A Corvette legend wins the Trans Am SGT class at CoTA
Corvette racer, constructor and parts manufacturer for thirty years, # 28 Lou Gigliotti won the SGT Class at CoTA. According to Lou, his previous Trans Am wins were at Lime Rock and Long Beach some 19 years ago (Back when Bob Ruman, Amy’s dad was active, see below). Gigliotti passed Adrian Wlostowski’s SGT Mustang on lap six and led to the finish.
In the TA class, # 23 Amy Ruman reached third on the opening lap but finished fifth, one lap off the pace via an incident with longtime nemesis Tomy Drissi. The Ruman Racing Team sponsored by the McNichols Company carries the hopes of Corvette fans by doing the entire schedule (10 races over 9 months).
With 130 points, 2-time champ Amy is the only Corvette driver with a shot at the top 3, trailing Chris Dyson Mustang by 8 and Simon Gregg’s Camaro by 3 leading into another double header at Road Atlanta followed by Laguna Seca in early December to close out the season.
# 11 Series newcomer Justin Oakes from nearby Houston TX was competitive in SGT but completed only 23 laps of the 30-lap race. (Car might be ex Randy Kinsland?).
Series regular # 30 Richard Grant finished eighth in TA completing 16 laps.
Another racing legend # 2 Boris Said set a blistering pace to win at CoTA with # 98 Ernie Francis Jr in hot pursuit. A popular figure, Boris has gained notoriety as a “ringer”, this time in a hot Dodge built by Pancho Weaver.
# 33 Joe Moholland and # 26 Aaron Pierce were 18th and 19th overall (5th and 6th SGT).
Photos courtesy Chris Clark
