Sheehan and LTK Face Quick Turnaround for Detroit Double Showdown
May 28, 2019
The return to Lime Rock for Trans Am was the first time since 2015 and promised much for the LTK Insulation Technologies team of Damon Racing who are based just down the road, in The Granite State, but unfortunately they were unable to build on the promise of the strong pace they showed in the previous rounds and at the checkered flag had to settle for 13th place.
Round 4 of the 2019 Trans Am presented by Pirelli season was billed as The Trans Am Memorial Day Classic with the all action in the competitive TA2 class staged on the Friday and Saturday of Memorial day weekend - the legacy of a local covenant that prohibits Racing at the Lakeville CT. circuit on a Sunday.
With action shoehorned into a tight schedule, Friday’s qualifying session was at the end of a long day and LTK pilot Tom Sheehan had to settle for 12th place on the grid in a time of 54:360 for the tight, 1.5 mile track layout - set up for the weekend without the chicane. Sheehan’s testing and practice session were again taken up with ironing out issues with the new Ford Mustang that Damon Racing / LTK are running this year, meaning the team have not been quite as fast as they had hoped.
It was the same story in the race where, in contrast to the previous rounds this year where Sheehan has looked every inch a top ten performer, the Bow, New Hampshire based driver struggled to make the progress through pack that many onlookers had expected. The team will no doubt have learned a lot from the occasion about the set up of the car, but on this occasion it didn’t appear particularly well suited to the unique demands of Connecticut circuit. The No. 97 Ford Mustang crossed the line in the AEM infinity sponsored race in a total time of 1:03:19.327 and with a best race lap of 54.812.
After the race Sheehan noted some frustrating comments with regards to the team's overall strategy, "We are getting killed and overthinking the chassis setup with this Ford Mustang. We can see what Mike Cope Racing is accomplishing on the race track and need to get ourselves reset and back in line to follow suit. We will get there."
It was a weekend that the team hoped to put to good use with the TA2 category of the iconic Trans Am presented by Pirelli series facing a quick turnaround. There are 20 cars entered in the class in the 2019 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear the weekend of May 31 to June 2 when two races are staged. The first race scheduled for Saturday morning at a bright and breezy 9:15 a.m. is billed, appropriately for Detroit, as the Muscle Car Challenge. That race is over a short course of 36 laps/84.6 miles/60 minute duration with the second race the following day, a race billed as The Motor City Dash over 43 Laps/75 Minutes/ 101.05 miles.
Tom Sheehan and the Damon Racing LTK Insulation Technologies team have encountered some unforeseen hurdles this early quarter of the season, but with the year not yet half over, there is still everything to play for, so go ahead and can keep up with Trans Am driver Tom Sheehan on social media – Facebook page is Damon Racing; Instagram is TomSheehanTA97 and Twitter give us a follow @TomTA2_97.
For more information on LTK Insulation Technologies please visit the website online at https://
About LTK Insulation Technologies:
Putting LTK insulation jackets & covers to work on your project saves your firm real money and time. The LTK Insulation products are so fast and easy. Installation is as fast as identification. Our carefully designed products line allows; fast, sure fit, 100% clean, no tool installation. Product designed for; balance valves, control valves, flex hoses, in line specialties, couplings, quick connects, unions, zone pumps. Your imagination is the only limit….GO LTK!
