TRANS AM: Huffaker Engineering returns to Trans Am
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 6, 2001Ross Thompson to Drive at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
SONOMA, Calif. -Huffaker Engineering has announced its return to the Trans-Am Series for the BFGoodrich Tires Cup for Round Ten this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Huffaker is no stranger to the Trans-Am series, having enjoyed great success in the past.
During its 1980s campaign, Huffaker came away with the Series Championship in 1982. When they re-entered the series in the late 1990s, the result was yet another Championship for the year 200, with driver Brian Simo.
Huffaker's record in the Trans-Am series is very impressive. It scored the two aforementioned Championships in only six years of competition. Huffaker has scored 14 wins, one Owners' Championship, a Crew of the Year award and boasts 52 top-ten finishes in only 72 races.
Joe Huffaker has just completed a new "continued development" chassis that offers better handling and more horsepower than ever before. He is confident that this late-year entry into the series will interest observers and customers.
Huffaker has taken this year to re-structure his company and develop a new 2001 Jaguar, which will debut with driver Ross Thompson on September 8th at Laguna Seca. This begins a new generation of future championship cars.
Thompson, an accredited driver whose resume includes NASCAR's Craftsman Truck, Winston West and Southwest Series, will make his return to the Trans-Am series as well. In 1998, Thompson was runner-up in Rookie of the Year honors, finished sixth overall in points and went out on the highest of high notes with two straight podium finishes in the final two races of the season.
"I'm looking forward to returning to the Trans-Am series and racing with the likes of Boris Said," said Thompson.
Huffaker Engineering was established in 1960 to focus on and specialize in the development of competition engines and racecars. During the 1960s, it prepared and developed Jaguars, MGs, Formula Juniors and the Genies. One highlight of that era was three years of Indy 500 entries.
The 1970s brought on Huffaker's British Leyland West Coast factory days. Throughout the decade, Huffaker attained 12 SCCA National Championships. It also had entries in the Can-Am and IMSA series.
The 1980s awarded a Trans-Am Championship to Huffaker with Elliott Forbes-Robinson behind the wheel. Beginning in 1985, Huffaker produced 15 Pontiac Fieros for the IMSA GTU series. Team driver Bob Earl entered 27 races, scored 10 wins with 16 poles.
During the early 90s, Joe decided to get behind the wheel, earning five SCCA Runoffs(r) titles.
In 1998, Huffaker joined forces with Bruce Qvale to form Huffaker-Qvale Motorsports. Its objective was to win the Trans-Am Championship, which was accomplished in 2000 with driver Brian Simo in the Tommy Bahama-sponsored Mangusta. After meeting their goal, the partnership was dissolved.
Now, Huffaker returns to the longest running road racing series in North America with sights set on a win at Laguna Seca.
Text provided by Kelby C. Krauss
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