ELKHART LAKE, WI – August 28, 2017 – The Road America Classic weekend started off in perfect order for Burtin Racing and Martin Ragginger with the GoShare Axalta Chevrolet Camaro putting up the fastest laps and securing the pole position for the race. The Trans Am presented by Pirelli series featured Round 8 of the 2017 championship yesterday morning alongside the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America.
Ragginger’s GoShare Axalta Camaro was magnificently prepared by Burtin Racing for the main event at the iconic Road America circuit, and duly clocked the fasted lap in Friday practice and continued this pace into the weekend.
The Austrian pilot was again fastest in Saturday’s practice session and began to improve on his best laps on the timing sheets. Evening qualifying later that day saw Ragginger comfortably secure pole position ahead of Championship pace setter Ernie Francis Jr.
A torrential summer rainstorm greeted the start of Sunday’s race, but it made no difference to Ragginger in the No. 50 GoShare Axalta Camaro. The ultra-quick European shoe was pulling away from the field at a ferocious pace but sadly for him and the team, a mechanical failure on Lap 3 meant a premature retirement from the race.
“Hard work all weekend didn’t pay off,” stated Martin Ragginger after the race. “We have been the fastest car out there but to finish first, first you have to finish.”
It was obvious that expectations were set high and the goal for the Burtin Racing team is to win. Martin Ragginger has proven to be a competitive entry to contend with in Trans Am. Two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio he came from the back of the field to place second on the podium in his rookie TA race debut.
“I’d like to thank the brave race fans that came out early and endured the rain to see our Trans Am show,” said Claudio Burtin, team owner at Burtin Racing. “We hit on a good rain set-up and Martin was distancing from Ernie [Francis] pretty easily. Then something got stuck in the Xtrac sequential transmission we use and the car could not continue. We won’t know exactly what happened until we get back to the shop in Atlanta where we will take a close look at what happened.”
The Road America Classic is scheduled to broadcast on the CBS Sports Network on Sept 20 at 10:00 PM ET.
Keep up to date with all the latest news from Burtin Racing at www.burtinracing.com and “Like” our Facebook page for more event details.
Burtin Racing Brings Home Trans Am Championship Runner-Up and West Coast Title in Impressive First Season Running Two Cars
Daytona, FL – November 12, 2018 – Burtin Racing’s 2018 dual Chevrolet Camaro campaign was highlighted by three wins in the regular season, victory at Indianapolis in the West Coast Championship, a historic 1-2 at Watkins Glen and a total of 12 podium appearances in...
Burtin Racing Aiming High in Season Finale at Daytona Trans Am
Daytona, FL – November 8, 2018 – Round 11 of the 2018 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli sees the series at its traditional location for the season finale, the legendary Daytona International Speedway, for the last stop on the series calendar. In what has been...
The Grinch Steals Podium with Drissi at COTA and Loshak Championship Hunt Still Alive
Austin, Texas – November 6, 2018 – Round 10 of the 2018 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) was a weekend of decidedly mixed fortunes for Burtin Racing, highlighted by a fine third place for Tomy Drissi. Debuting another...
The Grinch Steals Podium with Drissi at COTA and Loshak Championship Hunt Still Alive
Austin, Texas – November 6, 2018 – Round 10 of the 2018 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) was a weekend of decidedly mixed fortunes for Burtin Racing, highlighted by a fine third place for Tomy Drissi. Debuting another...
Championship-Chasing Loshak Seeks Hat Trick for Burtin Racing and Drissi Debuts The Grinch Chevrolet Camaro
Austin, TX – October 29, 2018 – As the 2018 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship reaches its climax, Lawrence Loshak and the Georgia based Burtin Racing team have only one thing on their minds – closing in further on remaining points in the upcoming race at...
One Of The Greats: Burtin Racing Celebrates the Chevrolet Camaro with COTA Trans Am Corral
Austin, TX – October 18, 2018 – The Chevrolet Camaro is without doubt one of the true greats of American sportscar racing heritage, and as the 2018 Trans Am presented by Pirelli championship comes to a climax, it is once again the unmistakable Camaro that is competing...