Mike Cope and TA2 showcase growth at Road Atlanta

May 11, 2015

TA2 record entry of 38 cars shows the future of class, MCRE platform performs throughout event.

TEAM RELEASE - Clearwater, Fla. (May 11, 2015) – Once more Mike Cope Racing Enterprises (MCRE) and Trans Am’s TA2 class enjoyed the spotlight of an independent TA2 race, the Foametix Muscle Car Challenge, coupled with the largest TA2 field in Trans Am history, 38 cars, including eight MCRE powered entries. Within that spotlight, fans, drivers and team members alike all saw a glimpse of the bold future of not only TA2, but MCRE.

“It really was something to see,” said Cope. “Thirty-eight TA2 cars powering down the front straight towards the green flag. We’ve known this has been coming for awhile. We saw it when we created our TA2 program just over a year ago, and it was fantastic to see it come to life. This is one of the greatest platforms not only in road racing, but also in all of North American racing. But this is only the start; the future holds big things for TA2 and especially for MCRE. We expect this growth to continue, both for the classm and for our team.”

Eight members of the TA2 field sported MCRE built chassis, including four members of the MCRE “Arrive and Drive” program: Tony Buffomante, Keith Prociuk, Kevin Poitras and JJ Haley. Throughout the weekend, the quality of the MCRE platform was made evident by a multitude of drivers in nearly every session, be they members of the MCRE team or those simply driving an MCRE built car.

“Our cars only made up roughly 20 percent of the field—still a great number considering the age of our program,” said Cope. “But in every session we were heavily skewed towards the top of the charts. In the first practice, the top two cars were MCRE built; but better yet, 5 of the top 10 were all drivers in our platform. Our cars had a great showing in qualifying as well; it speaks to the quality of our cars but also to the quality of drivers who prefer the Mike Cope chassis.”

Qualifying saw MCRE built cars take six of the top 15 positions in the 38-car field, with MCRE “Arrive and Drive” members taking four of those spots with Buffomante qualifying third, Haley qualifying 11th and Poitras 12th. Prociuk would qualify 17th, putting seven MCRE built cars in the top half of the starting grid.
Dillon Machavern, in an MCRE built, Riggins Engineering prepped Ford Mustang, qualified fourth and Jordan Bupp, in an MCRE built, American Speed Factory Ford Mustang, qualified fifth; while Tony Ave, in an MCRE built, Tony Ave Racing prepped Ford Mustang, qualified seventh.

The race saw multiple MCRE drivers racing within the top-five, but it was Machavern who claimed much of the spotlight from behind his MCRE built Mustang, battling his way into the top spot for the final third of the race before being foiled by mechanical issues on the last lap.

“Dillon had a great race out there,” said Cope. “He’s a talented racer, and he definitely put our platform through its paces. Dillon had a spot of bad luck at the end, otherwise the race was his. JJ Haley had a great race out there as well; he’s a fantastic young talent, and he really showcased his ability to race in traffic. I think everyone expects great things in his future.”

The shear volume of cars played a role in the misfortune of some MCRE platform drivers. Buffomante was challenging for third with only two laps to go before being forced into the pits with a flat right rear tire with only two laps to go. Likewise Keith Prociuk was running a solid race of his own before pitting halfway through the race to address a flat right rear tire of his own.

“When you get 38 cars out on the track, things get busy,” said Cope. “This isn’t a Series where it’s going to be a walk in the park. Every race isn’t going to go your way—but that’s racing. Kevin (Poitras) had a bit of a rough go early in the race, which was unfortunate to see; as he’s one of those guys you expect to challenge towards the front. Fortunately, it’s not just the car counts that are increasing this year; it’s the talent level as well. This isn’t a “gimme” series anymore; it’s a tight, competitive and challenging racing environment—and that’s what’s making it great.”

Going into Round 4 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship, drivers sporting MCRE chassis now control seven of the top 15 positions in the 2015 TA2 Championship point standings and four of the top 10.

Results for MCRE built cars at Road Atlanta:

 

No	Name	Car	Finish	Best Time	Qualified	Q. Time
24	Dillon Machavern	Ford Mustang	2	01:28.248	4	01:27.278
99	JJ Haley	Chevrolet Camaro	6	01:29.241	11	01:28.979
81	Jordan Bupp	Ford Mustang	10	01:30.822	13	01:30.822
34	Tony Buffomante	Ford Mustang	14	01:28.428	3	01:27.235
9	Keith Prociuk	Chevrolet Camaro	22	01:31.090	17	01:29.659
70	Tony Ave	Ford Mustang	23	01:28.392	7	01:27.596
01	Nick Hazelwood	Chevrolet Camaro	26	01:31.628	31	01:33.603
37	Kevin Poitras	Ford Mustang	37	N/A	12	01:29.015
1	Nick Hazelwood	Chevrolet Camaro	27	02:23.498	18	01:24.934

The MCRE team and all TA2 cars will now begin preparations for yet another standalone TA2 race, the 3Dimensional Services Muscle Car Challenge, at Lime Rock Park on Saturday May 23, 2015.

About Mike Cope Racing Enterprises:

Perhaps no other team has worked so diligently to achieve success over the course of 30 years as MCRE. Over the years, they have successfully launched corporate sponsorships in national series, developed short track and SCCA Road race champions and mentored young upcoming drivers. Lead by Mike Cope, he brings the same enthusiasm, dedication and knowledge to his race team that made him victorious in his own racing career.

MCRE offers a variety of services for drivers interested in the Trans Am Series’ TA2 program, including custom builds, arrive and drive programs, maintenance programs, consulting, driver mentoring, set-up and shock dyno. Learn more at www.mikecoperacecars.com.

Mike Cope Racing Enterprises is based in Clearwater, Florida.

Mike Cope Racing Enterprises partners include: Quarter Master, Hawk Performance, Schoenfeld Headers, Wilwood, Port City Racecars, ButlerBuilt, Integra Shocks and Keyser Manufacturing.

MCRE Sponsors:

Bestline Superior Lubricants, www.bestlinelubricants.com

Since its incorporation, BestLine has developed a new line of full synthetic lubricants and lubricant additives that dramatically reduce friction, heat and mechanical wear to an extent never before seen or tested. BestLine refers to its proprietary technology as "Micro Lubrication Technology, (TM)" or "MLT."