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1987 was the twenty-second season for the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans Am Championship.
Bendix Brakes is the series title sponsor for the third consecutive year.
1980 was a transition year for Trans Am as the two category system was eliminated. The most significant alteration to the rules was the removal of Category II - turbocharged Porsches and highly modified Camaros and Corvettes. The object of these changes was to create a competitive series with the costs of racing being within reach of teams. The decision was proving successful with the championship drawing large fields, closing race and capturing the imagination of race fans. However, the expensive smaller displacement turbocharged vehicles were creeping back into the series. Trans Am cars use a tube frame chassis with bodywork that resembles road-going versions of the Ford Mustang, Pontiac Firebird, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette and Merkur XR4Ti. There are some engine equivalency formulas, with most cars using a production-based 310-cu.in. V8, which produces approximately 600-horsepower. The exceptions are the Merkur and Porsche, which are powered by smaller displacement turbocharged motors. A V6 engine option is also available for some General Motor models, such as the Chevrolet Camaro. Most vehicles weigh about 2,600-lbs. with a maximum wheel width of 10-inches and a wheelbase of 110-inches. Given a long straight and proper gearing, a Trans Am car can reach a top speed of 180-mph. The twelve race championship kicks off in early April at Long Beach, California, followed by an event at Sears Point Raceway. Round three takes place at Portland International Raceway. Then teams travel to the east coast for events at Detroit, followed by the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Brainerd International Raceway, Lime Rock Park, Road America and Memphis. The series then heads north of the border for a weekend at Mosport Park. Back in the United States, the championship stops at Road Atlanta for the penultimate round. The finale takes place on November 8 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Round ten of the 1987 Bendix Trans Am Championship was held at Mosport Park during the Rothmans Trans Am weekend. Drivers would compete in a forty-lap contest around the ten turn 2.459-mile road course.
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Twenty-six competitors file into corner one at Mosport Park for round ten of the 1987 Bendix Trans Am Championship. Leading the field are the top qualifiers, Scott Pruett and Peter Halsmer. Pruett was the fastest qualifier in the No. 2 Merkur XR4Ti and his teammate, Halsmer, drove the No. 3 Merkur. Behind the leaders are the No. 66 Buick Somerset of Chris Gleason and Bruce Nesbitt in the No. 50 Ford Mustang. |
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During a wet qualifying session, Scott Pruett captured his eighth pole position of the year driving the No. 2 Roush Racing prepared Merkur XR4Ti. Despite pressure from his teammate Pete Halsmer, Pruett would lead the forty-lap contest flag-to-flag for his seventh victory of the season and win by a margin of 33.868-seconds. After the event, the series point’s leader was scheduled to fly to Portugal and test a Formula 1 Lola LC87. |
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RK Smith is well known for his impressive debuts and he added to that reputation at Mosport Park. Smith won the 1983 Formula Ford National title with the new Swift DB-1; he was also victorious in his first Formula 2000 outing and clinched the championship. In his first Trans Am start, he qualified fifth. Smith moved to third place early during the race and inherited a runner-up result when Peter Halsmer retired. |
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Chevrolet Camaro teams had the option of using a V6 or V8 engine. Trans Am series veteran Les Lindley chose the V6 motor for the No. 8 Lindley Racing Camaro. With this power plant choice, the car is required to carry less weight which places less demand on the brakes and tires. Lindley qualified twelfth fastest, but a decision to use hand-grooved tires on the damp track allowed him to grab a third-place finish. |
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The biggest threat to the race winner, Scott Pruett, came from his teammate, Pete Halsmer, in the No. 3 Roush Racing Merkur XR4Ti. To date, Halsmer’s season included three victories and one pole position, but he was a distant second to Pruett in the point’s chase. Halsmer was 0.72-seconds slower than Pruett during qualifying. He chased Pruett during the race, but his day ended on lap-20 with a broken turbo shaft. |
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Local racer John Graham arranged to have Roger Mac Jaguar XJS shipped from England to Canada with the intention of competing in round 10 of the Bendix Trans Am Championship. After testing the 700-horsepower, Graham decided to step aside and let Mac handle the driving duties. Mac put the fuel-injected V12 thirteenth on the grid but fell out of contention and finished in the nineteenth position. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | LAPS | RETIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Scott Pruett | Mercury Merkur XR4Ti | 40 | - |
| 2 | 5 | R. K. Smith | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | - |
| 3 | 12 | Les Lindley | Chevrolet Camaro | 40 | - |
| 4 | 6 | Elliot Forbes-Robinson | Porsche 944 Turbo | 39 | - |
| 5 | 18 | Jim Derhaag | Chevrolet Camaro | 39 | - |
| 6 | 19 | Craig Shafer | Oldsmobile Toronado | 39 | - |
| 7 | 8 | Donald Sak | Chevrolet Corvette | 38 | - |
| 8 | 21 | Rick Dittman | Pontiac Firebird | 38 | - |
| 9 | 4 | Bruce Nesbitt | Ford Mustang | 38 | - |
| 10 | 25 | Brett Willis | Chevrolet Camaro | 37 | - |
| 11 | 22 | Deborah Gregg | Mercury Capri | 37 | - |
| 12 | 15 | Peter Deman | Chevrolet Corvette | 36 | - |
| 13 | 16 | Ed Hinchcliff | Ford Mustang | 36 | - |
| 14 | 10 | Craig Bennett | Chevrolet Camaro | 36 | - |
| 15 | 20 | Jerry Simmons | Chevrolet Corvette | 36 | - |
| 16 | 26 | Robert Ripple | Chevrolet Camaro | 35 | - |
| 17 | 23 | Fritz Hochreuter | Porsche 911SC | 35 | - |
| 18 | 14 | Jeff Jones | Pontiac Trans-Am | 35 | - |
| 19 | 13 | Roger Mac | Jaguar XJS | 35 | - |
| 20 | 7 | Tim Taylor | Pontiac Trans-Am | 32 | - |
| 21 | 17 | Murray Edwards | Chevrolet Corvette | 32 | - |
| 22 | 3 | Chris Gleason | Buick Somerset | 30 | - |
| 23 | 11 | Bruce Jenner | Porsche 944 Turbo | 30 | Mechanical |
| 24 | 24 | Gary Mason | Chevrolet Camaro | 23 | Accident |
| 25 | 2 | Pete Halsmer | Mercury Merkur XR4Ti | 20 | Turbocharger |
| 26 | 9 | John Schneider | Buick Somerset | 11 | Transmission |
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