Paul Fix takes pole in Fast Five Qualifying at COTA
November 5, 2015
Lawrence Loshak grabs second career pole in TA2; Ernie Francis, Jr., continues TA3 American Muscle sweep
AUSTIN, Texas. [November 5, 2015] – PROVISIONAL - Paul Fix captured his fifth TA class pole on the year in Fast Five qualifying today, securing first position for the start of Saturday’s inaugural Trans Am Series race at Circuit of The Americas, Round 11 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship. Fellow pole sitters Lawrence Loshak, in TA2, and Ernie Francis, Jr., in TA3, subsequently joined Fix atop their respective “Fast Five” time charts in each class’ independent session.
Fix, in the No. 4 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, captured the pole on his third lap of the session turning a 2:09.731, nearly a full second faster than that of teammate Doug Peterson, in the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Cadillac CTS-V, who turned a 2:10.703 lap. For Fix the pole position puts him in prime position to continue towards his ultimate goal of capturing the 2015 TA Class Championship. Fix holds the edge over many Trans Am competitors in attendance this weekend with a bevy of experience on the 3.418-mile, 20 turn course.
Fix entered the event only 11 points off of current points leader Amy Ruman and by capturing pole position he has already whittled away at that lead even further. Now he will aim to capitalize on his hard work in qualifying come race day, with the aim of either closing the gap or even potentially overtaking Ruman for the Championship points lead with one race remaining.
Following Fix and Peterson was John Baucom, in the No. 86 RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, turning a 2:11.146 lap to secure his own position on the inside of the second row. Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/McMahon Group Ford Mustang, and Amy Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet, had times of 2:11.437 and 2:11.447, respectively. While fifth starting position is not ideal for Ruman by any means, she remains well within striking distance of Fix in the 17-car TA class field; and as the winner of six races on the year, Ruman remains a threat to win no matter where she lands on the grid.
TA2 suffered a shortened “Fast Five” qualifying session, the result of a heavy impact and prolonged cleanup, that saw it end under a red flag. Still, Lawrence Loshak, in the No. 5 Raybestos Powertrain Ford Mustang, was able to turn a session-leading 2:16.000 lap to secure his second career, and first of the year, TA2 class pole. Loshak has only reached the podium once this year but has proven fast throughout all sessions this weekend; COTA may stand as the perfect opportunity for the Wisconsin native to break a streak of near misses and poor fortune.
Starting alongside Loshak will be Gar Robinson, in the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, ready to defend this, his home track, after capturing second starting position from a 2:16.115 lap of his own. The citizen of San Antonio is currently second in the TA2 point standings and eager to close the gap between himself and defending two-time TA2 Champion Cameron Lawrence—if he can use his starting position and hometown knowledge to his advantage, his goal may become reality by the weekend’s conclusion.
The feat will not necessarily be an easy one, however. Along with Loshak on pole, Robinson will be faced with the added challenge of having Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 Engineered Components Chevrolet Camaro, starting in third position after a 2:16.251 lap. In addition, teammate Shane Lewis, in the No. 72 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the champ himself, Cameron Lawrence, in the No. 1 MOPAR Dodge Challenger, to deal with, as they start fourth and fifth after times of 2:16.264 and 2:16.858.
In TA3 American Muscle, Ernie Francis, Jr., 2016 Champion and driver of the No. 98 Breathless Performance Chevrolet Camaro, secured his eleventh pole of the year after turning a 2:22.217 lap around the COTA track. Come Saturday he will need to fend off the challenges of Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Performance Chevrolet Camaro, if Francis wants to capture his eighth win. Napieralski will start alongside Francis for the ninth time this year after qualifying with a 2:24.764 lap time.
Francis’ Breathless Racing teammates swept the remainder of the TA3 “Fast Five” with Fernando Seferlis, in the No. 28 Aston Martin GT4, leading the International Group with a 2:29.719; while times of 2:33.167 and 2:37.030 were logged by Dave Ricci, in the No. 71 Southeast Guardrail Chevrolet Camaro, and Mel Shaw, in the No. 22 Bay Investments Ford Mustang.
Trans Am will return to the Austin, Texas, based track tomorrow, Friday, November 6, at 10:50 a.m. CT for a second practice session followed immediately by a second chance to qualify from 11:25 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. The 102.81-mile, 30 lap Trans Am race for Round 11 of the 2015 Trans Am Championship will be held on Saturday, November 7 at 4:00 p.m.
Fans can keep up with the action throughout the event at www.gotransam.com, on Facebook at gotransam.com/live-timing and on Twitter at @gotransam.
TA Fast Five Qualifying - Provisional
