1995 schedule

SCCA PRO Racing News Date Nov. 30, 1994 John Clagett

1995 TRANS-AM SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The SCCA Trans-Am Championship will celebrate its 30th season in 1995, and competitors will be offered a 12-race schedule that features a mix of challenging street circuits and permanent road courses, including three new venues.

One of those new venues is Sears Point Raceway, where the 1995 Trans- Am Championship season kicks off with a March 19 race. The Trans-Am shares the billing with two NASCAR divisions -- Winston West and its newest series, the SuperTruck Series by Craftsman.

Phoenix International Raceway will host its first-ever Trans-Am race on Saturday, May 6, as the Trans-Am machines light up the night sky, racing after dark for the first time since running the 1984 Paul Revere 250 at the Daytona International Speedway.

Another 1995 highlight will be the return to Lime Rock Park, for a 250-kilometer (155 mile) Memorial Day race, after a one year absence. It's the Trans-Am's first Memorial Day appearance at Lime Rock since the 1960s.

"The three additions to our schedule accomplish several goals," said Dan Greenwood, SCCA Pro Racing Ltd., President. "We've rekindled relationships with Sears Point and Lime Rock, two circuits that wanted the Trans-Am back, and started a new partnership with one of the best promoters in the business, Buddy Jobe at Phoenix. The three additions to our schedule give us a presence in California, in the Southwest and in the Northeast, which is very important to our sponsors, competitors and manufacturers, and it gives our loyal fans in those areas the opportunity to enjoy the Trans-Am Championship in person."

"Another objective was to make the 1995 schedule less grueling on the teams," added Greenwood. "A year ago we had a stretch of four races in four weeks. It's been eliminated."

The Trans-Am's annual trek north of the border will include stops at Mosport Park in Ontario, with a May 21 date, and at the Player's Ltee. Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, the grand-daddy of North American street races, dating back to 1974.

There'll be a new twist to the Trans-Am's annual sojourn to the great Northwest and Portland International Raceway. The Trans-Am takes center stage as the feature show during the June 16-18 Rose Cup Festival race weekend, one week before the IndyCar weekend.

The Trans-Am Championship will serve as the Saturday feature at three IndyCar races and the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen. The IndyCar doubleheaders include Road America, where Trans-Am has raced every year since 1970, and tow events promoted by Motormarketing International (MMI) -- the Motor City 100 at the ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit and the Grand Prix of Cleveland, presented by Dairy Mart.

"We're very pleased to be beginning a new multi-year agreement with MMI at both Detroit and Cleveland," Greenwood said. "The Motor City 100 is perhaps the most important event on our calendar, and with the new agreement Ford and Chevrolet can look forward to another three years of intense competition on Belle Isle, and the opportunity to claim bragging rights after winning on home turf."

The season concludes with races at Road Atlanta, on August 27, and the Grand Prix of Dallas, slated for Sept. 10.

In total, the Trans-Am Championship Series will visit eight permanent road courses and four temporary courses, with the possibility of one more venue being added.

"The situation at Des Moines is unsettled at this time," revealed Greenwood. "The Grand Prix board and the city have yet to make a final determination on whether to stage a race or sit out a year. We've got a couple of dates that we've left open for Des Moines, and we'd very much like to return. It's been an excellent venue for us."

"The 1995 schedule provides for a solid foundation for the future and it will continue to evolve over the next couple of years," added Greenwood. "I'm in negotiations with several promoters who want a Trans-Am race in 1996, and they'll be added if they fit our marketing objectives, and work from a scheduling standpoint."

The full 1995 Trans-Am schedule follows:

Date        Event                                        Location
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mar 19  Sears Point Raceway                        Sonoma, CA
May 06  Phoenix International Raceway                Phoenix, AZ
May 21  Mosport Park                                Bowmanville, Ont.
May 29  New England Dodge 250 at Lime Rock        Lakeville, CT
Jun 10  ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix        Belle Isle, MI
Jun 18  Portland International Raceway                Portland, OR
Jul 08  Road America                                Elkhart Lake, WI
Jul 22  Grand Prix of Cleveland                        Cleveland, OH
Aug 06  Player's Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres        Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Aug 12  Bud at the Glen, Watkins Glen Int'l        Watkins Glen, NY
Aug 27  Road Atlanta                                Braselton, GA
Sep 10  Grand Prix of Dallas                        Dallas, TX

For SpeedNet by Jon Mortensen --- . OLX 2.1 TD . SpeedNet:Devoted To Racing AUTOSPORTS BBS (310)641-9627