Trans Am Series Western Championship Event Preview: Ridge Motorsports Park

May 10, 2023

Track Facts:Opened: 2012Length: 2.47 MilesLayout: 16-Turn Road CourseEntry List: View

Practice:Saturday, June 1010:20-10:50 a.m. PT1:10-1:40 p.m. PTQualifying:Saturday, June 104:15-4:45 p.m. PTRace: Sunday, June 1110:35-11:50 a.m. PTRace Length: 41 Laps/75 Minutes?

Trans Am Goes to WashingtonThe Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship heads to Ridge Motorsports Park in Shelton, Washington for Round 4 of the 2023 season. Following the season opener at Thunderhill Raceway Park and back-to-back Golden Gate Challenge races at Sonoma Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, this is the first race of the season for Western drivers outside of the state of California.

This weekend's entry list boasts five competitors in the GT class, the most entries the Western Championship has ever seen in a single race. The previous record for GT entries was at Sonoma Raceway in 2019, with four drivers competing in the event. JC Meynet in the No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Corvette has won every race for the GT class so far this season but will face some serious competition with the large field on Sunday.

Lone Past WinnerOnly one driver in this weekend's field has tasted victory at Ridge Motorsports Park since the Trans Am Series Western Championship began visiting the track in 2021. Brody Goble in the No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Performance Ford Mustang had a dominant run last year and led from flag-to-flag in the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series, earning the victory in his first ever Trans Am start. Goble enters this weekend's event as the winner of the Golden Gate Challenge, which concluded at Laguna Seca in the Western Championship's last outing.

Debut DominanceThe Ridge has been friendly to series newcomers in the past, as TA2 driver Brody Goble and SGT driver Xuanqian Wang both won at the track in their first-career Trans Am Series starts last year. This weekend, Martin Sarukhanyan in the No. 11 Cobalt Brakes Mazda Miata and Larry Luck in the No. 16 Luck Services BMW M3 will try to do the same as they make their Trans Am debuts in the GT class.

In addition to his starting his very first race with the series, Sarukhanyan will be driving the first Mazda Miata to ever make a start in the Western Championship.

Local TalentTwo drivers from the state of Washington will be taking the green flag at Ridge Motorsports Park this weekend. The driver closest to the track is John Schweitzer, who is from less than an hour away in Fife, Washington. Additionally, two other drivers on the entry list are from nearby cities less than three hours away in northern Oregon.

GTMartin Sarukhanyan, No. 11 Cobalt Brakes Mazda Miata (Hubbard, Ore.)David Hampton, No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (Salem, Ore.)Larry Luck, No. 16 Luck Services BMW M3 (Snohomish, Wash.)

TA2John Schweitzer, No. 00 Superior Builders Inc. Ford Mustang (Fife. Wash.)

Previous Race RecapFor the second weekend in a row, XGT's Will Rodgers took both the overall pole and the checkered flag in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli's Western Championship. Rodgers led flag-to-flag at Laguna Seca in his No. 42 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Chevrolet Camaro, facing challenges from XGT competitor Erich Joiner but never yielding the point position.

Greg Tolson took the win in the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series, his second victory of the season, and has taken over the points lead in his class. Meanwhile, after accumulating the most points between Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca, Brody Goble was the winner of the inaugural Golden Gate Challenge, marking the end of the Western Championship's California run. JC Meynet continued his streak of victories, earning his third-straight win in the GT class.

STANDINGS

TA21. Greg Tolson (264)2. Michael LaPaglia (242)3. Tim Lynn (230)4. Michael Fine (211)5. Bobby Hodges (205)

TA1. Steve Goldman (105)2. Greg Pickett (60)

XGT1. Will Rodgers (130)2. Chris Evans (112)3. Erich Joiner (63)

GT1. JC Meynet (210)2. David Hampton (121)3. Xuanqian Wang (59)

Complete Standings: View