As a teenager, Troy Ermish remembers watching the Trans Am Series on television and thinking it was the coolest racing series in the world.
“I remember saying then that I wanted to be a Trans Am driver,” he recalls.
It’s taken a while, but coming into the Mission Foods Laguna Seca SpeedTour at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca May 3-5, Ermish is not only driving in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Western Championship, but is fourth in points after scoring three top-five finishes in four race starts this season.
“The first race this year, when I was getting in the car, I realized I was now a Trans Am driver,” said the Tracy, California, driver who competes in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series.
Held at the iconic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the Mission Foods Laguna Seca SpeedTour will have something for everyone, with eight decades of automotive design and technology showcased throughout the three-day event.
Ermish may be a newcomer to Trans Am, but not to racing, SpeedTour or Laguna Seca. For many years, he’s been one of the top builders and drivers of Datsun 510 racecars in the B Sedan Series, and is now the director of that series, which will be competing in this weekend’s SpeedTour event.
When he took over the series’ leadership, he decided it was best to end his time as a series competitor.
“Predominately, the main reason I left was because I didn’t want to race in the series I run. Based on the success I’ve had in the series, it would look bad,” said Ermish, who estimates he has won more than 50 races in the series over the years, including several at WeatherTech Raceway. “We wanted to run a pro series, and this was the most affordable one.”
There will be eight 510s built and prepared by Ermish’s company, Troy Ermish, Inc., entered in the B Sedan competition at the Laguna Seca event. Even though he won’t be driving one, Ermish will be heavily involved in their preparation when he’s not in his Trans Am Ford Mustang.
Ermish has adapted quickly to the move to a higher series. His three top-five finishes are witness to that. But he says it hasn’t been without challenges.
“The biggest adjustment has been the way the cars drive. You can manhandle and slide and do all kinds of stuff in the 510. You’ve really got to take control in the Trans Am car,” said Ermish. “This series is all new to me.”
Headlined by Trans Am, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), International GT (IGT), Prototype Sprint Series Association (PSSA), Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) and OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car, the Mission Foods Laguna Seca SpeedTour will have something for everyone. In addition to the action on the track, the weekend will feature a huge Hagerty Cars & Caffeine Car Show, a variety of food trucks, performances by Folklórico dance groups, open paddocks, pre-race fan walks on pit lane and more. Advanced online ticketing discounts are available exclusively at SpeedTour.net.
