As the Trans Am Series returns to Lime Rock Park for Round 5 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship, the 3-Dimensional Services Muscle Car Challenge and the Next Dimension 100, it does so in the spotlight of Memorial Day Weekend, a historic home for the Series.
Trans Am brings with it a 49-car field, ready and primed for the revitalized Series’ new two-race format which will once more feature this coming weekend. Both races, the TA2 exclusive 3-Dimensional Services Muscle Car Challenge and Next Dimension 100, featuring TA and TA3, are set to take place on Saturday, May 23.
“We’re excited to showcase our new platform at Lime Rock for our east coast fans,” said John Clagett, President of The Trans Am Race Company. “The Series has come a long way, even since last year; and we’re extremely pleased that Lime Rock has chosen to showcase Trans Am this weekend. The history that the track and the Series have together is something special, and we’re proud to continue to build on it, not just for the sake of our history, but because together we can put on a great showcase of modern motorsport.
The event will also mark the commencement of the 3-Dimenisional Services Triple Shot Showdown, a select three event segment of the 2015 Trans Am Championship that highlights some of the finest racetracks on the Trans Am circuit, including; Lime Rock Park, Road America and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers who accumulate the most points throughout the three events will be awarded additional silverware for their performance in the mid-season showdown.
“The 3-Dimensional Services Triple Shot Showdown gives our drivers an additional opportunity to stake their claim on Trans Am silverware,” said Clagett. “And, between Lime Rock, Road America and Mid-Ohio, we have a selection of some of the legendary North American road courses; pair that with these additional incentives, I believe we’re in for some great shows.”
The TA2 class’ independent race will be a first for Lime Rock as the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro exclusive contest will be the first of two offerings to take to the Lime Rock course on Saturday. This year all three models have made an appearance on each post-race podium, as the modern day pony wars continue in full swing. However, thus far the Dodge Challenger has held the advantage thanks to the talents of two-time defending Champion Cameron Lawrence, driver of the No. 1 MOPAR Dodge Challenger.
Lawrence has swept all three races this year and currently holds a strong margin atop the TA2 Championship point standings. Now, he will aim not only for his fourth win in a row but his second consecutive win at Lime Rock Park. What makes Lawrence’s run of form to begin this season even more impressive is the caliber of competition he has ousted on the way to the top of the podium. In turn, that same competition will make continuing his streak all the more difficult.
Gunning for Lawrence’s top spot will be 24 other TA2 drivers including current points runner-up Gar Robinson, in the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, 2014 runner-up Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 Engineered Components Ford Mustang, Dillon Machavern, driver of the No. 24 UniFirst/PPG Ford Mustang, and Shane Lewis, in the No. 72 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro— all of whom make up the current top five in the TA2 points.
Likewise, Lime Rock fans would be wise to keep an eye on veteran road racers Tony Buffomante, in the No. 34 BestLine Superior Lubricants Ford Mustang, and Tony Ave, in the No. 70 Lamers Motor Racing Ford Mustang—both of whom are more than capable of winning a race outright on any given day.
The TA class, which will feature in the Next Dimension 100 immediately following the TA2 race, has seen early season dominance in its own right with Amy Ruman, driver of the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, in Championship form with three victories so far in 2015—mirroring Lawrence’s success.
Now Ruman will look to continue her own success and snap the two-year winning streak of Paul Fix, driver of the No. 4 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, at Lime Rock Park—a track he has been absolutely dominant at in recent years. Fix currently sits second to Ruman in the TA class points, as both drivers head east with streaks intact, setting up a showdown between the two talents.
However, plenty of other drivers will be gunning for Ruman including, two-time defending Champion Doug Peterson, in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet Corvette, Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 McMahon Group Ford Mustang, Simon Gregg, in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, and, for the first time ever, Adam Andretti, in the No. 47 Engineered Components Chevrolet Corvette.
Andretti, also entered in the TA2 race, will run a double-header on Sunday, becoming the first driver in modern Trans Am to compete in both the TA class and the TA2 class on the same day.
Joining the TA class in the Next Dimension 100 will be TA3, Trans Am’s production racing showcase with both subgroups, the International Group and the American Muscle Group participating. American Muscle will be highlighted by the ongoing competition between current points leader Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Performance Chevrolet Camaro, and defending Champion Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Chevrolet Camaro, both drivers have claimed victory so far this year and remain separated by only five points heading into the weekend.
Likewise, TA3’s International Group will pit Vipers, Corvettes and BMWs against each other in a global competition as Jason Berkeley, defending Champion and driver of the No. 67 BMG Management Chevrolet Corvette, defends his crown and home track against current points leader Lee Saunders, in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper, and the likes of Russ Snow, in the No. 20 Guardian Services AiM Sports Chevrolet Corvette, teammates Cindi Lux and Steve Streimer, in the No. 42 and 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Vipers, Randy Mueller, in the No. 0 MCM/Bimmerworld/Redline BMW M3, and Michael Camus, in the No. 08 MCamus Racing/MCM Holdings BMW M3.
The Trans Am Series will first take to the track at 10:35 AM EDT on Friday, May 22 for TA2 class practice, followed shortly by the TA and TA3 classes. Trans Am will return shortly for “Fast Five” qualifying at 1:40 PM, once more with TA2 first in a separate session and TA and TA3 following. Finally, drivers will have one final opportunity to prepare for Saturday’s races with a second practice at 4:30 PM and second chance to qualify at 5:05 PM.
Trans Am will kick off race day with a fan walk on the front straight at 11:45 AM, giving fans the opportunity to meet their favorite drivers and experience Trans Am machines up close and personal. The 3-Dimensional Services Muscle Car Challenge, featuring TA2, will commence at 1:00 PM, followed by the Next Dimension 100, at 3:15 PM, with both races running for 100.5 miles, the equivalent of 67 laps around the Lime Rock Park course.
Fans can keep up with all the action throughout the weekend at www.gotransam.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam and on Twitter at @gotransam. In addition, live timing and scoring is available at www.gotransam.com/live-timing and on Race Monitor.
When to watch on CBS Sports Network;
Saturday, June 6, 12:00 PM ET
Next Dimension 100
Leg 1 of the 3-Dimensional Services Triple Shot Showdown
Round 4, 2015 Championship featuring TA and TA3 classes
Saturday, June 13, 12:00 PM ET
3-Dimensional Services Muscle Car Challenge
Leg 1 of the 3-Dimensional Services Triple Shot Showdown
Round 4, 2015 Championship featuring TA2 class
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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