Lou Gigliotti announces new Trans-Am chassis

WYLIE, Tex. — Lou Gigliotti, president of LG Motorsports and Trans-Am competitor, is nearing completion of the 2000 LG Motorsports Trans-Am chassis, which he will campaign in the 2000 BFGoodrich Tires Trans-Am Series himself, as well as offer as a customer chassis. It promises to be the best car yet from the Texas-based road racer.

"Every chassis we've built for Trans-Am in the past has been an improvement on the previous one," notes Gigliotti, winner of the 1998 Lime Rock Trans-Am in a car of his own design. "But the one for 2000 is by far the best we've ever built. It's really an exceptional piece. We just took it off the jig, and the chassis twisted at 27,860 lb.ft./degree; possibly the stiffest chassis in the Trans-Am in 2000!"

Inspired by the Pratt & Miller chassis used by two-time Trans-Am champion Paul Gentilozzi in 1998, and which influenced Gentilozzi's 1999 Rocketsports chassis, the LG Motorsports 2000 TA chassis is a three-link car, "with more chrom-moly than we've ever used in a chassis," said Gigliotti. "We're taking our time on these, doing them right, and the build quality is the best we've ever been able to offer. I'm really excited about this car. Last year's car was close; we were able to qualify in the fast five by the end of the season, and occasionally ran as high as third, so we know we were close. But, with us incorporating the Pratt & Miller front and rear suspension on this car, along with our own ideas, and some parts from Rocketsports and Huffaker Engineering, we're sure we have a winner here. We're not leaving anything on the table with this one."

Gigliotti knows a winner when he sees one. He still owns the record for most career wins in SCCA World Challenge history, all in self-built cars. "My cars even took the World Challenge title after I'd moved on to Trans-Am, so I know how to build a good car. I probably built 25 World Challenge cars; that's probably the most World Challenge cars anyone has ever built."

In addition to the World Challenge cars, Gigliotti has built nine Trans-Am cars, two Formula Super Vees, and even 18 IMCA dirt modifieds. The new Trans-Am car is some 50 lbs. lighter than last year's car, has centerlock nuts - similar to those in Indy cars and the other front-running Trans-Am cars - instead of the five lug nut wheels of last year, and a Jerico 5-speed transmission.