Trans-Am Series
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The Trans-Am Series was created in 1966 by the SCCA as the Trans-American Sedan Championship. Originally derived from the SCCA's A Production class, it today features purpose-built tube-frame race cars competing on road courses. The series is known for competition of pony cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, Plymouth Barracuda, AMC Javelin and Dodge Challenger in the late 1960s and early 1970s, though marques from many different countries have competed in the series.
Another pony car, the Pontiac Trans Am, was named for the series.
The Trans-Am Series was the longest running racing series in the United States of America, its first race run on March 25 1966. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is the sanctioning body for the series and holds the rights to the "Trans-Am" name. The series was most recently operated by the Champ Car World Series and ran the majority of its races in support of the parent open-wheel championship.
Due to a lack of participants and interest, the series ceased operations after the 2005 season.
However the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) continues to own the name, and it is widely expected there will be a revival of Trans-Am name, either as a new name for an existing series or a new venture in the near future.
History
The Beginnings (1966 - 1980)
At first, the Trans-Am vehicles were primarily modified versions of the road-going car. The competition was divided into two classes- an "Under 2 Liter" class (predominantly small European sedans) and the "Over 2 Liter" class (limited to 5 liters displacement).
The first race was in 1966 at Sebring Raceway. The overall win went to Jochen Rindt driving an Alfa-Romeo (an Under 2 Liter entry), with Bob Tullius (driving a Dodge Dart) taking second overall, but first in the Over 2 Liter class. This race was marred by tragedy: driver Bob McLean is killed in one accident and an incident between Mario Andretti and Don Wester resulted in the death of four spectators.
The early years were largely dominated by Mark Donohue, who would chalk up 20 victories between 1967 and 1970 and three drivers's championships, the third achieved in 1971.
In 1969 the "Under 2 Liter" class is split off into the Two-Five Challenge, with Trans-Am becoming a single class competition. Rules evolved over the years, incorporating FIA touring and grand-touring classes as well as SCCA Club Racing classes. The different classes had restrictions placed on the allowed modifications in an effort to equalize competition between the different cars. In 1976, Trans-Am returns to the two category format, classifying FIA Group 4 and 5 cars as "Category II".
The Modern Era (1980 - 2004)
In 1980, the SCCA developed a weight-to-displacement ratio for handicapping cars. Five-liter, 2600 pound vehicles dominated the field. Soon, tube-frame cars would begin to appear on the grid, eventually becoming the standard for Trans-Am competitors.
Roush Racing entered into Trans-Am competition in 1984. For the next six years Roush entries would dominate the series, winning 46 of the 83 races. This first decade also saw notable champions such as Wally Dallenbach, Jr. (1985 and 1986), Scott Pruett (1987), Hurley Haywood (1988), and Dorsey Schroeder (1989).
In 1988, after years of rallying, Audi would enter the series with the 5000 via the services of Bob Tullius's Group 44 Racing. As usual the car ran their trademark Quattro system. However this did not run without controversy as the car, piloted by Haywood and with both Walter Röhrl and Hans Joachim Stuck sharing duties, steamrollered the opposition taking eight out of thirteen wins. As Audi would defect to IMSA by the end of the season, the SCCA would change the regulation to a two wheel drive only and banning cars with non American engines from taking part.
In the nineties Tommy Kendall was the driver to beat- he would take four driver's championships in this decade. Chevrolet was also prominent in this time period, with 6 drivers' champions in their cars.
Paul Gentilozzi rose to the fore beginning in 1998 with his first championship in Trans-Am. He would win three more championships, his latest in 2004, driving for Chevrolet, Ford, and Jaguar. These latter years also saw more European marques enter the field, with exotics such as the Panoz Esperante, Qvale Mangusta and Jaguar XKR.