The Trans Am Race Company (TARC) has announced that Jim Derhaag will depart the ownership group in order to better focus on his primary business, Derhaag Motorsports.
The three primary partners within TARC, David Jans, Mike Miller and Tony Parella, have entered into an agreement with Jim Derhaag to equally acquire his interest within the company—seeing the three each retaining an equal share. John Clagett and Simon Gregg will retain their minority ownership shares.
The move comes as a continuation of recent steps within the primary ownership to remove potential conflicts of interest within the ownership group. Mike Miller sold his championship winning TA2 team in late 2015; while, like Derhaag, Tony Ave departed the ownership in late 2016 to better focus on Ave Motorsports. DJ Jans, a prior Trans Am competitor and car owner, sold all of his Trans Am equipment in late 2016 as well.
“The ownership and I want to thank Jim for his dedication to the Trans Am Series over the years,” said John Clagett, President of TARC. “It was his initial idea to form the Trans Am Race Company; and without his initiative, vision and love for the Trans Am name, I think it’s safe to say we would not be where we are today. We applaud Jim for his decision—another step by the company and its ownership to remove what can be viewed as conflicts of interest. Derhaag Motorsports has been a staple in the Trans Am paddock since 1981, and we look forward to his continued participation in the Series.”
In addition to the departure of Jim Derhaag, the Trans Am Race Company is in the process of amending its bylaws to add a provision prohibiting any future owner from having ownership interests at the team or supplier level.
Derhaag was one of the original members of the ownership group who worked to save the Trans Am Series after SCCA Pro Racing made it evident they would not continue to fund the Series upon the conclusion of the 2011 season. Derhaag helped assemble the original ownership group of Mike Miller, Tony Ave, DJ Jans, Simon Gregg, Doug Harrington and himself, seeing the creation of The Trans Am Race Company.
Derhaag will continue to field Derhaag Motorsports in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli with Simon Gregg, in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, while running his company’s TA/GT-1 chassis construction and bodywork divisions.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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