Lou was in very good spirits. I was surprised. I think I would be plenty pissed along with badly depressed.
But he said he was surprised and thrilled by the outpouring of positive feedback he's received on
LS1.com
http://www.ls1.com/forums/showthread...hreadid=112542
LS1Tech
http://www.ls1tech.com/ubb/cgi-bin/...ic;f=6;t=000102
Corvette Forum
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=320326
and SCCA Forum
http://www.sccaforums.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000776.html
He certainly doesn't want to leave the Trans AM series, but feels the series owner has been biasing the rules, massaging the rules, and out right changing the rules to favor his line of cars.
While it might make sense for Panoz, it certainly leaves the fans out of the equation. Trans AM touts itself as "American muscle against the world". This is most certainly making the American Muscle equate to Panoz. That's just wrong ...
Slowly but surely the cars that grid in Trans AM races are mostly those considered foreign built ... "the world". A couple of Camaros, a couple of Mustangs and a couple of C5s make up "American muscle" the other 2 dozen are body styles I certainly don't see too often in my daily commute.
Remember where Trans AM came from? It was Mustangs vs Camaros vs Javelins vs Challengers. This is as much Americana as anything else car related. What it is today is a damned shame.
Having said that, I'm making a formal request of each of you.
Please take a few minutes and compose a short e-mail note to each of the following addresses simply trying to find out where Lou Gigliotti is, that drives the Corvette that is supposed to be 6th in points.
Trans AM series officials ...
Dennis Huth - President (ext. 223)
Bill Kentling - Executive Vice President (ext. 241)
Bkentling@trans-amseries.com
John Clagett - Executive Director
jclagett@trans-amseries.com
T.E. McHale - Vice President-Media Relations (ext. 235)
Tmchale@trans-amseries.com
Patrick Schartz - Director of Marketing (ext.247)
Pschartz@trans-amseries.com
Natalie Mandeville - Series Administrator (ext. 222)
Nmandeville@trans-amseries.com
Chuck Romeo - Technical Director
Cromeo@trans-amseries.com
Shipping Address
Trans-Am Series
14175 Icot Blvd Suite 300
Clearwater, Fl 33760
727.533.0503
and to ...
gary.claudio@gm.com
He is the Corvette platform manager.
This is a grassroots campaign to let the powers that be know that, as fans and supporters of products from Trans AM sponsors, we can see what is going on and it isn't what WE want.
American muscle is just that ... American, not imported American Muscle.
In the notes you send, be courteous and to the point. No need to editorialize. Just ask what happened to the #28 C5 driven by Lou Gigliotti.
Remember, a similar campaign supposedly saved the Mustang. We might be able to save a racing series.
Had an oppurtunity to sit down with Lou Gigliotti today ... please read this!
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