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The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) introduced the Trans-Am series in 1966.
The championship was created during the introduction of Detroit's 'American Pony Car' period.
The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro proved to be very popular with consumers.
The best way for manufacturers to demonstrate their potential was 'To race on Sunday and sell on Monday.'
The Trans-Am series and its regulations have evolved over time. The championship has undergone changes to the race formats, vehicle eligibility and rules governing the cars. The 2004 championship is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, with Champ Car overseeing the operation of the series. Trans Am rules require that vehicles be constructed with a purpose-built tube frame chassis. The top chassis builders include Riley & Scott, Roush, Weaver, Selix-Weaver, Hoerr, Rocketsports and Pratt & Miller Engineering. The bodies are made of composites, such as carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass. The rules stipulate that the cars should maintain the recognizable external features of the manufacturer's model while providing flares necessary to keep the tires inside the bodywork. SCCA Pro Racing uses body templates to ensure the shape of cars is within designated tolerances. Cars must use the stock windshield or an approved alternative, which must be mounted in the original location and at the original angle. The rules also dictate the use of the stock taillights, which are often the only production parts on the vehicles. The popular models are the Chevrolet Corvette and Jaguar XKR; however, other cars eligible for the series include the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang. Car styles cannot be more than five years old. All vehicles are required to use an American-based engine. Eight combinations of body/year, cubic inch, and induction types are approved for the series. The grouping selected by the team will determine the vehicle's minimum weight. A 2001 body style with a carbureted 311-cu.in. must at least tip the scales at least at 2,600-pounds. The fuel-injected version is required to add an additional 50-pounds. At the other end of the spectrum are cars prepared to SCCA GT1 rules with 1998-99 body style and a carbureted 335 or 358-cu.in. They must weigh a minimum of 2,750-pounds. Of the ten races scheduled in 2004, seven will include the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. Trans-Am will by the feature event at Trois-Rivieres and Puerto Rico.
Round six of the 2004 SCCA Motorock Trans-Am series was conducted at Trois-Rivieres. Drivers would race around the eleven-turn 1.52-mile temporary street circuit for sixty-five-laps. |
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The first of sixty-five- laps around the Trois-Rivieres circuit. Leading the field of fourteen starters into the Ryan turn is the pole-sitter, Tom Kendall, in the No. 11 Rocketsports Jaguar XKR. Inclement conditions for qualifying caused officials to set the starting grid by the fastest times in the fourth practice session. Behind Kendall is his teammate and team principal, Paul Gentilozzi driving the No. 3 Jaguar XKR. |
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The points leader, Paul Gentilozzi, collected his fourth victory of the season at Trois-Rivieres. Gentilozzi, who won the 1998 and 1999 events at Trois-Rivieres, started on the outside of the front row in the No. 3 Jaguar XKR. On lap-2, he passed his teammate Tom Kendall for the lead and led the remainder of the contest flag-to-flag. Gentilozzi is one win away from tying Mark Donohue's record of twenty-eight victories. |
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Finishing in the runner-up position, 4.439-seconds behind Gentilozzi, was his teammate Tomy Drissi. Drissi had collected second-place finishes earlier in the season at Portland and Cleveland. He qualified third in the No. 5 Rocketsports Jaguar XKR. Like Gentilozzi, Drissi passed Tom Kendall when Kendall had brake problems on lap-2. Despite pressure from Randy Ruhlman and Ron Fellows, he held on for a runner-up finish. |
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Four-time Trans-Am champion, Tom Kendall, returned to the series in 2004, driving the No. 11 Rocketsports Jaguar XKR. When qualifying was canceled, his practice time gave him the pole. This was Kendall's third consecutive pole and fourth of the year. He led the race until lap-2, when his brakes failed at turn six. Kendall dropped to last but fought back to give Rocketsports a sweep of the podium. |
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A Trois-Rivieres favourite, Ron Fellows, drove the No. 40 Derhaag Motorsports prepared Chevrolet Corvette. The General Motors factory driver, from the ALMS series, also competed in the previous round at Toronto, where he finished third. Fellows was gridded in the fourth position for the sixty-five-lap contest. He ran as high as third before issues with the car caused him to fall to a sixth-place result. |
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The 2003 Trans-Am rookie of the year, Jorge Diaz, Jr returned to the series in the familiar No. 8 Jaguar XKR supported by the Puerto Rico Grand Prix. Diaz won the previous round at the Molson Indy Toronto was inching closer to the points leader, Paul Gentilozzi. Unfortunately, his championship aspirations took a severe hit at Trois-Rivieres. Diaz qualified fifth, but an incident during the race resulted in a twelfth-place finish. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Paul Gentilozzi | Jaguar XKR | Rocketsports | 65 |
| 2 | 3 | Tomy Drissi | Jaguar XKR | Rocketsports | 65 |
| 3 | 1 | Tommy Kendall | Jaguar XKR | Rocketsports | 65 |
| 4 | 6 | Randy Ruhlman | Chevrolet Corvette | Performed Line Products | 65 |
| 5 | 7 | Bob Ruman | Chevrolet Corvette | McNichols/Cenweld | 64 |
| 6 | 4 | Ron Fellows | Chevrolet Corvette | Derhaag Motorsports | 63 |
| 7 | 9 | Philip Simms | Chevrolet Corvette | Simms Motorsports | 62 |
| 8 | 11 | Garrett Kletjian | Qvale Mangusta | Unicco Service Co. | 62 |
| 9 | 12 | Charlie Webster | Chevrolet Corvette | CJ Webster of Canada Ltd | 61 |
| 10 | 13 | Jon Leavy | Chevrolet Camaro | Leavy Racing | 61 |
| 11 | 8 | Joey Scarallo | Chevrolet Corvette | ROH Wheels | 58 |
| 12 | 5 | Jorge Diaz, Jr | Jaguar XKR | Puerto Rico Grand Prix | 54 |
| 13 | 14 | Kenny Bupp | Chevrolet Camaro | Hamilton Safe | 48 |
| 13 | 10 | John Baucom | Ford Mustang | Baucom Motorsports | 24 |
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