RJ Lopez and Gar Robinson grab inaugural poles of 2016 Trans Am Championship - Speedway Digest

RJ Lopez and Gar Robinson will start in the front of their respective Trans Am races tomorrow, Saturday, March 5, 2016, as the Trans Am Series launches its 50th Anniversary Season at Sebring International Raceway. Class leaders Lopez, polesitter for the TA class, and Robinson, for TA2, were joined by Randy Kinsland, Steve Kent, Jr., and Mark Boden, who grabbed pole positions in their respective classes as well.

Lopez, in the No. 06 Optica Lopez/Republica Brewing Chevrolet Corvette, survived a razor thin qualifying battle with 2015 Championship runner-up Paul Fix, driver of the No. 50 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, with only two-thousandths of a second separating the two drivers. Lopez and Fix turned 2:02.657
and 2:02.659 laps, respectively, to lead the 21-car TA field.

Defending TA class Champion Amy Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette, was close behind with a 2:02.719 time of her own, still strong enough for third on tomorrow’s grid.

Trans Am veterans Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 McMahon Group/ Stumpf Ford, and John Baucom, in the No. 86 Baucom/RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, rounded out the top five in the session with times of 2:03.363 and 2:03.398, respectively.

Gar Robinson, driver of the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, once more showcased the skillset that saw him capture the 2015 TA2 Championship, turning a pole-setting 2:08.358 lap around the Florida road course on only his second lap of the session. The time now stands as a new qualifying record for the TA2 class at Sebring, shattering the previous record by well over a second.

Robinson edged out Dillon Machavern, driver of the No. 24 Heritage Motorsports Ford Mustang, for the top spot. Machavern will start alongside Robinson for tomorrow’s race having edged out Tommy Archer, who will start third in the No. 54 Koolmat/Kolar Chevrolet Camaro, with a time of 2:08.809 to Archer’s 2:08.859.

Tony Buffomante, in the No. 34 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang, will start fourth after turning a 2:09.093, while Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 ECC Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger, will start fifth after turning a 2:09.104 lap.

In TA3, rookie Randy Kinsland, driver of the No. 11 Crossroads Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, set the class pole with a time of 2:13.635, also setting the class qualifying record. Kinsland will begin the race with Randy Mueller, who turned a 2:14.555 in the No. 0 Epic Motorsports BMW M3. Lee Saunders, in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper ACRCX, was third after turning a 2:14.636. Saunders, a 2015 Trans Am Champion, is yet to lose a race at Sebring, with two victories in two attempts, and is within striking distance to replicate the feat. Michael Camus, in the No. 06 Epic Motorsports BMW M3, and Jason Berkeley, in the No. 67 BMW Management Chevrolet Corvette, were fourth and fifth in TA3 with times of 2:15.558 and 2:17.414.

Veteran Steve Kent, Jr., in the No. 00 XLR8DieselTrucks Ford Mustang, set the fast time for TA4 with a time of 2:17.349, beating out rookie Brian Kleeman, who turned a 2:17.483 in the No. 07 DWW Motorsports Ford Mustang, for the class’ top spot.

Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 TREMEC/SKF Chevrolet Camaro, was third quick in TA3 with a time of 2:19.405 and was followed by Tristan Herbert, in the No. 33 Tilton Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, and Mike Geldart, in the No. 43 Racing4Education/RacersEdge Ford Mustang, who rounded out the top five with times of 2:20.664 and 2:21.202, respectively.

In TA5, rookie Mark Boden, in the No. 47 Fall-Line/Calypso Porsche 997, captured the pole in his, and the TA5 class’, Series debut with a time of 2:13.691. He was joined in the top three by teammate, and fellow debutant, Tim Kezman, in the No. 14 Fall-Line/Calypso Porsche 997, who turned a 2:14.034. Conor Flynn, also making his first Trans Am appearance, was third in the class with a time of 2:15.302.

Trans Am will hold two races tomorrow, with 77 cars expected to take the green flag. The TA2 class will hold an 11:00 a.m. ET race, while TA, TA3, TA4 and TA5 will take to the iconic road course at 4:50 p.m.; as the Trans Am Series holds Round 1 of the 2016 Trans Am Championship.

Trans Am is joined in celebrating its 50th Anniversary this weekend by the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, and Historic Trans Am with the likes of Trans Am legends Bob Tullius, George Follmer, Lyn St. James, Willy T. Ribbs, David Hobbs, Tom Yeager, Ron Fellows and Jack Baldwin all looking on.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
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.