Rain Dampens Lux Performance Group's Attempt at another Podium
ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. [August 27, 2016] – Cliff Ebben, in TA, did not just survive the elements at Road America in today’s Trans Am race, he thrived in them—withstanding the Midwestern downpour on his way to an overall victory in today’s Trans Am 100, featuring TA, TA3 and TA4.
Ebben was joined in the celebrations by Mark Boden and Ernie Francis, Jr., who walked away with class victories in TA3 and TA4 while running in the front of the field, passing the vast majority of the TA competitors on the drenched 4.048-mile surface.
The wet conditions were rampant throughout the Trans Am 100 with TA, TA3 and TA4 drivers trying to manage the conditions. One driver who went unfazed by the conditions was TA victor and Appleton, Wisconsin, native Cliff Ebben, in the No. 36 Stumpf Ford/McMahon Group/ Lamers Ford Mustang, who started on pole and led every lap of the race an his way to a third career Trans Am victory at Road America. This marked Ebben’s fifth consecutive pole in the TA class, but only his first win of 2016.
“It’s nice to finally finish a race on top,” said Ebben. “I’ve been running here in the rain for a long time, racing here since 1971; you learn where the traction is, where the car can give you the most. We’re not sure if we’ll be running the full season and competing for the championship—but this is fun. That’s why I do it, when it’s not fun anymore I’ll stop—but days like these, well, they’re pretty fun.”
Ebben’s previous Road America wins came in 2009 and 2011, while todays’ win constitutes the fourth of his career, snapping a nearly three year winless streak for the driver. Ebben now resides in 2nd position in the Championship with 164 points, behind only defending Champion Amy Ruman who remains in first with 178 to her name.
While Ebben was joined on the TA class podium by Paul Fix, in the No. 50 StopFlex.com/ TheCarCoach.com/ Chevron Techron Chevrolet Corvette, and David Pintaric, in the No. 57 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Cadillac CTS-V, in second and third respectively, Ebben’s stiffest competition of the day came in the expected form of TA3 class victor and second place overall finisher Mark Boden, in the No. 47 FallLine/ Calypso/ Beverage Flavor International Porsche 997.
With many of the larger 850-plus TA class cars unable to put their power fully down on the drenched surface, Boden, and multiple other production class racers, used the elements to their advantage, moving up through the multiclass field.
Boden started the race third in the TA3 class and fully behind the 13-car TA class field, but quickly moved up to the top five eight laps in. Boden would assume second position on lap 14 of 24, pursuing Ebben through a restart on lap 17 and the remainder of the race—holding a distance of two car lengths for multiple laps. However, Ebben was able to mind and maintain the distance, denying Boden a storybook ending.
“We had a great race out there,” said Boden. “We’ve turned plenty of laps here at Road America, and our Fall Line Porsche was exactly where we needed it to be today. The weather definitely made it interesting, working up through the TA field; but Cliff and I had a great race out there; and while we were competing for different trophies in different classes, it was nice to showcase what our team is capable of and the show this TA3 class can put on.”
Boden was joined on the TA3 podium by teammate Tim Kezman, in the No. 4 FallLine/ Calypso Porsche 997, giving the Fall-Line team a one-two sweep, and Randy Mueller, in the No. 0 Epic Motorsports/ Bizbloom.com BMW M3. The Lux Performance Group duo of Steve Streimer, in the No. 42 Lux Performance Dodge Viper ACRX, and Cindi Lux, in the No. 45 Lux Performance Dodge Viper ACRX, completed the top five, unable to get the complete power of their Vipers down in the wet to challenge for higher positions.
"After a great qualifying for Lux Performance it was really disappointing to see another Podium slip through our fingers," said Streimer. "We just did not have anything to compete against the lighter cars today. The race aside, we did have a great weekend and want to be sure to thank RuckPack for the support this weekend. I really enjoyed getting a chance to share what we do with them and to distribute some product to the fans."
In TA4, Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 Beta Tools/Liquid Performance Ford Mustang, secured his seventh win in seven races this year—capturing the TA4 class victory while finishing seventh overall. Like Boden, Francis was able to capitalize on the conditions, also cutting through much of the TA field while building a generous gap on the remainder of the TA4 class.
Trans Am will return to the track for Round 8 of the 2016 Trans Am Championship at Virginia International Raceway September 24th.
How to watch on CBS Sports Network
The Trans Am 100 at Road America, featuring TA, TA3 and TA4 – Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 4:00 PM ET
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For more on Cindi Lux, please visit www.CindiLux.com. Follow Cindi on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/CindiLux, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/OfficialCindiLux andhttp://instagram.com/cindilux on Instagram. For more on Steve Streimer, please visitwww.stevestreimer.com. Follow Steve on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SteveStreimer. On Facebook at www.facebook.com/OfficialSteveStreimer andhttp://instagram.com/stevestreimer on Instagram.
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