Toronto: Series round six preview

Trans-Am Heads North of the Border for Showdown in Toronto

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada -The SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series returns to one of North America's most prestigious annual street circuit events this weekend as part of the program for the Honda Indy Toronto in the shadow of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On the strength of consecutive victories in each of the last three Trans-Am races, Tony Ave, of Maiden, N.C., leads the championship standings as the second half of the season gets underway this weekend. Ave will once again pilot the No. 4 Lamers Racing/McMahon Group/Pro-Motor Chevrolet Corvette this weekend as he goes in search of his fourth straight victory.

With his victory at Lime Rock two weeks ago, Ave became the first driver to win three straight Trans-Am events since Klaus Graf also won three in a row in 2005. If he gets his fourth consecutive win on Sunday, it will be the longest win streak for a Trans-Am driver since Scott Pruett took six consecutive victories in 2003.

Ave has a 91-point lead, 635-544, over RJ Lopez, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, heading into the second half of the season. Lopez opened the year with four straight podium finishes but missed the top three the last time out at Lime Rock. He returns to the cockpit of his No. 6 Disco 106/ECR Engines/Goodyear Chevrolet Corvette looking to start a new podium streak, perhaps with his first career Trans-Am victory.

Another leading candidate to prevent Ave from making it four in a row will be Tomy Drissi, of Hollywood, Calif. Drissi is the defending Trans-Am Series champion and drives the No. 5 RSR Jaguar XKR. He opened the season with a victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park and has finished on the podium in three of this season's five races. He has a bit of history on his side this weekend, as the Jaguar XKR comes into the event riding a two-race win streak on the streets of Toronto. Drissi is currently third in the championship, trailing Lopez by 11 points.

Simon Gregg, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., is fourth in the championship standings as Trans-Am makes its second and final trip north of the border in 2010. Gregg owns three top-five results this season and scored his first podium result of the year with a third-place outing at Lime Rock. He'll look to do that again this weekend in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette.

Daniel Ramoutarsingh, of La Romain, Trinidad, is also entered this weekend in the No. 8 Trinrico Steel & Wire Products Jaguar XKR. Ramoutarsingh is currently fifth in the Trans-Am point standings and owns a best result this season of fourth, which came in the New Jersey season opener.

Two drivers who have visited the Trans-Am podium this season return this weekend in Blaise Csida, of Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, and Amy Ruman, of Kent, Ohio. Csida earned his first Trans-Am podium result with a third-place run in Round 2 at Mosport International Raceway, which was his lone start of the season to date. He returns this weekend in the No. 07 Gateway Racing Inc. Chevrolet Corvette.

Ruman, meanwhile, is making her third Trans-Am start of the season this weekend in the No. 23 McNichols/Goodyear/Cenweld Chevrolet Corvette. Ruman took third in her most recent Trans-Am start at Road America last month. She is the only woman in this weekend's Trans-Am field.

Two other drivers will be making their second Trans-Am appearances of the 2010 season this weekend in Toronto. Glen Jung, of Osteen, Fla., returns for his second consecutive Trans-Am start after making his 2010 series debut at Lime Rock. Jung drives the No. 77 MAZDASPEED/Goodyear Mazda RX-7. Elmer Shannon, of San Francisco, Calif., will be making his first start since competing in Round 2 at Mosport. Shannon is entered in the No. 27 Spectra Holdings/Gateway Racing Chevrolet Corvette.

-source: scca pro racing