Aloha, Oregon, November 29, 2018| 13 might not be considered a lucky number by most but for Lux Performance Group, it is the number of success. The Aloha, Oregon-based motorsport operation captured its 13th-career road racing championship in 2018. With Cindi Lux (Aloha, Oregon) behind the wheel of the No. 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper ACRX, the Northwest's premier sports car racing team captured the inaugural Trans Am Northern Cup Championship for TA3 cars. Combined with Dirk Leuenberger (Redmond, Washington) in the No. 35 Dodge Viper ACRX, Lux Performance earned six podium finishes including a victory in their nine combined starts.
The Northern Cup, a championship-within-a-championship, was made-up of Trans Am races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), Pittsburgh International Race Complex (Pitt), the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America and Watkins Glen International. Cindi scored the team's sole victory, from the pole position, at Pitt on August 5. Leuenberger's best finish came with a second-place at Watkins Glen in September.
Engineered by team principal Fred Lux, the two-Viper program earned a total of one pole position (Pitt), two second-places, three third-place results and two track records (Pitt and Road America). That accounts for a 67 percent podium tally for both cars. Lux Performance Group is currently evaluating 2019 customer programs. The effort has competed in the Trans Am since 2015. In shortened seasons each year, the program has still raced its Vipers to nine TA3 class victories, 17 podiums, five pole positions and five track records. A long-time Dodge entrant and factory team since 2012, Lux Performance Group is the leading Viper entrant in North America.
In 2018, Lux Performance continued its longstanding relationship with Black Rock Coffee Bar. The chain of coffee specialists currently has locations in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho. Joining Black Rock on the No. 45 Viper were CoolShirt, Forgeline Wheels and MCS shocks.
Quotes:
Fred Lux, Team Principal/Engineer, Lux Performance Group, LLC. | "We like to find a series that is the farthest away from home to compete. We have won so many titles now that our new challenge is to win them in the hardest way we can. And the one trophy missing from the case is the one for the team that travels the farthest. Coming from Portland Oregon, we are not the racing capital of the US. So we are always the 'away' team.
"In all sincerity, we are very proud to have won this inaugural Trans Am Northern Cup Championship. We had a lot of personal and professional obstacles we had to face head-on. There was no jumping over them. To earn this title, our first in Trans Am, we all had to step-up more than ever before. I am proud of this group. I am old school so that is all the polish I am putting on this apple."
Aloha, Oregon, June 11, 2018 |Having endured one of the longest off-seasons of her impressive career, Cindi Lux is ready to get back on track. The Aloha, Oregon-resident now gets a chance to bring her 2018 Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli season to life with the push of the button on her No. 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper ACRX Fueled by Black Rock Coffee. When the V10 roars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) this weekend, Lux will tighten the safety belts and race to the reach the world’s most famous victory lane and “kiss the bricks”. The 100-mile Trans Am race for the TA3 class, as well as the TA and TA4 classes, on the Indy road course in Speedway, Indiana will take the green flag on Sunday June 17.
Lux Performance Group has opted to focus on a six-race Trans Am Series schedule in 2018 for Cindi. The Fred and Cindi Lux-owned operation returns with the Dodge-built Viper, which the Aloha, Oregon-based team has developed and become synonymous with since 2005. The black and red ACRX engineered by Fred will take on the 2.439-mile, 13-turn road course at Indy beginning with a test session on Friday, June 15. Running clockwise – counter the oval made famous by the Indianapolis 500 – the permanent road course utilizes large portions of the oval including nearly the whole front straightaway as well as a purpose-built infield sections. Cindi made her first laps on the track last season and has some unfinished business after mechanical gremlins forced an early retirement.
The 42-lap, multi-class race will cover a distance of 102.06-miles with a 70-minute time limit. Official practice begins on Saturday, June 16 at 11:00 a.m. ET. A 15-minute qualifying session for the 33-cars across the three classes is scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Trans Am will take to the grid at 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, June 17 followed by a Father’s Day green flag at 3:15 p.m.
In 2017, Lux ran her fourth partial season in the Trans Am championship. Despite entering only a handful of the races, the 12-time road racing champion took a class victory at the VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) and won the “Cool-Shirt Cool Move of the Race Award” in the process. She took class pole position at Watkins Glen International with a track record in the Viper ACRX and made her track debut at Indianapolis.
Continuing its history of long-term partner relationships, Lux Performance returns with Black Rock Coffee Bar in 2018. The ever-growing chain of coffee specialists has locations in Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona and Idaho. Lux Performance Group and Cindi continue as ambassadors of the brand around North America helping to fulfill Black Rock’s core philosophy to “Fuel Your Story””; a campaign focused on connecting and benefiting everyone in the community with interaction and communication. Black Rock has helped “fuel” Lux’s story, and Lux theirs, since 2011.
Joining Black Rock on the No. 45 Viper will again be CoolShirt, Forgeline Wheels and MCS Shocks.
The race is the second of 2018 to be live-streamed through the Trans Am web site (www.GoTransAm.com). A tape-delayed broadcast of the event can be seen on the CBS Sports Network at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. in the Portland area on Sunday, July 1.
Quotes
Fred Lux, Team Principal/Engineer, Lux Performance Group Viper ACRX | “Despite having grown up only three-hours from Indianapolis, I never spent any time at the Speedway but it is still special to race here. I always get nervous for the first race of the season. The team has worked very hard during the off-season on the Vipers. I just keep trying to push the limits on our cars as I am always learning new things about them. It’s the little details that are vital.”
Cindi Lux, Driver, No. 45 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper ACRX | About 2018 |“2018 is all about fueling our story. Lux Performance has always been about going out there, tightening the belts and putting the right foot to the floor. We’ve done some off season testing but nothing beats going head-to-head with the best in the Trans Am paddock… I have missed it. We have been testing some new parts this spring and we have yet to dial things in. But the team has thrown the kitchen sink at the car with some changes and my fingers are crossed. I am chomping at the bit to start turning laps that mean something.”
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