TRANS AM

TRANS AM 101

TA
CLASS

With over 800 horsepower, the sights and sounds of the Trans Am presented by Pirelli TA class resonate with much of the history of the pinnacle classes of North American motorsports, where power easily exceeded mechanical grip and aerodynamic downforce. These aggressive machines have a legacy that is decades in the making. With their remarkable speed, incredible sound, and the visceral challenges of pure racing thanks to electronic driver aids being banned, the fans love the cars of the TA class as much as its drivers do.

TA2™
CLASS

The TA2 class presented by AEM brings back the "Muscle Car Wars" of the 60's and 70's, when revered brands like the Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford released hot rod versions of their Camaro, Challenger and Mustang to try to prove who made the best performance cars on the American roads. The competition is incredibly close thanks to rules that keep an equal eye on the bottom line as well as the finish line.

XGT
CLASS

FIA GT3 cars are some of the most technically interesting cars currently racing. But with a narrow window of eligibility, these remarkable machines haven’t had a good place to race-until now. The Trans AM Xtreme GT Class was created to give former GT3 cars a place to race. The class is open to a wide range of GT3 machines as well as custom packages from individual teams and race shops.

SGT
CLASS

In its infancy, Trans Am was a production-based series that pitted makes and models from around the world against one another. That spirit, and the competition that comes from it, lives today in the Trans Am Super GT class. With some of the most liberal eligibility rules in North America, SGT welcomes a wide variety of makes and models -- promoting crossover from other professional series and club racing. From machinery constructed in a one-man shop to pro-built cars, there’s a place for it to compete and celebrate the variety of machinery and thrilling competition that road racing offers, while embracing the freedom to build your car your way.

GT
CLASS

Originally, Trans Am stood as a production-based competition, bringing together the best offerings manufacturers could muster. Those early days of Trans Am competition that ultimately set the stage for all production-based racing that followed. Focused on limited-prep specifications, the Trans Am GT class is designed to bring competitive, cost-effective racing to Trans Am while allowing for crossover from the most popular club racing classes. GT stands as a proving ground for drivers looking for the challenge of a pro racing environment without the skyrocketing costs associated with other series.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli

Pirelli Tire North America and the Trans Am Series renewed their partnership until at least the end of 2024, with the Italian tire company as presenting partner for America’s Road Racing Series.

At the same time, Pirelli has also extended its agreement with SVRA – the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association – for the same period, as the ‘Official Street Tire of SVRA’. SVRA, the largest vintage racing organization in the United States open to virtually any vintage or historic race car, will share a number of key dates with the Trans Am Series as part of the ‘Speed Tour’.

The recent five-year extension between Pirelli and the Trans Am Series comes off the back of previous three-year agreement that ended in 2019. As a result, Pirelli will continue to be presenting sponsor as well as official tire supplier to one of the best-known road racing championships in the United States, which is rooted in popular culture as well as motorsport.

The Trans Am Series has been thrilling fans and drivers alike since 1966, with a range of classes that include production-based entries up all the way up to the iconic 850 plus horsepower TA Class. This complements Pirelli’s road to track philosophy perfectly, in which the lessons learned on circuits are put into practice on road car tires. Pirelli will continue to supply the entire Trans Am field, including a purpose-built competition tire for the TA and TA2 classes, enabling the drivers to get the very most out of their cars while spectators enjoy a spectacular show that highlights the very best of American racing.

Ultra high performance – as well as competition – is at the very heart of Pirelli, which celebrates more than 110 years of motorsport and recently renewed its exclusive partnership with Formula 1. As well as supplying more than 220 car racing championships worldwide, Pirelli is one of the companies that invests most into research and development through motorsport, in order for the competition product to be as closely aligned to road car tires as possible.

Consequently, Pirelli and Trans Am are currently testing 18-inch tires for the headlining TA class, which could be adopted from next season already: bringing the tires used on the track even closer to those on the road. In a similar move, Pirelli is introducing 18-inch tires to F1 from 2021.

About Pirelli:

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information, please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

The Trans Am Series Competition Format

A Trans Am Series race is 100 miles in length, and does not require a mandatory pit stop for fueling, tires or driver changes. As a sprint, it is driver versus driver, and that means its flat out racing from start to finish.

The series generally has four to six on-track sessions, including two test sessions (35 to 40 minutes in length) one to two practices (typically 30 minutes in length), one qualifying session (sixty minutes broken into 3 sessions for Trans Am, TA2 and the production classes) and two 100-mile races (one for Trans Am and the three production classes; and the other for TA2). Depending on the circuit, the 100 mile race fits into a 90-minute window, including pre- and post-race activities.

Trans Am Series Management

The Trans Am Race Company, LLC manages the day to day business of the Trans Am Series, including marketing, public relations and promotions, while SCCA Pro Racing provides contracted event operations services.

Tony Parella is majority owner of the Trans Am Race Company.

Series Sanction

The Trans Am Series is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing Ltd., the wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc.

SCCA Pro Racing has been at the forefront of the professional racing landscape in the United States with such landmark series as Trans Am, Can-Am and Formula 5000.

2020 Trans Am

NEXT RACE

Sep 24 - Sep 27

VIRginia International Raceway

Alton, VA

Event Details