Trans Am in Transition

[muggle not]

Trans Am seems to be re-inventing itself. Unfortunately, most of the experienced teams/drivers aren't sticking around to see where the series is headed (or perhaps they do know where). Revolution motor sports (Don and Bobby Sak) just announced that all their equipment is for sale.

Lets see now, some that have left the series:

Don Sak
Bobby Sak
Stu Hayner..... believe he is doing some racing in Grand Am
Boris Said
Michael Lewis
Johnny Miller
Tom Gloy Racing w/ Leitzinger as driver - last year

Other than Pruett, are there any other top drivers left.

[full throttle]

Yes, a lot of unrest in the series at the moment and CART's delayed schedule which T-A is tied too, is not a particularly good sign either. But, its been around for 35 or more years now so lets not throw dirt on the grave yet. However, one must wonder where T-A stands in Gentilozzis priority list nowadays....

[gttouring]

Well regardless of gentilozzi as manager, the SCCA owns T/A and it is their series, isn't it?
so the GT1 cars and Trans-Am cars will still race and probably at more traditional venues if the Paul factor goes awry- He should focus on T/A as a grassroots pro series anyway, it shouldnt have the freaky manufacturer involvement he want (like he said he like the DTM and BTCC/SCV8 car series')
so this is not really the place to take T/A but it was there once so Manufacturers really like it, remmeber the Turbo 4 wheel drive Audi's anyone?

[Robert Ryan]

Mugglenot I hope all of this get settled very quickly, that is a sizeable part of the field gone from T/A next year.If there is a next year?

[full throttle]

GT
Yes SCCA technically owns the series, but have been and will be unable to do anything with it. Gentilozzi runs the show totally at the moment. The fate of the series almost completely lies in his hands...

[Patrick B]

I hope TA is dead. SWC is a much beter series. We don't need more roadracing series competing for the same market...

[billnchristy]

Uhhh...mmmmm....well....

THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH ROAD RACING SERIES ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That being said, I think that maybe the idea about making T/A a more grassroots idea is good, but it is kinda wrong.

World Challenge was started for that reason and has turned into what T/A used to be. Things should really flip flop. There is no reason for a 60k touring car!!!

But, if to survive it goes backwards, that is fine. I really think T/A should be a step up that the GT1 drivers want to take...yet no one wants to. Something definitely needs to be done, but it does NOT need to die, no series in America, Europe, Asia, or anywhere else should die if they are or once were a good thing. I think T/A is a good thing, go see it live if there is another chance...it is good, clean, fun racing.

[full throttle]

Pat: Many people feel the same about SWC. T-A has 37 years of history and tradition...

[gttouring]

TA is a good thing and should remain strong, the 311 Cu.Inch displacement is what 5.4 litres?
who cares, the rules say anythign can be run from 273 cu.in V8 to a 355 cu.in. if i am not mistaken- Paul G wants it to be 4.5-5.0 litres and DOHC.
Let the gambit run for what ever is underthe hood.
V6 to V8 variety and garage built is the thing about this series. and Carb or fuel injection whatever you want to run. the body styles are pretty open anyway, so just mix and match any production 2 door car.
SWC is great touring car racing, adn speed GT is good production racer stuff, but T/A is special purpose built tubeframe monsters with a solid rear and a Detroit Locker, these things are just brutal classic racing, and any one can see that if you go to the races. That being said the Speed World challenge should follow Champcars around to bring in the 'Tuner' crowd, and TA can show iup at the classic venues, but not all of them. i would like to see T/A at Road Atlanta, not denver. and Watkins glen- Not Miami. They can run in lots of places but being The SCCA top tin tops I would want them back at the road Courses and bring out all the GT1 guys- imagine a field of 30 or more Trans-Am cars at every race, wow.
Speed World challenge regularly gets what 44-50 some cars- Quality over quanity? well when the Quantity is as good as SWC i can see the argument, so T/A really needs to relax- it doesn't need to be International like ETCC/BTCC/SCV8/DTM-
just the toughest Road race series in North America.

[thebear]

Originally posted by billnchristy
Uhhh...mmmmm....well....

THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH ROAD RACING SERIES ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you please, sir, desist! Pity the poor corner workers (marshals) who must be there at `stupid O'clock' in the morning and leave long after the festivities are over. At the `big races' such as Trans-Am there are always some sort of suport races whose only reason for existence is the fee paid to the promoter.

[gttouring]

true bear- we have all been there, but corner workers get the best seats!
I would agreee there are far more oval series in North America than road race series, kinda dull huh?

[thebear]

Originally posted by gttouring kinda dull huh?

Not if you had spent the 40+ days at the track that I have this year. See my recent post on one of the other forums (???)

[blueflagger]

Unfortunately for TA, their cars are not seen by youth as the kind of car they can reasonably afford to imatate, especially since the demise of the Camaro.
I'd love to see both series do well.

I'd also love to see SCCA do a better job of tapping into the SWC crowd to recruit more workers Bear! Either that or enough vacation time from my money-paying job to flag them more often.

[gttouring]

TA should indeed get the Supra body and the celica bodies out there (they are approved) it would be nice to see the Approved 350Z alongside the Jags, Vettes, Camaros, and Mustangs, they do need to make an initiative to get the newer car buyer market body styles to the fore so people may take interest.

[billnchristy]

If you think there are too many road racing series and dont like to marshall....then dont!! There are plenty out there that love it and do not complain one iota about how early they get up or how late they stay up to make sure that the racing is done right and professionally. I camped next to the SCCA guys at the LRP GP and they never once had a negative word, in fact they usually came over to chat and tell me about past great expiriences...sounds like a real burden!

[full throttle]

GT: I'm all the way with you in your call for more classic permanent road courses where TA (and other classes..) can really stretch their legs and demonstrate their real capabilities. Unfortunately in our 'zero attention span' society, if its more than 5 minutes travel, we're not interested. I remember when my dad and I used to drive 4 hours roundtrip to Riverside Raceway to watch a Trans-Am race and were thrilled to do it.

Blueflag: I realize that there is a a lot of truth when you talk about how todays T-A cars don't appeal to the youth. I suppose it just goes to show how old I'm getting when I tell you that back in the day (and still today..), I didn't care about the cars as long as they were fast and the driving and competition was good. I think its a bit of a cop-out for people to point at the 'people don't relate to the cars' as a viable argument. I suppose there may be some truth to it, but when I was driving a Pinto how was I interested in an F1 car or a Porsche 917, or anything else on the track? In fact, in a way the last thing I probably want to see out there is anything that resembles the commute home every day. I do know the reality is closer to your statement, but I sometimes wonder how it got that way?

[muggle not]

Lest we forget, it was only 3 years ago (season 2000) when Trans Am was running fields of 35 to 40+ cars. I really don't know what happened for the bottom to fall out so quickly. It is a cop-out to entirely blame the economy. Perhaps Panoz lost some interest in TA when he decided to devote his time to ALMS. Perhaps the loss of Sanchez as an active owner hurt. Whatever, it has surely been in a state of uncertainly since the P.G. buyout.

I can certainly understand the confusion of team owners. What type of info do they give potential sponsors about the series when approaching them about sponsorship. I know of one past sponsor of a TA team that withdrew their sponsorship to simply sit it out and wait to see what develops in road racing as there is too much confusion right now.

As far as World Challenge goes, it is a great road racing series. I would like to think that both TA and WC could co-exist successfully as they are both exciting and fun to watch.

[gttouring]

TA should run along side Speed WC, with TA as the headliner, and they both should run support to eith ALMS, or CART- now Speed GT as much as I do like it, it is a GT series alongside the ALMS GT- this is a redundancy that i think is thinning out much comptetition and spectator interst. I like them both but we have a place for touring cars Speed WC, and GT. the TA is the unique tube frame road race series (which paul G has alluded to (on wind tunnel) running a mile oval if there were enough interest-oh no!)
Trans-Am should be the top series in the road race arena in North America (well a rung under-or along side ALMS- as ALMS is more international) and let's not get started on Grand Am cup and GS2 and the Grand Am Rolex series.

[gttouring]

oddly after reading the Trans-am series has always had Mustangs and Jaguars since at least 1977, Porsche was involved from the beginning and Alfa romeo GTA won the 1st title in 1966. I like the format however of no turbos (leave that to CART and ALMS and speedGT) and rear drive V6 or V8- Brock Yates mistakenly says that the 'future of racing is in the imports and tuners crowd they have front drive turbo 4's not rear V8's'
now Hot rods are made from what's available and what most young guys and girls can get their hands on- namely front drive cars with inline 4's- add a turbo and they go fast.
but every manufacturer and racer knows that eventually you move to rear drive, then bigger and bigger motors for durability and easy power. I have blown a turbo 4 motor in my rear drive Nissan already, and Nothing beats the old Firebird with te V8 in it. my point is as the crowds get inot 'real racing' not drags or drifting- the truth in rear drive power and V8's comes to light- it is fantastic and power is unlimited a V6 is close but wil be more high strung- but just as fantastic, when exposure reaches its max people will learn. after all how many Trans-Am engine failures are there? ad how many Lola Mg turbo failures have there been? high strung 4's don't race as well.
the JGTC 4cylinder turbos are exceptional as these are benchmarks of 4 cylinder 'compact car' power. but even toyota has left their good old 4cylinder turbo in the JGTC supra for a 5.2 litre V8, and its winning handily. now Nissan is all over with their turbos still and I don't expect it to change, but the V8 US market Skyline is still in development and i am sure that motor will reach the racing world.
so if the TA cars don't appeal to the dempgraphic it is most likely because most 'tuners' and import compact drivers, haven't raced yet, on a road course.
that's why I love the Counter SVT (mondeo) with the bad V6 and the oomph, and the SVT cobra, different weapons for the same road race purpose. and my sights are pointed out to the Big cars ahead, and this is because I have learned that Right wheel drive is at the Rear and well Corvettes rock...it is only a matter of time for those who don't know get converted.
Open track at the races before the races anyone?Ride alongs with a TA car on a track Vs. a Speed WC challenge car on the same track? just to educate.

[billnchristy]

Not that its the same, but you can watch the times when they race the same weekend.

At LRP last year the Canadian Formula Ford 2000s were lapping the same as the Trans Am cars...which do you think were more impressive?

Granted the CFF had a finish of .003 between the front 2, but T/A made me stand in the rain soaked to the bone, cold and enthralled...CFF wouldnt do that!!

I cant remember exactly but I think the SWC GTs were 6 or so seconds a lap slower than the T/A cars

[gttouring]

Oh I see, The Trans-Am get me standing too, I am especially refering to most people in the scene. They learn to drive a civic or a Golf and stay with front drivers for ever. A quick lap in a car so they learn what rear drive is like and V8 power feels like then many would convert to this type of racing (Rear drive road courses)
A quick lap in a Front drive touring car might help rope people into the love of Road course racing vs. drag and drifting for sure. I preach like the converted because I used to drift, until I found out there was no winner, no point. and racing you must beat yourself, the clock the track, and every corner- and every hot shoe who tries to dive on the inside- Its my corner, my track my Lap and my race.
People every where will understand, and when they do Trans-Am will look all the better when you understand it is saddled with ALOT of power even to weight, and a solid rear end that want to go straight, impressive beasts to be sure.