2012 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

Trans-Am, America's oldest professional road racing series, dates back to 1966. The championship was successful for many years, but in 2005 the series stopped. There were two major primary reasons that organizers ended the Trans Am championship - automotive manufacturers were no longer supporting the series and there was a lack of interest among the competitors.

The championship was revived in 2009 with cars prepared to the Sports Car Club of America's GT1 rules to keep costs down and encourage amateur racers to participate.

Since the end of the 1979 season, when Category I and II were eliminated, only one class has been competing in the series. As of 2012, there are three categories – Trans-Am, Trans-Am 2 and Global GT.

Trans-Am (TA) – This is the series quickest class. These tube-frame race cars are powered by a naturally aspirated 366-cu.in. pushrod V8 engine, which produces over 850-horsepower. From a technological standpoint, the vehicles are kept relatively simple – no superchargers, turbochargers, anti-lock braking systems or traction control. The body styles used are the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Jaguar XKR and Chevrolet Corvette.
Trans-Am 2 (TA2) – These are also purpose-built tube-frame chassis cars. Unlike the TA category, these vehicles use electronic fuel injection and intake restrictor plates to limit the horsepower to approximately 490. The series officials set the maximum price for shock absorbers, wheels, brake pads, and calipers to keep expenses down. Many of the chassis parts are based on circle track technology and components. This category is also restricted to using a four-speed manual transmission with no overdrive. They run on a ten-inch wide tire. Teams are also prohibited from using superchargers, turbochargers, anti-lock braking systems or traction control. The most common body style is the Chevrolet Camaro, but the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and Chevrolet Impala SS are also eligible.
Global GT (GGT) – This class is for international cars like the Porsche GT3 Cup and Ferrari 430 Challenge. The performance of these vehicles is consistent with TA2. The rules make it relatively easy for club racers to cross over to the Trans-Am series.

The 2012 season consisted of ten rounds - opening in May at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and ending at Road Atlanta. Brainerd International Raceway and Road Atlanta hosted doubleheader weekends.

May 20 - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
May 26 - Lime Rock Park
June 10 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 1 - New Jersey Motorsports Park
July 8 - Watkins Glen International
August 19 - Road America
September 2 - Brainerd International Raceway
September 3 - Brainerd International Raceway
November 3 - Road Atlanta
November 4 - Road Atlanta

Round three of the 2012 SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series was held at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers would compete in a 100-mile contest around the 2.258-mile thirteen-turn road course.

In the previous round at Lime Rock Park, the series veteran Simon Gregg qualified third, but when the checkered flag flew was in the top spot. The win marked Gregg’s first Trans-Am victory. At Mid-Ohio, he was gridded fourth for the start of the contest. Gregg inherited two positions during the race when Tony Ave and Doug Peterson retired. A pass on Amy Ruman resulted in his second win and the series point lead.

The defending TA2 champion, Bob Stretch, finished second in the season opener at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. But, he got his title aspirations back on track with a class victory at Lime Rock Park. The No. 98 Fix Rim Mobile Wheel Repair Chevrolet Camaro driver qualified on the category pole at Mid-Ohio. Stretch went unchallenged in the race and moved from seventh overall to fourth-place at the checker.

Last year, Amy Ruman made Trans-Am history in the final round at Road Atlanta by becoming the first woman to win a series event. During the offseason, she purchased a Chevrolet Corvette C6, built by the multi-time series championship-winning team Rocketsports. After two races, Ruman had sixth and third-place finishes. At Mid-Ohio, she qualified third fastest but lost a position to Simon Gregg and finished second.

The Cteck Chargers team ran TA2 Chevrolet Camaros for road racing veterans Pete Halsmer and Mike Miller. Unfortunately, a pre-existing back problem prevented Halsmer from competing in round three. The team’s honour rested on the shoulders of Miller in the No. 11 Camaro. He qualified twelfth overall and second in class. During the race, a pass on TA2 competitor John Atwell gave Miller a runner-up result.

TA2 competitor Gregg Rodgers competed in just one event last season and finished eighteenth in the final category standings. Rodgers drove the No. 33 Pinnacle Autosports.com Chevrolet Camaro. During the qualifying session at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, he was thirteenth fastest and fourth in his class. Like Mike Miller, he passed John Atwell during the race and earned the final position on the TA2 podium.

Denny Lamers was an SCCA amateur competitor and a Runoffs regular. He finished fifth last year in the National Championship at Road America, driving the No.66 Lamers Racing Ford Mustang. Lamers made his first start of the season at Mid-Ohio. He recorded the fifth fastest time during qualifying. Like Gregg and Ruman, Lamers was a beneficiary of Ave and Peterson’s troubles and finished third.

FIN.	START	DRIVER	CAR	ENTRANT	LAPS	RETIREMENTS
1	4	Simon Gregg	TA	Chevrolet Corvette	45	-
2	3	Amy Ruman	TA	Chevrolet Corvette	45	-
3	5	Denny Lamers	TA	Ford Mustang	44	-
4	7	Bob Stretch	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	44	-
5	12	Pete Halsmer	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	43	-
6	13	Gregg Rodgers	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	43	-
7	11	John Atwell	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	41	-
8	18	Jan Heylen	GTT	Dodge Challenger	40	-
9	15	Mel Shaw	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	40	-
10	19	Chuck Cassaro	GTT	Panoz GT	34	-
11	10	Michael Wilson	TA2	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	31	-
12	14	Joe Sturm	TA2	Chevrolet Monte Carlo	23	Mechanical
13	6	Jonathan Brett	TA	Chevrolet Corvette	15	Electrical
14	8	Tom Sheehan	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	7	Electrical
15	2	Doug Peterson	TA	Chevrolet Corvette	6	Mechanical
16	1	Tony Ave	TA	Chevrolet Corvette	5	Drive Line
17	9	Kurt Roerhig	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	1	Mechnical
18	16	Pete Halsmer	TA2	Chevrolet Camaro	0	Did Not Start
19	17	Cameron Lawrence	TA2	Chevrolet Impala SS	0	Did Not Start

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