Trans-Am Series Announces BFGoodrich Tires As Associate Sponsor

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Trans-Am Series Announces BFGoodrich Tires As Associate Sponsor $300,000 To Be Distributed In Drivers’ Championship; Will Post $36,000 In Contingencies

Miami - The Trans-Am Series and the Panoz/Sanchez Group today announced that it has signed BFGoodrich Tires to a three-year deal to be the spec tire for the Trans-Am Series and the presenting sponsor of the Trans-Am Drivers’ Championship. The series will now be referred to as the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup.

The BFGoodrich Tires Cup, given annually to the winner of the Drivers’ Championship, will be worth $100,000 this season. The total year-end points fund payout of $300,000 will make this season’s points race the richest championship in the series illustrious 36-year history.

Entering its third year as the season-ending award for the Trans-Am Series Drivers’ Champion, the BFGoodrich Tires Cup has quickly become a highly prized championship trophy in road racing.

The BFGoodrich Tires Cup stands approximately 23 inches tall and weighs nearly 50 pounds and was developed by graphic artist Stephen France, creator of the Indianapolis 500 PPG Pole Award and the Brickyard 400 Trophy. It is made from machined aluminum and features a stunning cup, ringed in gold, atop a checkerboard-design base.

The name of each BFGoodrich Tires Cup champion is engraved on one of the five brass disks, located on the trophy’s base. Each BFGoodrich Tires Cup winner receives a “keeper” trophy that is exactly half the size of the original.

“We are excited about continuing our partnership with the Trans-Am Series,” said BFGoodrich Tires Director of Motorsports Herb Johnson. “The Trans-Am Series is coming off another great year. This type of exciting, high-end racing is consistent with BFGoodrich Tires’ 30-year heritage in motorsports. I can’t think of a better tie-in for the brand than our relationship with the Trans-Am Series. We’re committed to helping the Series grow as the preeminent form of road racing in North America.”

Starting this season, BFGoodrich Tires will sponsor the BFGoodrich Tires Take Control Award, which will recognize the driver who leads the most laps in each Trans-Am race. The winner will receive a set of BFGoodrich Traction T/A race tires. In the event of a tie, the driver with the highest finishing position will receive the award.

In addition, BFGoodrich Tires will post a tire contingency bonus for the top-10 finishers. The value per weekend is nearly $4,000, with a total posting for the season of $36,000.

“We’re extremely pleased that BFGoodrich Tires will once again take a major role in the Trans-Am Series,” said executive director John Clagett. “The money that BFGoodrich has posted for the Drivers’ Championship is another sign that the Trans-Am Series is North America’s premier road racing series.”

The BFGoodrich Tires’ sponsorship complements its marketing campaign for the g-Force T/A family.

The BFGoodrich brand first raced in the Trans-Am Series in the early 1970s as a way to prove and further develop radial tire technology. The brand introduced the g-Force T/A family of ultra-high-performance tires in 1998 with the g-Force T/A racing tire, which equips the popular performance cars competing in the Trans-Am Series. The g-Force T/A gives Trans-Am Series competitors an advantage in acceleration, braking, straight-line traction and consistent performance. The flagship of the g-Force T/A family is the g-Force T/AKD, which provides the ultimate dry traction and handling available in a true street-legal tire.

The Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup will open its 36th season on March 16 at Sebring International Raceway.

Text Provided By David Lang

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.