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RON
FELLOWS TO RETURN TO MOTOROCK TRANS-AM SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS
(June 2, 2004) — Motorock Trans-Am Series
graduate and two-time 24 Hours of
Le Mans winner Ron Fellows will make his return to Trans-Am
competition during the 35th Le Grand
Prix de Trois-Rivičres July 30-Aug. 1. Fellows, who ranks
seventh in all-time Trans-Am victories with
19, returns to Trans-Am competition after departing from the
Series in 1997. Fellows will wheel a
Chevrolet Corvette fielded by Derhaag Motorsports, teaming
with longtime Trans-Am competitor
Randy Ruhlman (No. 49 Preformed Line Products Canada Chevrolet
Corvette).
“The
opportunity to be part of Trois-Rivičres’ 35th anniversary
is an honor,” said Fellows, who won
two-straight races at Trois-Rivičres from 1995-1996.
“Having gone to Trois-Rivičres as a spectator
as a teenager, it’s always been special. Then, to win a
couple of races there makes it even more special.
“The French
Canadian fans have a passion for road racing that makes it a
pleasure to be a part of
this race,” added Fellows. “They are knowledgeable, and
they have treated me with great respect over
the years.
“I’d also
like to thank Corvette Racing for allowing me to compete in
Trans-Am this season,” continued
Fellows.
Fellows’
Trans-Am statistics showcase his might as one of sports car
racing’s top talents. Building upon
his 40 podiums, 60 top-five and 72 top-ten finishes, and 13
poles in 96 Trans-Am starts, Fellows also
led the most race laps in three-straight seasons (1994, ’95
and ’96). His five wins in 11 races in 1995
helped Chevrolet earn a record 14th Manufacturers’
Championship. Fellows followed that with four more
victories in 1996, his final year competing with Chevrolet’s
factory team, McCall Racing.
“I have
always enjoyed Trans-Am racing,” said Fellows, who competed
in Trans-Am for 10 years from
1987-1997. “The sprint format is great. I have nothing but
great memories from my years there, racing
with Tommy Kendall, Scott Sharp, Scott Pruett, Tommy Archer,
Paul Gentilozzi, Boris Said, and others.
It was a lot of fun with great rivalries.
“We won nine
Trans-Am races in two seasons with the factory team,” added
Fellows, who currently
competes full time on Chevrolet’s factory GTS team in the
American Le Mans Series. “That led to my
continued employment. We were always competitive. I was always
with a great team. Transitioning from
the Trans-Am Camaro to the GTS Corvette was quite easy.”
Fellows has
won in virtually every major sports car race worldwide.
Driving the ever-popular
yellow-and-black Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, Fellows earned the
GTS class victory in the prestigious
24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001 and 2002. Teamed with Champ Car
World Series Race Director, and
three-time Trans-Am race winner Chris Kneifel, as well as
Johnny O’Connell and Franck Freon, Fellows
also took the overall victory in 2001 24 Hours of Daytona,
making him the first Canadian to do so.
Fellows also has two victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring, as
well as owning two ALMS titles.
But Fellows’
success isn’t limited to just sports cars. Fellows has two
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
victories and two poles in 14 starts, as well as three NASCAR
Busch Series victories and two poles in five
starts. His first Busch Series victory, in 2001, gave Fellows
the distinction of becoming the first non-American
to win a Busch Series race. Fellows has also competed at
NASCAR’s highest level, in the Nextel Cup Series.
The next race
for the Motorock Trans-Am Series, the Albertsons Trans-Am 100,
is scheduled for June 18-20
at Portland International Raceway.
The Motorock
Trans-Am Series features closed-fendered, production-based,
V-8-powered sports cars,
competing on permanent road courses, and temporary street and
airport circuits throughout North America.
The Trans-Am Series is America’s oldest continuously running
road racing series and celebrates its 39th year
of competition in 2004.
More
information about Ron Fellows can be found at www.ronfellows.net.
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