Top Ten Finish for Thwaits at Big Fourth of July Weekend in Road America
July 6, 2021
Elkhart Lake, WISCONSIN - July 5, 2021 - The Round 6 of the 2021 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season saw Ken Thwaits overcome a challenging weekend, Sunday July 4, at Road America to notch another top ten finish and maintain his presence among the elite Trans Am drivers. The result was in spite of a truly one-off incident when the windshield cover of a competitor’s car flew off and became lodged in Ken's front grill of the No. 5 Franklin Road Camaro.
The resultant blockage to the car's front-end airflow meant Ken overheated repeatedly, forcing him into the pits, something that ultimately cost him several places. Nevertheless, 2020 XGT Champion Ken was pleased overall to guide the Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro into the top ten by the finish line and claim 16 championship points.
"It's really nice to finish the race and not drive a wrecked race car on the transporter!" Ken went on after the race, alluding to the brake failure that curtailed him at Mid Ohio. Of his stop-start weekend he added, "We weren't able to participate in the long test session. We didn't really get a chance to practice except in the second 30 minute session so at least we knew where we stood."
"In the race itself, I got a decent start and was biding my time in P8, waiting for the fuel load to burn out and the car to start to handle."
The race was slowed by a pair of caution periods. Aaron Pierce and Anthony Magagnoli got together in Turn 1 on Lap 5, bringing out the yellow for six laps. On Lap 12, Larry Bailey went off in the kink, bringing the caution out for four laps.
Of the yellow flags Ken opined, "They could have come a little later because I had to pit during the middle of the race. Simon Gregg's windshield banner flew off and I began overheating. During the caution I was surprised because I was really hot. I drove it into the pits."
An unfortunate pit lane speeding offence added to Ken's woes but he was philosophical in the end, "We were able to finish 10th, passing a couple of TA cars as well as all the SGT and XGT racers. I thought we were a 6th place car. We would have been 6th or 7th. The good thing is we've got a healthy car and we're ready for Brainerd."
As Ken said, he had a truncated preparation for Sunday's race meaning he wasn't able to spend as much time out on the track as he would have liked. The No. 5 Camaro didn't register a time in the first testing session, and it was the same story in the first official practice period. But that didn't stop Ken posting an impressive 2:09:124 on lap 10 of the second practice session for P7 in class. A time of 2:15:234 put him in P10 on the grid for Sunday morning's race of 100 miles or 75 minutes.
Next up for Ken is the trip to Brainerd, Minnesota where last year he won the XGT Class race en route to the Championship. Running from July 16 to 18, the Racing at Brained completes the midsummer trio of Trans Am weekends. Ken's involvement with Trans Am is underscored by his flagship partner Franklin Road Apparel presenting some terrific Trans Am branded gear for the 2021 season. Franklin Road has super high quality t-shirts, polo shirts, button shirts and caps bearing smart renditions of the famous Trans Am logo. Go and find them at https://www.franklinroad.com/
Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports, showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Franklin Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm
Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.
Cover Photo Credit: Kaleb Joaquin
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits' racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.
