Trinkler to Achieve Continental Tire Challenge Milestone at Road America

Owen Trinkler is set to become the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge’s all-time leader in career races when he joins Sarah Cattaneo in the No. 44 CRG-I Do Borrow Nissan Altima Coupe during next weekend’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase at Road America.

It will be Trinkler’s 124th race in the series, breaking a tie at the top with Andy Lally.

Trinkler and Cattaneo are two-time winners this season, winning at Sebring in a Honda Civic Si and at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the Nissan, and occupied the top position in the championship standings earlier in the season. However, an electrical problem resulted in a 17th-place result at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and a mechanical issue in the recent race at Lime Rock Park dropped them to eighth in the points.

 “Winning in two different cars is a testament to the guys who work in the shop in Columbus,” Trinkler said. “It’s a smaller team, with not a lot of distraction going on. I’m just the test dummy behind the wheel. Engineer Jim Haaser makes it work, crew chief Brian Buttler and Richie Thrembly wrench on it, and Joe (Cattaneo) gives us the support that makes it happen. And Sarah’s done a great job; it’s been a lot of fun to work with her. The last couple of years since this team evolved has been refreshing for me, and a lot of fun to be here.”

Trinkler’s professional career with IMSA goes back 20 years, when he finished third in the 1996 Slick 50 Pro Series International standings. He won four poles and finished second at Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (then Mosport) while running a limited schedule that year.

“I’ve been around here since I was 19 or 20 years old, so I feel like I’ve grown up around this series and in IMSA,” Trinkler said. “Back in ’96 when I was running in the Slick 50 Pro Series, I remember riding on a golf cart with Mark Raffauf at what was then known as Mosport over to the back stretch so he could show me the chicane. It’s great to be able to sustain that kind of longevity with IMSA and this series.”

Ironically, Trinkler and Lally both had their first taste of street stock racing the following year.

“I ran my first race in what was then the Speedvision Cup at Watkins Glen in 1997, and my co-driver was Andy Lally,” Trinkler recalled. “We both had come up together with Team Green, and we co-drove for Team Spartanburg.”

Over the following years, Trinkler drove a Kudzu in World Sports Car competition, a Corvette in the ALMS, and Corvettes and Camaros in GRAND-AM, winning the 2002 Rolex Series race at VIRginia International Raceway in the American GT class. He began racing in what was then known as the GRAND-AM Cup in 2002, running three races with Andrew Linder and Kristian Skavnes. His first victory came in 2003 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, winning ST I with Mike Keravich for Linder’s Power Racing. Trinkler’s seven career victories include three consecutive triumphs at New Jersey Motorsport Park from 2010-2012.

“I’d liked to have had more wins and podiums, and we can bench race all day about what could have happened, but I think the wins we’ve had this year were both highlights,” Trinkler said. “To win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this year was real special, because that’s where I had my first Continental Tire Challenge victory. Winning at Sebring was also very special to me, because it was on the anniversary of my dad passing away.”

While Trinkler is at a loss when discussing his highlights, asking about out his career low elicits a quick response.

“Sarah and I were close to winning the championship in 2011,” he recalled. “Then in the last race at Mid-Ohio, we had a clutch failure with 20 minutes to go. Of the 120-plus races, that one still stings. The championship was in our hands, we were leading the race and doing everything we needed to do, and when you lose it on a mechanical failure after putting a whole season together, it really hurts.”

Cattaneo began co-driving with Trinkler in 2010 for RSR Motorsports. The pair transitioned to CRG-I Do Borrow in 2014.

“I don’t know what the record is for driver pairings, but I would imagine that Sarah and I would be up there pretty high,” Trinkler said. “We’ve always been a contender. I don’t think we’ve ever finished worse than fourth or fifth in the championship when we’ve run a full season. We’ve got good communication, and I try to get the feel she wants in the car, and then we work to make it the best for the both of us.”

Ready to set the record for the most races in the series, Trinkler has no plans to stop adding to that total.

“It’s great to be in the Continental Tire Championship … I’d love to be in WeatherTech, but I’m very happy to be here in a competitive car,” Trinkler said. “I’ve found a home here, and it’s been a lot of fun. Hopefully, the ride’s not over anytime soon.”