On This Day in Trans Am History: May 21, 1995

May 21, 2020

May 21, 1995:

It’s a special feeling to beat another driver at his home track. That’s what happened for Dorsey Schroeder at Mosport Park, when he edged Ron Fellows in the second race of the 1995 Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli.

Schroeder, driving Tom Gloy’s No. 12 Raybestos Ford Mustang, nipped Fellows in the No. 3 AER Manufacturing/AC Delco Chevrolet Camaro by .265-seconds.

“Beating Ron Fellows at his own track is really hard to do,” Schroeder recalled. “Beating him at his home track, in an equal car, you come away with something when you do that.”

Schroeder learned a trick from Fellows the second time they raced against each other at the Canadian circuit.

“For Ron to win at his home track was very important,” Schroeder said. “In 1989, I needed a second to win the championship, and since we were both racing for Roush, I let him by, and it was his first Trans Am victory. But the second time, he was driving for Chevrolet, and I was with Ford, so now he’s my ‘enemy.’ We had a heck of a race, and he put a move on me going into turn three that I didn’t think could be done. But he knows the track better than I do, and he passed me on a late more going into three that caught me completely off guard. I could never get back around him that day.

“But he taught me a lesson that I never forgot. That takes us to that race in 1995. I out-qualified Ron, and he was not going to pass me in turn three ever again. We had a whale of a battle, and he kept trying to put that same move on me, but I learned that lesson!”

Boris Said took third in the No. 4 Tom Gloy Mustang, earning Raybestos Rising Star honors. He was followed by Tom Kendall in the No. 11 All Sport Body Quencher Mustang; Brian Simo in the No. 22 Valvoline Mustang; Price Cobb in the No. 15 Highway Master Camaro; and Brian Till in the No. 9 RAL Group Camaro.

“That was a good race,” Schroeder said. “Those were the fun times, and those were the guys I loved racing with. Those were really good, hard-fought races, and you knew who you could trust.”

Paul Gentilozzi won the pole with a lap of 1:18.212-seconds and led the opening 12 laps before being passed by Schroeder. The driver of the No. 5 Highway Master Camaro went on to finish eighth.

Schroeder averaged 98.360 mph in the 40-lap, 98-mile event.

 

Photo Caption: Dorsey Schroeder driving Tom Gloy’s No. 12 Raybestos Ford Mustang (Mark Windecker photo)