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Trans Am series is Georgia-bound for Round 2

Images by Chris ClarksharetweetemailBy: Trans Am | 6 hours ago
The second chapter of the 2019 Trans Am presented by Pirelli championship story will be written this weekend as the series sets up at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta March 29-31. The Georgia event will feature two races on Sunday, kicking off with the TA class race that will also see the SuperGT and GT class machines in action. The TA2 powered by AEM class race will close out the weekend.

Lawrence Loshak (photo above) opened his 2019 Trans Am account with a TA class pole and win at Sebring International Raceway as his Burtin Racing squad debuted an all-new livery for his No. 3 Pennzoil/GoShare Chevrolet Camaro.

“After a rough rookie season and a long winter break, we started the year with a clean slate, and winning at Sebring showed what the team and car were really capable of doing,” said Loshak. “Scoring the win didn’t make us complacent, it made us work even harder. Road Atlanta is Burtin Racing’s home track, so I know we are expecting the same results as Sebring.”

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Coming off a second-place finish in the season opener at Sebring, Chris Dyson will be looking to extend his family’s Road Atlanta legacy and drive his No. 20 CD Racing Plaid Ford Mustang into the winner’s circle — again.

“Last year was a real special victory for us,” said Dyson, a veteran second-generation driver who scored his first career Trans Am triumph at Road Atlanta last year. “It was only our second race as a team in the series, and my second Trans Am race ever, and to go out, have a very competitive weekend racing head-to-head with Ernie France Jr. was a real boost in the arm for our entire effort. Ernie is a great young champion with a lot of experience.

“Winning that race put us in the championship chase all year,” Dyson added, “and it was a great start to our program.”
Dyson, the Road Atlanta Trans Am winner in 2018, is hungry for a repeat.
Road Atlanta long has been a favorite track of the Dyson family. Chris’ father, Rob, won the SCCA GT2 National Championship there in 1981 in a Datsun 200SX, and Chris clinched his first IMSA championship there in 2003 at the Motul Petit Le Mans.

“Last year’s victory was particularly special because it was the first race on the car for our branding partner, Plaid, and they are headquartered only 40 minutes from the track,” Dyson added. “We had a lot of their key staff there to enjoy the race, and I hope we can repay it this year. Road Atlanta is one of my favorites – it’s one of those rare tracks that’s fantastic to drive in just about anything.”

Reigning Trans Am champion Ernie Francis Jr. will return in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Frameless Shower Doors Ford Mustang, looking to make up TA class championship ground after a mechanical setback at Sebring. The two-time Road Atlanta Trans Am winner hopes to add to his impressive win tally with another run to victory this weekend.



Reigning Trans Am champ Francis Jr. is going for the Road Atlanta Trans Am win hat trick.“Last year, we had a really good battle [here] with Chris Dyson that went all the way to the finish,” Francis said. “We had some contact at the end of the race and I wound up finishing the race on his back bumper. This year, I want to take home the win.

“Road Atlanta is an extremely fun track to drive,” Francis continued, “especially in these TA cars. We’re carrying so much horsepower down that back straight. It’s crazy fast.”

In addition to Sebring winner Loshak, there are several drivers who have their eye on the victory this weekend, including three-time Road Atlanta winner Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette; and last year’s third-place finisher, Simon Gregg in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Corvette.

Gregg, like Dyson, is looking to add to a robust family legacy, as his father Peter won the inaugural Trans Am race at Road Atlanta in the No. 59 Brumos Porsche in 1973.

SGT class Sebring podium finishers Tom Herb, Mark Boden, and winner Lee Saunders will all be back in action as part of the multi-class TA class race on Sunday morning.



2018 TA2 champ and Sebring winner Matos has momentum heading into the Georgia weekend.Rafa Matos continued his 2018 TA2 championship momentum in the No. 88 3Dimensional Services Group Camaro with a win over Marc Miller at Sebring, and will look to continue that run as the defending Road Atlanta TA2 class winner.

Miller, meanwhile, will be back in the No. 40 Prefix/Stevens-Miller Racing Dodge Challenger, while third-place Sebring finisher Scott Lagasse Jr. is in the No. 92 SLR/Fields Racing/M1 Racecars Camaro.

“The season [started] exactly the way we were hoping,” said Matos. “I didn’t make the same mistakes as last year in Sebring, and we got the win. My teammate Doug Peterson also did a great job at Sebring, finishing fourth and collecting points for the team championship. We have a good group of guys making a strong effort for the title, and we are only able to do it with the help of our sponsors, 3Dimensional Services Group, Sabelt, Howe Enterprises and Prefix Engines.

“I got my first win in TA2 last year at Road Atlanta and it’s become one of my favorite tracks in the United States,” Matos continued. “I feel very comfortable, and am always very excited to race here.”

The weekend opens with Trans Am testing on Friday. Saturday practice will be from 9:15-10:10 a.m. (all times EDT), with qualifying beginning at 2:20 p.m. Sunday’s TA/SGT/GT feature race begins at 8:50 a.m., while the TA2 Powered by AEM race is set for 2:00 p.m.
Chris Dyson, Ernie Francis Jr, Lawrence Loshak, Rafa Matos, Road Atlanta, Trans Am

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Matos survives three late-race restarts for TA2 victory

Image by Chris Clark108 sharessharetweetemailBy: Trans Am | March 31, 2019 3:05 PM
In what turned out to be a three-lap shootout to the checkered flag, defending TA2 powered by AEM champion Rafa Matos wheeled the No. 88 3Dimensional Services Group Chevrolet Camaro to his second consecutive victory at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli TA2 class.

The win marks the second for the Brazilian driver this season as the 2018 champion targets a second consecutive TA2 title.

Driving the No. 40 Prefix Stevens-Miller Racing Dodge Challenger, Marc Miller claimed his second runner up result of the season, with Dillon Machavern in the No. 77 Liqui-Moly Prefix Ford Mustang completing the podium in third.

All the Big Three manufacturers — Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford — were represented on the TA2 podium.

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“It was crazy near the end with all the restarts,” said Matos. “Every one was a struggle. Marc [Miller] has a very fast car on the straight line. He had a really good jump going down the hill [on the last one], and it was not easy to hold him off for the win. My 3Dimensional Services team did an amazing job again this weekend — this is for them!”

Matos took the lead early in the 100-mile, 40-lap TA2 race, edging past pole-sitter Misha Goikhberg on the fifth lap. Battling back, Goikhberg was shuffled off track in Turn 1, and dropped back to mid-field.

Matos produced faster times each lap as his tires got up to temperature, building a sizeable 3.116s gap over second. However, a late-race yellow flag caused by a car off in Turn 4, grouped the cars back together behind the safety car.

Miller challenged Matos on the restart, but his run ended prematurely when another yellow flag slowed the field. Fresh off the second restart, Machavern packed in behind Miller and Matos before a third full-course yellow was called to retrieve a stranded car.

“We were struggling a little bit with pace at the start of the race, but the car seemed to come to me after it cooled down during the first caution,” Machavern said. “Then I was in really good shape behind Marc and Rafa, who did an awesome job.

“I’m really happy to be on the podium for the first time this year for our sponsors and team,” Machavern continued. “The Stevens Miller guys really grinded this weekend, getting the Liqui-Moly Mustang up to speed. They put so much work into this program and deserve this podium.”

With three laps remaining, Matos and Miller battled for position, with Matos getting to the checkered flag first by about five tenths of a second.

“I thought I had a good start on the first two restarts, [but] Rafa got a little tricky on me on the last one,” said Miller. “Those last two laps were the hardest I’ve ever driven. I was doing everything I could just to get back to Rafa’s bumper. The two guys standing beside me on the podium bring out the best in me on the track.

“The Prefix Hemi power on the straightaway was just incredible,” Miller added. “That was the great equalizer for us.”

Doug Petersen won the Masters award following a seventh-place finish in the No. 87 3Dimensional Services Ford Mustang, while 16-year-old rookie Ty Gibbs won the CoolShirt Cool Move of the Race award after charging from a 14th-place start to a sixth-place finish.

“I am a circle track driver typically,” said Gibbs. “This is my first time on a road course and in a TA2 car. I logged more than a 1000 laps on the simulator to prepare for this race because I was so nervous! But this was a ton of fun in these cars with the power and downforce that they have. I had a blast out here. It’s a totally different world, but the seat time was great.”

The TA2 presented by AEM class action continues May 3-5 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California. For more information on the classes and race results, visit GoTransAm.com or follow on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @gotransam.
Rafa Matos, Road Atlanta, TA2, Trans Am

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Trans Am Road Atlanta race highlights

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This is actually Road America....Atlanta is still blocked.

Our live stream from the Ryan Companies Trans Am Road America Classic, featuring the TA, TA3 and TA4 classes.