Team Profile
The Tiger Racing Team is housed at Tom Oates Chevrolet in a separate facility. The Team was formed in 1999 to campaign a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 in SCCA Club Racing T2 class. The '99 Camaro was Hugger Orange from the factory. The decision to apply the black stripes was Tom's because he wanted a more aggressive look than the common double stripe down the middle of the car. After racing the car for two seasons which included stints in Motorola Cup events, ( a 4th at Daytona with co-driver John Hienracy, a 2nd at Sebring with Terry Earwood) it was sold and a new "Tiger Car" was built for the 2001 season. Since Hugger Orange was out of production the Tiger team went with the reverse look of Orange on Black and has stuck with it since.
1999/2000
The Tiger car first appeared in 1999 as a Camaro Z28 Hugger Orange built for the SCCA T2 class. This was Tom Oates Chevrolet second effort at building a T2 car. The first car, a purple '96 Z28 had been sold to Rob Hines at the end of the 1997 season. The Orange '99 Tiger won its first SCCA National at Summit Point on April 18, 1999 which happened to be Tom's 40th birthday. The 1999 Runoffs ironically was won on a wet track by Rob Hines in Tom's old car. The Orange tiger car finished a close 2nd and vowed revenge.
After the disappointment of the Runoffs, the team wanted another race to ease the pain. So the T2 car was converted into a Motorola Cup car ( suspension, fuel cell and gutting the interior) for the Daytona finale. Although lacking the allowed SS hood and induction the Tiger Car was competitive finishing 14th in 1999 and then 4th in the 2000 race. The team had so much fun doing the endurance format they stayed with it for the Sebring race in March and finished 2nd in the GS class.
The 2000 SCCA season started again with the T2 win and track record at Summit Point. The Tiger car went on to 6 National wins heading into the Valvoline Runoffs. SportsCar magazine predictions for Runoff winners in 2000 didn't include the Tiger team. But revenge was sweet when the T2 National Championship was again decided in the rain. This time with the Tiger car out in front the whole way. A dominate performance for the gold.
2001
The Hugger Orange car was sold. Black took its place and a new 2001 model was built. The '01 Camaro having a 5hp gain according to the Chevrolet engineers got a new smaller restrictor as mandated by SCCA. Wins at Summit Point, Lime Rock, Pocono and Watkins Glen led to winning the Pole for the 2001 SCCA Valvoline Runoffs. As defending Champion we were picked by SportsCar Magazine to win.
In what was probably the most memorable race to date and the most exciting and at the same time disheartening, the Tiger team had its first ever DNF( did not finish). Starting from the pole Tom raced into the first turn side by side and was distracted by contact to the car next to him and spun out. The whole field passed him by. By the time he rejoined the race Chris told him he was 35 seconds behind, but to keep racing, which he did. With 7 laps to go Tom had passed 14 cars and with 2 laps to go Tom was in second with the leader well in site. It was then that the clutch decided to let go, break. All 23 cars that Tom had passed eventually repassed him as the Tiger car slowly rolled to a stop at turn seven. The team had to wait a whole year knowing the fastest car on the track doesn't always finish.
2002
The Tiger Racing team built two new 2002 cars. One was a Camaro to replace the sold '01 and for the first time a Z06 Corvette to compete in T1. Those two cars along with the American Sedan 1992 Camaro kept the crew and driver very busy just to qualify all three cars for the 2002 Valvoline Runoffs.
The first order of business at the 2002 Valvoline Runoffs was try to qualify in the top 5 of all three classes, T1, T2, and A/S. Well 2 out of 3 wasn't bad. Tom managed to place the T1 Corvette 5th on the grid and the A/S 10th and even with all the drama and trauma for the T2 class the Tiger Racing team came away with the pole position. The story in T2 was a technical issue with front camber on all the F-Body entries. Which numbered close to a dozen almost half the field. Tom had to qualify both the Corvette and the Camaro in the same 20 minute session since T1 and T2 shared the time. That also meant over 50 cars on the track, so getting a clean lap was difficult. After the first qualifying session the Tiger Camaro was 7th and the crew knew their was a problem tracing it to faulty shocks. The next day session times were disallowed due to SCCA tech's issue with the before mentioned camber adjustments, so the rest of the afternoon and far into the night the Tiger crew spent working to comply with the Stewards ruling for not only their car but also helping the other dozen F-body racers.The extra work did infringe upon the evenings planned 1st Annual Tiger Racing party. So for the last day of qualifying on Thursday, the Tiger team had to try new shocks, different camber settings and find clear track. The team was not to be denied and on the last lap of the session took the pole for T2. The first race of the weekend was on Friday Afternoon for the T2 class. The other classes would run on Saturday. Beautiful weather awaited the T2 field and with Tom getting a good clean start from the pole he was able to eventually pull away from a hard fought battle behind him to win. The victory was the second SCCA National Championship for the Tiger Racing team. Perfect time to retire their T2 class careers after 6 years they had won 3poles, 1Bronze, 2Silver and 2Gold medals. Saturday was very busy for the team with the Camaro in tech for teardown and two race to compete in the day went fast. Tom started the T1 race slow and fell from 5th back to 8th by the first lap, by the time the Tiger Corvette repassed up to 6th the leaders were long gone.
The American Sedan race is always exciting, meaning lots of body contact. The 2002 Runoffs didn't disappoint as the pole sitter Smokin' Matt Roberts was taken out in the second turn. Tom took advantage of the carnage and moved from starting 10th to 5th just two laps in. But events caught up to the Tiger by lap 14 he was running 6th in a dog fight with two Mustangs, when they slammed together out of turn 13 (Carousel turn), Tom tried to squeak by but was hit in the right front tire by one of the spinning Mustangs. Toms day ended in the pits finishing 24th. A long season had ended. But it had just wet the teams appetite for more challenges.
2003
In 2003, SPEED GT switched to the new Toyo Proxes RA-1™ race compound DOT-approved tire, which helped establish new track records in both qualifying and in the race.
In SPEED GT, it looked like Bill Auberlen was poised to win the Drivers’ Championship with a good showing in the penultimate round of the season at Road Atlanta. He had a 20-point lead over Randy Pobst. However, on lap 13 a broken halfshaft forced Auberlen to retire, while Pobst went on to win the race . With the win and coupled with Auberlen’s 25th place finish, Pobst catapulted into first place and held a 12-point lead heading into the season finale in Puerto Rico. Despite a variety of scenarios, Pobst could essentially clinch the Championship if he finished fourth or better, regardless of where Auberlen finished. After qualifying on the pole, Pobst took matters into his own hands and won the Caribbean shootout. With the win, Pobst not only won the Drivers’ Championship, but he also secured the SCCA SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by Racer Magazine for Audi. Auberlen (three wins) and Phil McClure (two wins) completed the top three in the final standings. Other winners on the season included Mike Fitzgerald (two wins) and rookie Paul Mumford, who was tragically killed in a plane crash shortly after his win at Laguna. Tom Oates, driving a Corvette C5, placed in the top ten and won Rookie of the Year.
2004
Thanks in part to both a highly competitive racing format and top-notch drivers, SPEED World Challenge moved even closer to the forefront of the road racing landscape in 2004. In it’s September issue, Car and Driver magazine called World Challenge "the best road racing in the country,” telling its readers what World Challenge enthusiasts had known for years.
In SPEED GT, Tommy Archer proved that winning a championship doesn’t mean winning every race. In fact, he only won once (Portland), but it was his eight top-five finishes in 10 events that propelled him and his Dodge Viper Competition Coupe to the SCCA SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship. The title was especially impressive considering Archer had not competed in World Challenge since 1991. Michael Galati led all SPEED GT drivers with three wins in 2004, driving an Audi RS 6. Those victories and five podium finishes overall led him to a second-place finish in points, just six behind Archer. However, because of Galati’s and teammate Randy Pobst’s (who won at Lime Rock and finished fourth in points) efforts, it was Audi who walked away with the SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship presented by RACER magazine. Competing in the brand new Cadillac CTS-V, Max Angelelli won two races, including the season-opener at Sebring, and finished third in the point standings. Rookie Wolf Henzler burst on to the scene in 2004 with two victories, and Ron Fellows also earned a win at Mosport. The Corvette drivers lead by Lou Gigliotti, Leighton Resse and Tom Oates, were shut out of the winners circle but posted strong finishes. Mike McCann took home Rookie of the Year honors, beating out his brother, Jim.
2005
SPEED World Challenge ratcheted up the "wow" factor a few more levels in 2005 as both the SPEED GT and SPEED Touring Car Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships were in doubt until the very end of the year. That was especially the case in SPEED GT, which was fittingly named the "most competitive road racing in the world" by RACER Magazine in its June issue.
Those who thought Tommy Archer's 2004 Championship run was improbable after he won just a single race had to think Andy Pilgrim's run to the top simply unfathomable as the Team Cadillac driver earned his first title without recording a single win. Consistency was once again the name of the game as Pilgrim never finished lower than 10th and finished second twice. His efforts, along with teammates Max Angelelli, Max Papis and Ron Fellows (who all won races), propelled Cadillac to the SPEED GT Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER Magazine over Porsche.
Had it been based on finishes alone, Pilgrim's title would have gone to Archer (who won twice to start the season), but a pair of five-point penalties (Cleveland, Infineon), forced Archer behind Pilgrim. Farnbacher Loles Porsche driver Wolf Henzler also scored a pair of wins (Mid-Ohio, Denver), and Lou Gigliotti broke a couple of major streaks as he won (Infineon) for the first time since 1997 and broke a 24-race winless streak for Corvette. Robin Liddell scored a victory at Cleveland, and Dino Crescentini broke into the winner's column in his very first SPEED GT race (Portland). Sonny Whelen, driving a Corvette C5 earned SPEED GT Rookie of the Year honors and finished 12th overall in the point standings.
The Tiger race team had both Tom Oates and Chip Herr behind the wheel at alternating race.
2007
The Tiger is ready to Roar !
The Tiger Racing Team is housed at Tom Oates Chevrolet in a separate facility. The Team was formed in 1999 to campaign a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 in SCCA Club Racing T2 class. The '99 Camaro was Hugger Orange from the factory. The decision to apply the black stripes was Tom's because he wanted a more aggressive look than the common double stripe down the middle of the car. After racing the car for two seasons which included stints in Motorola Cup events, ( a 4th at Daytona with co-driver John Hienracy, a 2nd at Sebring with Terry Earwood) it was sold and a new "Tiger Car" was built for the 2001 season. Since Hugger Orange was out of production the Tiger team went with the reverse look of Orange on Black and has stuck with it since.
1999/2000
The Tiger car first appeared in 1999 as a Camaro Z28 Hugger Orange built for the SCCA T2 class. This was Tom Oates Chevrolet second effort at building a T2 car. The first car, a purple '96 Z28 had been sold to Rob Hines at the end of the 1997 season. The Orange '99 Tiger won its first SCCA National at Summit Point on April 18, 1999 which happened to be Tom's 40th birthday. The 1999 Runoffs ironically was won on a wet track by Rob Hines in Tom's old car. The Orange tiger car finished a close 2nd and vowed revenge.
After the disappointment of the Runoffs, the team wanted another race to ease the pain. So the T2 car was converted into a Motorola Cup car ( suspension, fuel cell and gutting the interior) for the Daytona finale. Although lacking the allowed SS hood and induction the Tiger Car was competitive finishing 14th in 1999 and then 4th in the 2000 race. The team had so much fun doing the endurance format they stayed with it for the Sebring race in March and finished 2nd in the GS class.
The 2000 SCCA season started again with the T2 win and track record at Summit Point. The Tiger car went on to 6 National wins heading into the Valvoline Runoffs. SportsCar magazine predictions for Runoff winners in 2000 didn't include the Tiger team. But revenge was sweet when the T2 National Championship was again decided in the rain. This time with the Tiger car out in front the whole way. A dominate performance for the gold.
2001
The Hugger Orange car was sold. Black took its place and a new 2001 model was built. The '01 Camaro having a 5hp gain according to the Chevrolet engineers got a new smaller restrictor as mandated by SCCA. Wins at Summit Point, Lime Rock, Pocono and Watkins Glen led to winning the Pole for the 2001 SCCA Valvoline Runoffs. As defending Champion we were picked by SportsCar Magazine to win.
In what was probably the most memorable race to date and the most exciting and at the same time disheartening, the Tiger team had its first ever DNF( did not finish). Starting from the pole Tom raced into the first turn side by side and was distracted by contact to the car next to him and spun out. The whole field passed him by. By the time he rejoined the race Chris told him he was 35 seconds behind, but to keep racing, which he did. With 7 laps to go Tom had passed 14 cars and with 2 laps to go Tom was in second with the leader well in site. It was then that the clutch decided to let go, break. All 23 cars that Tom had passed eventually repassed him as the Tiger car slowly rolled to a stop at turn seven. The team had to wait a whole year knowing the fastest car on the track doesn't always finish.
2002
The Tiger Racing team built two new 2002 cars. One was a Camaro to replace the sold '01 and for the first time a Z06 Corvette to compete in T1. Those two cars along with the American Sedan 1992 Camaro kept the crew and driver very busy just to qualify all three cars for the 2002 Valvoline Runoffs.
The first order of business at the 2002 Valvoline Runoffs was try to qualify in the top 5 of all three classes, T1, T2, and A/S. Well 2 out of 3 wasn't bad. Tom managed to place the T1 Corvette 5th on the grid and the A/S 10th and even with all the drama and trauma for the T2 class the Tiger Racing team came away with the pole position. The story in T2 was a technical issue with front camber on all the F-Body entries. Which numbered close to a dozen almost half the field. Tom had to qualify both the Corvette and the Camaro in the same 20 minute session since T1 and T2 shared the time. That also meant over 50 cars on the track, so getting a clean lap was difficult. After the first qualifying session the Tiger Camaro was 7th and the crew knew their was a problem tracing it to faulty shocks. The next day session times were disallowed due to SCCA tech's issue with the before mentioned camber adjustments, so the rest of the afternoon and far into the night the Tiger crew spent working to comply with the Stewards ruling for not only their car but also helping the other dozen F-body racers.The extra work did infringe upon the evenings planned 1st Annual Tiger Racing party. So for the last day of qualifying on Thursday, the Tiger team had to try new shocks, different camber settings and find clear track. The team was not to be denied and on the last lap of the session took the pole for T2. The first race of the weekend was on Friday Afternoon for the T2 class. The other classes would run on Saturday. Beautiful weather awaited the T2 field and with Tom getting a good clean start from the pole he was able to eventually pull away from a hard fought battle behind him to win. The victory was the second SCCA National Championship for the Tiger Racing team. Perfect time to retire their T2 class careers after 6 years they had won 3poles, 1Bronze, 2Silver and 2Gold medals. Saturday was very busy for the team with the Camaro in tech for teardown and two race to compete in the day went fast. Tom started the T1 race slow and fell from 5th back to 8th by the first lap, by the time the Tiger Corvette repassed up to 6th the leaders were long gone.
The American Sedan race is always exciting, meaning lots of body contact. The 2002 Runoffs didn't disappoint as the pole sitter Smokin' Matt Roberts was taken out in the second turn. Tom took advantage of the carnage and moved from starting 10th to 5th just two laps in. But events caught up to the Tiger by lap 14 he was running 6th in a dog fight with two Mustangs, when they slammed together out of turn 13 (Carousel turn), Tom tried to squeak by but was hit in the right front tire by one of the spinning Mustangs. Toms day ended in the pits finishing 24th. A long season had ended. But it had just wet the teams appetite for more challenges.
2003
In 2003, SPEED GT switched to the new Toyo Proxes RA-1™ race compound DOT-approved tire, which helped establish new track records in both qualifying and in the race.
In SPEED GT, it looked like Bill Auberlen was poised to win the Drivers’ Championship with a good showing in the penultimate round of the season at Road Atlanta. He had a 20-point lead over Randy Pobst. However, on lap 13 a broken halfshaft forced Auberlen to retire, while Pobst went on to win the race . With the win and coupled with Auberlen’s 25th place finish, Pobst catapulted into first place and held a 12-point lead heading into the season finale in Puerto Rico. Despite a variety of scenarios, Pobst could essentially clinch the Championship if he finished fourth or better, regardless of where Auberlen finished. After qualifying on the pole, Pobst took matters into his own hands and won the Caribbean shootout. With the win, Pobst not only won the Drivers’ Championship, but he also secured the SCCA SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship Presented by Racer Magazine for Audi. Auberlen (three wins) and Phil McClure (two wins) completed the top three in the final standings. Other winners on the season included Mike Fitzgerald (two wins) and rookie Paul Mumford, who was tragically killed in a plane crash shortly after his win at Laguna. Tom Oates, driving a Corvette C5, placed in the top ten and won Rookie of the Year.
2004
Thanks in part to both a highly competitive racing format and top-notch drivers, SPEED World Challenge moved even closer to the forefront of the road racing landscape in 2004. In it’s September issue, Car and Driver magazine called World Challenge "the best road racing in the country,” telling its readers what World Challenge enthusiasts had known for years.
In SPEED GT, Tommy Archer proved that winning a championship doesn’t mean winning every race. In fact, he only won once (Portland), but it was his eight top-five finishes in 10 events that propelled him and his Dodge Viper Competition Coupe to the SCCA SPEED GT Drivers’ Championship. The title was especially impressive considering Archer had not competed in World Challenge since 1991. Michael Galati led all SPEED GT drivers with three wins in 2004, driving an Audi RS 6. Those victories and five podium finishes overall led him to a second-place finish in points, just six behind Archer. However, because of Galati’s and teammate Randy Pobst’s (who won at Lime Rock and finished fourth in points) efforts, it was Audi who walked away with the SPEED GT Manufacturers’ Championship presented by RACER magazine. Competing in the brand new Cadillac CTS-V, Max Angelelli won two races, including the season-opener at Sebring, and finished third in the point standings. Rookie Wolf Henzler burst on to the scene in 2004 with two victories, and Ron Fellows also earned a win at Mosport. The Corvette drivers lead by Lou Gigliotti, Leighton Resse and Tom Oates, were shut out of the winners circle but posted strong finishes. Mike McCann took home Rookie of the Year honors, beating out his brother, Jim.
2005
SPEED World Challenge ratcheted up the "wow" factor a few more levels in 2005 as both the SPEED GT and SPEED Touring Car Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships were in doubt until the very end of the year. That was especially the case in SPEED GT, which was fittingly named the "most competitive road racing in the world" by RACER Magazine in its June issue.
Those who thought Tommy Archer's 2004 Championship run was improbable after he won just a single race had to think Andy Pilgrim's run to the top simply unfathomable as the Team Cadillac driver earned his first title without recording a single win. Consistency was once again the name of the game as Pilgrim never finished lower than 10th and finished second twice. His efforts, along with teammates Max Angelelli, Max Papis and Ron Fellows (who all won races), propelled Cadillac to the SPEED GT Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER Magazine over Porsche.
Had it been based on finishes alone, Pilgrim's title would have gone to Archer (who won twice to start the season), but a pair of five-point penalties (Cleveland, Infineon), forced Archer behind Pilgrim. Farnbacher Loles Porsche driver Wolf Henzler also scored a pair of wins (Mid-Ohio, Denver), and Lou Gigliotti broke a couple of major streaks as he won (Infineon) for the first time since 1997 and broke a 24-race winless streak for Corvette. Robin Liddell scored a victory at Cleveland, and Dino Crescentini broke into the winner's column in his very first SPEED GT race (Portland). Sonny Whelen, driving a Corvette C5 earned SPEED GT Rookie of the Year honors and finished 12th overall in the point standings.
The Tiger race team had both Tom Oates and Chip Herr behind the wheel at alternating race.
2007
The Tiger is ready to Roar !
The Tom Oates Chevrolet Service team has been busy reading the Tiger Corvette race car for its first effort since September of 2005. The team will be joining again with the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) Speed World Challenge traveling professional series when they make a stop at the famed Watkins Glen International Raceway this weekend. The Race takes place at 11am on Sunday and will be televised two weeks later on the Speed Channel Saturday June 30th at 4pm.
Crew chief, Tim Coll. Has spent many hours getting the Tiger Corvette ready again for competition. After redoing the fuel system, brakes, safety equipment and dyno testing the car alls that’s left is changing the well know number 99 for 90. "After being out in 2006 someone else picked up 99, I’ll have to get used to looking for the new number" Tim said with a smile.
Tom Oates will handle the Team Manager duties and hand the driving job over to Chip Herr of Litiz, PA. Chip last drove the Tiger Corvette to a 7th place finish at Mosport in 2005. Chip is competing full time in the Speed World Challenge Touring Car series, driving a Audi A4 for Stasis engineering. Fresh of is first win of the season last weekend at Lime Rock Park, Chip will have his hands full at the Glen. Two Touring car races are scheduled as well as the GT race on Sunday. "Three races in one weekend, I can’t wait. Driving the Tiger Corvette again will be a blast" Chip says.
2008
The Tiger Racing 99 Corvette may be retired and dismantled but it lives on in the popular video game FORZA2 Motorsports for XBOX 360! Although there may be another car built in the future for racing, the Tiger racing 99 Corvette will never be forgotten.