Sonoma, CALIFORNIA – May 2, 2022 – On a gloriously sunny late Spring California day, Round 5 of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season TA2 Class finished under caution but not before the Tennessee based Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports team had taken another significant step towards establishing themselves as a major force in the Series. Both cars finished in the top ten for the first time; an extremely satisfying achievement that underscores the enormous amount of hard work put in by Ken and his crew all year.
As if to illustrate that their cars are perfectly matched, Carl Rydquist and Cameron Lawrence qualified next to each other on the grid in P12 and P13 respectively in 1:38.072 and 1:38.109.
With a few skirmishes along the way in a largely clean, green flag race there came an extended caution on Lap 34. Teammates Carl and Cameron were still locked together with Cameron making the pass to sit in P9 with Carl in P10. However, drivers reported that there was still too much oil on the track to go green again. With the clock ticking down, the race finished under caution with the standings remaining unaltered.
Carl achieved a notable personal milestone at the checkered flag which he mentioned after the race, “Personal goal unlocked, which was to finish in the top ten in a National race. It feels long overdue but I haven’t done that many yet – so it’s awesome. You always want to beat your teammate but I raced wide on one corner and let him go. I’m glad for the team, because he needs the points for the Championship.”
Of the Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro he was piloting he added, “The car was consistent. Not quite as quick as we’d like it to be but I’m glad how we rallied and we have both cars next to each other so any change we do, you can see straight away. It gives us a lot of data today.”
Team principal Ken Thwaits was also pleased with the overall outcome, “It was a great day for motor racing. The good California weather finally arrived on the last day. Carl started P12 and Cameron P13 and I’ll take top ten finishes any day.”
Next time we see Cameron will be Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park while Carl will be back in action at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville.
We can confirm that highlights of Saturday’s TA Class race will be screened on Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on the CBS Sports Network in a show billed as 2022 Trans Am presented by Franklin Road Apparel. Highlights of today’s TA2 race are on the same channel at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, May 8.
Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Franklin Road Apparel at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm
Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook:
facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.
