.  Pratt & Miller s TA97 line-up also
offers the customer, for the first time, the option of line item
selection with respect to vehicle completion and components. Customers
can select one of several standard configurations ranging from the
frame and suspension kit on up to a complete rolling chassis, or
specify a custom level of vehicle completion from a menu of parts and
features. The TA97 Camaro rolling chassis is priced at $129,500. In
addition to their TA97 cars, Pratt & Miller also has a TA97 front
clip/front suspension conversion for older Trans-Am cars starting at
$19,900. For more information on Pratt & Miller s TA97 line of cars
for SCCA Trans-Am competition, contact Carl Seaberg at 810-344-9930.

SCHROEDER ON ROAD AMERICA: Dorsey Schroeder, in winning last Saturday
s Serengeti Eyewear Trans-Am, is the only driver in 1996 Trans-Am
competition to have completed every lap of the season s
racing. Schroeder s win was his 17th in Trans-Am, coming in his 61st
career start, and he ranks tied for fourth all-time (with Ron Fellows)
in race victories. He had this to say about this weekend s race at
Road America: We need to just keep our heads down going into the next
race and keep up the momentum that we need to win the
championship. This car has power and muscle on the straightaways and
it should be really good at Elkhart. It s by far the best car I ve
ever had.

KENDALL TO PARTICIPATE IN IROC CLOSER THIS WEEKEND: The final round of
the True Value Firebird International Race of Champions (IROC) will be
contested this Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. If all
goes according to plan, Kendall will be flying to MIS immediately
following Saturday s Trans-Am race to strap into his IROC racer for a
tentative 5:30 p.m. (Eastern) start. The 20th anniversary season of
IROC features one of the series tightest point battles in recent
years, as 11 of the 12 drivers have a mathematical chance to claim the
$225,000 titlists share of the $760,000 purse. IndyCar driver Robby
Gordon leads with 42 points, but Kendall, with 32 points, still has a
chance.

FOUR NEWCOMERS MAKING THEIR MARK: John Miller IV (#64 P.L.C. Direct
Camaro), Bob Ruman (#23 Cenweld Corp. Camaro), Max Lagod (#83 HyperMax
Engineering Camaro) and Dino Crescentini (#93 Autospecialty Camaro)
continue to make their mark in the 1996 Trans-Am Championship. Miller,
Ruman and Lagod have battled back and forth in the Trans-Am Rookie of
the Year competition, with Miller currently leading the way with 106
points, followed by Ruman with 83 and Lagod with 81. In the Raybestos
Rising Star of the Year competition, it s Lagod out front with 16
points, followed by Crescentini with 15.

TRANS-AM ATTENDANCE ON RECORD PACE: The Trans-Am Championship is well
on its way to an attendance record, as the series topped the 1.0
million mark at Watkins Glen this past weekend. With three races
remaining (Road America, Dallas and Reno), attendance is expected to
near the 1.3 million mark. The 1995 attendance was 742,419.

GOODING MAINTAINS OPTIMA BATTERIES QUICK CHARGER AWARD LEAD: Jon
Gooding (#16 Mountain Dew Mustang) remains the driver to beat for the
Optima Batteries Quick Charger Award with just three races to
go. Gooding has improved an impressive 37 positions on the season,
including 16 positions in the Cleveland race. Dale Phelon (#66 Carlin
Combustion Mustang), has improved 29 positions on the year and ranks
second. R.J. Valentine (#7 Pennzoil Products Camaro), with 39
positions improved on the year, is in an outstanding position to win
the award but he s yet to win a Optima Batteries Quick Charger of the
Race award and is thus not eligible for consideration.

BARBER DODGE ADDS LAGUNA SECA: The Barber Dodge Pro Series has added a
Sept. 7 race at Laguna Seca to its 1996 season, thus giving the
championship 12 rounds. The race is being sponsored by Superior
Performance Racing, which sells race gear from its retail outlet in
San Jose, California. As an added bonus, the winner of the Laguna Seca
round will be awarded an Indy Lights test day.

CELEBRITIES TO RACE AT RENO: Five television celebrities are among the
entries for the Reno Grand Prix, as they will race for Team Norelco in
the Barber Dodge Pro Series race.  The celebrities, all veterans of
the Neon Celebrity Racing program, include: Grant Show (Melrose
Place), Perry King (Melrose Place), Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince
of Bel Air), Sean Patrick Flanery (Young Indiana Jones) and Mark-Paul
Gosselaar (Saved By the Bell).

GALLES TO GALLES IN 1997: Jamie Galles has announced his plans to join
his father s Galles Racing IndyCar team in a management position in
1997.  It s a dream come true to have my son join Galles Racing, said
team owner Rick Galles. Jamie Galles, now in his fourth season of
Trans-Am competition, scored his first series win this year on the
streets of Long Beach.  My dad and I have been talking about the
IndyCar team for several months and when he offered me this job I
jumped at the opportunity, said Galles.  I want to thank Buz (McCall),
Glidden, ICI and Chevrolet for giving me the opportunity to compete in
the Trans-Am series.