Bow, NEW HAMPSHIRE – July 13, 2021 – The Round 7 of the 2021 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season takes place at Brainerd International Raceway July 16 to 18 and is the third in a trio of midsummer races across the Midwest that started at Mid Ohio and continued at Road America. On both of those occasions, Tom Sheehan, piloting the No. 97 LTK Insulation Technologies Ford Mustang charged through crowded fields from unpromising positions to maintain his challenge in the top ten of the TA2 Class Drivers’ Championship with 80 Championship points, putting him in P8.
Sunday’s race sees TA2 cars heading to the Minnesota circuit for the second annual Jed Copham Memorial event, held in memory of the late Jed Copham, the former owner of Brainerd and driver, who passed away in a tragic accident in November 2018. This year is the just the second time Trans Am has visited Brainerd since his passing after last year’s Trans Am racing was such a success.
“I’m very happy to be going back to Brainerd on the back of a couple of encouraging results at Mid Ohio and Road America,” said Tom leaving Road America last weekend, “It’s well documented that we didn’t get the best start at either of those events but certainly finished strong. If we can get a good position on the grid this time then who knows. The team is ready, I’m ready and we’ll be giving it our best shot.”
The Trans Am races compete over the 2.5 mile course which was first raced on in 2009 having been completed the previous summer. Turn 1 on the 2.5-mile Competition Road Course is the same as Turn 1 on the three-mile road course. Turn 1 is a narrow but very high-speed banked right-hand 60-degree turn, which is intended to be taken flat out by all vehicles. Turns 1 through 8 of the original 3.1-mile road course are used for the new circuit.
At Turn 8, a 240-degree right-hand Clover Leaf transitions drivers from the old course to the new stretch of asphalt that winds its way back across the infield, eventually tying back into the original circuit just before Turn 1, avoiding the dragstrip. In all, the Competition Road Course features 13 turns and very little elevation change.
The Trans Am series has been very popular at BIR among fans over the years, and attracted racers like actor Paul Newman, who set a lap record in 1977 during the Uncola Nationals, won races in 1978 and 1979, and then won his first race as a professional there in 1982. It’s a 2.5 mile road racing course and dragstrip racing complex northwest of the city of Brainerd, Minnesota.
Tom will get his first taste of track on Friday July 16 at 12:30 p.m. for testing with a second session at 3:25 p.m. the same afternoon. Practice is at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday morning with the all important qualifying session at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with the race itself over 40 laps of the famous old circuit scheduled for 11:25 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Keep up with Trans Am driver Tom Sheehan on social media – Facebook page is Damon Racing, Instagram @TomSheehanTA97 and Twitter @TomTA2_97.
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