Ian Patterson (otherwise known as IMP), a long time Gateway customer, took delivery of his brand new GT-1/Trans-Am spec race car, entirely built in-house by Gateway Racing Inc. The car is based on Blaise’s Trans-Am podium finishing chassis but with numerous improvements, especially in packaging and driveline, and took exactly 5 months to construct. “We are extremely proud of the end product” said Blaise Csida, Director of Gateway Racing, adding that “having a whole team of professionals really helped in fabricating a superior product. Four heads are simply better than one”.

While the car is entirely legal for SCCA GT1 or Trans-Am Pro racing, it was custom built for Ian. The chassis needed widening and the cockpit extended. In addition, custom features, such as a unique dash designed by Ian himself were incorporated. A high-tech Nascar based engine was used, running on pump gas, yet still producing incredible power (which we cannot precisely disclose here…).

The car’s maiden voyage occurred Friday, April 29th, under less than ideal conditions. But cold weather and sporadic rain didn’t stop Ian from venturing onto the track. Within a few laps he learnt how to shift a dog box (a transmission that does not require the use of the clutch while shifting) and handle this 700 plus HP purpose built race car. By the end of the day, he posted some incredible lap times, considering the traffic and point-to-pass rules of the day.

“I am so impressed with this Trans-Am car (aka MP-5), that Gateway built me, I’m finding it hard to put it into words. A giant “Woohoo!” comes to mind, of course, but that is hardly definitive unless you’ve had the experience yourself. In my first day with MP-5, despite my apprehension towards taking it onto the track without prior experience in such a machine of this caliber, I could not believe how well set up and functionally perfect everything was. The attention to detail for the build is unmatched, not to mention the personal consideration for making sure that what was being built was what I wanted, on time, and on budget. In the end, with only slight adjustments to the clutch and brake pedal distances and mirror position, and I was back on the track in what I can only describe as home (only way, *way* faster!) from what a pleasure it was to be behind the wheel. No details were missed; the fit, the handling, the gearing and shift points, all utterly perfect. And a damn nice wax job to boot.”

“I can honestly say that Gateway surpassed my expectations by leaps and bounds with this car, my heart is still beating double-time!”

The entire Gateway crew wishes Ian a successful racing season with his new car and are anxiously awaiting for the exciting development work that is yet to come! Watch Ian compete in the Ontario Regional Series as well as possibly trying a Pro Trans-Am race on the May 24 weekend.