Trans Am Speed Tour opens in sunny Florida

The Trans Am Speed Tour opened its 2022 season at the renowned Sebring circuit over the last weekend in February under clear skies and 80-degree weather.

If the opener is any indication, Corvettes are a vanishing breed among these 850 hp TA class dinosaurs.  They now run on 18-inch rims but carburetors are still the rule. 

Corvette fans hopes rest with former 2-time champ # 23 Amy Ruman, finishing in the top 5, aided by upgrades, earlier testing, a long-time sponsor and the solid support of a family team.

Last year’s champ # 20 Chris Dyson ran away from the field.

The TA2 class has arrived because the cars cost a lot less to race, the racing offers more excitement and sponsors, drivers and teams stand to gain from TV broadcasts that Scott Borchetta (SVRA Group 6 winner) set up with CBS Sports Channel.

In addition to newcomers, more TA and Vintage racers are switching to TA2 Camaros, Mustangs and Mopars, built on a standard state-of-the-art tube frame chassis.  They are just as loud, go nearly as fast and are lots easier to repair.

A record 48 TA2 cars took the grid in a closely fought race won by Rafa Matos. 

Scott Borchetta, mentioned earlier, drove his TA2 Camaro to a top 5 finish, sponsored in part by his Big Machine Spiked Vodka coolers company.

Photo credits Chris Clark.

Well-prepared TA Corvettes such as Daniel Urritia’s re-bodied C6 are not entirely done if the price is right for SCCA GT1 club racing.