Detroit preview

Belle Isle - Detroit
Trans-Am Series Facts

First Trans-Am Series Race Winner Tom Gloy, 1984
Last Trans-Am Series Race Winner Paul Gentilozzi, 2000
Number of Apearance by Trans-Am Series 17 (1984 - 2000)
Narrowest Margin of Victory 0.237 seconds, Dorsey Schroeder over Ron Fellows, 1996
Widest Margin of Victory 12.591 seconds, Ron Fellows over Scott Pruett, 1994
Fastest Qualifier Tom Kendall, 1:24.381, 100.729 mph, 1997
Fastest Race Lap Tom Kendall, 1:25.262, 99.688 mph, 1997
Fastest Race Winner's Speed 82.630 mph, Tom Kendall, 1997
Last Year's Fastest Qualifier Paul Gentilozzi, 89.881 mph

Round four of the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup, the Motorcity 100 presented by Johnson Controls, will be held on June 16 on Belle Isle in Detroit, Mich. This weekend's race will be the 395th in the Trans-Am Series illustrious 36-year history. The Trans-Am Series will be making its 18th consecutive appearance as part of the Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit.

Television: Saturday's race will be televised on a taped-delay basis by CBS Sports on June 17 at 5:00. Ralph Shaeheen and Bill Adam will serve as commentators.

Race Length: 42 laps of the 2.361-mile street circuit for 99.162 miles..

The Motorcity 100 presented by Johnson Controls will be the first of three Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup races to be broadcast by CBS Sports. Both of the series next two races will be broadcast by CBS Sports as well. The Trans-Am Series 100 presented by Simple Green in Cleveland will be broadcast on July 1, while the Wine Country 100 will be broadcast live by CBS on July 21.

The first three races of the 2001 Trans-Am season have featured diversity at the top. Three drivers (Boris Said, Lou Gigliotti and Paul Gentilozzi), three entrants (Davis, LG Motorsports and Rocketsports) and three marques (Ford, Chevrolet and Jaguar) have won the first three races of the season.

Johnny Miller (#64 Automationdirect EATON Cutler-Hammer Jaguar XKR) moved into the lead for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup after his third place finish at the Trans-Am Series 125 at Mosport International Raceway. Miller has finished in the top-four of each race this season (Sebring - 4th, Long Beach - 2nd, Mosport - 3rd). Lou Gigliotti (the winner of the Johnson Controls 100 presented by Simple Green) trails Miller by a single point. Tommy Archer (#36 Motorcity True Performance CINJO Racing Dodge Viper) has three top-five finishes as well and trails Miller by just four points.

Rookie Anthony Lazzaro (#8 TWC Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette) made his Trans-Am Series debut with a seventh place finish at Mosport. Lazzaro, who lead laps 26 to 30 at Mosport, currently ranks second in the chase for the AmeriSuites Rookie of the Year Award behind leader Justin Bell (#40 Justin Bell GT Motorsports Experience Chevrolet Corvette).

Gentilozzi's Victory Achieves Many Milestones: Paul Gentilozzi's victory in the Trans-Am Series 125 at Mosport was the 20th of his career. He is now tied for fourth on the All-Time list with Peter Gregg and trails Bob Tullius by only one. The victory also ties him with Greg Pickett for Top-10 finishes with 107. The win in 2001 marks the seventh season that Gentilozzi has won at least one Trans-Am Series race. He has now won a Trans-Am race in four consecutive seasons.

Ruhlman And Fix Make Big Jump In Points Standings: Randy Ruhlman (#49 Preformed Line Products Chevrolet Corvette) moved from 27th to 14th in the Drivers' Championship points standings with his fifth place finish at Mosport. Ruhlman, who overcame some early weekend mechanical problems to qualify sixth, posted his highest finish of the 2001 season.

Paul Fix (#77 Classic Tube Ford Mustang) has moved from 31st in the standings to 21st on the basis of a solid 12th place finish at Mosport. Fix ran several laps in the top-five midway through the race.

Streak Is Broken: By winning the Trans-Am Series 125, Paul Gentilozzi (#3 Johnson Controls HomeLink Jaguar XKR) broke a string of seven races without a victory. Gentilozzi picked up his last win on August 19, 2000 at Road America.

Seven different drivers have won the last eight Trans-Am Series races dating to the Grand Prix of Texas last fall. The races and winners are: Texas - Leighton Reese; Houston - Chris Neville; Laguna Seca - Kenny Wilden; Las Vegas - Boris Said; San Diego - Johnny Miller; Sebring - Said, Long Beach - Lou Gigliotti and Mosport - Gentilozzi.

Cinjo Racing To Host Promise Village: Cinjo Racing (#36 Motorcity True Performance Dodge Viper) will host a group from Promise Village during the weekend. Promise Village helps children from abused/neglected environments and children with emotional/behavioral difficulties. Promise Village provides a residential treatment program with an emphasis on animal-assisted therapy at its 70 acre farm in Davisburg, Mich.

Members of the Promise Village group will receive credentials as well as donated hats, lanyards and posters. On Friday they will be given a tour of the paddock and receive autographs and collectibles from Trans-Am Series drivers. In addition, the #36 Cinjo Racing Motorcity True Performance Dodge Viper, driven by Tommy Archer, will carry Promise Village decals.

Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang Looking for Milestone Victories: With Lou Gigliotti's victory at Long Beach on April 8, Chevrolet Corvette picked up its 49th win in Trans-Am Series competition. Corvette ranks third among nameplates behind Ford's Mustang and Chevrolet's Camaro.

Ford Mustang currently leads the Trans-Am Series with 99 wins. The most recent win by a Ford Mustang was by Boris Said in the 2001 season-opener at Sebring, Fla.

Prize Money: With potentially more than $2.0 million in total season-long payout, the 2001 season will be the richest in the series illustrious 36-year history. This weekend's race is the third round in the run for the prestigious BFGoodrich Tires Cup, given annually to the winner of the Drivers' Championship. Beginning this season, the winner of the Drivers' Championship will pocket $100,000 with a total year-end points fund payout of $300,000.

New Marques Make Debut: The start of the 2001 season has seen the debut of the new Panoz Esperante and Dodge Viper as well as newly-styled Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford Mustangs. Last year's championship winning car, the Qvale Mangusta, returns along with Jaguars, Corvettes, Camaros and Mustangs (existing Trans-Am Series bodywork is allowed until 2003).

Four Former Champions In Trans-Am Series: This season there will be four former champions involved in the chase for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup. Brian Simo returns to defend the Drivers' Championship that he won in 2000. Paul Gentilozzi was the series champion following the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Greg Pickett was the series champion in 1978 and will run a limited schedule this season. Tom Gloy, the series champion in 1984, is the owner of the #69 Qvale Mangusta driven by Jim Matthews and the #88 car driven by Simo.

-SCCA/SCCA ProRacing-