ENTRY LIST FOR ROUND 2 VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, APRIL 17-19
CAR DRIVER TEAM CAR
2 Jorge Diaz Jr, San Juan, PR JD Racing Jaguar XKR
3 Kenny Bupp, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hamilton Safe Chevrolet Camaro
5 Tomy Drissi, Los Angeles, CA Rocketsports Jaguar XKR
6 Greg Pickett, Benicia, CA Pickett Racing Jaguar XKR
7 Jerry Kinn, Anchorage, AK JDK Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette
8 Daniel Ramoutarsingh, Trinidad Rocketsports Jaguar XKR
9 Jordan Bupp, Ft. Lauderdale, FL Hamilton Safe Chevrolet Corvette
10 Tony Ave, Maiden, NC Tony Ave Racing Ford Mustang
19 Kurt Roehrig, Lexington, NC Tony Ave Racing Chevrolet Corvette
23 Amy Ruman, Kent, OH Ruman Racing Chevrolet Corvette
35 Bob Monette, Milton, GA Monette Racing Chevrolet Corvette
36 Bob Thumel, Denver, CO Abacus Racing Jaguar XKR
59 Simon Gregg,Ponte Verda Beach,FL Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette
66 Denny Lamers, Appleton, WI Lamers Racing Ford Mustang
70 Michael Skeen, Charlotte, NC Atlantic Autosport Chevrolet Corvette
71 Kent Keller, Rougemont, NC Keller Racing Oldsmobile Cutlas
72 Jim Goughary Jr., Jupiter, FL Luna Sueno Racing Chevrolet Corvette
73 Edison Llutch Sr, PR Loyas Racing Chevrolet Corvette
74 Edison Llutch Jr, PR Loyas Racing Chevrolet Corvette
77 Glen Jung, Osteen, FL Rotars Xtreme Team Mazda RX7
06 RJ Lopez, Bal Harbour, FL Lopesport Racing Chevrolet Corvette
08 John Schaller, Fort Myers, FL JRS Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
Total: 22 As of: Apr 17, 2009
VIRGINIA RACE RESULTS APRIL 19, 2009
POS NO NAME HOME CAR LAPS
1 6 Klaus Graf Dornhen, Germany Jaguar XKR 28
2 10 Tony Ave Maiden, N.C. Ford Mustang 28
3 73 Edison Lluch Sr Lajas, Puerto Rico Chevrolet Corvette 28
4 59 Simon Gregg Ponte Verda Beach,Fla Chevrolet Corvette 28
5 5 Tomy Drissi Los Angeles, Calif. Jaguar XKR 28
6 23 Amy Ruman Kent, Ohio Chevrolet Corvette 28
7 7 Jerry Kinn Anchorage, Alaska Chevrolet Corvette 28
8 77 Glen Jung Osteen, Fla. Mazda RX-7 28
9 66 Denny Lamers Appleton, Wis. Ford Mustang 27
10 9 Jordan Bupp Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Chevrolet Corvette 26
11 06 RJ Lopez Bal Harbour, Fla. Chevrolet Corvette 25
12 72 Jim Goughary Jr Jupiter, Fla. Chevrolet Corvette 22
13 35 Bob Monette Milton, Ga. Chevrolet Corvette 18
14 70 Michael Skeen Charlotte, N.C. Chevrolet Corvette 17
15 8 Daniel Ramoutarsingh LaRomain Trinidad, Jaguar XKR 15
16 2 Jorge Diaz Jr San Juan, Puerto Rico Jaguar XKR 13
17 74 Edison Lluch Jr Lajas, Puerto Rico Chevrolet Corvette 13
18 08 John Schaller Fort Myers, Fla. Chevrolet Camaro 11
19 71 Kent Keller Rougemont, N.C. Oldsmobile Cutlass 9
20 3 Kenny Bupp Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Chevrolet Camaro 6
21 30 Richard Grant Germantown, Tenn. Chevrolet Corvette DNS
22 36 Bob Thumel Denver, Colo. Jaguar XKR DNS
Time of race: 1 hours, 1 minute, 35.052 seconds.
Average speed: 89.204 mph
Margin of victory: 0.507-second
Lap leaders: Laps 1-11, #10 Tony Ave; laps 12-28, #6 Klaus Graf
Fastest race lap: #6 Klaus Graf, 1:48.159 (108.839 mph)
Fastest qualifier: #10 Tony Ave, 1:46.996 (110.022 mph)
Sunoco Hard Charger: #66 Denny Lamers
Flowmaster Star of the Race: Edison Lluch Sr.
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ALTON, Va. (April 19, 2009) / Klaus Graf, of Dornhen, Germany, started last and drove through the field to earn his fifth career Muscle Milk, SCCA, Trans-Am, win today at VIRginia International Raceway. Polewinner Tony Ave, of Maiden, N.C., and Edison Lluch Sr., of Lajas, Puerto Rico, completed the podium.
Graf was the provisional polewinner before his No. 6 Pickett Racing/Muscle Milk Jaguar XKR failed post qualifying technical inspection (wing height). As a result, Graf was moved to the back of the field. However, it only took Graf 11 laps to pass Ave for the race lead. He passed Ave coming down the back straight.
On the final lap, Ave tried one last time in his No. 10 McMahon Group/Stumpf Ford Ford Mustang to pass Graf for the lead between Turns Three and Four. But, instead of making a high risk move, that may have wrecked Graf, Ave conceded the position and Graf held on for the win. He won by 0.507-second over Ave.
"The guys prepared a fantastic car," Graf said following his win. "The Muscle Milk car was perfect. I was able to maintain my speed, while overtaking and not hurting my tires too much, which is quite difficult to do if you have to pass a lot. I had a good run. I made up through the field quite quickly and then it got tougher when I got into the top five."
"I could see where he was good and I studied him [Ave] for a few laps. I saw that I was a little bit better on the back straightaway. I pulled alongside him there and outbraked him."
"I got out and drove around because there was no need to go any faster," said Ave, who now has four career Trans-Am podium finishes. "I was going to wait until Klaus got in second and try to keep the gap if I could. Then the caution came out and the gap closed. His tires were still working well and he's got a good motor in that thing. He beat me on the straightaway. I was hoping we'd have a long run and I could run him back down. But, we kept getting cautions and that help and that helped his tire choice, which is what saved him.
"Over the final three laps, it looked like his tires were going away. I almost had him here [between Turns Three and Four]. I could have spun him out. But, I don't want to race like that because I wouldn't want him spinning me out. It was good. My guys did such good job. I am so proud of them. I work them way too hard."
Graf put on an impressive driving display, which included setting a new race lap record with a 1:48.159 (108.839 mph). He broke the record set by Boris Said (1:49.030, 107.970 mph) in 2002.
Lluch, who started seventh and finished third in his No. 73 Don Q/El Tugue Chevrolet Corvette, had a scary moment during the race when he learned that his son, Edison Lluch Jr., had flipped his car multiple times in Turn Eight. Lluch Jr. was taken to the Danville Regional Medical Center for observation. Despite the circumstances, Lluch Sr. remained focused and earned his first career Trans-Am podium finish. In addition to his third-place finish, he was also awarded the Flowmaster Star of the Race Award.
"It was a finish that I inherited from all the drivers that did not make it until the end," Lluch Sr. said. "It was just a matter of being there at the end. The car was great and we managed to go fast enough to finish third.
"I talked to my son on the phone [after the race]. He's okay. His neck is O.K. His ribs are hurting, but he's okay. He was discharged from the medical center here and he is on his way to the hospital for a medical checkup."
Simon Gregg, of Ponte Verda Beach, Fla., finished fourth in his No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, while Tommy Drissi, of Los Angeles, was fifth in his No. 5 X-Men Origins-Wolverine Jaguar XKR.
Amy Ruman (Chevrolet Corvette), Jerry Kinn (Chevrolet Corvette), Glen Jung (Mazda RX-7), Denny Lamers (Ford Mustang) and Jordan Bupp (Chevrolet Corvette) completed the top 10.
Lamers, of Appleton, Wis., won the Sunoco Hard Charger of the race for his drive from 19th to ninth in the No. 66 McMahon Group/Stumpf Ford Ford Mustang.
Ave's finish moved him into the Drivers' Championship point lead, with 53, followed by Drissi (47), Ruman (45), Skeen (41) and Jung (35). Jaguar leads the manufacturers' standings, with 18 points, followed by Chevrolet (10) and Ford (9).
The Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series heads to Belleville, Canada for Round Three at Mosport International Raceway May 16-17, 2009.