TRANS AM CORNER: CATCHING UP WITH BC RACE CARS
June 6, 2019
Trans Am Corner: Issue 1 BC Race Cars
BELLE ISLE, Mich. (6 June, 2019)- Following a successful showing at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear May 31-June 2, BC Race Cars bolted to the top of the team standings for the first time since entering the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. (Team Standing Results) Trans Am caught up with the Canadian-based team owner Blaise Csida to talk strategy, all things Tony Ave and what’s in store for the team after a successful doubleheader in the first edition of Trans Am Corner.
TA- During the first press conference you said that you were excited to get the team’s first win, let alone
BC Race Cars first one-two finish. Now that you’ve swept the weekend, how are you feeling?
Blaise: We couldn’t be any happier with the results from the weekend. A win is a win, but to do it at
Detroit in front of the largest audience of the TA2 season is extra special. It is also not lost on us that it
was Chevy’s event and our two cars that won are both Chevrolets. It is so hard to score in TA2. Our team
put together two good drivers, we made great adjustments, did an excellent job prepping and the crew
is maturing. I feel pretty good about the next event and it can only get better from here.
TA- What was the feeling like in the paddock after BC Race Cars celebrated Tony Ave’s 100th TA start and
19th win on Sunday?
Blaise: (Laughs) Well, we didn’t know it was even Tony’s 100 th start until he was honored on the podium!
He’s a humble guy like that. But, we were so excited to share that moment with him. Tony and his wife,
and my wife and me are all really good friends. When the deal was coming together he said he would
really like to win. Tony was fast all weekend, and once the cars in front of him had problems, Tony was
right there to take the P1 spot. He’s an amazing friend, an even better driver and we are happy we
could make this happen for him.
TA- What role did Tony Ave play in helping BC Race Cars adapt to the street course?
Blaise: Tony was crucial in our team’s development at Detroit. As you can see with our practice times (Detroit Results) we were quite a bit slower than we were in the race or even qualifying. Misha (Goikhberg) is an excellent driver with years of experience in open wheel and prototype racing, but Tony having a 100 Trans Am starts and experience at Detroit in a TA car has its benefits. Tony was able to communicate the issues he was having on the course, and suggested a different set-up to the team. We did identical car set ups with slight adjustments to fit each driver. If it wasn’t for Tony’s guidance telling us exactly what we needed, we would have went down a different path.
TA- BC Race Cars could race anywhere, why do you choose to race with Trans Am?
Blaise: Trans Am is the most competitive series at the moment. It has absolutely fantastic racing at a relatively low cost.
TA- Does BC Race Cars have any testing or arrive and drive seats available?
Blaise: Yes, the TA2 car Tony won in is available for select races for the season. Interested drivers can email me directly (blaise.csida@bcracecars.com) or visit our website (http://bcracecars.com/) for more information.
Extended BC Race Cars Video Interview
Stay tuned for Issue 2 of Trans Am Corner when we talk to Dillon Machavern
