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Pickett back on top at Sonoma
in Trans Am West Coast doubleheader
October 11, 2020
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After a rain-soaked Saturday, the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship closed out its inaugural double-header weekend at Sonoma Raceway with perfect California weather on Sunday.
Following an overall second-place finish in Saturday’s Trans Am race, Greg Pickett reclaimed the overall first-place position with a dominant showing in the No. 6 Picket Racing Ford Mustang on Sunday.
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Starting from pole, Pickett remained cool under two restarts to cross the stripe 24.486-seconds ahead of second-place overall finisher Thomas Merrill for his third overall win of season. The win kept Pickett perfect for the season with four Trans Am class victories.
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“We tried to put on a good show, have a lot of fun and that’s what it’s all about for me,” said Pickett. “The track was pretty oily today, I was a bit worried about that. As I got going it going it was a bit slippery and I went off my rear bar just to hook it up a bit better. That worked nicely and created a nice balance to the car for the rest of the race. We are so lucky to have a facility like Sonoma in our backyard.”
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See full story HERE.
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Greg Pickett Aces Sonoma
in Dominant Trans Am Win
August 23, 2020
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SONOMA, CALIFORNIA-- Greg Pickett was in a league of his own Saturday during the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship race at Sonoma Raceway.
With a race pace that saw him nearly lap the entire field in his signature white and metallic blue No. 6 Pickett Racing Ford Mustang, Pickett claimed the checkered flag 1:36.995-seconds ahead of second-place overall finisher Simon Gregg. The dominant victory marked Pickett’s fifth Trans Am win at Sonoma since 1978.
While the California native was proud of his undefeated season so far, he became overwhelmed with emotion when talking about the tremendous impact being felt by many as wildfires rage in several regions of California including in Sonoma County.
“I am just out here getting to play with my race cars, and I really thank Sonoma and Trans Am for that,” said Pickett, “The people on the front lines saving people’s lives, saving their homes, saving their property, my hats off to you. I am deeply grateful for all of your sacrifices.”
The only car left on the field that wasn’t passed by Pickett was Gregg’s No. 59 Gregg Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3, although Pickett looked to be on pace to overtake Gregg all the way to the close of the race. Managing a returning rotor failure in the final legs of the all-green race, the same one that also popped up in his practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday, Pickett started to lose RPMs and speed.
Finishing second overall but first in class, Gregg put his new Mercedes AMG GT3 back in the winner’s circle for the XGT class.
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See full story HERE.
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Dyson Gets Redemption with Trans Am Win at Road America
August 8, 2020
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ELKHART LAKE, WI– Chris Dyson led all the way on Saturday morning at Road America, surviving a pair of restarts to capture his first Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli victory of the season. The multi-class race saw action deep through the field, as Ken Thwaits (XGT), Lee Saunders (SGT), and Tim Horrell (GT) each claimed class victories at the fabled Wisconsin circuit.
Driving the No. 20 Plaid Ford Mustang, Dyson held off Ernie Francis Jr. to win by 8.19-seconds for his fifth career victory, and first since beating reigning champion Francis Jr. in the 2019 season finale at Daytona as the duo fought for the title.
"The car was absolutely fantastic the whole race, from start to finish." Dyson said. "The Plaid Mustang was brilliant and Pirelli tires were strong the whole way. I got a bit nervous on the last restart, because you can never take anything for granted in this series. We came here to win, and this was big for the team.
“I just want to say thanks to everyone at the Trans Am Series and Road America in a difficult circumstances for putting on a great show for us and holding this wonderful event,” Dyson added. “This is one of my all-time favorite tracks. It’s one of the greatest tracks in the whole world and being here every summer is just an absolute gift – especially this year.”
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See full story HERE.
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Pickett Reaches Trans Am Milestone with West Coast Thunderhill Win
August 2, 2020
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WILLOWS, Calif. (Aug. 2, 2020) -- The 2020 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship opened its competition season Sunday on Thunderhill Raceway Park’s three-mile, 15-turn circuit during a 33-lap race covering 99 miles. Those numbers -- 3, 15, 33 and 99 -- are all odd. But what wasn’t odd at all was to see Greg Pickett claim an overall and TA victory in the No. 6 Pickett Racing Ford Mustang.
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It was XtremeGT (XGT) driver Simon Gregg, in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Mercedes AMG GT3, who started the race on pole and led the opening laps of the race. By the third lap, Pickett had moved past Gregg and extended his lead to upwards of 30 seconds on his way to the record-setting victory. With the win Sunday, Pickett has achieved the rarest of feats: collecting professional race wins in six consecutive decades.
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“Trans Am is near and dear to my heart,” Pickett said. “To get one of these in each of six decades is a real accomplishment. I’m very proud of my team, and very proud of my family for letting me do this stuff for that long. And I’m proud to be competing at a high level and being very competitive.
“The weather, the heat, made it a little difficult today,” Pickett continued. “About 45 or 50 minutes into the race, the car started getting pretty loose. Thankfully, I had enough pace early to create a gap, and we fundamentally just cruised around later.”
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See full story HERE.
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DYSON SALVAGES PODIUM FINISH AFTER PIT STOP
ISSUE BLUNTS DRIVE FOR MID-OHIO TRANS AM WIN
June 29, 2020
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POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Superior strategy can be the key to success in auto racing, and on Saturday afternoon it appeared after a smart pre-race call Chris Dyson was on his way to victory in the 100-mile Trans Am race on a drying Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. But then fate intervened in the form of a jammed wheel-nut during a pit stop to change from rain tires to dries.
“Even though there was no more rain in the forecast, the track was too wet to start the race on dry tires,” Dyson said following the race. “We knew the track would dry out over the course of the race and our plan was to be the first car to come in and change to dry tires.”
Dyson calculated that the time he might lose tiptoeing on dry tires for a couple of laps would be more than offset by the time his rivals would lose driving slowly in order to preserve their rain tires, which would be quickly deteriorating on a dry track.
The plan unfolded smoothly in the first parts of the race. Dyson made a good move in his #20 Plaid Mustang from his fourth place starting position to run third behind Simon Gregg, although Gregg was unable to match the pace of pole winner Tony Ave, who was able to stretch out a substantial lead before Dyson was able to pass Gregg for second place. The middle section of the race featured a hard-fought nose-to-tail battle between Dyson and Ernie Francis, Jr.
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See full story HERE.
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DYSON & MASAOOD ARE READY FOR MID-OHIO TRANS AM RETURN FOLLOWING FOUR-MONTH COVID-19 HIATUS
June 24, 2020
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POUGHKEEPSIE, NY— Coasting to a halt after a wiring issue knocked him out of second place at the Trans Am season opener at Sebring in February, Chris Dyson couldn’t have imagined it would be more than four months before he took to the track again in his #20 Plaid Mustang.
“The team was ready to leave for Road Atlanta when the seriousness of the public health situation became clear and everything began shutting down,” Dyson said, recalling the time between Sebring and the next scheduled event on the Trans Am calendar. “Humaid (Al Masaood, driver of the team’s #21 Amamos La Vida Tequila Mustang) had finished a strong fourth at Sebring. We had rectified the wiring problem on my car and Humaid and I were both looking forward to a great race at Road Atlanta. Instead, it’s summer and our second race will be at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
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See full story HERE.
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Ruman Restarts Trans Am Season at Home
Track Mid-Ohio This Weekend
June 24, 2020
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Munroe Falls, Ohio – After a strong start and taking home a third place finish in the 2020 season opener at Sebring International Raceway in February, Amy Ruman and the Trans Am Series will finally be resuming racing at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio this weekend. After four long months of a pause in the season due to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, Ruman and the team are eager to get back to the business of racing.
The two-time Trans Am Champion could not be happier that the first race back will be at her “home track” Mid-Ohio. Round 2 of the 2020 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli will be running in conjunction with the SVRA Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, a new partner series for the Ohio event, along with slating the race earlier in the season. In 2019, Ruman finished just shy of the podium in fourth place. While through the years she has faced many trials and tribulations at the track she calls home, this year she is optimistic about the chance to land a top spot on the podium.
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See full story HERE.
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Trans Am Corner: FAQ for Trans Am Series
Return to Racing Post COVID-19 Outbreak
June 18, 2020
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he Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will return to racing June 26-28 for the Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio. The two-race event will be the first for America’s Road Racing series since its season opener in February at Sebring.
In this edition of Trans Am Corner, Trans Am Racing Company President John Clagett explains how the landscape of Trans Am racing will look post COVID-19 outbreak.
What has gone into the preparation to be ready to race again?
Clagett: The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association and the Trans Am Racing Company are working closely with Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course management, who in turn is working with the state of Ohio health experts and government officials to ensure best practices and has a plan in place to minimize the risks associated with the virus as much as we possibly can.
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See full interview HERE.
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Francis’ streak lives on with Trans Am win number four at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
June 17, 2017
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Mark Boden and Andrew Entwistle grab production spoils in TA3, TA4
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. [June 17, 2017] – Ernie Francis Jr.’s winning streak stretched to four in a row today at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), as Francis capitalized fully on the moment, capturing the TA class win in the first appearance by the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli on the hallowed Indiana track. Mark Boden, in TA3, and Andrew Entwistle, in TA4, also made their own respective history with class wins in the 35-car multi-class filed.
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For Francis, bringing the No. 98 Buoniconti Fund Ford Mustang into the victory circle marks the 27th win of his Trans Am career, across all classes, and continues his climb atop the all-time win list—now holding fourth overall. Still, the feat of capturing a win at IMS stood as the highlight for Francis.
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“It’s really incredible to be here,” said Francis. “We’ve been breaking past records in Trans Am; it’s nice to be able to set the first record here—winning the first Trans Am race here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s just incredible. The guys did a great job on the car all weekend; the car was on rails. JRi Shocks set up the car perfectly. The EMCO gearbox was flawless all race, and our Katech Engine gave us the power we needed. I can’t thank our partner, the Buoniconti Fund, enough. They did a great job pushing us to this race and throughout the whole season; we’re looking forward to the next race, trying to continue the streak.”
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See full story HERE.
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milestone behind-the-scenes success story
for EMCO Gears at 52nd rolex 24 At Daytona
by Action Express Racing
February 13, 2014
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 13, 2014) – A high-profile and historic victory last month in the 52nd Rolex 24 At Daytona by Action Express Racing was also a milestone behind-the-scenes success story for EMCO Gears that supported and supplied both the overall race-winning No. 5 Corvette Daytona Prototype of drivers Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Sebastien Bourdais, and the team’s third-place No. 9 sister entry, with top personnel and four different key technical components and assemblies.
EMCO Gears has been a fixture in North American sports car racing for more than 30 years with its competition-proven gearboxes but the all-American manufacturer offers much more than race and championship-winning transmissions. A Rolex 24 that marked the first event of the inaugural IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship was also a breakout race for EMCO as the Chicago-based company supplied a full-time technician and variety of technology for Action’s podium-placing prototypes.
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See full story HERE.